Travel & Culture

Beijing lifts COVID restrictions

Published

2 years ago

07/06/2022

MNN

Shanghai reports scattered infections, which points to continued risk in the city

Beijing announced it would lift a series of COVID-19 restrictions starting on Monday based on improvements in the epidemic situation, bringing the lives of people back closer to normalcy.

Xu Hejian, spokesman for the city government, said at a news conference on Sunday that except in Fengtai district and some places in Changping district, where the strict measures would continue, all city restaurants can resume dine-in services on Monday.

Wang Yuanlong, a 32-year-old resident in Chaoyang district, was excited about the news, saying: “It will bring back lots of happiness. Even though we could order takeout food during the past weeks, it’s still quite different to have a decent meal with friends and family in a restaurant.”

“Plus, I haven’t taken my girlfriend out to dine for a long time because of the outbreak. I’m looking forward to having dates with her in our favorite restaurants soon.”

People can also go back to their workplaces starting on Monday after several weeks of working from home. All public transportation such as buses, subways and taxis will resume normal operations. They will require negative nucleic acid test results taken within 72 hours－24 hours longer than the previous requirement.

All delivery people can enter residential communities and villages as needed for work beginning on Monday. “For most people going to workplaces, doing the job means more income. I believe people are glad to hear this,” Wang said. During the outbreak, many districts asked residents to work from home to reduce the risk of infection.

In addition to seniors in high school who have already been back on campus since June 2, students in all other grades can go back to campus for classes starting on June 13.Children in kindergarten can return to campus starting on June 20.

People who live in Hebei province and commute to Beijing can resume their daily commute on Monday, with negative nucleic acid test results taken within 48 hours required for their first entry. Results taken within 72 hours are needed the next time they enter Beijing.

Beijing reported five new locally transmitted cases as of 3 pm on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,822 since April 22, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said on Sunday, adding that all the infections were reported in quarantined locations.

Shanghai reported two locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and an asymptomatic infection, the city government said late Sunday.

Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission, said that since the city resumed work and production on June 1, the flow of people has increased. Scattered infections in communities have been reported, which showed that there is still a risk of epidemic rebound, he said.

“We’ll stick to the dynamic zero-COVID policy and improve our early warning, prediction and prevention capabilities to minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development,” he said.

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

5 hours ago

24/04/2024

Ministry of Tourism has revealed more than 700,000 tourists have visited the country so far.

The latest statistics published by the tourism ministry show that a total of 728,950 tourist arrivals visited the Maldives between January 1 and April 21, which is an increase of 13.1% compared to the 644,721 arrivals during the same period last year. The statistics show that a total of 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives in January, 217,392 arrivals in February, 194,227 in March and 124,946 arrivals till April 21.

The latest updated report reveals that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals so far this year, with 77،709 visitors. Following China, the United Kingdom, and Russia along with Italy and Germany, stand out as the next highest sources of tourists, with 72,635 and 72,336, 66,170 and 57,321 arrivals, respectively. Currently, Maldives receives an average of 6451 tourists every day, which spend an average of 7.9 days in the country.

Aiming to expand the tourism industry, the bed capacity has been increased with a total of 62,232 beds. This includes resorts, guest houses, hotels and safaris as well.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldivian’s Male’-Colombo route launches on Thursday

Published

2 days ago

22/04/2024

Maldivian, the flag carrier of the Maldives, is set to launch flights to the Bandaranaike International Airport in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on Thursday.

The starting fare is USD 165, including a baggage allowance of 30 kilos and an attractive meal package.

According to Maldivian, it will operate two weekly flights on the Male’-Colombo route; on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The flight schedule is perfect for weekend getaways, allowing passengers to depart after work on Thursday and return on Saturday, maximizing their time in Sri Lanka without complicated itineraries.

The airline is offering exclusive benefits to customers from the Nawaloka Hospital. This includes:

Medical consultation and medical history evaluation (with a medical doctor)
Body mass index test and vision test
Dental check-ups
Consultation with clinical dietician
15% discount for laboratory tests (OPD basis)
5% discount for x-ray
Special discounted health screening packages

Unlike most budget carriers that focus on keeping fares low, Maldivian Airline goes the extra mile to enhance the travel experience, providing a complimentary meal on board, ensuring that passengers arrive in Colombo feeling satisfied and ready to explore.

The airline also offers an attractive offer of flying with a 30-kg baggage allowance for even the lowest fare of USD 165, eliminating the need to pay extra fees or travel light, ensuring travelers can pack everything they need for their trip within the limit, and avoid surprise baggage charges commonly imposed by budget airlines.

Th airline also offers elderly care and a seamless travel experience with multilingual staff, including Dhivehi and English speakers, ensuring clear communication and assistance for passengers of all levels of experience, making the journey comfortable and stress-free.

According to Maldivian, the new route to Colombo represents an exciting milestone for both Maldivian and the travelers seeking seamless connectivity between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The airline said the strategic expansion further solidifies Maldivian’s commitment to connecting the Maldives with key international destinations, enhancing travel options for passengers, and promoting cultural and economic exchanges.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

Maldives Showcased at Asia’s Biggest Dive Expo

Published

1 week ago

16/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Cooperation (MMPRC) has promoted Maldives at Asia’s largest dive expo, Adex Ocean Mission 2024.

Notably, Adex Ocean Mission is a global platform where investors, scientists, marine conservationists and as well as underwater photographs can join together. Simultaneously, dive operators along with dive equipment manufacturers took part in the expo. It has been 26 years since the expo first commenced.

Remarkably, MMPRC has actively engaged in promoting Maldives as a leading tourism destination, following exposure globally. The very expo was carried out from April 12 to 14 at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Providing insight on the expo, MMPRC affirmed that persistent efforts have been made to provide updated information regarding the Maldives to those interested in diving related activities. Moreover, initiatives have been taken to create awareness about the Maldives as a central hub prioritising diving and as well as marine conservation.

One of the primary incentives of partaking in such expos is to attract tourists from the South Asian region. While the tourist arrival from the South-East Asian region amounted 58,947, the number of tourists who visited from January and February totals to 7,481.

Additionally, efforts are currently underway to initiate joint marketing campaigns and outdoor promotional campaigns following active engagements with several stakeholders targeted towards tourists arrivals from the South-East Asian market.

Source(s): PsmNews