Cambodia expects Chinese tourists to drive its tourism growth after COVID-19 outbreak

Cambodia is hoping that Chinese tourists will drive its tourism growth when the world is cleared of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Saturday.

Khon said the COVID-19 pandemic had made profound impact on the country's tourism. However, he was optimistic that Chinese tourists would support the kingdom's tourism growth when the coronavirus is over.

The minister said mutual help and trust between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 has not only deepened bilateral ties, but also earned praise from the two countries.

"The visit of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen to Beijing in February during the virus outbreak has received lavish praise from the Chinese people, and through this visit, I believe that more Chinese people will spend their holidays in Cambodia when the COVID-19 crisis is over," Khon told Xinhua.

China has become the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia since 2017. Cambodia's tourism industry, which amounted to 4.92 billion US dollars, is currently being hit hardest by the ravaging pandemic. A tourism data showed that Cambodia received a total of 223,400 foreign tourists in March, a decrease of 65 percent over the same month last year.

Air passenger numbers dropped by more than 90 percent in April, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, while ticket sales at Cambodia's world famous Angkor archeological park fell by 99 percent in April.

Secretary of state and spokesman of the Tourism Ministry Top Sopheak said, "Before COVID-19, the Angkor archeological park in Siem Reap province received up to 9,000 foreign tourists a day, but now, it gets only 20 per day and those are foreigners living and working in Cambodia."

To be ready to receive Chinese tourists during the post-COVID-19 era, Cambodia will continue to promote the "China Ready" strategy and urge tourism businesses and other tourism destinations to further implement health and safety measures for all tourists, he said.

Cambodia has banned entry of foreign visitors from six countries - the United States, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Iran - since mid-March and has imposed entry restrictions for all foreigners since March 30 to curb COVID-19.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said all tour and travel companies across the kingdom have suspended their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting more than 30,000 employees.

"Although Cambodia has detected no new COVID-19 cases for over one month, there are still only a few foreign tourists coming to the country because they're still scared of the virus and our travel restrictions remain in effect," she told Xinhua.

Sivlin agreed that Chinese tourists will be the main driver of tourism growth in Cambodia after the pandemic, and tour and travel companies will unveil new tour packages to attract Chinese tourists when the pneumonia-causing virus is over.

"We will design our strategy again to attract tourists during the post-COVID-19 era, and the strategy will focus on hygiene, health and social distancing on buses and in restaurants," she said.

Clais Chenda, president of the Cambodia Hotel Association, which represents about 250 hotels in the country, said almost all of the hotels have either partially or completely suspended their businesses due to the virus.

She said her two hotels, Terres Rouges in Ratanakiri province and Rajabori Villa in Kratie province, have also been closed temporarily as there were no customers.

"Our tourism mainly depends on foreign tourists. Due to the pandemic, there are very few foreigners coming to Cambodia at this time, so most of the hotels have been temporarily closed," she said. "Currently, we are negotiating with landlords who lease premises to hotels to reduce their rental prices in order to enable us to survive this difficult time."

Chenda said for the hotels that are still open during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association has advised them to stick to health and hygiene measures by screening guests' temperatures routinely, providing them with alcohol or antibacterial gel for handwashing, and keeping social distancing among them.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Global aviation in acute crisis

“…by the end of May 2020 most airlines in the world will be bankrupt.”

Global aviation has been battered and commercial scheduled air traffic remains mostly grounded as countries enforce their lockdowns and travel restrictions. There are few signs that the end is in sight. For the largest of carriers like IAG (British Airways), United, American Airlines, Emirates Lufthansa and many more all have been forced to seek help from their governments (see summary below).

The vital travel and tourism industry – which has often be the driver to a country’s economic recovery following past crises, is keen to see international air travel resume ASAP. The business of tourism which generates 10.3 percent of global GNP is anxious to restart travel.

A post-corona airline industry is going to look very different. Those that survive will have evolved into smaller leaner and debt laden businesses and probably bailed out by governments. Some aviation analysts are predicting that Covid-19 will leave the industry decimated and by the end of May 2020 most airlines in the world will be bankrupt. CAPA analysts have also reported the same, most of the world’s airlines could be bankrupt by the end of May if the situation does not turn around quickly.

One potential solution they propose would be to rescind national ownership rules and allow the industry to merge into global brands.

The post-corona chaos offers a rare opportunity to reset the building blocks of a global airline industry.

Emerging from the crisis will be like entering a battlefield littered with casualties. The field is open for lawmakers and financial markets to make their own demands on an industry that already has a long list – wish lists of ways they should treat customers better, reduce their carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable business practices.

As the impact of the corona virus slashes through our world, many airlines have already been driven into technical bankruptcy. We see cash reserves are running down quickly as fleets are grounded. Forward bookings far outweigh cancellations and each time there is a new government recommendation it is to discourage flying and travel.

“The new normal has not yet arrived at the airport.”

The International Air Transport Association most recent prediction is that European airlines will see demand drop by 55 percent in 2020 compared to 2019 and potential revenue losses will total $89 billion. The association revised its loss prediction of $76 billion made in March as the impact of the corona virus global pandemic on the airline industry continues to hit unprecedented levels.

There has been a 90% drop in regional demand in the last several weeks and IATA has cited the introduction of travel restrictions around the world limiting movement only to essential travel and repatriation of citizens to their home countries as having “a greater impact than previously expected.”

A significant number of European airlines have suspended passenger operations with two of the region’s largest carriers, easyJet and Ryanair, not expecting flights to operate until June.

Airlines will be hoping for corporate travel to bounce back quickly, business travellers probably pay four to five times the average fare on a typical flight – having them quickly back on airplanes is vitally important.

Even if the economy begins to recover in the third quarter of this year, as many economists predict, corona virus fears could lead to a slow recovery as travel struggles to regain its pre-crisis levels.

It could take months for an airline to come back to life. Also if second waves of the disease go around the world and possible hot-spot flare up these may reduce passenger confidence to travel. And while essential maintenance is still happening daily on parked planes, they will all need to be brought back into flying condition before being put back into service.

Demand is drying up in ways that are completely unprecedented. The new normal has not yet arrived at the airport.

The crisis list…

✈️ The US government agreed a $61 billion bailout for the US airline industry as the corona virus pandemic brings travel to a virtual standstill. The grants to major airlines including American, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and United will probably come with strings attached.

On the 14 April 2020 the International Air Transport Association released updated analysis showing that the Covid-19 crisis will see airline passenger revenues drop by $314 billion in 2020, a 55% decline compared to 2019.

Earlier, on the 24 March IATA had estimated $252 billion in lost revenues (-44% vs. 2019) in a scenario with severe travel restrictions lasting three months. The updated figures reflect a significant deepening of the crisis since then, and reflect:

1- Severe domestic restrictions lasting three months

2- Some restrictions on international travel extending beyond the initial three months

3- Worldwide severe impact, including Africa and Latin America (which had a small presence of the disease and were expected to be less impacted in the March analysis).

Full-year passenger demand (domestic and international) is expected to be down 48% compared to 2019.

✈️ Virgin Australia went into voluntary administration on April 21 due to crippling debts exacerbated by the corona virus lockdowns. At least 10,000 jobs would be at stake if the airline folds. Virgin is carrying about AUS$5 billion (US$ 3.2 billion) in debt and had sought federal help to keep operating but the Morrison government rejected a $1.4 billion bailout.

✈️ Thai Airways similarly to Virgin Australia is seeking a US$1.8 billion restructuring loan from the government. The loan is unpopular as many believe that in its existing state it is doomed to fail. Trust of its management and directors has reached new lows with the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the public. Thai Airways must submit a rehabilitation plan by the end of the month if it wants the government to consider a rescue package. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob set the deadline amid this rising public sentiment against a state-backed loan.

✈️ IAG (British Airways’ parent company) the group announced in March moves to protect capital and reduce costs.

“We have seen a substantial decline in bookings across our airlines and global network over the past few weeks and we expect demand to remain weak until well into the summer,” CEO Walsh said. “We are therefore making significant reductions to our flying schedules. We will continue to monitor demand levels and we have the flexibility to make further cuts if necessary. We are also taking actions to reduce operating expenses and improve cash flow at each of our airlines. IAG is resilient with a strong balance sheet and substantial cash liquidity.”

Capacity for April and May will be cut by at least 75% compared to the same period in 2019. The group will also ground surplus aircraft, reduce and defer capital spending, cut non-essential and non-cyber related IT spend, and discretionary spending. The company also plans to reduce labour costs by freezing recruitment, implementing voluntary leave options, temporarily suspending employment contracts, and reducing working hours.

✈️ Air Mauritius goes into Voluntary Administration.

✈️ South African Airways Bankrupt. On 5 December 2019, the Government of South Africa announced that SAA would enter into bankruptcy protection, as the airline has not turned a profit since 2011 and ran out of money.

✈️ Finnair returns 12 planes and lays off 2,400 people.

✈️ YOU grounds 22 planes and fires 4,100 people.

✈️ Ryanair grounds 113 planes and gets rid of 900 pilots for the moment, 450 more in the coming months.

✈️ Norwegian completely stops its long-haul activity!!! The 787s are returned to the lessors.

✈️ SAS returns 14 planes and fires 520 pilots… The Scandinavian states are studying a plan to liquidate Norwegian and SAS to rebuild a new company from their ashes.

✈️ IAG (British Airways) grounds 34 planes. Everyone over 58 to retire.

✈️ Ethiad cancels 18 orders for A350, grounds 10 A380 and 10 Boeing 787. Lays off 720 staff.

✈️ Emirates grounds 38 A380s and cancels all orders for the Boeing 777x (150 aircraft, the largest order for this type). They “invite” all employees over 56 to retire

✈️ Wizzair returns 32 A320s and lays off 1,200 people, including 200 pilots, another wave of 430 layoffs planned in the coming months. Remaining employees will see their wages reduced by 30%.

✈️ IAG (Iberia) grounds 56 planes.

✈️ Luxair reduces its fleet by 50% (and associated redundancies)

✈️ CSA abolishes its long-haul sector and keeps only 5 medium-haul aircraft.

✈️ Eurowings goes into Bankruptcy

✈️ Brussels Airline reduces its fleet by 50% (and associated redundancies).

✈️ Lufthansa, the German federal government agreed on a €9 billion ($9.74billion) rescue package and plans to ground 72 aircraft.

✈️ Air France KLM Chief Executive Ben Smith said that voluntary redundancies would be part of the airline’s initial cost-cutting plans, and that costs at its ‘HOP’ arm were not viable as things stood. In an interview just hours after Air France KLM secured 7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in French government aid, he also said that it could take two years, or possibly “even a bit longer,” before things returned to normal in the aviation and airline industry.

Global aviation in acute crisis | Source - News by The Thaiger

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Laos to Resume Domestic Flights, Schools, Other Restrictions Eased

Laos has announced it will resume domestic flights, begin to reopen schools, and ease other lockdown restrictions starting 18 May.

The National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced at a press conference held today nine measures that will be eased, and four restrictions that will remain in place, effective from 18 May.

Measures eased:

Government and private sector offices may now open and resume operations as usual, but prevention measures and guidelines issued by the taskforce must be strictly implemented.

Interprovincial travel is now permitted for all people throughout the country but prevention measures and guidelines issued by the taskforce must be strictly followed.

Interprovincial transportation via land, water, or air is now permitted but prevention measures and guidelines issued by the taskforce must be followed

Meetings, seminars, and training sessions may be held within the country, however, parties or social events remain prohibited, and all gatherings must implement social distancing and other guidelines issued by the taskforce.

The Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Public Security have been authorized to reopen schools on 18 May, but only grade levels primary 5, secondary 4, and secondary 7. All other levels including kindergarten, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions are authorized to reopen on 2 June. Social distancing and other measures must be strictly adhered to.

Certain indoor and outdoor sports or physical exercise activities are now permitted but prevention measures and guidelines issued by the taskforce must be followed.

Restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, massage parlors and spas, fresh markets, beauty salons, barbershops, shopping centers and malls, and tourism sites, are permitted to open but prevention measures and guidelines issued by the taskforce must be strictly implemented.

Construction projects, plants, and factories may resume operations but must follow the guidelines issued by the taskforce.

Lao nationals who are employed outside of Laos may now return to their place of work abroad, provided that the host country permits it, while foreign nationals who are employed in Laos may return to their home country.

Restrictions that remain in place:

Night markets, beer shops, nightclubs, online game shops, karaoke venues, cinemas, casinos, team sports tournaments are not yet authorized to reopen.

Unofficial or informal gatherings or other large events remain prohibited, while cultural festivals and weddings with more than 50 attendees are also prohibited. Gatherings must follow social distancing and other virus prevention measures.

Local, traditional, and international border checkpoints remain closed. People are forbidden from entering and exiting the country, except for drivers of cargo vehicles or those with prior authorization.

Entry visas will not be issued to visitors who come from or pass through countries that have experienced a Covid-19 outbreak, except for special cases whereby prior authorization has been issued.

The easing of restrictions remains temporary. If an infected case is confirmed in a particular province, then stricter measures will be enacted in that province. The provincial taskforce will announce all confirmed cases and measures. If a cluster of cases is found in two or more provinces, then the country may revert to stricter lockdown measures stipulated under Prime Ministerial Order No. 6/PM.

Source - Laotian Times

Phuket airport to remain closed following CAAT U-Turn

UPDATE:

In a surprise reversal, The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced the postponement of the reopening of Phuket International Airport, indefinitely. Just yesterday they announced that the provincial airport was to re-open from tomorrow morning.

Although Phuket has gone 13 days with no new Covid 19 infections, it was still considered a risk area that needs to be monitored to stop the spread of the disease to other provinces.

“At the recommendation of the CCSA, the airport is to remain closed until further notice.”

“Although Phuket is able to effectively control and stop the spread of the Covid-19, the situation is still considered a risk that must be monitored to ensure that measures stop the spread of the disease to other areas and prevent the disease from spreading again in the Phuket area.”

Phuket International Airport was closed on April 3, with a ban on all flights except government and military aircraft, and emergency landings.Scheduled international flights into and out of Thailand remained banned until at least May 31.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority has signed an order which will allow the Phuket International Airport to re-open from the morning of Saturday, May 16, less than two days away. Two days ago officials from the local provincial hall participated in an inspection of all the changes and preparations made to cater for passenger travel in the Covid era.

The Phuket International Airport is one of the last major airports to re-open to passenger traffic and commercial flights. The CAAT ordered the airport closed on April 3 to restrict air travel as health authorities nationwide battled to contain the spread of the virus at the time.

The order says that people arriving in Phuket from other provinces will be required to fill in an a form describing their travel history, particularly recently and information about where they are staying whilst on the island. At this stage the opening of the airport is only to limited domestic flights.

“All people leaving the island must register their health condition on the AOT Airports app.”

A ban remains in force for international flights at least until May 31 and a possibility that it could be extended another 15 days.

For land departures there has been a requirement for Phuket people, arriving in some provinces, to adhere to a 14 day quarantine. This order from the CAAT does not mention that requirement. We will post more information when it becomes available.

Currently land departures are required to have a fit-to-travel document saying that they have been in self-quarantine for 14 days before their date of travel. That has not been specified for air travel at this stage.

3 airlines have already notified the PIA of their plans to resume limited domestic passenger services in and out of Phuket, at one flight a day, according to the governor. Other domestic airports have been opened up around the country for limited services.

Provincial authorities also agreed yesterday to ask the Interior Ministry to allow reopening of all sea and road links from Saturday. No approval has been given at this stage.

Aircraft are also requiring specific seating to avoid people sitting next to each other and an insistence that passengers must wear masks. There is also no food and beverage services allowed on domestic services at this stage and travellers are urged to arrive at the airport 3 hours before their flight for additional check in procedures.

Source - The Thaiger

One of Thailand’s Richest Men Says Its Time to Welcome Back Tourists

One of Thailand’s richest men is urging the government to relax lockdown measures and welcome tourists back as soon as possible. Furthermore to turn the country into a “safe haven” for wealthy visitors.

Billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont who is the senior chairman of the kingdom’s largest food and agriculture conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, said the move would help revive the tourism sector.

“Thailand’s economic losses from the lockdown are estimated to be at 16 billion baht per day or almost 500 billion per month,” he told the Bangkok Post. “A longer lockdown will cost us more and more we need tourism.”

Thailand has been under lockdown since March 9th, 2020. After the government acted to stem an increase in confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases. The government said the coronavirus infection rate is now about 1%.

The economic impact of the lockdown is apparent as millions of workers applied for unemployment benefits. The tourism sector is also hit hard after the kingdom stopped taking in foreign visitors.

Thailand reports zero new covid-19 coronavirus cases

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) report zero new infections on Wednesday. The first time in 65 days since the lockdown began. The kingdom has recorded 3,017 cases.

“We can’t wait until a vaccine is developed and produced in sufficient quantity to roll out to the entire population,” Mr Dhanin said. “The economy won’t survive that long.” We need to tourists to come back to Thailand.

He said Thailand’s tourism sector accounts for 16-17% percent of the countries GDP. It should be revived due to improvements in the virus situation.

Mr Dhanin also proposed the government attract high-spending tourists from across the world. Above all by highlighting Thailand’s success in containing the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

“The number of infection and death cases in Thailand is very low compared with other countries. Even though our lockdown began later,” he said. “There were also a large number of Chinese tourists in the country.”

“This reflects the doctors and hospitals in Thailand are the best and we need to tell the world about it,” he said.

Mr Dhanin topped Forbes magazine’s “Thailand’s 50 Richest” this year. He is among 20 Billionaires in Thailand whom Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asked to develop relief projects to help people affected by the outbreak.

Source - Chiang Rai Times

Laos and China Push Ahead with Sixth Mekong River Dam Project

“China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos, and it has built 11 dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River”

Laos in partnership with China has submitted plans to to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to build yet another new hydropower dam on the Mekong River. Construction is expected to start later this year, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on Monday.

The Sanakham dam hydropower plant, with an estimated cost of US$2.073 billion, will be developed by Datang Sanakham Hydropower company, a subsidiary of China’s state owned Datang International Power Generation Co, MRC said.

Hydropower development is central to the Laos government’s plan to export around 20,000 megawatts of electricity to its neighbours by 2030. This latest project will be the sixth proposal of nine planned mainstream Mekong dams inside Laos.

Sanakham dam will be the sixth of nine dams in Laos on the Mekong River

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Laos has already completed two dams on the Mekong River. The 1,285-megawatt Xayaburi Dam and the 260-megawatt Don Sahong Dam last year. The dams were built despite objections by environmental groups worldwide.

Objectors said the dams threaten a river system whose fisheries, sediment and seasonal flooding for agriculture support some 60 million people.

Sanakham’s proposed site is located 155 kilometres north of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Its projected to produce 684 megawatts of electricity once it start operating in 2028.

China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos on the Mekong

The Sanakham dam is the sixth project that has been put forward to the prior consultation process with the MRC. The MRC intergovernmental agency that works with regional governments.

China has funded numerous hydropower projects inside Laos, and it has built 11 dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River inside Chinese territory that have come under scrutiny for allegedly altering the river’s natural flow.

The Sanakham project will now have to go through an MRC prior consultation process, which normally lasts for six months, where other MRC members including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam can review the project and assess any cross-border impacts. While they can suggest changes, the MRC consultation process cannot veto any project.

Source - Chiang Rai Times / Reuters

This Virtual Vacation to Australia Has an Itinerary Packed With Free Activities

I don't know about you, but I'd go for just about any vacation right now. Send me on a trip to middle-of-nowhere Indiana and I'd be jumping for joy (I can say that because I'm Midwestern, OK!?). But the whole travel thing is a no-go for the indefinite future, so we've gotta come up with creative ways to satisfy our wanderlust.

The solution? A virtual vacation to Australia. The country's tourism board is hosting a streamed travel activation, dubbed Live from Aus, for an entire weekend, kicking off Friday, May 15, at 5pm EST. Workout with Chris Hemsworth's trainers in Byron Bay, get up close and personal with crocs, and let your kids dance it out with The Wiggles, among other activities.

The itinerary also includes front row seats for the Penguin Parade -- which is exactly what it sounds like -- on Phillip Island and an underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Because drinking and eating is unequivocally the best part about vacation (tell me I'm wrong), you'll learn how to throw an Aussie-style BBQ, hit up a dinner party with famed Chef Matt Moran, and experience a sommelier-led wine tasting.

The weekend-long event features free and live content every single hour on the hour and it's available to stream directly on the Tourism Australia's social media channels, including Facebook and YouTube. But if you've already got weekend plans (you shouldn't) the series will also be available on the Australia.com website afterwards.

Browse the full virtual itinerary and plan your days accordingly. 

Source - Thrillist