Qatar Airways Holidays extends Travel Bubble Holidays packages to Maldives
21 Jan 2021 - 10:57
A view of a tourist site in Maldives.
The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar Airways Holidays has announced the final extension of its Travel Bubble Holidays packages to the Maldives, providing travellers with more flexibility to plan a last-minute, quarantine-free gateway to the tropical paradise island. The travel period is extended until February 20 for bookings with minimum three-night duration and last outbound date from Qatar on February 17.
To celebrate the success and mark the end of the very popular Travel Bubble Holidays between Qatar and the Maldives, Qatar Airways Holidays will offer customers free upgrades, including use of additional resort facilities, water sports activities such as canoeing, laser sailing, snorkelling and windsurfing as well as special food and beverage offerings for all new bookings made before February 15, all at no extra cost.
Sri Lanka reopens to tourists after 10 months
Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the Indian Ocean island nation s lucrative travel industry, reports AP.
Full operations also resumed Thursday at the island s two international airports, accommodating the commercial flights.
Under new protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, tourists must be tested for the virus in their country 72 hours prior to their flight, when they arrive at their hotel in Sri Lanka and again seven days later. They must stay in a âtravel bubbleâ designated in 14 tourism zones without mixing with the local population. About 180 hotels have been earmarked for tourist accommodations.
Marianas Visitors Authority chair Marian Aldan Pierce presides over a board meeting on Thursday.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
âBecause we did not get an approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the application was resubmitted,â Iakopo said, adding that the new tentative date is Feb. 5.
âWe hope to hear back from CDC as soon as possible,â she told the MVA board members.
MVAâs proposed travel bubble with South Korea will require visitors to get tested and undergo quarantine.
The board on Thursday also discussed the possibility of including Japan in the travel bubble.
Present in the board meeting were chair Marian Aldan-Pierce, vice chair Gloria Cavanagh, board members Christopher Nelson, Ivan Quichocho, Warren Villagomez, Thomas Liu, and Viola Alepuyo.
Earlier this month on January 13, SIA staff members began to receive Covid-19 vaccines at Changi Airport as part of a vaccination drive for those who work in the aviation sector, according to
Channel News Asia. While participation was voluntary, the airline reported that 5,200 SIA employees have already signed up to get their vaccination shots, which will begin to take place in a few days.
Once vaccinated, flight crews are no longer required to do a Covid-19 test when returning back to the country.