PLEASE TAKE NOTE of Travel Restrictions & Advisory News due to COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. #StayHome
Start Your Virtual Vacation Now in Fairbanks, Alaska
Grab a front row seat and start your virtual vacation now. Explore Fairbanks is showcasing five brand new virtual experiences including an exhilarating dog sled ride through a snowy pristine forest, a float down the Chena River on that perfect summer day and a panoramic mountain scene from nearby Murphy Dome. In addition, you can virtually experience the midnight sun, the northern lights and other extraordinary views of the Fairbanks region.
If armchair traveling is on your to-do list, Explore Fairbanks' immersive 360-degree stills and videos have the power to virtually transport you to Alaska's Golden Heart and actively explore like never before. Additional virtual immersive assets include a visit to Eagle Summit where the sun never dips below the horizon on June 21 (Summer Solstice), a captivating aurora show, the iconic downtown Fairbanks antler arch and more. Sure, it might not be the same as being here, but it's the next best thing while you wait to visit Fairbanks when the time is right.
Another one-of-a-kind way to delve into virtual-type reality is via the Midnight Sun Tracker. The onset of the Midnight Sun Season was April 22 when the Midnight Sun Tracker took center stage on the Explore Fairbanks website. The Tracker calculates the number of daylight hours, including civil twilight, which people can experience in the sub-Arctic and Arctic areas of Fairbanks, Coldfoot and Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow). For 70 straight days during Midnight Sun Season, Fairbanks experiences 24 hours of light. The Midnight Sun Tracker allows users to change the calendar and/or location and realize the radical shift in light throughout the year. Visit https://www.explorefairbanks.com/ to access the Midnight Sun Tracker, which is compatible with all devices including smartphones, tablets and desktops. In August, as the Midnight Sun Season winds down, the focus turns to the Aurora Tracker which predicts northern lights viewing in six different locations.
NYC & Company Launches 'Virtual NYC Site Tours' for Meeting Planners
NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention & visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, has announced a new Virtual NYC Site Tours resource for meeting planners and event professionals. Available at nycgo.com/virtualnycsitetours, the online initiative provides an up-to-date listing of businesses offering virtual site inspection tools during the Covid-19 crisis.
“Despite the current challenges and new guidelines that will define the future of events, it remains clear that face-to-face meetings are essential to conducting meaningful business,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company's President and CEO and Co-Chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition. “We are pleased to offer this new Virtual NYC Site Tours resource to assist planners in continuing to book New York City for the future from the security of home.”
“While in-person site visits are not possible at the moment, event professionals can still explore New York City's unparalleled meeting options online,” said Jerry Cito, NYC & Company's Executive Vice President of Convention Development. “No matter a group's size, budget, or needs, the City's iconic hotels and world-class event spaces are ready to welcome back delegates when the time is right. We hope that this new digital tool–along with the ongoing support of our dedicated team–is helpful in planning ahead.”
U.S. Travel Industry Releases Guidance for "Travel in the New Normal"
Following a collaboration between medical experts and a broad array of businesses and organizations, the U.S. travel industry submitted to the White House and governors a document containing detailed guidance for travel-related businesses to help keep their customers and employees safe as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Entitled "Travel in the New Normal," the document describes vigorous measures the travel industry will follow to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and help to communicate across each and every step of a traveler's journey. The goal: to allow travel to safely resume as states and municipalities relax physical distancing guidance. The travel industry has been hit especially hard by the public health crisis; the industry is estimated to have lost eight million jobs as of the first of May, and the travel-related economic impact of coronavirus is projected to be nine times worse than 9/11.
The well-being of employees and guests is always the No. 1 priority of travel businesses, Dow said. But a secondary objective of the "Travel in the New Normal" guidance is to restore consumers' confidence in the travel process, in the hope that travel demand will The "Travel in the New Normal" guidance is focused on six main areas, with the document providing specific examples for each:
Travel businesses should adapt operations, modify employee practices and/or redesign public spaces to help protect employees and customers.
Travel businesses should consider implementing touchless solutions, where practical, to limit the opportunity for virus transmission while also enabling a positive travel experience.
Travel businesses should adopt and implement enhanced sanitation procedures specifically designed to combat the transmission of COVID-19.
Travel businesses should promote health screening measures for employees and isolate workers with possible COVID-19 symptoms and provide health resources to customers.
Travel businesses should establish a set of procedures aligned with CDC guidance should an employee test positive for COVID-19.
Travel businesses should follow best practices in food and beverage service to promote health of employees and customers.
Click here to read the "Travel in the New Normal" document in its entirety.
Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach Bali has helped locals take precautions against the spread of COVID-19
Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach Bali has helped locals take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 on the tourist island by building public washbasins for people and donating vitamins to at-risk communities.
International health authorities say social distancing and self-isolation are both key ways to minimise the spread of the coronavirus, while frequently washing or sanitising hands is an excellent precautionary measure.
Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach General Manager, Bagus Ngurah, has worked with industry colleagues to distribute 52 public washbasins for high-traffic areas like walkways and locations near temples and mosques. These basins come complete with a water tank, soap, and tissues to dry hands.
As he sets up more basins, the initiative gathers more momentum in the form of greater public awareness and donations.
The basins drain into existing infrastructure and locals are encouraged to refill them with soap and water when they run low.
The team at Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach has also worked with hoteliers and academics to donate 10,000 vitamin tablets to the village of Songan at Mount Batur to improve community health during this time. The village was chosen due to low ratio of health care professionals to people.
InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG), one of world's leading hotel companies, has signed a Management Agreement to bring the Crowne Plaza brand to the historic city of Lucknow, in northern India.
The 110-room property, which is expected to open in late 2024, will have an array of food and beverage options with an all-day dining restaurant, a bar and a club lounge as well as large meeting and banqueting space of approx. 19,000 sq. ft., making it an ideal choice for weddings as well as meetings, conferences and exhibitions. It will also have a gymnasium and an outdoor pool to offer guests more opportunities to enjoy their downtime.
The hotel will be directly accessible from the Lucknow-Sultanpur road, the newly developing areas next to Shahid Path, as well as the new cricket stadium. It is located approximately 11 kms from the city centre (Hazratganj) and 15 kms from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport and is close to the area being promoted by the government as a prospective IT hub. IHG has 36 hotels in India and 45 in the pipeline.*
Crowne Plaza® Changi Airport Named World's Best Airport Hotel By Skytrax For The Sixth Consecutive Year
Crowne Plaza® Changi Airport has been awarded Skytrax World's Best Airport Hotel for the sixth successive year in the 2020 World Airport Awards announced on 11 May 2020. The winners from 2020 World Airport Awards were a result of Skytrax's global survey conducted from September 2019 to February 2020 with participation from over 100 customer nationalities.
Globally, the Crowne Plaza® brand provides upscale accommodation at over 430 hotels and nearly 60 Crowne Plaza properties are located at top airport locations including Amsterdam's Schiphol and Paris' Charles de Gaulle airports. Specially designed to help business travellers to recharge, Crowne Plaza champions a better way of business travel for modern business productivity.
Located at Singapore Changi Airport with direct access to all airport terminals and Jewel, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport can cater to travellers who will have more reason for a longer stayover, as well as local visitors seeking meeting venues or a relaxing staycation — thanks to the variety of lifestyle offerings available within and around the hotel. In addition to deluxe rooms offering unrivalled views of Jewel, guests can enjoy room packages including tickets to Jewel's Canopy Park attractions such as the Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden and Topiary Walk.
Follow us on Facebook @cpchangi and Instagram @cpchangiairport to find out more on how to participate. The giveaway is open to all Singapore residents. For enquiries or reservations, visit changiairport.crowneplaza.com or call +65-6823-5300 / 1800-787-1221.
