After three-and-a-half months with its doors locked and only a skeleton crew onsite, Mashpi Lodge has begun welcoming guests to experience the rainforest again. Located within the 6,000-acre Mashpi Rainforest Reserve near Quito, Ecuador, Mashpi Lodge has spent the pandemic pause implementing more than 30 protocols and measures designed to prioritize the health and safety of guests and staff, surpassing even the Safe Travels protocols recommended by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Team members of Mashpi Lodge have been trained and tested on every new detail of bio-security, with particular emphasis given to cleaning, food and beverage handling, and guest interaction. T note, the team came up with new wordless gesturesan open palm of the right hand held over the heart for welcome; arms crossed over the chest and a little bow for thank youto limit verbal interactions and need to remove masks.

Mashpi Lodge has installed new infrastructure, acquired new productsincluding ozone tunnels, disinfection matts, contactless gel dispensers, electrostatic sprayers and social distancing signageand adapted many aspects of its guest experience to protect against COVID-19. On arrival, guests will be checked in digitally and receive single-use hand towels and welcome drinks in bottles. The Lodge has further eliminated printed materials and made all information guests might require browsable via smartphone.

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Guest amenities include sanitizing gels and sprays and individual rain ponchos. The Lodge has also replaced buffets with la carte service in the glass-enclosed dining room and ensured that all tables are spaced for social distancing. The new measures extend beyond Mashpi Lodge proper, with expert guides trained and equipped to see to the health, safety and peace of mind of guests exploring the rainforest on foot, by Sky Bike and/or Dragonfly cable car.

Rates at Mashpi Lodge include shared transfer from main hotels in Quito, all meals, all guided activities and excursions within the reserve, soft drinks and the use of rubber boots and rain ponchos.

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Mashpi Lodge Reopens With New Health and Safety Efforts - Luxury Travel Advisor

We hear of people dropping their old, boring eat, work, sleep life to answer the call of motorcycle adventure almost every week. Chances are you probably know someone who's made the jump. Whether its for personal motives or to seek a bit of online recognition, the nomadic lifestyle on two wheels is a surging trend that shows no signs of slowing down.

For Portuguese rider Andr Sousa, the purpose of his ride around the world is to set a world record. Another one. See, the 24-year-old set the 2018 World Record for the fastest trip around South America on a small bike, according to the International Book of Records. This time around, Sousas ambitions have gone from continental to global.

On July 12, 2020, Sousa set off on yet another adventure in the hopes of adding another world record to his collection by becoming the first rider to circumvent the world on a small bike. This time, the trip will take two years and take him on a 37,000-mile journey across 50 countries. What about the small bike? Sousa opted for one of the smallest, more reliable, and rugged models available on the market: the Honda Monkey.

His mini moto was slightly supped up for the occasion to increase its capability thanks to a new exhaust, and additional lighting pods that come in handy when hes stuck navigating unfamiliar terrains in the dark. In addition to a few minor tweaks, the bike is also fully-loaded with all the gear, bells, and whistles such a trip requires. This isnt a glamorous gourmet Instagram trip and Sousa doesnt plan to stop at fancy restaurants and hotels along the way so he needs a fair bit of gear.

Thankfully, it looks like hes taken advantage of every motorcycle packing solution in the book and then some. The bags are comically almost as big as the bike itself. You can follow his adventure on the Ride That Monkey website and social media accounts if youre curious to know how the Monkey holds up. God speed, Andr, make us proud.

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Dude Will Travel 37,000 Miles Around The World On A Honda Monkey - RideApart

If you had the chance to travel to Barbados and work by the beach, would you?

Five months ago, working outside the office, even just temporarily, was a pipe dream for most employees. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Businesses remain shuttered around the globe to enforce social distancing, and working remotely has become the newand, for some, newly permanentnormal. Once encumbered by long and expensive commutes, employees now find themselves untethered from a traditional workplace, taking Zoom meetings from their living rooms instead. According to Global Workplace Analytics, an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the worlds workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.

But if theres one takeaway from spending months quarantined at home, its that staring at the same four walls can grow old very quickly. More than ever, telecommuters are dreaming of shaking things up and escaping life for a little while. In fact, Barbados is banking on it.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced in a speech that the Barbados government is developing a 12-month Barbados Welcome Stampa special visa for remote workers who want to trade home for island life for up to a year at a time.

The stamp is currently in the final stages of development. While further details are forthcoming, Mottley said in her speech that the visa would allow people from the United States, Europe, and Latin America to come and do their jobs digitally for a couple of months and then go back home, if they feel they can work better in a more relaxed atmosphere such as next to a beach. The proposal is a direct response to current COVID-19 travel restrictions, in which lengthy, mandated quarantines restrict short-term travel.

The prospect of working from a beach is more than tempting. Being by the ocean has been proven to boost your mood and your healthboth of which can suffer under self-isolation. At the same time, the stamp would also help jump-start the islands economy by bringing in additional tourism dollars for local businesses. Barbados is among the top 20 countries most dependent on travel and tourism as a source of GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Its worth noting that this new opportunity to work remotely has appeal beyond cabin fever. As the Black Lives Matter movement grows across the U.S., Black Americans are increasingly looking to move abroad to escape the institutional racism and discrimination still so persistent in America. It remains to be seen whether Barbados will market this opportunity specifically to Black Americans to capture a portion of their massive spending power, but theres no question that tourism boards play a large role in making travel more accessible and inclusive.

Luckily, interested parties wont have to wait for long. While the visa is in the final stages of development, the Caribbean island will begin welcoming international travelers back on Sunday, July 12, when air travel to Barbados is expected to recommence. JetBlue and American Airlines are resuming commercial flights from the U.S. on July 25 and August 5, respectively.

We're reporting on how COVID-19 impacts travel on a daily basis. Find all of our coronavirus coverage and travel resources here.

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A New Visa Would Let You Travel to Barbados and Work There Remotely For a Year - Cond Nast Traveler

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Impact Analysis of Covid-19: Geotourism Market Business Insights, And Forecast To 2027 - Jewish Life News

Henry Meyer and Irina Reznik

Muscovites desperate for a summer holiday abroad this year have found a loophole that's letting them evade Russia's coronavirus ban on foreign travel. A loophole that involves a 14-hour round trip via Belarus.

Travellers are exploiting the soft border between the two former-Soviet neighbours. Russians can drive to Minsk with minimal checks, and once there they can make use of Belarus's more liberal Covid-19 restrictions.

"Since the quarantine, Minsk has become a Casablanca, the main crossroads for Russians who want to leave the country," said Maxim Valetskiy, a Russian businessman with an Israeli passport and family in London, who has used the detour four times since the Kremlin halted foreign travel at the end of March.

Russians have been advised to stay put this summer even as other coronavirus restrictions are loosened, as the government deals with the fourth-highest infection rate in the world. Domestic travel within Russia's 6.6 million square-mile territory is mostly allowed, but many are put off by the country's underdeveloped and crowded tourist resorts.

Russians aren't the only ones seeking out cumbersome detours to work around coronavirus restrictions that have slashed international travel this summer. Stanley Johnson, the British Prime Minister's father, has been criticised for using Bulgaria as an air bridge to visit his villa in Greece, which had restrictions on visitors from the UK.

"I want to go on holiday where I choose, and that's certainly not on the Black Sea in Russia," said Elena Venediktova, a 44 year-old real estate broker in Moscow, who has booked a two-week holiday via Belarus in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurgada from August1. "Europe may be off limits but there are lots of other seaside destinations. You just have to make a slight effort."

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The loophole is proving to be a boon to Belorussian tour operators in a disastrous year for most of the global holiday industry. Minsk-based Travel House has seen a surge in reservations from Russians for package holidays in Turkey and Egypt since those countries opened their borders on July 1. All of the trips are run through Belavia, Belarus's state-owned airline.

In theory Russians are allowed to cross the border only to study, receive health treatment or to care for a sick relative, but many tour operators get around that by securing their clients a booking at a Belorussian sanatorium.

"The demand is huge - all the flights to Egypt and Turkey are booked solid beyond mid-July," said Yury Surkov, Travel House's commercial director, who estimates that Russians will soon make up about 40 per centof flights from Belarus to major tourist destinations. "We're adding flights from regional airports."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov acknowledged on state TV late that the loophole exists, but said that the Kremlin isn't planning to close it. The government said Friday it may restart some flights abroad in mid-August.

"We can't forbid people from using this opportunity," Lavrov said. "Of course people should be careful and use common sense when taking such decisions."

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See also:Greece considers second lockdown after tourists bring spike of cases

See also:Move over, Monkey Jesus: Spain botches restoration of another work of art

Henry Meyer and Irina Reznik

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Coronavirus and travel: A loophole is allowing locked-down Russians to escape to the beaches of the Mediterranean - Traveller

New Zealands first travel bubble could be on its way after the Cook Islands deputy prime minister said his country was ready to welcome tourist flights as early as next week.

The Cook Islands is a self-governing archipelago in the Pacific, in free association with New Zealand.

It has recorded no cases of coronavirus, while New Zealand has in effect eliminated the disease; having recorded no community spread for more than 70 days, meaning any active cases have been limited to arrivals in quarantine.

The Cook Islands is a favourite holiday destination for New Zealanders, and more than 80,000 Cook Islanders live permanently in New Zealand.

Mark Brown, the deputy prime minister of the Cook Islands, told the AM Show that talks between the two countries to open a quarantine-free travel bubble were in the final stages, and flights could begin as early as next week.

Jacinda Ardern and Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna spoke on the phone on Monday night, Brown said, and his country was desperate for tourists to return. Tourism is the main driver of the economy.

We are Covid-19 free ... New Zealand is in level 1 with no community transmission. So we are quite happy to see the establishment of a new travel bridge, Brown said, saying his country was also in advanced talks with Air New Zealand.

Dedicated travel gates between the Cook Islands and Auckland airport would be established, Brown said, and New Zealand citizens who had been in the country for 30 days or more would be eligible to visit the Cooks.

Weve been quite persistent ... by necessity for us, Brown said. Tourism is a huge part of our economy up to 70% weve got 45% of our workforce that is on the wage subsidy with no other support which is going to end by September.

The Pacific region has had very low numbers of Covid-19 infections a little over 300 cases to date due to its geographic isolation and strict enforcement of border closures.

But in a part of the world that is financially dependent on tourism and that imports much of its food, fuel and other vital supplies, travel lockdowns have hit Pacific economies especially hard.

Fiji Airways has laid off 775 employees more than half its workforce and in Vanuatu, 70% of tourism workers have lost their jobs. A recent survey of Cook Islands businesses forecast a 90% drop in revenue from the economic impact of coronavirus travel restrictions.

In a statement,Air New Zealand said: Discussions between the New Zealand and Cook Island governments on establishing a travel bubble have been going well.

A Trans-Tasman bubble with Australia has been the most hotly anticipated for Kiwis, but since cases have begun to climb in Victoria and New South Wales, both Ardern and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison have poured cold water on it being up and running any time soon.

The Cook Islands bubble may also be further off than Brown has suggested, with Ardern saying in a statement that her priority remained the safety of Kiwis, and keeping the Pacific protected.

The prime minister spoke to the Cook Islands prime minister yesterday to convey that she has asked officials to work on timelines for reopening with realm countries, a spokesman for Ardern said. There are no set dates yet, and any speculation at this stage would be very premature No one wishes to be responsible for Covid entering into the Pacific.

The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor,said in May that any reopening would take time and that a governments priority must be that people stay healthy. We just dont have strong health systems, health services and health infrastructure, she said.

Travel is beginning to resume across the Pacific, but so far has largely been limited to the repatriation of citizens or travel between communities with existing close ties.

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New Zealand and Cook Islands work on 'travel bridge' to beat tourism slump - The Guardian

Bruce Oldfield, one of the royal familys favourite fashion designers, is celebrating his 70th birthday on Tuesday.

The British couture designer, who was one of Diana, Princess of Wales favoured designers, was brought up in foster care before he was adopted by a seamstress.

He went on to create luxury dresses for royals, as well as celebrities such as model Jerry Hall and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, in a career spanning 45 years.

Diana wore a glistening floor-length gown by Oldfield to a star-studded charity catwalk in aid of child care charity Barnardos, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in 1985.

She attended the event as president of the charity, along with celebrities including actress Joan Collins.

At another Barnardos event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in 1988, Oldfield is pictured with Diana wearing his off-the-shoulder crushed purple velvet gown.

Oldfield grew up under the care of Barnardos, received financial support from the charity in his teenage years, and is now vice president of the charity.

Oldfields designs have an enduring popularity with the royal family the Duchess of Cornwall also occasionally wears his dresses.

Camilla attended the Bruce Oldfield Fashion Show, which raised money for the National Osteoporosis Society, in 2017, wearing his black knee-length gown.

She is pictured with Oldfield, and four models sporting his brightly coloured ballgowns, at Lancaster House in London.

Models show off two dresses from Bruce Oldfields 1975 Borghese Spring Collection.

Actress Joanna Lumley wore an intricate lilac shawl and dress by Oldfield to celebrate his 50th birthday and 25 years in the fashion industry at Mansion House in London.

Model and philanthropist Lady Getty also accompanied Oldfield to his star-studded birthday party in 2000.

Diana wore Oldfields veiled hat and knee-length white dress when she opened the World Travel Market at Olympia, London, in 1985.

The long-sleeved design featured a wrap-neck collar and breast pocket detail.

She also wore Oldfields designs in Rome with the Prince of Wales in 1985.

She is pictured with Charles wearing a black and white cotton suit during their Vatican tour.

Oldfields designs have hit the red carpet at the Oscars, including when former model Heather Mills wore a flower-patterned cutout dress by him in 2002.

She attended the 74th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, alongside her then-partner and Beatles musician Sir Paul McCartney.

Oldfield designed the worlds most expensive abaya at the time a long outer garment worn by some Muslim women in 2008.

British electric violinist Linzi Stoppard modelled the 175,000 garment at the Intercontinental Hotel in central London.

The British designer also created McDonalds staff uniforms in April 2008, which were neutral-toned.

This range of specialist workwear was to be rolled out to the 67,000 McDonalds employees in Britain at the time, according to Vogue.

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In Pictures: The Bruce Oldfield designs worn by stars and royals as he turns 70 - expressandstar.com

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday extended the closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and has ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising in the nation's most populated state.

On July 1, Newsom ordered many counties to close bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centres like bowling alleys and miniature golf.

The Democratic governor extended that order statewide Monday. He also imposed additional restrictions on the 30 countieswith rising numbers, including the most populated of Los Angeles and San Diego, by ordering worship services to stop and gyms, hair salons, indoor malls and offices for noncritical industries to shut down.

"The data suggests not everybody is practising common sense," said Newsom, whose order takes effect immediately.

He didn't include schools, which are scheduled to resume in a few weeks in much of the state. But Monday, the state's two largest school districts, San Diego and Los Angeles, announced their students would start the school year with online learning only. L.A. Unified is the second-largest public school district in the country.

In March, California was the first state to issue a mandatory, statewide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order appeared to work as cases stabilized in the ensuing weeks while other states grappled with huge increases.

But the order devastated the world's fifth-largest economy, with more than 7.5 million people filing for unemployment benefits. Newsom moved quickly to let most businesses reopen in May. Like other states that took similar steps, a subsequent rise in cases and hospitalizations led him to impose new restrictions this month.

Newsom has compared his strategy of opening and closing businesses as a "dimmer switch," highlighting the flexibility needed as public health officials monitor the virus's progress.

California confirmed 8,358 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Hospitalizations have increased 28 per centover the past two weeks. Newsom said the data suggest not everyone is using common sense.

Deaths from the virus have been rising in the U.S., especially in the south and west, though they are still well below the numbers reached in April, according to a recent Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday attributed the current surge in coronavirus cases to the United States not having shut down completely to snuff out outbreaks of the disease.

"We started to come down and then we plateaued at a level that was really quite high about 20,000 infections a day. Then as we started to reopen, we're seeing the surges that we're seeing today as we speak in California ... in Arizona, in Texas, in Florida and several other states,"Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with Stanford Medicine

In Ontario, a large swath of the province will move to Stage 3 ofreopening on July 17, with the exception of the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of southern Ontario, which will remain in Stage 2 for now.

The province's plan will allow for activitiessuch as indoor dining in restaurants, live performing arts shows and the reopening of movie theatres and playgrounds albeit with significant health and safety measures in place, includingphysical distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols and Plexiglas barriers.

Meanwhile in Quebec, masks or face coverings will be mandatory in all indoor public spacesbeginning Saturday, Premier Franois Legaultannounced. That coincides with the start of the province's two-week construction holiday, when tens of thousands of Quebecers take their summer vacation.

At the U.S. border, the Public Health Agency of Canada is adding on-site employees at 36 points of entry to bolster screening for COVID-19.

Canada and the U.S.arestill in talks on the future of a ban on non-essential travel between the two nations and will have more to say in the coming days, Trudeau said. The ban, introduced in March, has been extended several times and is due to expire on July 21.

As of 7:30p.m.ET on Monday, Canada had 108,155 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 71,841 of those as recovered or resolved. ACBC News tallyof deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 8,827.

The WHO director general said that while numerous countries have now brought their previously explosive outbreaks under control, namely those in Europe and Asia, "too many countries are headed in the wrong direction."

Without naming specific politicians, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also chastised political leaders for their "mixed messages" amid the coronavirus outbreaks, saying that they are "undermining the most critical ingredient of any response: trust."

"If the basics aren't followed, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,"Ghebreyesussaid Monday. "It's going to get worse and worse and worse."

WATCH | No return to old normal for the foreseeable future, WHO says:

In Asia,two WHO experts were in China for a mission to trace the origin of the pandemic. The virus was first detected in the central Chinesecity of Wuhan late last year. Beijing had been reluctant to allow a probe but relented after scores of countries called on the WHO to conduct a thorough investigation.

China has argued that the virus might have originated outside of China and has angrily denied allegations that it covered up the scale of the outbreak as infections first began to spread.

Meanwhile, India which has the most confirmed virus cases after the United States and Brazil on Monday reported a record daily surge of 28,701 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Authorities in several cities are reinstating strict lockdowns after attempting to loosen things up to revive an ailing economy

In Europe,France was considering requiring the use of masks in all indoor public spaces amid a small rise in virus infections and a big drop in public vigilance.

Greece was seeking a ban on church and village fairs and tighter tourism-related checks following a recent increase in confirmed coronavirus cases.

In Spain, a judge has overturned a decision by the Catalan regional government to confine over 140,000 people to only leaving their homes for work and other essential activities, arguing that only central authorities can issue a lockdown that restricts freedom of movement.

In Africa, the president ofSouth Africa,Cyril Ramaphosa,said Sunday that the country would reimpose a ban on alcohol sales to reduce the volume of people needing emergency care so that hospitals have more beds free to treat COVID-19 patients.

South Africa, which accounts for over 40 per centof all the reported coronavirus cases onthe continent,is also reinstating a nighttime curfew to reduce the number of traffic accidents and has made it mandatory for all residents to wear face masks in public.

"We are taking these measures fully aware that they impose unwelcome restrictions on people's lives. They are, however, necessary to see us through the peak of the disease," Ramaphosa said in a letter to the nation on Monday.

"There is no way that we can avoid the coronavirus storm, but we can limit the damage that it can cause to our lives."

In the Americas,Mexican Finance Minister Arturo Herrera said on Monday he had recovered from COVID-19after his latest test results for the virus came through negative and that he was returning to work.

Herrera made the announcement on Twitter, some two and a halfweeks after he first revealed he had contracted coronavirus.

Several high-ranking officials in the Americas have tested positive for COVID-19, including Brazil PresidentJair Bolsonaroand Interim Bolivian PresidentJeanine Anez.

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Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on July 13 - CBC.ca

July 14, 2020

As we step into a hazy future filled with uncertainty and an impending sense of doom, the world we once knew seems to be in the back of beyond.

And in these unstable and tense times, the one thing that will surely suffer a welt will be the future of travel.

As per a report by market research provider Euromonitor International, the travel and tourism industry is likely to suffer through the effects of the pandemic for another five to 10 years, bringing the entire industry on its knees. However, limited stretches of recovery are expected to drive the initial rebound in certain regions like domestic and short-haul travel.

We spoke to a number of experts in the field to get a glimpse of what the future looks like for travel enthusiasts waiting to plan their next vacation.

The post-pandemic world would not just spiral the fear of health hazards but the dark clouds of financial instability will also take over.

Komail Naqvi, CEO and founder of Pakistans largest travel portal, FindMyAdventure, gave his take on how his platform is trying to keep consumer confidence high while still being responsible for the type of experiences they can offer at a time like this.

Weve been making active efforts to facilitate our customers with regards to queries and confusions, while constantly innovating and coming up with new experiences we can offer. Our top priority right now is to offer experiences that are safe, he said.

All of us, consumers and service providers alike, need to educate ourselves, behave responsibly, and prioritise health over recreation, he added.

Pakistans tourism scene plunged after the pandemic as swiftly as it rose, driving many out of business, and leaving countless fearful of the times ahead.

Amtul Baweja and Fahad Tariq, the superstar duo behind the travel company Patangeer, walked us through the future of Pakistans tourism industry and how it can recuperate from the COVID-19 aftershock.

After almost 20 years since 9/11, we had finally established our country to be safe for travel, which had created business and that is why we say, travel locally and support these tour guides and companies, Tariq told Geo.tv.

Speaking about how the industry can rise once again, Baweja and Tariq stressed on the governments efforts to spread awareness about precautionary measures that should be essential for travelling even years later.

Naqvi also gave his take and how FindMyAdventure is aiming to give back to the battered industry. Tour guides and porters have found themselves struggling to make ends meet. We realised they needed help, which is when we started our Guide Fund, through which we managed to raise millions of rupees which went to families across Pakistan.

Safaa Rauf, CEO of travel company Utopia Retreats and a prominent name in Pakistans digital marketing and blogging circles, laid out a plan that can bring us back on track: rehabilitation of cultural landmarks and a dedicated marketing team for the countrys tourism.

However, before we tread towards that, she also reminded us that, First, we need to make sure the country is safe for international and local tourists. This means flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases.

We, as a country and nation, have a lot to offer and can work towards growing our tourism sector, Rauf told Geo.tv.

With the industry being thrown into disarray, many are now heading towards other digital routes to keep their businesses afloat.

Naqvi offered a prime example of how even bigshots are moving to digital alternatives. Most businesses have started focusing on digital content, and have moved towards providing digital variants of their products. In a conversation which we had with one of Airbnb representatives, he detailed how the initiative was executed from the ground up, with each process being done manually.

According to Euromonitor Internationals Travel Forecast Model, some of the countries that will witness the sharpest decline in the global consumer expenditure due to a drop in tourism, include India, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Trishita Bhattacharya, an acclaimed travel photographer and blogger based in Mumbai, India showed a glimpse of what a world wary of travel would look like.

I think we're all going to be really careful till a vaccine comes out and wouldn't be travelling internationally at least. Humans will be extra careful and take precautionary measures after this. Countries will set their own rules regarding travel and we'll have to adapt to the new normal, she said in a conversation with Geo.tv.

Looking at the current scenario, domestic tourism is the only thing that can work for us. Travelling domestically and within Indian states will help us in increasing the revenue on an individual level, she added.

Healthcare official, avid traveler and an emerging blogger from Hong Kong, Susanna Tsui also spoke about how her love for travel has fallen into jeopardy: I guess long distance travels may decrease but prices would always be my biggest concern when I travel. I love travelling to Middle Eastern countries but if flight prices surge I would surely step back and switch to nearby ones.

As tourism takes a hit and travel becomes a luxury, the days of backpacking across continents and staying confined on a limited budget seem to be behind us.

Our travel gurus, however, are giving some expert advice on how to keep your travel bug alive while also ensuring you're being safe and keeping your wallet in check.

Rent a car, get a tent and head to the closest place to you. There are lots of places you can look up now that are very safe to camp. Much cleaner and safer than staying in hostels or hotels, suggests Baweja of Patangeer.

Naqvi, on the other hand, wants to make sure precautionary measures remain the uppermost priority not just for FindMyAdventure but for anyone looking to travel: The biggest tip would be to make sure that theyre taking all the right precautions and have done their homework thoroughly on the location theyre planning on visiting.

Bhattacharya recommends: The tips that can help in any travel is cheaper air tickets, and leaving out the expensive adventure parks and expensive touristy spots.

According to Rauf, spending on experiences should be more important than splashing out on luxury travel. Pre-plan and pre-book trips months in advance to take advantage of lower costs, spend time with locals to find out of cheap deals and budget-friendly things.

Tsui deems a shift in travel destinations in terms of distance to be of more use in compressing the budget. To keep renewing our travel experiences, travelers can choose to focus on nearby countries. Like for me, the Southeast Asian countries save the biggest expense in trips which are flights, she said.

As we step into a hazy future filled with uncertainty and an impending sense of doom, the world we once knew seems to be in the back of beyond.

And in these unstable and tense times, the one thing that will surely suffer a welt will be the future of travel.

As per a report by market research provider Euromonitor International, the travel and tourism industry is likely to suffer through the effects of the pandemic for another five to 10 years, bringing the entire industry on its knees. However, limited stretches of recovery are expected to drive the initial rebound in certain regions like domestic and short-haul travel.

We spoke to a number of experts in the field to get a glimpse of what the future looks like for travel enthusiasts waiting to plan their next vacation.

The post-pandemic world would not just spiral the fear of health hazards but the dark clouds of financial instability will also take over.

Komail Naqvi, CEO and founder of Pakistans largest travel portal, FindMyAdventure, gave his take on how his platform is trying to keep consumer confidence high while still being responsible for the type of experiences they can offer at a time like this.

Weve been making active efforts to facilitate our customers with regards to queries and confusions, while constantly innovating and coming up with new experiences we can offer. Our top priority right now is to offer experiences that are safe, he said.

All of us, consumers and service providers alike, need to educate ourselves, behave responsibly, and prioritise health over recreation, he added.

Pakistans tourism scene plunged after the pandemic as swiftly as it rose, driving many out of business, and leaving countless fearful of the times ahead.

Amtul Baweja and Fahad Tariq, the superstar duo behind the travel company Patangeer, walked us through the future of Pakistans tourism industry and how it can recuperate from the COVID-19 aftershock.

After almost 20 years since 9/11, we had finally established our country to be safe for travel, which had created business and that is why we say, travel locally and support these tour guides and companies, Tariq told Geo.tv.

Speaking about how the industry can rise once again, Baweja and Tariq stressed on the governments efforts to spread awareness about precautionary measures that should be essential for travelling even years later.

Naqvi also gave his take and how FindMyAdventure is aiming to give back to the battered industry. Tour guides and porters have found themselves struggling to make ends meet. We realised they needed help, which is when we started our Guide Fund, through which we managed to raise millions of rupees which went to families across Pakistan.

Safaa Rauf, CEO of travel company Utopia Retreats and a prominent name in Pakistans digital marketing and blogging circles, laid out a plan that can bring us back on track: rehabilitation of cultural landmarks and a dedicated marketing team for the countrys tourism.

However, before we tread towards that, she also reminded us that, First, we need to make sure the country is safe for international and local tourists. This means flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases.

We, as a country and nation, have a lot to offer and can work towards growing our tourism sector, Rauf told Geo.tv.

With the industry being thrown into disarray, many are now heading towards other digital routes to keep their businesses afloat.

Naqvi offered a prime example of how even bigshots are moving to digital alternatives. Most businesses have started focusing on digital content, and have moved towards providing digital variants of their products. In a conversation which we had with one of Airbnb representatives, he detailed how the initiative was executed from the ground up, with each process being done manually.

According to Euromonitor Internationals Travel Forecast Model, some of the countries that will witness the sharpest decline in the global consumer expenditure due to a drop in tourism, include India, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Trishita Bhattacharya, an acclaimed travel photographer and blogger based in Mumbai, India showed a glimpse of what a world wary of travel would look like.

I think we're all going to be really careful till a vaccine comes out and wouldn't be travelling internationally at least. Humans will be extra careful and take precautionary measures after this. Countries will set their own rules regarding travel and we'll have to adapt to the new normal, she said in a conversation with Geo.tv.

Looking at the current scenario, domestic tourism is the only thing that can work for us. Travelling domestically and within Indian states will help us in increasing the revenue on an individual level, she added.

Healthcare official, avid traveler and an emerging blogger from Hong Kong, Susanna Tsui also spoke about how her love for travel has fallen into jeopardy: I guess long distance travels may decrease but prices would always be my biggest concern when I travel. I love travelling to Middle Eastern countries but if flight prices surge I would surely step back and switch to nearby ones.

As tourism takes a hit and travel becomes a luxury, the days of backpacking across continents and staying confined on a limited budget seem to be behind us.

Our travel gurus, however, are giving some expert advice on how to keep your travel bug alive while also ensuring you're being safe and keeping your wallet in check.

Rent a car, get a tent and head to the closest place to you. There are lots of places you can look up now that are very safe to camp. Much cleaner and safer than staying in hostels or hotels, suggests Baweja of Patangeer.

Naqvi, on the other hand, wants to make sure precautionary measures remain the uppermost priority not just for FindMyAdventure but for anyone looking to travel: The biggest tip would be to make sure that theyre taking all the right precautions and have done their homework thoroughly on the location theyre planning on visiting.

Bhattacharya recommends: The tips that can help in any travel is cheaper air tickets, and leaving out the expensive adventure parks and expensive touristy spots.

According to Rauf, spending on experiences should be more important than splashing out on luxury travel. Pre-plan and pre-book trips months in advance to take advantage of lower costs, spend time with locals to find out of cheap deals and budget-friendly things.

Tsui deems a shift in travel destinations in terms of distance to be of more use in compressing the budget. To keep renewing our travel experiences, travelers can choose to focus on nearby countries. Like for me, the Southeast Asian countries save the biggest expense in trips which are flights, she said.

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The way forward in a world wary of travel - The News International