Category: Latest Travel News

London (United Kingdom) – March 26, 2020 (travelindex.com) – World tourism leaders have been urged to execute crucial measures to save the travel and tourism sector, ahead of a special meeting of the G20 hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today. The call was made by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, to prevent a catastrophic collapse following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, putting up to 75 million jobs at immediate risk.

WTTC implored the G20 leaders to assign resources and coordinate efforts to rescue major travel businesses such as airlines, cruises, hotels, GDS and technology companies, as well as the SME’s, such as travel agents, tour operators, restaurants, independent workers and the entire supply chain, in order to save the jobs of the 330 million people who rely on Travel & Tourism for their livelihoods.

WTTC welcomes the special virtual meeting, hosted by His Royal Highness King Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which takes place as WTTC releases its latest annual Economic Impact Report.

According to WTTC’s 2019 research, Saudi Arabia’s new tourism strategy has made it the fastest growing and best performer. A growth of 14% in Travel & Tourism, contributed 9.5%, including direct, indirect and induced impacts, to the Kingdom’s total economy, supporting 1.45m jobs (11.2% of the country’s total).

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its outstanding leadership and commitment by prioritising the development of Travel & Tourism with extraordinary results in a short time frame. We hope that with its leadership and recognition of the Travel & Tourism sector, which contributes to one in 10 jobs in the planet, the Kingdom under its Presidency, will work with the largest economies of the world to implement critical measures for its survival.”

“The coronavirus pandemic has put the sector in unprecedented danger of collapse, which is looking increasingly likely unless a global rescue package is agreed to bolster what has become the backbone of the global economy.

“WTTC’s Economic Impact Report for 2020 reveals that this vital sector was responsible for generating one in four of all new jobs globally in 2019 and will have a crucial part to play in powering the global recovery.

“It is therefore of paramount importance that the G20 take urgent action now to preserve the 75 million jobs at immediate risk, which would represent a crushing Travel & Tourism GDP loss to the world economy of up to US$2.1 trillion in 2020 alone.

“A determined and decisive action by the G20 could reverse this, save millions from misery, and bolster one of the main engines of future economic growth.

On behalf of millions of families and businesses, large and small around the world, we implore the G20 to take this vital step. We also recognise the efforts from all G20 countries in supporting a sector that alleviates poverty, provides opportunity, especially for women and the youth, and is an engine for growth.” The importance of the Travel & Tourism sector for aiding the world economic recovery is revealed in WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report, which shows that throughout 2019 the sector supported one in 10 jobs (330 million), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating a quarter, one in four, of all new jobs.

The Travel & Tourism sector also outperformed the 2.5% rate of global GDP growth, thanks to an annual GDP growth rate of 3.5%.

A breakdown by WTTC shows Asia Pacific to be the top performing region worldwide with a growth rate of 5.5%, followed by the Middle East at 5.3%. The US demonstrated a growth rate of 3.4% and the EU 2.4%.

However, the country showing the best performance was Saudi Arabia, growing four times than the global average.

Geneva (Switzerland) – March 26, 2020 (travelindex.com) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the support of those governments around the world that have provided financial relief to airlines and urged other governments to follow suit before more damage is done.

“Airlines are fighting for survival in every corner of the world. Travel restrictions and evaporating demand mean that, aside from cargo, there is almost no passenger business. For airlines, it’s apocalypse now. And there is a small and shrinking window for governments to provide a lifeline of financial support to prevent a liquidity crisis from shuttering the industry,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

According to IATA’s latest analysis, released today, annual passenger revenues will fall by $252 billion if severe travel restrictions remain in place for three months. That represents a 44% decline compared to 2019. This is well-over double IATA’s previous analysis of a $113 billion revenue hit that was made before countries around the world introduced sweeping travel restrictions.

“It did not seem possible, but in a matter of days, the crisis facing airlines worsened dramatically. We are 100% behind governments in supporting measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. But we need them to understand that without urgent relief, many airlines will not be around to lead the recovery stage. Failure to act now will make this crisis longer and more painful. Some 2.7 million airline jobs are at risk. And each of those jobs supports a further 24 in the travel and tourism value chain. Some governments are already responding to our urgent calls, but not enough to make up the $200 billion needed,” said de Juniac.

In urging more government action, de Juniac cited examples of state support:

– Australia has announced an A$715 million (US$430 million) aid package comprising refunds and forward waivers on fuel taxes, and domestic air navigation and regional aviation security charges.
– Brazil is allowing airlines to postpone payments of air navigation and airport fees.
– China has introduced a number of measures, including reductions in landing, parking and air navigation charges as well as subsidies for airlines that continued to mount flights to the country.
– Hong Kong Airport Authority (HKAA), with government support, is providing a total relief package valued at HK$1.6 billion (US$206 million) for the airport community including waivers on airport and air navigation fees and charges, and certain licensing fees, rent reductions for aviation services providers and other measures.
– New Zealand’s government will open a NZ$900 million (US$580 million) loan facility to the national carrier as well as an additional NZ$600 million relief package for the aviation sector.
– Norway’s government is providing a conditional state loan-guarantee for its aviation industry totaling NKr6 billion (US$533 million).
– Qatar’s Minister of Finance has issued a statement of support for the national carrier.
– Singapore has undertaken relief measures valued at S$112 million (US$82 million) including rebates on airport charges, assistance to ground handling agents, and rental rebates at Changi Airport.
– Sweden and Denmark announced $300m in state loan guarantees for the national carrier.

In addition to this support, the European Central Bank, and the United States Congress are expected to enact significant measures to aid the airline industry in their respective jurisdictions as part of large packages of broader economic measures.

“This shows that states around the globe, recognize the critical role that aviation plays in the modern world. But many others have still to act to preserve the important role of this sector. Airlines are an economic and employment engine. This is demonstrated even as passenger operations shrink, as airlines continue to deliver cargo that is keeping the economy going and getting relief supplies where they are needed most. The ability for airlines to be a catalyst for economic activity will be vital in repairing the economic and social damage that COVID-19 is now causing,” said de Juniac.

IATA is calling for:

– Direct financial support to passenger and cargo carriers to compensate for reduced revenues and liquidity attributable to travel restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19;
– Loans, loan guarantees and support for the corporate bond market by the Government or Central Banks. The corporate bond market is a vital source of finance, but the eligibility of corporate bonds for central bank support needs to be extended and guaranteed by governments to provide access for a wider range of companies.
– Tax relief: Rebates on payroll taxes paid to date in 2020 and/or an extension of payment terms for the rest of 2020, along with a temporary waiver of ticket taxes and other government-imposed levies.

Victoria, Mahé (Seychelles) – March 25, 2020 (travelindex.com) – One Seychelles reacts to statements made by President Danny Faure in his televised address to the Nation. One Seychelles, a political party representing Seychellois in the 26 electoral districts in Seychelles, is under the leadership of former Minister of Tourism Alain St.Ange.

It is important to state that our call to the Government of Seychelles for an open dialogue between the Head of State, Leaders of Political Parties and the relevant authorities and stakeholders, to discuss and agree upon immediate affirmative action moving forward as our vulnerable Nation grapples with COVID-19.

One Seychelles is again advocating for a needed strategy of containment to ensure the health and livelihood of the Seychellois is protected.

Our call has thus far gone unanswered and unacknowledged by the other politicians, with our Head of State continuing to operate in isolation and in the shadows. The fear and anxiety being felt by the public is escalating steadily, with many businesses, as well as private and Governmental bodies, taking matters into their own hands and closing their doors for two weeks.

Different countries reliant upon tourism have taken drastic measures to preserve and safeguard their citizens by closing their borders, including Mauritius and Madagascar our sister islands. Meanwhile, Seychelles continued for much longer to receive visitors daily from Europe, which had become the epicenter of the coronavirus. Seychelles must now move to curtail tourism arrivals from all coronavirus-infected areas while simultaneously working to keep businesses afloat and continue providing employment for the people of Seychelles.

While the Country is feeling the mounting pressures associated with the virus that has now reached our shores and infiltrating society, the only constructive way forward is to strive for unity. Unity is our strength, division is our weakness. Our Government has a duty to prioritize the health and security of its People. It must also protect the public from the economic impact of this global health crisis; family-operated businesses in our tourism-reliant country will need support to weather the crisis.

“One Seychelles” acknowledges and joins the President in recognizing that we are now living in unprecedented times and unchartered waters that have never before been tried and tested in Seychelles.

Desperate times do indeed call for exceptional responses. The President has attempted to do just that, however, like every new and novel approaches, the devil usually lie in the practical and implementation details. Thus there would as a consequence be multiple queries to the rationale that substantiate the chosen approach.

The President of ‘One Seychelles’ Alain St.Ange did propose that the major representatives of the people of Seychelles do meet to be part of a consensual approach for SEYCHELLES. In the end of his speech the President of the Republic rightly requests all Seychellois to get on board and recognize that each and everyone has a role to play in this fight against the spread of Coronavirus in Seychelles.

However, the President declined to bring the various potical leaders and stakeholders to seek their input and secure their respective consensus that would today have all to support all his measures unreservedly. A lot of responses to doubts would have been given and we could all together focus on implementation. This was a missed opportunity. We do acknowledge that this is a national emergency and timely intervention is critical. However we still live in a young democracy where consultation and consensus are key. In fact, as a small country with relatively small population this task does not warrant much effort or time. Government’s presence in the National Assembly to respond to queries and concerns of the representatives of the people. This has gone a long way to ensure that wide support for the measures are assured. Nevertheless the President decision to go it all alone instead of being politically inclusive remains very unfortunate.

The mis-opportunity is ‘water under the bridge’ now. We are now going to move forward with what has been pronounced. One Seychelles have the following exhausting queries for clarification:

1. The guarantee of salary by Government for Seychellois and their foreign counterparts for three months in this trying period is welcomed. This will help local businesses.

2. What is the faith of the large number of Seychellois self-employed who earns their living in the informal sector inclusive of the performing industry are many in our society. They are not employed and do not earn a monthly salary yet their informal economic activities will also be affected and some have a personal loan too. With the decline in economic activities they will be affected too. Do they go to Agency for Social Protection? If that is the case, will the SCR 30 million allocated to ASP be sufficient?

3. Seychellois cannot travel – good idea – but will Seychelles still be receiving foreigners from abroad to come to our shores? If yes from which country?

4. We are by now aware that CoronaVirus is extremely contagious. The army reserves have been called in to increase our manpower and ensure security and stability. However, in this combat we need to ensure that all our manpower are very well equipped and protected. Yet in the speech we seem to be depending on ‘friendly countries’ and WHO for equipment and protective items. In our view, this is not sufficient. Our doctors, nurses, police officers, volunteers and every worker on the frontline MUST have easy access to equipment (ventilators, relevant medicine), protective gear and the necessary rapid training and instructions on how to operate in this new environment. We would have wished that more clarity was given to reassure all that the aforementioned is indeed a priority.

5. The speech and the measures are focussed on 6 months and assumes that by September 2020 normality would settle in and life will normalize as we know it yesterday. Assuming that this is really the case, it is our view that we may have underestimated the efforts that will be required for business to bounce back and begin to perform. But we at least have some time to cross this bridge when we get to it.

6. We call on the National Assembly to urgently move on the proposed stimulus package to develop measures, in consultation with the Seychelles Tourism Board, that will ensure businesses are kept alive and Seychellois employees do not lose their jobs. This as the tourism industry is being encouraged to offer a re-booking option, if they are unwilling to offer a refund, to clients who booked their accommodation or excursion packages prior to the pandemic.

7. The Central Bank needs on its part to urgently call for a drop in Interest Rates. This will help businesses remain afloat as loans are rescheduled and payments calculated on the new rates deferred for September 2020.

8. Seychellois have been encouraged to work from home and the local telecommunication companies are encouraged to do their part and drop the applicable rates.

9. Utilities charges (Electricity & Water) provided by PUC also needs to be reduced as more Seychellois are staying at home and would be burdened with extra costs is a period of national difficulty.

10. Daycare Centers must remain open as working parents have no other facilities to care for their babies. This is a necessity.

11. Finally, we feel that the President could have reserved some more space to emphasize the importance of ‘social distancing’ and all the novel behaviors that we have to adopt to ensure we limit transmission to the bare minimum.

In ending the economic measures are welcomed and we again put on record our appreciation for the work being done in this difficult time by the Team at the Department of Health.

Bangkok (Thailand) – March 25, 2020 (travelindex.com) – Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) announced, “Due to the ongoing global outbreak of COVID-19, several countries in Europe and Asia has intensely increased preventive measures including screening by local Ministries of Public Health and Civil Aviation Organizations as well as national lockdown.

Therefore, THAI has prepared its plans and temporarily suspended its operations on the following flights:

1. Starting on 25 March 2020: Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Yangon, Singapore, Jakarta, Denpasar, Kunming, Xiamen, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Karachi, Kathmandu, Lahore, Dhaka, Islamabad, and Colombo. For domestic flights to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Krabi will be transferred and operated by THAI Smile.

2. Starting on 27 March 2020: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth

3. Starting on 1 April 2020: THAI will cancel most of its flights to Europe which are London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, Oslo, Moscow and Stockholm

THAI previously suspended flights to Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Busan, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Milan, Vienna, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Muscat, Dubai, and Auckland.

To facilitate customers, THAI allows passengers holding THAI and THAI Smile code-share flights air tickets, issued before 25 March 2020 with the following date of travel, to convert unused tickets to one-year valid travel voucher without fee and surcharges:

• Asian Routes during 25 March – 31 May 2020

• European, Australian and New Zealand Routes during 1 April – 31 May 2020

Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) members holding award tickets issued to travel during 25 March – 31 May 2020 may fully re-credit mileages or change the travel date without any fee or charge with expired miles extended until 30 September 2020.

Passengers may check flight schedules and make changes to itineraries themselves on www.thaiairways.com website. For ticket adjustments or more information, ROP members can contact THAI Sales Offices or visit www.thaiairways.com/rop.

THAI still operate cargo service in some routes and will operate charter flight if there are stranded passengers or requested by government agencies concerned. The Company will inform passengers accordingly if there is some flight adjustment.”

London (Great Britain) – March 25, 2020 (travelindex.com) – Up to 75 million jobs are at immediate risk in global Travel & Tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The alarming figure, based on research from WTTC, shows a punishing Travel & Tourism GDP loss to the world economy of up to US$2.1 trillion in 2020.

COVID job loss update The latest projection of a 50% increase in jobs at risk, in less than two weeks, represents a significant and worrying trend, with an astounding one million jobs being lost every day in the Travel & Tourism sector, due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

The analysis by WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, also exposes the depth of the crisis for individual regions. Asia-Pacific is expected to be most heavily impacted with up to 49 million jobs at risk throughout the region, representing a loss of nearly US$800 billion to Travel & Tourism GDP. The latest figures also suggest that in Europe, up to 10 million jobs in Travel & Tourism are at risk, totaling a loss of nearly US$552 billion.

The Americas are also expected to be hit hard by this crisis, with the United States, Canada and Mexico expected to lose up to US$570 billion combined, with nearly seven million jobs in Travel & Tourism at risk. Other countries expected to be hit hard by this crisis include Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Indonesia and India.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The number of jobs now at risk in the global Travel & Tourism sector is a staggering 75 million, bringing real and profound worry to millions of families around the world.

“This chilling new figure also represents the collective delay by many governments around the world to react quickly enough to come to the aid of a sector which is the backbone of the global economy.

“If urgent action is not taken within the next few days, the Travel & Tourism sector faces an economic meltdown from which it will struggle to recover and plunge millions of people dependent upon it for their livelihoods into debt. Not only will this have an enormous negative impact on major businesses in the Travel & Tourism sector around the world, the ‘domino effect’ will also result in massive job losses across the entire supply chain, hitting employees and those in self-employment.

“We call on all those in positions of power to help the powerless and enact policies to support and sustain a sector which is a driving force of the global economy and responsible for generating one in five of all new jobs.”

Germany is set to be the most affected country in Europe, with almost 1.6 million jobs at risk, followed by Russia with an estimated 1.1 million in potential job losses. Italy and the UK follow as the third most impacted, with both countries projected to lose up to one million jobs in the Travel & Tourism sector.

Meanwhile, the region which has experienced the least damaging impact from the COVID-19 outbreak is the Middle East. However, it still faces job losses of 1.8 million and a GDP loss of up to US$65 billion to the regional economy.

Travel & Tourism contributes to 10.4% of Global GDP, is directly responsible for generating one in 10 of the world’s jobs, and for eight successive years, has outpaced the growth of the global economy.

Bangkok (Thailand) – March 25, 2020 (travelindex.com) – The World’s 50 Best Restaurants publishes an annual list of the world’s finest restaurants selected by a panel of culinary experts. The restaurants receive their award during an annual awards ceremony.

When Deepak Ohri, the Chief Executive Officer of lebua in Bangkok, the world’s first luxury vertical destination, received an invitation to be included in a list at World’s 50 Best Restaurants he declined.

“There are lots of dining awards, and many of them aren’t credible when it comes to fine dining,” he says. Ohri showed us an invitation from The World’s 50 Best and his reply to the group declining to be included.

After some Michelin starred chefs returned their stars and refused to be included in the red guide, Deepak, for his fine dining restaurants at lebua, is the first to have decline inclusion or any other association with World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Deepak Ohri is not like most other hotel executives; he is a visionary taking experiential luxury to a higher level by offering exclusive experiences at lebua. If Ohri is not speaking at Harvard Kennedy School or at IIM Bangalore to deliver keynote addresses he is rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, from Barrack Obama and George Clooney to Tony Blair and David Cameron (see below).

After having faced some criticism in the past, World’s 50 Best Restaurants, in 2019, overhauled its rules to encourage more diversity among the restaurant picks and gender balance among its voting body but is Ohri’s refusal a sign that more changes are needed at World’s 50 Best Restaurants?

Geneva (Switzerand) – March 25, 2020 (travelindex) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) updated its analysis of the revenue impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global air transport industry. Owing to the severity of travel restrictions and the expected global recession, IATA now estimates that industry passenger revenues could plummet $252 billion or 44% below 2019’s figure. This is in a scenario in which severe travel restrictions last for up to three months, followed by a gradual economic recovery later this year.

IATA’s previous analysis of up to a $113 billion revenue loss was made on 5 March 2020, before the countries around the world introduced sweeping travel restrictions that largely eliminated the international air travel market.

“The airline industry faces its gravest crisis. Within a matter of a few weeks, our previous worst case scenario is looking better than our latest estimates. But without immediate government relief measures, there will not be an industry left standing. Airlines need $200 billion in liquidity support simply to make it through. Some governments have already stepped forward, but many more need to follow suit,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.

Slower Recovery

The latest analysis envisions that under this scenario, severe restrictions on travel are lifted after 3 months. The recovery in travel demand later this year is weakened by the impact of global recession on jobs and confidence. Full year passenger demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) declines 38% compared to 2019. Industry capacity (available seat kilometer or ASKs) in domestic and international markets declines 65% during the second quarter ended 30 June compared to a year-ago period, but in this scenario recovers to a 10% decline in the fourth quarter.

London (United Kingdom) – March 24, 2020 (travelindex.com) – Significant and Swift Measures are needed to support the Travel & Tourism sector in the turbulent months ahead. WTTC urges governments to implement policies that will directly support the sector across the following three areas, namely:

• Protecting the Livelihoods of Workers: Financial help must be granted to protect the incomes of the millions of workers in severe difficulty.

• Fiscal Support: Government must extend vital, unlimited interest-free loans to global Travel & Tourism companies as well as the millions of small and medium-sized businesses as a stimulus to prevent them from collapse. Governments dues and financial demands on the Travel & Tourism sector need to be waived with immediate effect for at least the next 12 months.

• Injecting Liquidity & Cash: Cash flow assistance to support players big and small of the Travel & Tourism sector is critical as well as to offer targeted support to severely affected industries within the sector.

On the basis on the three policy priority areas, above, WTTC has highlighted a number of countries which have announced and are now implementing impressive policies in this area:

• Italy: As part of its “Italy Cure” package, the Italian government has put worker protection at its core through the reactivation of the Cassa integrazione for all the sectors, whereby the government pays 80% of the employee salaries. What’s more, self-employed or seasonal workers can apply for a special pay-out of €600 in March. Families can apply for permission to suspend their mortgage payments if business shutdowns caused by the pandemic threaten their livelihoods. What’s more, parental leave has been extended to 15 days and in in March and April, people caring for a loved one with disabilities are entitled to take up to 12 days’ leave a month instead of three. Italy has also set up a 500 million Euro fund to deal with the damage suffered by the aviation industry and the Alitalia operation.
Gloria Guevara – CEO & President of WTTC

• Hong Kong: To ensure business continuity within Travel & Tourism, Hong Kong has created the Anti-Epidemic Fund’s Travel Agents Subsidy Scheme through which some 1,350 travel events have received payments through the to help them tide over the financial difficulties arriving from the outbreak. Each eligible travel agent may receive a one-off subsidy of HK $80,000. 98% of all licensed travel agents in Hong Kong have registered for the payment.

• Germany: To shield its companies from going under, the government pledged unlimited cash to German businesses and is suspending legal obligations for firms facing acute liquidity problems to file for bankruptcy until September. The government’s liquidity assistance envisages a massive expansion of loans provided by KfW, from €460bn to €550bn ($610 billion) the country’s development bank.

• Australia: As part of a $10.3 billion (AUS$ 17.6 billion) stimulus plan and the additional $38.3 billion to be spent over the next six months, the government has pledged AUS$1 billion (US$613 million) to support those sectors, regions and communities, including Travel & Tourism that have been disproportionately affected by the virus. This will include the waiver of fees and charges for tourism businesses that operate in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Commonwealth National Parks. Packages to support business investment, provide cash flow assistance to support SMEs will also support Travel & Tourism. To deliver support for business investment, for instance, AUS$700 million has been allocated to increase the instant asset write off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000 and expand access to include businesses with aggregated annual turnover of less than $500 million (up from $50 million) until 30 June 2020. These measures start today and will support over 3.5 million businesses (over 99 per cent of businesses) employing more than 9.7 million employees or 3 in every 4 workers.

• France: As a starter to his promise for unlimited budgetary support for companies and employees, France has set up a €2 billion Solidarity Fund, for which many Travel & Tourism businesses will be eligible for, given that it that it applies to businesses meeting the following criteria. Businesses whose activity has been closed (mainly refers to catering businesses (which are 160,000), non-food trade (140,000), tourism (100,000); SMEs that have lost turnover by 70% compared to March 2019; SMEs with a turnover of less than €1 million. Within the €45 billion plan, €8.5 billion euros have been dedicated to the funding of short time working /partial unemployment measures. To use short time working, companies pay compensation equal to 70% of gross salary (around 84% of the net) to its employees. Employees with minimum wage or less are 100% compensated. The State will also fully reimburse partial unemployment for wages up to 6,927 euros gross monthly, i.e. 4.5 times the minimum wage.

• Singapore: Since Singapore began dealing with COVID-19 on 23 January, the government has rolled out a number of policies and measures to support the Travel & Tourism sector with a focus on confidence building and providing assistance to the sector. Among other policies, the government is waiving license fees for hotels, travel agents and tour guides, enhanced training schemes and subsidising them up to 90%; providing salary support through Workforce Singapore of up to 70% of fixed monthly salaries (capped at $2000 a month per employee). The government has also created a temporary bridging loan programme for cash flow support, has implemented rebates on aircraft landing and parking charges as well as rental rebates for shops and cargo agents at Changi. It has created a point-to-point support package for taxis and private hire car drivers. To further support jobs, it has created a job support scheme with a one-off wage support to help enterprises retain their workers. To further enable cash flow, it enhanced its Enterprise Financing Scheme-SME Working Capital Loan as well as well as implementing a corporate income tax rebate for YA2020 of 25% of tax payable, capped at $15,000 per company.

• UK: The Chancellor has set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, people and businesses, currently amounting to £330 billion, through this period of disruption. The measures include: a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England; a grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000; small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief. The government also created the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank will be launched on 23 March. The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. Businesses can access the 12 months of that finance interest free. To support larger firms, the Bank of England has announced a new lending facility to provide a quick and cost-effective way to raise working capital via the purchase of short-term debt. This will support companies which are fundamentally strong, but have been affected by a short-term funding squeeze, enabling them to continue financing their short-term liabilities. No business will pay VAT from now until the end of June. The government has also stepped in to pay people’s wages with a new scheme. A grant will cover 80% of wages up to £2.500 for those employees kept on payroll. This will be open for three months, with the possibility of extension, and will cover businesses of any size. The first payments will be made by the end of April.

• The Philippines: The Travel & Tourism sector will receive a significant portion of the government’s $523 million (PHP27.1-billion). support package to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Specifically, $271 million (PHP14-billion) aid from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has been earmarked for various programmes and projects of the Department of Tourism. To support workers, $23 million (PHP 1.2 billion) from the Social Security System will be used as unemployment benefits for workers from the private sector. What’s more, $58 million (PHP 3 billion) will be dedicated to a scholarship grant for the upskilling and reskilling of temporarily displaced workers. Nearly $40 million (PHP 2 billion) will also be allocated for social protection programmes for workers who work in organizations affected by COVID-19. To promote the Philippines as a destination once in the recovery phase, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is allocating approximately $118 million (PHP6 billion). At least PHP421 million earmarked for a new campaign for domestic travel and PHP467 million to create content that targets emerging countries unaffected by Covid-19.

• Spain: The Spanish government announced a financing line of €400 million with guarantee from the ICO (Official Credit Institute of Spain), for self-employed and tourism companies domiciled in Spain in need of liquidity with a limit of €500,000, including transport companies, taxis, hotels, restaurants, car rentals, travel agencies, museums and similar, among others. The funds operate as a 4-year loan; with a fixed interest rate (with a maximum of 1.5%) in which the ICO will guarantee Credit Institutions with a 50% of the risk of their clients. Operations can be agreed until 31 December 2020. The government also announced a €200 billion package on 17 March to help companies and protect workers and other vulnerable groups affected by the crisis. Of the €200 billion fund, half of the money is tied to a public guarantee scheme to ensure liquidity for struggling businesses, specifically to ease the conditions of the temporary collective layoffs (known as ERTEs in Spain), supporting workers and businesses affected by the slump in activity, and guaranteeing liquidity for businesses.

• Portugal: The Portuguese government launched over 30 initiatives aimed at protecting workers and families, and at mitigating the economic impacts of COVID-19 through fiscal breaks and the injection of liquidity. The Government has placed particular emphasis on the Travel & Tourism sector by establishing a dedicated €60 million credit line for micro-businesses in the sector and by working closely with Turismo de Portugal to bolster national capacity to respond to the challenges resulting from COVID-19. Key measures include €200 million credit line for businesses, €60 million credit line for micro-enterprises in the tourism sector, extraordinary support for the maintenance of employment contracts in a company in the amount of 2/3 of the remuneration, and ensuring 70% of Social Security, the remainder being borne by the employer, offering of training scholarships in the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training in Portugal (IEFP) and extending the deadlines for payment of taxes and other declarative obligations.

Bangkok (Thailand) – March 24, 2020 (travelindex.com) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has temporarily redesigned the two main logos for international and domestic tourism, encouraging foreign and Thai tourists to maintain social distancing, as part of the nationwide effort to combat the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

TAT understands that maintaining social distancing can be inconvenient, but it is for the greater good. As a state-run enterprise, TAT is doing our utmost to strictly implement preventive measures and heighten awareness for all tourists in Thailand to protect them from being exposed to the virus.

TAT has also taken a step further in line with the Thai government’s social distancing guidance by allowing our staff at the TAT Head Office and TAT Bangkok Office to work from home from today, 23 March until 5 April, 2020. Operations at the two offices in Bangkok are expected to resume from 7 April, 2020, onwards.

Official advice on social distancing

The Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand has advised the public to refrain from attending social activities and keep a distance of at least one metre from other people. The public should also refrain from unnecessary trips to crowded places and if possible, work from home. If people strictly implement self-protection, it can reduce the disease transmission.

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) basic protective measures against the new coronavirus, maintaining social distancing is to maintain at least one metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. The WHO explained that when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Victoria, Mahé (Seychelles) – March 23, 2020 (travelindex) – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has almost reached 300,000 in 175 different countries, territories and areas. All European countries have registered confirmed cases, with the rate of infection rising rapidly even where restrictive measures are being taken. WHO has declared Europe as the present epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant increase in numbers and community transmission of new infections.

According to the WHO situation report of 19th March 2020, the total number of deaths globally stands at over 11,000 and Italy is now the country with the most deaths, reporting half the total deaths worldwide on 19th March 2020.

The epidemic does not show signs of slowing down in most places. Community transmission is now occurring to different degrees on all continents. The United States of America (USA) and Australia have also reported a significant increase in the number of new cases. Countries in the African region have also reported new cases. These include South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius. Containment will continue to be a challenge worldwide and countries are gradually implementing stricter measures.

Flight bookings and arrivals into Seychelles have already significantly declined, showing signs of adverse impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and other industries. However, with the outbreak escalating in Europe, the epicentre, the possibility of having more passengers infected with COVID-19 who have already arrived in Seychelles, remains. Seychelles needs to continue focusing its resources on dealing with the current situation locally and mitigating the impact of the outbreak on its citizens, hence the implementation of the following measures.