NTO

Qatar Tourism facilitates best hotel deals for last-minute summer retreat

Kenya launches revised protocols for ‘New Normal’

Rajesh Tiwari

Ranked the safest country in the world in 2020 by Numbeo, Qatar welcomes all travellers, and guests from over 85 countries can enter visafree. Qatar has an incredible variety of easily accessible tourist attractions, a plethora of fauna and flora including Whale Sharks and the majestic national animal the Arabian Oryx, and most experiences are a unique combination of cultural authenticity and modernity. From iconic museums to highrise restaurants, from thrilling desert adventures to worldfamous events including none other than the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, there is something for all types of travellers and budgets. From its extensive and growing range of five-star hotels and hotel apartments, restaurants, world-class spas and wellness centres, and cultural and heritage sights; the destination is fast emerging as one of the most exciting travel destinations for 2021 and beyond. In an attempt to attract more travellers Qatar Tourism has rounded up the best hotel deals available for those seeking a last-minute summer retreat in the sun. Find more.

Š Mondrian Doha, ‘Rooms-

Summer’ package starting from QAR 850 per night (USD 233 per night), until 31 August 2021.

Š Wyndham Doha West Bay,

‘Summer Recharge’ package starting from QAR 500 per room per night (USD 137 per night), until 31st August 2021.

Š The Ritz-Carlton, Doha,

‘Retreat Journey’ package starting from QAR 1,300 per night (USD 357 per night), until 31st August 2021. Š JW Marriott Marquis City

Centre Doha, ‘Escape to

Sunshine’ package starting from QAR 900 (USD 248 per night), until 30th August 2021.

Š •Marriott Marquis City Centre

Doha, ‘Taste of Summer’ offer starting from QAR 850 (USD 234 per night), until 31st

August 2021. Š Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel &

Villas, ‘Extended Stay Offer’ with saving up to 20%, from 24th July 2021 until 31st

December 2021.

Š Mandarin Oriental, Doha,

‘Travel Again’ offer with saving up to 20%, for a minimum two-night stay, until 30th September 2021.

News Desk

Tourism & Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala has launched the revised Magical Kenya Tourism and Travel Health and Safety Protocols for the ‘New Normal’.

“With the majority of the people embracing the Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, we deem it important to issue a comprehensive Covid-19 vaccination policy and procedures for both guests and staff at all levels of establishments’ operations. That’s why we are launching the reviewed protocols that were first issued in July 2020,” said CS Balala. The CS also added that countries with the highest numbers of individuals that are vaccinated against Covid will be the ones receiving the highest numbers of tourists as people will find the destinations to be safe and healthy. “Hospitality workers can also be considered to be frontline workers as they engage with visitors on a personal level. That is why we are urging our hospitality stakeholders to get vaccinated whenever they get the chance. On our part, we shall be liaising with CECs of Tourism and Health at County levels so that the stakeholders can be vaccinated,” added Balala.

The CS also advocated for selfregulating since there has been a lot of confusion when it comes to hospitality establishments. Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) has been assigned the task of being the lead, while working closely with other multi-agencies that are in the hospitality industry. “We are aware that most regulated establishments have put in place measures to comply with Covid-19 protocols, and we commend them for that. However, there is a general laxity in full compliance especially when it comes to social distancing. Also, there are those that are not following or are trying to circumvent the laid down protocols. We want to tell them their days are numbered and that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them,” noted Balala.

NTO Germany set to promote sustainable tourism through 'Feel Good' campaign

News Desk

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is picking up and expanding the scope of its 'Feel Good' campaign in 2021 to promote Destination Germany's wide range of sustainable tourism offerings. The 'Feel Good' initiative illustrates the various sustainable tourism offerings across the country, while providing guidelines on how to still visit the natural landscapes, urban attractions and historical sites that Germany is popular for. The campaign includes a selection of cities, regions and accommodation providers that are particularly committed to sustainability in tourism.

Four clusters have been created to better outline the offerings; Active Outdoors, Education and Experiences, Responsible Enjoyment and Sustainable Experiences in Towns and Cities. The 'Feel Good' campaign also showcases specific travel experiences that bring sustainable products and services at the destination to life. These experiences allow travellers to engage with locals and discover sustainability at first hand. Almost 58 per cent of Indian consumers are aware of the various implications currently impacting the environment, with interest in information on health and the environment are high on their agenda and making sustainable trips to the cities and wider regions without having to compromise on safety or fun according to a study by Global Web Index. Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB: "The latest Sustainability Report by Booking. com shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the shift in travellers' values towards wellbeing, sustainability and social responsibility. 83 per cent of the respondents from the 30 countries surveyed believe that sustainable travel is vital, while 61 per cent said that the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.” “This shift in customer expectations demonstrates that we are on the right track with our long-term strategy to position sustainability as a facet of the Destination Germany brand. The 'Feel Good' campaign in the international source markets showcases sustainable, high-quality products with the aim of boosting the restart of inbound tourism," she added. Romit Theophilus, Director for India, German National Tourist Office commented, “Once you get away from the big cities, Germany is a veritable paradise for nature lovers. The things that are worth protecting are preserved and breaking a new ground in sustainable tourism.”

Kazakh Tourism inks deal with Travel Agents Association of India Maldives nominated in ten categories at 28th World Travel Award

News Desk

This MOU aims to promote mutual interest and tourist arrivals between Kazakhstan and India via cooperation and collaborative relationship and experience changes on reciprocal basis. The signatories were Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI and Kairat Sadvakassov, Acting Chairman of the Board Kazakh Tourism.

According to the MoU, the tourism product promotions includes bilateral assistance in organising events and demonstrating tourism potential of the two countries during trade shows and training programmes and webinars through over 2500 members of TAAI in India. TAAI members will get an opportunity to showcase Incredible India towards Inbound and MICE segments for Kazakh Tour Operators and travellers. The ceremony marked presence of TAAI representatives, Jay Bhatia- Vice President; Bettaiah Lokesh - Honorary Secretary General; Shreeram Patel - Hon. Treasurer; Anoop Kanuga, Chairman Tourism Council and Dr. Himanshu Talwar, Executive Director (TAAI). From Kazakh Tourism Department, Daniyel Serzhanuly, Director MICE Tourism and Galimzhan Seilov, Senior Manager, Tourism were also present. News Desk

The World Travel Awards has nominated Maldives in 10 exciting ‘Indian Ocean’ categories at the 28th edition of the awards. In addition, Maldives is also nominated at the World Cruise Awards, the sister event of World Travel Awards that serves to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the global cruise sector through annual awards programme. Voting for the ‘Indian Ocean’ categories is now open and runs until midnight on 01st September 2021 and the voting for World Cruise Awards ends midnight on 31st August 2021. This is a fantastic opportunity for fans to give Maldives the reassurance that the country is indeed, one of the most loved and preferred destinations in the world. The nominee gaining the most votes in a category will be the winner.

Keeping destination partners on top of travellers’ mind first & foremost priority, COO Think Strawberries

We are carefully identifying and exploring all possible avenues we would need to leverage to strategically position and build recall for our partners, says Munnmunn Marwah, Chief Operating Officer, Think Strawberries in an exclusive conversation with Whereabouts. Read more.

News Desk

Amidst the ongoing war with the Covid-19 pandemic most of the companies have adopted ‘New Normal’ followed by various technologies & tools; what’s new at Think Strawberries? Is there any change in your operational strategies?

Resilience, agility and innovation have been our stepping-stones through the last 15 months. Digitalizing our journey through these times has been key, but at the same time, we have stuck by our time-tested personalized approach and remained continuously in touch with our trade and media partners through virtual roadshows, webinars and tele-calling. Customer sentiment was being closely mapped to ensure we were sharing time-appropriate messages relevant to the changing environment.

To make sure that there were no operational challenges and our workflow continues in seamless manner and teams embrace a remote working culture, we introduced tech tools quite early into the lockdown to enable scheduling, reporting and monitoring systems. Even before the government announced the lockdown we had a strong CRM system which helped us stay connected with our teams and clients. We are capitalising on increasing digitalisation and building a stronger and resourceefficient future.

Would you like to draw attention to your short term plans as a Destination Management Company?

Our number one priority and the immediate plan is to ascertain that our destination partners remain on top of travellers’ minds when its time to travel again. The travel decision journey is cut across awareness, consideration and decision and we are ensuring that we are present at each of these stages, presenting the right messaging to the right consumer segment at the right time. Seeing the upward trend in travel demand it is imminent that travellers will be spoilt for choice when restrictions fully ease and we want to ensure our client destinations are the first choice when travel decisions are being made. We are carefully identifying and exploring all possible avenues we would need to leverage to strategically position and build recall for our various partners.

As you are aware that most of the countries including India have gone through the second wave of Covid-19 and gradually moving towards normalcy (by following all Covid norms to avoid the expected third wave) how do you look at the international touristic activities?

By now the initial fear we faced when the virus first emerged has transformed into a mindset of acceptance and rationalization. We now know a great deal about the virus therefore the fear factor is more controlled. Guidelines and safety protocols have been established and that has been a huge contributor towards keeping contagion in check. Along with countries ensuring safety of the travellers, I feel it is equally important for people to be careful and follow all safety guidelines. Additionally, it is also extremely important to strengthen cooperation within and between countries to rebuild tourism and restore international touristic activities.

Would you like to elaborate on the current situation of the destinations represented by your esteemed organisation? How many of them are ready to receive international travellers? What is the status of airline operations? And, what would be your strategies to market/promote such destinations?

The tourism sector is quickly pickingup and destinations are increasingly welcoming tourists from India now that Covid positivity numbers in the country have significantly declined. One of our popular client destinations, Maldives, was among the first countries to open its borders for international tourists in July 2020 following

Munnmunn Marwah

Chief Operating Officer Think Strawberries

which India registered as its number one source market last year. After South Asian countries witnessed the second wave some time back, a ban was imposed. However, the Maldivian government has reopened the country for Indian travellers starting 15th July 2021following an aggressive campaign named ‘I’m Vaccinated’ that encourages the vaccination of all staff members in the archipelago. Similarly, our other clients are also gearing up for revival with UAE opening up to Indians this month and other countries planning to follow suit. It’s an exciting time and we are within very close reach of a massive surge in travel demand. We are currently in the process of putting a method to this madness when it unfolds!

NTO Jordan’s As-Salt approved as UNESCO World Heritage site

Celebrate your children’s favorite princess fantasy at Švihov Castle

News Desk

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided during its forty-fourth session, held virtually in China, to approve the addition of the city of As-Salt, ‘the city of tolerance and civilized hospitality’ to the World Heritage list. The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef AI-Fayez said during his participation in the committee's meetings virtually that the city of AsSalt is among the kingdom's top priorities because of its importance in demonstrating the characteristics of tolerance, coexistence and social care among its residents. AI-Fayez added that Jordan and the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) send an important message to the whole world: a message of peace, tolerance and coexistence in line with His Majesty King Abdullah ll's speech at the 2019 International Conference on Cohesive Societies in Singapore, in which His Majesty stressed that "the attack on interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence is the most important threat in the world which requires everyone to join forces to resist hatred and exclusion."

List of already existing UNESCO World Heritage

Sites in Jordan:

Petra: An archaeological and historical city famous for its rock-carved architecture and ancient water canal system. Quseir Amra: The palace was built during the reign of the Caliph AI-Walid bin Abdul Malik in the 8th century AD. Wadi Rum Reserve: A valley located in the area of Hasma in southern Jordan, a desert area with diverse landscapes consisting of a group of narrow corridors, natural arches, towering slopes, huge landslides and caves. The site also contains the inscriptions and archaeological remains dating back to 12,000 years of human existence.

Umm Ar-Rasas: A historic city, dubbed ‘Kasserton Mayfaa’ as described in a Greek text in a mosaic dating back to the Umayyad period. It began as a Roman military camp and developed into a city in the Byzantine era and continued so until the early Islamic era. There are traces of sixteen churches, some of which still retain good mosaic floors. Baptism Site: The Baptism site is the place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.

News Desk

The Czech-German version of the Cinderella movie – Three Wishes for Cinderella was filmed at Švihov Castle in the Czech Republic, as the home of Cinderella and her evil stepmother. There is a dedicated exhibition of Cinderella’s costumes and props for viewing at the castle. You can explore mystical Cinderella’s path too with guided tours around the castle.

The perfectly protected Gothic castle, Švihov Castle is considered to be the last real castle in Czech lands – only chateaux were built after it. The magnificent water castle was built by the rich and powerful Czech nobleman, Půta Švihovský of Rýzmberk. It has survived World War II and is managed by National Heritage Institute. The castle’s ingenious equipment is capable of flooding the surroundings with water in no time (including the inner courtyard) and letting the water out without any harm to the building. Till today, the legends talk about the pride and cruelty with which Půta Švihovský handled his serfs and craftsmen, for which the devil brought him down to hell. In his bedroom, there has been a mysterious hole in the vault till today allegedly resisting any attempts to be walled up. Czech cities have been hosting increasing number of visitors from India, and the numbers are increasing with every passing year. While Prague and its attractions remain popular among travellers, an increased interest has been recorded in newer experiences such as Heritage Cities of Olomouc, Litomysl, Kutna Hora, and Kromeriz, which have old-world atmosphere and abundant in sites protected by UNESCO. Explore Joyful Cities of Karlovy Vary and Liberec that offer experiences that are ideal for families and couples. The Happening Cities that are dynamically developing and are young are Brno and Ostrava, and of course Prague, are the cities that never sleep.

Mid-August launch planned for Krabi and Phang Nga

Monaco Yacht Show 2021 to be organised from Sep 22-25

News Desk

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reiterates that both the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes are going ahead as usual, and the plans to reopen Krabi and Phang Nga to fully vaccinated international tourists are set to start within August. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, Spokesperson of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said the Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had been keeping a close watch on the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes, and voiced confidence in the plans to revive the economy through tourism by gradually reopening destinations that could ensure the health and safety of both the tourists and local people. Krabi and Phang Nga are scheduled to reopen selected areas within this month under a 7+7 model. This will allow foreign tourists under the Sandbox programme to reduce the mandatory stay in Phuket from 14 to 7 days, after which another 7 nights can be spent in Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai, and Railay Beach), and Phang Nga (Khao Lak and Ko Yao). The 7+7 model aims to provide international tourists with more options to visit multiple destinations during their trip to Thailand. Krabi and Phang Nga are ideal for this given their proximity to and ease of access from Phuket.

Phang Nga, Khao Lak can be reached within 1.5 hours by car, while Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai can be reached within 30-40 minutes by boat from Bang Rong Pier. Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay Beach can be reached within 45-55 minutes from Rassada Pier.

Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga are declared among the 11 Controlled Areas or orange zone provinces in Thailand’s expansion of the COVID-19 restrictions from 3-31 August, 2021. TAT would like to remind all travellers to continue with D-M-H-T-T-A (D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, T – Testing for COVID-19, and A – alert application) precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

News Desk

The prestigious Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) is back with its 2021 edition, from 22 to 25 September targeting a new superyacht clientele. The show looks set to be more prestigious than ever before. The show will be focusing on offering superyacht's end clientele a positively upmarket visiting experience. With 2 months to go before the opening of the 2021 edition, the Monaco Yacht Show is finetuning its brand-new format dedicated to superyacht end users. The show will be set in a safe environment, with the participation of major players from across the industry. The organisers have presently confirmed that 300 exhibitors will be participating. They have also announced that nearly 60 superyachts will be exhibited, including 40 brand-new launches by some of the most famous shipyards. This year, visitors will be treated to two new exhibitions: the first is dedicated to sailing boats, held on Quai l'Hirondelle where several crafts will be moored opposite the stands representing their respective shipyards, designers and specialist equipment manufacturers. In addition to the show's historic Designer Gallery, the MYS will feature a Yacht Design & Innovation Hub: a new space for the presentation of yacht design projects where visitors can also interact with designers. These two areas perfectly complement the luxury tender and water toys exhibitions at Tender & Toys, in addition to luxury cars at the Car Deck, luxury products, nautical equipment manufacturers and the latest tech releases. General Manager of the exhibition Gaëlle Tallarida stated: "As organisers of the exhibition, our responsibility is to ensure safe and healthy conditions for each visitor, exhibitor, service provider and member of staff. The MYS will therefore be following the health measures initiated by the Principality's government, as well as the ‘All Secure’ health security programme, which is mandatory for all Informa Group events." An anti-Covid sanitary protocol will be respected throughout the entire show, from the first day of preparations to the dismantling of the last stand and, of course, during the 4 days of the show.