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☆ China to resume issuing short-term visas for South Koreans starting Feb 18
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) - China plans to resume issuing short-term visas for travellers from South Korea on Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Seoul said on Wednesday, after South Korea lifted similar visa curbs last week citing an improved COVID situation in its neighbour. China halted issuing short-term visas to South Koreans last month, a retaliatory move after South Korea had imposed a number of COVID restrictions on travellers from China following Beijing's abrupt ending of its "zero-COVID" policy. Seoul had planned to impose visa curbs until end-February but restarted issuing visas last week, saying the number of infections among Chinese arrivals had dropped significantly. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea to restart issuing short-term visas for China travellers on Feb 11
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South Korea plans to resume issuing short-term visas for travellers from China on Saturday after China improved its COVID-19 situation, Seoul officials said on Friday. South Korea suspended issuing short-term visas to Chinese visitors last month after China abruptly ended its stringent "zero-COVID" policy, leading to a wave of infections. Beijing retaliated against Seoul by halting short-term visas for South Korean travellers. South Korea's prime minister, Han Duck-soo, last week hinted at lifting restrictions before the end of February if China's COVID situation became "manageable." Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said. "The world should completely calm down from the fear that there are new variants or special variants circulating (in China)," Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Reuters. The variants causing infections in China were the same Omicron sub-variants - BA.5.2 and BF.7 - seen elsewhere in the world, he said by email. Gao said China was continuing widespread viral genomic sequencing, and would identify any new variants if they emerged. A total of 13 cases of variants were found, including 1 case of XBB.1, 5 cases of BQ.1.1, 1 case of BQ.1.1.17, 4 cases of BQ.1.2 and 2 cases of BQ.1.8.

☆ Singapore relaxes COVID travel curbs, mask rules further
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, masks will still be mandatory in healthcare settings, where there is interaction with patients and in indoor patient-facing areas. "Within Singapore our COVID situation has remained stable over the recent months, despite increased travel over the year-end holidays and China's shift from zero COVID," Lawrence Wong, deputy prime minister and co-chair of the virus taskforce, told a media briefing. But we managed to reach this point together because we all did our part," Wong said. Since April last year, Singapore had lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions with many international events returning to the city-state, attracting tourists and businesses. The Asian financial hub is expecting the tourism sector to recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

☆ EU looks to tighten borders to keep unwanted migrants away
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"European countries are experiencing a big increase in the number of people who are coming from outside Europe on an irregular basis," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Still, with global mobility restarting since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular arrivals into the EU rose last year to their highest level since 2016, reviving harsher anti-immigration rhetoric. WALLS AND FENCES"We need to 'pull the brake' on illegal migration in the EU," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The EU's executive, which holds the bloc's shared budget, has long refused to finance border walls, though it does pay for surveillance equipment and other infrastructure. Catholic charity group Caritas said EU leaders should look into improving the bloc's asylum procedures and reception centres to "put human rights and dignity front and centre".

The United States has in place a vaccine requirement for foreign air travellers that is not expected to be lifted before main draw action kicks off on March 9. Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas recently said that it would be a "disgrace" if Djokovic was not allowed to compete at Indian Wells and other tournaments in the United States this year. read moreHaas said Indian Wells organisers would do everything to help Djokovic's chances of playing. Even if Djokovic is unable to compete at Indian Wells there will still be plenty of talent on show. Spanish great Rafael Nadal, teenage world number two Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Taylor Fritz were among those named on Wednesday's entry list.

HONG KONG, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said. "The world should completely calm down from the fear that there are new variants or special variants circulating [in China]," Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Reuters. The variants causing infections in China were the same Omicron sub-variants - BA.5.2 and BF.7 - seen elsewhere in the world, he said by email. Gao said China was continuing widespread viral genomic sequencing, and would identify any new variants if they emerged. The authors said there were some limitations to the study, including China's decision to end large-scale mandatory testing.

☆ China to fully resume travel with Hong Kong, Macau on Feb 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Feb 3 (Reuters) - China said on Friday that cross border travel between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau would fully resume from Feb. 6, dropping existing quotas and scrapping a mandatory COVID-19 test that was required before travelling. Group tours between China and its two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau would resume, while the number of customs checkpoints open will return to pre-pandemic levels, China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said in a statement on its website. Even after China reopened its borders to the world on Jan. 8, a quota system and COVID testing requirement remained for travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong. Hong Kong dropped most of its remaining COVID rules in December, but mask-wearing remains mandatory unless exercising, and students must take daily rapid antigen tests. Reporting by Farah Master and Twinnie Siu in Hong Kong, Liz Lee in Beijing and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong says 'hello' to woo back visitors after COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Performers dance during "Hello Hong Kong" campaign to promote city tourism in Hong Kong, China February 2, 2023. The "Hello Hong Kong" campaign was launched with dancers and flashing neon lights in the city's main convention centre, next to its famous harbour, with a backdrop bearing the slogan in various languages including Russian and Spanish. Hong Kong dropped most of its remaining COVID rules in December but the wearing of masks remains mandatory unless exercising, as well as daily rapid antigen testing for students. There remains a quota system for travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong and a requirement that they must do a COVID test. Hong Kong business groups, diplomats and many residents deplored Hong Kong COVID rules, saying they threatened its competitiveness and standing as an international financial centre, especially after a period of political tension over pro-democracy protests.

☆ Cracks begin to show in India's Himalayan building spree
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Krishn Kaushik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

"Modern connectivity is also a guarantee of national security," Modi said at an election rally at a border village in October, where he said the new transport links would bring development to remote regions. India's ministries of highways and railway, which own the state-run companies building the road and rail projects, also did not respond. Hundreds of homes have sunk and cracked in an Indian tourist town close to the Himalayan border with China. Eight of the families neighbouring Butola have now left the village, their homes riven with cracks, villagers told Reuters. Officials halted road construction work near the town, fearful of a bigger collapse.

LISBON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Europe was entering an "inevitable" post-pandemic period of airline consolidation as legacy flag-carriers struggle to navigate through a competitive landscape, the chief executive of low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) said on Wednesday. "We are definitely, post-COVID, entering a four or five-year period of consolidation," Ryanair's Michael O'Leary told Reuters on the sidelines of a news briefing in Portugal's capital Lisbon. Many of Europe's legacy airlines are finding it tough to effectively compete with budget carriers, hampered by weak balance sheets that could be made more robust by merging with rivals, analysts have said. Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and British Airways owner IAG are potential buyers, according to analysts. O'Leary said he believed the sector in Europe would move towards having four large airlines: Lufthansa, Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA), IAG and and Ryanair.

☆ Macau casino revenues surge in Jan after COVID rules lifted
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Farah Master | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Still investors took cheer, sending shares in Macau casinos up between 3% to 5%, while executives and analysts said it was an encouraging sign of a solid recovery to come. A special administrative region of China, Macau has seen a resurgence of tourists from the mainland since Jan. 8 after the territory dropped all COVID-19 testing requirements for inbound travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. January's revenues were the first for Sands China (1928.HK), Wynn Macau (1128.HK), MGM China (2282.HK), Galaxy Entertainment (0027.HK), MGM China (2282.HK) and SJM Holdings (0880.HK) under new 10-year contracts. Visitors pose for photos outside the Grand Lisboa casino operated by SJM Holdings during Lunar New Year in Macau, China, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Lam Yik/File PhotoThe new contracts, with more government oversight and control, were struck after COVID-19 restrictions decimated Macau's gambling revenues and sent net debt soaring.

☆ Japan will continue to monitor COVID situation in China, govt says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Passengers of a plane from Dalian in China, head to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test area upon their arrival at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan January 12, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Japan will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in China and deal "flexibly" with border control measures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday. The comment came a day after the Chinese embassy in Japan said it had resumed the issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens travelling to the country. China had stopped issuing visas for Japanese nationals earlier this month after Japan toughened COVID-19 border control rules for travellers coming directly from China. Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China says it resumes issuing ordinary visas for Japanese citizens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Printed Chinese and Japanese flags are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoBEIJING, Jan 29 (Reuters) - China has resumed the issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens travelling to the country, the Chinese embassy in Japan said on Sunday, in a move that could ease a diplomatic row. Effective on Sunday, the embassy and Chinese consulates in Japan will resume the examination and issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens to China, the embassy said in a statement. China this month stopped issuing visas for Japanese nationals after Japan toughened COVID-19 border control rules for travellers coming directly from China. Japan lodged a protest to China over the suspension of visas for Japanese citizens, asking Beijing to reverse the action.

☆ UK's Flybe enters administration, cancels all flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 28 (Reuters) - British airline Flybe entered administration for the second time and has cancelled all scheduled flights to and from the UK, the regional carrier said on Saturday. With Britain in lockdown during the pandemic, Flybe was among the first airlines to go into administration in 2020, putting around 2,400 jobs at risk at that time. The High Court has appointed David Pike and Mike Pink as joint administrators of Flybe, it said. Flybe, which was once the largest independent regional airline in Europe, operated between 81 airports, was sold to Thyme Opco, a firm controlled by Cyrus Capital, in 2021. Reporting by Mrinmay Dey and Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; editing by William Mallard and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France extends mandatory COVID tests for Chinese travellers until Feb 15
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 28 (Reuters) - France has extended mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China until Feb. 15, a government decree published on Saturday showed. While Chinese officials have said infections have peaked, some global experts have warned about the possibility of a rise in cases in rural areas less equipped to deal with them as millions of Chinese travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday. On Dec. 30, France announced it would require travellers from China to provide a negative COVID-19 test result less than 48 hours before departure as China eased lockdown rules. The measure, which had been set to last until Jan. 31, imposed tests on all flights from China - including flights with stopovers - and required travellers on airplanes arriving from China to wear masks. China abandoned its strict "zero COVID" policy in early December after protests against the restrictions, allowing people to travel and the virus to spread rapidly throughout the country.

☆ Italy, Lufthansa sign letter of intent over ITA minority stake sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Planes of German air carrier Lufthansa are parked as Lufthansa pilots start a strike over a wage dispute, at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany September 2, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoROME, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury on Friday said it had signed a letter of intent with Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) over the sale of a minority stake in state-owned airline ITA Airways, paving the way for negotiations with German carrier. Last week, Lufthansa offered to buy a minority stake in the loss-making successor of Italy's Alitalia, saying Italy was a prominent market both for business travellers and tourists. Lufthansa said on Friday it had signed the letter of intent with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and ITA Airways. The new right-wing administration in Rome passed a decree in December to initially sell a minority stake through capital increases, to speed up a full divestment in ITA.

☆ China domestic tourism picks up over Lunar New Year as COVID curbs end
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A total of 308 million tourism trips within China have been made during the current holiday period, up 23.1% from 2022's Lunar New Year break and marking a recovery to 88.6% of the number in 2019, data from the culture and tourism ministry showed on Friday. Revenue generated from domestic tourism during this year's holiday stands at 375.84 billion yuan ($55.41 billion), or 73.1% of that in 2019, according to the tourism ministry data. Authorities in early January ended a requirement that inbound travellers had to undergo hotel quarantine upon arrival, a policy that had crippled international travel. Despite the jump, international travel over the holiday period has yet to rebound to pre-COVID levels. During the Lunar New Year holiday in 2019, a total of 12.53 million cross-border trips were made, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

☆ China's luxury shoppers free to travel, but many buy locally
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alessandro Diviggiano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

As a result, Chinese residents have rushed to travel overseas. read moreDespite this, some experts argue that an increasing portion of China's luxury spending will remain inside the country's borders, even though consumers can now travel freely. "A portion (of luxury shoppers) will go back to the original pre-COVID overseas consumption," Yan said. "But, I think the local (luxury market) will be also important for most of the brands." Reporting by Alessandro Diviggiano in Sanya, writing by Josh Horwitz in Shanghai; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Strong bookings put EasyJet on path to full-year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - EasyJet (EZJ.L) on Wednesday said it expected to beat current market expectations for 2023 based on the strength of bookings into summer and was set to deliver a full-year profit, fueling cautious optimism for an aviation sector set on recovery. EasyJet Holidays also upgraded expectations from 30% customer growth to around 50% year-on-year and said the airline had almost 50% more customers than last year. Ryanair (RYA.I), Europe's biggest airline and a low-cost competitor for easyJet, said earlier this month it was expecting a very strong summer season with a reasonable prospect of average European short-haul air fares rising by a high single digit percentage. "Airline reporting season starts optimistically, and we expect easyJet to be the first of several strong prints. Earlier guidance looks overly cautious and numbers will need to come up," Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said in a research note.

☆ Strong bookings put easyJet on path to full-year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Tourists swarm gambling hub Macau over Lunar New Year after COVID curbs dropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Macau has seen a resurgence of tourists from mainland China since Jan. 8 after the special Chinese administrative region dropped all COVID-19 testing requirements for inbound travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Macau welcomed more than 71,000 visitors on Monday, the highest single day record since the pandemic, its government said in a statement late on Tuesday. It was lifeless during lockdown and not very good," said a man surnamed Lam, who travelled to Macau from Jiangmen in nearby Guangdong province in southern China. More than 94% of visitors to Macau over the first three days of the Lunar New Year, Jan. 21-23, came from mainland China and neighbouring special administrative region Hong Kong. Local residents said they hoped the rise in visitors would bring a permanent boost to the city's beleaguered economy.

☆ 'Disgrace' if Djokovic not allowed to enter U.S. and compete, says Haas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Haas, also a former world number two player, said he hoped the rules would be relaxed sooner to allow Djokovic to compete. If he doesn't play Indian Wells and Miami in March (it will be tough), they're supposed to lift those mandates by mid-April. "It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami. Haas added Indian Wells organisers would do "everything" to help Djokovic's chances of playing there. Indian Wells runs from March 8-19 and the Miami Open from March 22-April 2.

[1/3] A medical worker helps a patient receiving treatment at the emergency department of a hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China January 17, 2023. Some health experts expect more than one million people will die from the disease in China this year, with British-based health data firm Airfinity forecasting COVID fatalities could hit 36,000 a day next week. Hospitalisations rose by 70% on the previous week to 63,307, according to the WHO, citing data submitted by Beijing. China said last Saturday that nearly 60,000 people with COVID had died in hospital between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12 - a roughly 10-fold increase from previous disclosures. However, that number excludes those who died at home, and some doctors in China have said they are discouraged from putting COVID on death certificates.

☆ TUI: Luxury holiday demand boosts sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Travel giant TUI (TUIGn.DE) reported on Friday a boost in demand for luxury holidays, driving sales for the winter 2022/23 period higher than they had been in the corresponding 2018/19 period, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit international travel. "Demand is currently particularly strong," said Steffen Boehnke, director of airtours, TUI's luxury travel segment, in a statement. Sales for the summer 2023 period were above the level seen last year following strong bookings in the first weeks of January, according to the statement. "Our guests are booking more high-quality and for longer," said Boehnke, adding that trips were two and a half days longer on average and that around one in four travellers were choosing accommodation with villas or suites with a private pool. Reporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Maria SheahanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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