On 29th March 2021, Maldives welcomed 100,000 tourists in a single month for the first time since border reopening.

The visitors arrived in Maldives Monday morning from Egypt  and were greeted with a special ceremony on behalf of Maldives Border Miles team, Ministry of Tourism and Velana international Airport. The ceremony was joined by Mr Ahmed Aathif, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr Mohamed Nasheed, President of MAYA, and Mr Abdulla Suood, President of MATATO. 

During the special ceremony, the Principal Immigration officer Faathimath Maajidhaa Hassan  awarded the ‘Aida’ tier card of the Border Miles programme to the couple. 

The couple stated that they were on honeymoon and this is their first time in Maldives. Questioned as to why they chose the Maldives for their honeymoon, the couple remarked on the beautiful nature, sea and beaches of Maldives. The couple will be staying at Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagua Resort for 5 days. 

Last Friday witnessed the highest number of daily tourist arrivals recorded in one day this year indicating that the tourism industry is recovering from the sharp decline caused by COVID-19 last year. 

Statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism reveal that Maldives welcomed over 5,275 tourists on 26th March. India holds the position as the top source market for the Maldives with an arrival figure of 64,059 while Russia holds the second place with an arrival figure of 58,680 arrivals. 

The other top source markets for the Maldivian tourism industry include Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, The Maldives is currently in the process of a rigorous vaccination campaign and over 14,898 tourism sector employees have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. 

The Maldives has been making steady efforts to resuscitate tourism across the island nation, and has begun large-scale Covid-19 vaccination programmes for airport workers and tourism sector employees as well. With strict Covid-19 health and safety regulations and travel restrictions in place, only 0.22 percent of tourists arriving in the Maldives test positive for Covid-19.

The record-breaking numbers observed this month and the arrival of over 100,000 visitors in one month paints an optimistic picture of the future of Maldivian tourism. As vaccination campaigns are conducted across the world and travel restrictions are being eased, there is great hope for a complete recovery of the Maldivian tourism industry. 

PTI | Nov 20, 2020, 09:38 IST

NEW DELHI: Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawalla on Thursday said the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should be available for health care workers and elderly people by around February 2021 an by a April for the general public, and will be priced at a maximum of ₹1000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals.

Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated, he said at the Hindustan Times leadership summit, 2020.

“It will probably take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, not just because of the supply constraints but because you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine. So these are the factors that lead up to being able to vaccinate 80 to 90% of the population.

“It will be 2024 for everybody, if willing to take two-dose vaccine, to be vaccinated,” Poonawalla said.

Asked at what price the public will get it, he said it will be around USD 5-6 per dose with an MRP of around ₹1000 for the two necessary doses.

“The Government of India will be getting it at a far cheaper price at around USD 3-4, because it will be buying in a large volume and get access to the price that is similar to what COVAX has got. We are still pricing it far cheaper and more affordable then other vaccines we have in the market today,” Poonawalla said.

Asked about the efficiency of the vaccine, he said the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is so far providing to work very well even in elderly people, which was earlier.

“It has induced a good T-cell response, which is an indicator for your long-term immunity and antibody response but then again, time will only tell if these vaccines are going to protect you in the long term. Nobody can answer that for any of the vaccines today,” Poonawalla said.

Responding to a question on the safety aspect, he said there has been no major complaints, reactions or adverse events, adding,” We would need to wait and see. The efficiency and immunogenicity results from the Indian trials will come out in about a month and a half.”

Asked when the SII will apply for an emergency authorization, Poonawalla said as soon as the UK authorities and the European Medicines Evolution Agency approve it for emergency use, it will apply to the drug controller for emergency use authorization in India.

“But that will be for a limited use for frontline workers, health care workers and elderly people,” he added.

Children would have to wait a little longer till the safety data is out, but be good news is that COVID-19 is not so bad and serious for them, Poonawalla said.

“Unlike measles when pneumonia, which is deadly, this disease is seeming to be less of a nuisance for children but then, they can be carriers and can give the infection to others.

“We want to vaccinate the elderly people and others who are the most vulnerable first. Once we have enough safety data to go in on children, we can recommend it for children too,” he said. Poonawalla said Oxford vaccine is affordable, safe and stored at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for it to be stored in the cold storages is of India.

He said the SII plans to make about 100 million doses per month from February.

Rishikesh (INDIA) is known as yoga capital of the World, students from all over the world come here for yoga teacher training, yoga classes, yoga courses and become certified yoga teacher.

Rishikesh is the most ancient pilgrimage location in India. It is known as the Tapo Bhumi, meaning the place for yoga and meditation of the Gods. Rishikesh is a peaceful temple town where the Ganges River flows clear and full of spiritual energy. If the gauge is a holy place that acts as the beginning of the path leading to the sacred places deep in the Himalayas. It is the perfect place for the spiritually inclined and for those who seek meaning. Spiritual people will find total peace and will be completely at home in Rishikesh.   

Emirates has launched an integrated biometric path at Dubai International airport.

The contactless airport experience is now open to passengers travelling from and through Dubai.

The integrated biometric path will give passengers a seamless travel journey from specific check-in to boarding gates, improving customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing.

Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport.

The various touchpoints in the Biometric path allow for a hygienic contactless travel journey, reducing human interaction and putting emphasis on health and safety.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates chief operating officer, said: “We have always focused on providing a great customer experience at any touchpoint and now it is more vital than before to make use of technology and implement products, and introduce processes that focuses not only on fast tracking customers, but more importantly on health and safety during their travel journey.

“The state-of-the-art, contactless biometric path is the latest in a series of initiatives we have introduced to make sure that travelling on Emirates is a seamless journey and gives customers added peace of mind.”

The biometric touchpoints are currently installed at select first, business and economy class check-in desks in Terminal 3 at Dubai International.

Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked and additional units will be installed at each touchpoint in the future.

Emirates is also the first airline outside America to receive approval for biometric boarding from the United States Customs Border Protection (CBP).

Customers flying from Dubai to Emirates’ destinations in the United States will be able to choose facial recognition technology at the departure gates.

The biometric path is the latest in a host of initiatives by Emirates to provide a smart contactless journey.

In the last month, the airline has introduced other services including self-check-in and bag drop kiosks at DXB for a smoother airport experience.

The chief executive of the International Air Transport Association has argued governments should move away from quarantine and toward pre-flight mass testing in the battle to contain Covid-19.

Only then could international travel resume, Alexandre de Juniac said.

“We need to work collaboratively, there has to be strong cooperation between the actors – the airlines, hotels, tourist boards and, of course, governments.

“Border closures mean traffic has stopped – this is particularly the case with quarantine.

“Quarantine is a blocking point to restarting international traffic in the aviation sector.

“We have to convince governments, all of us in the travel sector, that they should remove quarantine.”

He added: “But we do understand a state needs to secure the safety of its people; so we suggest the systematic testing of all passengers at departure.

“Those that test positive do not fly, and those that test negative, they can fly.

“People are ready to be tested, passengers will be back, and they are ready to travel.”

de Juniac argued technology had advanced to a point where pre-flight mass testing was now possible – which was not the case earlier in the year.

With tests costing as little as $6 a piece, and results in minutes, this was now a viable solution to reopening borders, he adds.

“Testing will allow us to get levels of transmission so low that the pandemic can be controlled,” de Juniac said.

Timing was also critical, with IATA finding airlines are currently expected to lose around $85 billion this year.

Traffic is set to fall by 65 per cent compared to last year.

In response, de Juniac called for further support for the aviation sector.

“We need the intervention of government, or we will die,” he said bluntly.

“This can come in the form of regulatory relief, for example the waiver on the use of slots at airports even if they are not used.

“There can be a reduction of costs, removal of taxes or overflight fees, for example.

“But we also need massive financial support; governments have injected huge amounts of money into our industry, but we need further support.

“Without this, we will not have cash enough to make it through the crisis.”

de Juniac was speaking at the Future Hospitality Summit, a hybrid virtual conference developed to explore big ideas and tackle the challenges facing the hospitality industry, and will take place in Riyadh over the next two days.

The event, which promises to be one of the most impactful gatherings of the hospitality community, will be delivered on a cutting-edge event platform from Bench Digital.

It will provide an immersive live experience, including a virtual exhibition, one-to-one video networking and integrated chat features to all participants.

Puri said air bubbles have also been proposed with our neighbours Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

India is negotiating with 13 countries, including Australia, Japan and Singapore, to establish separate bilateral air bubble arrangements for international flight operations, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. Under a bilateral air bubble pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions.

Since July, India has established such bubbles with the following countries – the US, the UK, France, Germany, the UAE, Qatar and the Maldives. Puri said on Twitter, “We are now taking these efforts forward & are negotiating with 13 more countries to establish such arrangements.”

“These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea & Thailand,” he added.  Puri said air bubbles have also been proposed with our neighbours Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

1/5 Travelling abroad

Indian flyers holding any kind of valid visa under the ‘Air Bubbles’ agreement can travel to the UK, the US, Canada and UAE, said the Director-General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India, reports ANI.

2/5 Visiting India

According to a report by PTI, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders from the US, UK, German and France, with whom India has signed ‘air bubble’ arrangements, will be allowed to visit the country, the Home Ministry announced on Friday.

3/5 Air bubbles

These refer to bilateral agreements India has signed or is in the process of finalising with specific countries to allow commercial flights..

4/4 What next?

According to the earlier guidelines issued by the European Union amid the COVID-19 pandemic, only those holding essential visas were allowed to travel abroad. Recently, Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri had confirmed that more air bubbles with other countries are in the pipeline.

5/5 What about Covid-19?

Since August 8, a total of five categories of passengers are exempted from mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine — pregnant women; those who have suffered death in the family; those suffering from serious illness; parents accompanying children below 10 years of age; those who have COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the vaccine offers “sustainable immunity” against Covid-19. He said one of his daughters had received the inoculation and felt better.