Japanese women in kimono are walking to Tenryu-ji temple, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Japan.

Kyoto hotels hit by 90% slump in foreign stays as pandemic takes toll

The number of foreign tourists staying at hotels in the normally thronging tourist destination of Kyoto plunged 89.5 percent in March from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey.

5 years ago

News

India domestic flights to resume, but coronavirus cases rise

Domestic flights will resume across India on Monday after a day of "hard negotiations", the federal civil aviation minister said on Sunday, after some states sought to limit the number of flights. ...

5 years ago

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Local tourists try to enter Gunungkidul’s closed beaches

Local tourists have tried to visit several beaches in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, during the Idul Fitri holiday. ...

5 years ago

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People gather at Mackenzie beach in the coastal city of Larnaca on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on May 23, 2020.

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Cyprus beaches reopen as new virus cases hit zero

A new form of beach life, spaced apart, emerged Saturday on the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus after more than two months of coronavirus-imposed curbs were lifted on freedom of movement.

5 years ago

The empty street is pictured in front of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi's 'Casa Mila' building, commonly known as 'La Pedrera', in Barcelona on March 19, 2020.

News

In the absence of tourists, locals reclaim their cities

The lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic may not have been universally popular but they have had the effect of alleviating, at least temporarily, some of the ills associated with tourism, notably the overcrowding of city centers and a rapid rise in prices and rents.

5 years ago

The temple of Athena is pictured on September 14, 2017 at the Paestum and Velia archeological park which contains three of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world, in Capaccio-Paestum, near Naples.

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Italy opens ancient Greek site as lockdown eases

Ahead of the Colosseum and Pompeii, the towering Greek temple complex at Paestum near Naples is the first Italian archaeological site to reopen to tourists after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

5 years ago

Lufthansa will resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June, including some holiday hot-spots.

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Lufthansa to resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June

Lufthansa will resume flights to 20 destinations from mid-June, including some holiday hot-spots.

5 years ago

The Yogyakarta administration will apply “new normal” health protocols starting in July, including in the tourism industry.

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'New normal' protocols to be applied in Yogyakarta in July

The “new normal” protocols in Yogyakarta will include limiting the number of visitors to tourist destinations to 100 people.

5 years ago

Australia set out measures to resume tourism to Victoria's rural regions.

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Australia to resume tourism to bushfire-hit Victoria as virus cases stay low

Australia set out measures to resume tourism to Victoria's rural regions, after a testing blitz in the country's second-most populous state showed continuing low cases of community transmission.

5 years ago

A girl adjusts her protective face mask as she walks past Puerta de Alcala Gate amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Madrid, Spain, on May 21, 2020.

News

Easing lockdown, Spain to reopen for tourism in July

Spain will reopen its borders to tourists in July and its top soccer division will kick off again in June, marking another phase in the easing of one of the world's strictest lockdowns.

5 years ago

Virtual tours have become popular amid COVID-19 pandemic, especially as an alternative for those who long for traveling but have to stay at home.

News

Indonesian travel organizers tap into virtual tours amid pandemic

Online trips require thorough preparation and practice to make them more engaging than just "explaining the slides".

5 years ago

A tram is pictured at an empty street as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, on March 20, 2020.

News

Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government

Portugal's doors are open to tourists, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.

5 years ago

Passengers line up at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

News

AP II denies rumor about charging domestic flight passengers for rapid test

Free rapid tests are conducted for repatriated Indonesians upon arrival from overseas. They are not for passengers of domestic flights.

5 years ago

A family wearing masks to avoid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) arrive at Gimpo international airport in Seoul, South Korea, on May 1, 2020.

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South Korea says long-term visa holders must have medical examinations before returning

Foreign long-term residents of South Korea will need to obtain a re-entry permit before leaving the country, and a medical exam before returning, to help stem coronavirus infections.

5 years ago

A passenger wearing a face mask as a precaution against the novel coronavirus arrives at Heathrow airport, west London, on May 22, 2020.

News

UK to introduce 14-day quarantine for international arrivals

Travelers arriving in Britain will face 14 days in quarantine from next month to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak, the government announced, warning that anyone breaking the rules faced a fine or prosecution.

5 years ago

Empty benches are seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on the main square of the city of Hallstatt, Austria, on April 22, 2020.

News

Austria plans heavy virus testing of hotel staff to reassure tourists

Austria plans a hefty expansion of its coronavirus testing just to screen hotel staff, in the hope of luring Germans and other tourists this summer and banishing the uncomfortable memory of a massive outbreak at a fashionable ski resort.

5 years ago

A picture taken on November 21, 2019, shows a nesting beach of hawksbill turtles in Cousin Island, a nature reserve island managed by Nature Seychelles, a national environmental NGO, Seychelles.

News

Seychelles considers admitting Israelis in initial tourism restart

Seychelles may admit Israelis as part of an initial reopening of its tourism industry, hit hard by the archipelago's coronavirus precautions, officials said on Thursday.

5 years ago

An aerial view shows the Athens' newly renovated Omonoia square as the Acropolis hill is illuminated in the background, in Athens, on May 21, 2020.

News

Greek tourism operators see massive drop in 2020 arrivals

Greek tourism operators on Thursday said they expect a 70-percent drop in arrivals this year after the government announced the season could restart in mid-June.

5 years ago

People get out in the sunshine in broadway market, Hackney, north east London on May 20, 2020, as temperatures in the capital are expected to reach 28 Celsius degrees.

News

UK set to outline quarantine measures for international arrivals

The United Kingdom will later on Friday spell out details of its plans for a COVID-19 quarantine for travelers arriving from overseas, a measure that airlines have warned will devastate their industry.

5 years ago

The cruise ship Ruby Princess departs from Port Kembla, some 80 kilometres south of Sydney, on April 23, 2020, after a few hundred virus-free crew members disembarked to begin the process of repatriation to their home countries.

News

Australia extends cruise ship ban to September

Australia on Friday extended its ban on most international cruise ships for three months until mid-September, making no mention of a hoped-for exemption for travel to neighboring New Zealand.

5 years ago

Singapore Airlines and its low cost subsidiary Scoot airline planes are parked on the tarmac Changi International Airport in Singapore on March 16, 2020.

News

Planes grounded by COVID-19 kept in tip-top shape at Changi

The coronavirus pandemic has grounded airplanes and emptied offices all around the world for months. But these idle assets need to be kept in top condition and ready to run when economies reopen.

5 years ago

In this file photo a general view of the Black Spire Outpost at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Walt Disney World Resort at Disney's Hollywood Studios on August 27, 2019 in Orlando, Florida.

News

Disney World in Florida reopens a bit, but no rides yet

Walt Disney World cracked open its doors on Wednesday, offering dining and shopping to masked customers but leaving the beloved rides closed.

5 years ago

A worker stands outside a store in a narrow alleys in the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos, on May 12, 2020.

News

Greece to restart tourism mid-June, international flights July 1

Greece will restart its tourism season on June 15 and gradually restore international flights from July 1 to boost its economy after the virus lockdown.

5 years ago

Jewel Changi Airport's five-story garden, with 2,500 trees and 100,000 shrubs.

News

Singapore to allow travelers to transit through airport from June 2

Singapore, a regional travel and tourism hub, will gradually allow travelers to transit through its Changi Airport from June 2.

5 years ago

Staying guests will also be required to provide a health certificate, which can be obtained from either a hospital or health clinic in their hometown or Yogyakarta.

News

20 Yogyakarta hotels, restaurants to resume operations in June

Twenty hotels and restaurants in Yogyakarta are reportedly planning to resume operations in early June despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 years ago

Two aircraft of Garuda Indonesia are seen at Jakarta-serving Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Nov. 3, 2018.

News

AP II to utilize app to check passenger documents

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II is working on a digital system to check passengers' flight documents to avoid long lines at airports.

5 years ago

Visitors wearing a face mask view 'Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix', a 1805-1808 marble sculpture by Antonio Canova at the Galleria Borghese museum in Rome on May 19, 2020, as it reopens while the country's lockdown is easing after over two months, aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.

News

Come and holiday in Italy, minister tells Germans

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio is appealing to Germans to shed their coronavirus fears and spend their holidays in Italy this summer.

5 years ago

Bali is among the international destinations such as Andalusia and Catalonia in Spain, as well as Florida in the United States, listed as the most desirable places to visit after the COVID-19 pandemic.

News

Bali named among top post-pandemic destinations

The island is listed along with international destinations such as Andalusia and Catalonia in Spain, as well as Florida in the United States. Krasnodar Krai in Russia tops the list.

5 years ago

An elderly woman wearing a protective face mask walks in front of the Aleksandar Nevski Cathedral in Sofia on March 31, 2020 after all public gardens, children's playgrounds and open-air sports facilities in Bulgaria were sealed to prevent social gathering, allowing only dog owners solitary walks, in a move aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus.

News

Bulgaria, neighbors ease travel restrictions

Bulgaria and its neighbors Greece and Serbia on Tuesday agreed to ease travel restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

5 years ago

Mini-Europe Director Thierry Meeus wearing a protective mask talks to children during the reopening of 'mini-Europe' theme park where people can wonder across small scale models of European capitals landmarks as Belgium began easing lockdown restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18, 2020.

News

Visitors return to European landmarks, but only in miniature

Visitors were back at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London's Houses of Parliament and the Grand Place in Brussels on Monday, not flouting lockdowns but at the reopened Mini-Europe miniature theme park.

5 years ago

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