Source: Wikimedia Commons
From 1 November, Muslims around the world have been permitted entry into Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. An estimated 10 000 pilgrims arrived on the first day of the month, and had to obtain a permit before they were allowed entry into the country.
Pilgrims have to undergo a 3-day period of isolation, and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for 10 days.
International pilgrims will be separated into groups of 20, and their itineraries will be staggered throughout the day to limit contact. They will also not be allowed to touch the Kaabah.
At the moment, only those below the age of 50 will be allowed to perform Umrah, for the safety of the pilgrims. International pilgrims may also only enter or leave the country on Saudia airlines. For countries where Saudia does not operate, third-party arrangements may need to be made.
For more information on the travel and safety requirements and regulations please refer to the respective authorities.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Singapore saw her first batch of cruise passengers take off to sea on 6 November. Kicking off the ‘cruise to nowhere’ program, Genting Cruise Lines’ Dream Cruises took extra precaution in ensuring the safety of all passengers during their arrivals on Friday.
Passenger arrival times were staggered between 9am on Friday morning and 9pm that evening, when the cruise departed. Guests above the age of 13 were also required to take a covid-19 test at the cruise terminal, and all guests above age 7 have been issued a specialised contact tracing device called a MICE Pod.
34 cabins in the cruise ship have also been converted into quarantine spaces for extra precaution.
The ‘cruise to nowhere’ initiative has commenced in time for the upcoming end-of-year school holidays, attracting holiday-seeking parents and their families, amongst other types of domestic travellers.
Source: Millennium Hotels
You can now book a staycation package that grants you a vacation beyond the confines of a hotel room – an outdoor adventure at the Singapore Zoo or Jurong Bird Park.
In a bid to create new experiences for travel-starved locals, Wildlife Reserves Singapore has partnered up with Marriott and Millennium Hotels to roll out ‘wild staycations’ for animal lovers in the country.
So far, there are 3 types of packages to choose from along with your hotel-stay:
Credit: HKTB website
Like many other countries, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has curated a virtual travel experience for anyone around the world to enjoy. The “360 Hong Kong Moments” campaign has rolled out its first VR film, boasting the gorgeous natural sights and sounds of Hong Kong. Similar videos are scheduled to be released, though the dates are not confirmed to the public as of yet.
The campaign is a bid from HKTB to keep Hong Kong relevant to would-be travellers, and has been launched in a build-up to the Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble. Although the date has not been confirmed yet, ticket-purchases have skyrocketed since the announcement of the Travel Bubble.
Updates will be released on the HKTB website.
For more information on the travel and safety requirements and regulations please refer to the respective authorities.
Source: Mohammad Saifullah on Unsplash
Singaporeans may now travel to Finland for non-essential purposes, with no mandatory quarantine measures, starting Monday 9 November.
However, travel restrictions within the Schengen Area* may vary from country to country. Currently, travel between Finland, Norway and Sweden is permitted, but travellers are advised to bring along their passports for precaution.
*Schengen Area consists of 26 European countries where travel is permitted between borders without a passport (under normal circumstances)
For more information on the travel and safety requirements and regulations please refer to the respective authorities.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Many European countries have been hit with a second wave of covid-19 cases and have begun reinstating a second round of country-wide lockdowns. Countries that have recently reinstated lockdowns include: United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain and France.
Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands have begun partial lockdown measures.
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