The Covid-19 Wrap is part of WiT’s “Unity In Crisis” series, a round-up of news on the coronavirus and its impact on travel.
Join Tourism Australia for a weekend of inspiring virtual travel
Tourism Australia is inviting event planners and travellers around the world to enjoy a slice of Australia with a curated programme of live virtual travel experiences on the weekend of 16-17 May.
The first-ever live programme from Australia’s national tourism agency, called ‘Live from Aus’, will launch on its Facebook page. It will deliver over 24 hours of inspiration, education and entertainment throughout the two days, with new content debuting each hour from 5am (Singapore time, GMT+8) until 7pm on Saturday and from 4am to 7pm on Sunday.
The programme will be hosted by some of Australia’s iconic personalities who will present a range of interactive experiences – from morning workouts with actor Chris Hemsworth’s team in Byron Bay, croc encounters with Matt Wright aka ‘The Outback Wrangler’, and dance parties with music group The Wiggles. Take a break in Phillip Island and enjoy front row seats at the Penguin Parade, learn the best-kept secrets behind the ultimate Aussie BBQ from chef Hayden Quinn, and watch the sunset at Uluru with music curated by Sounds Australia.
Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said the broadcast and digital activation aims to keep event planners inspired and engaged for when it’s safe to send groups to Australia again, and for travellers to return.
“Even though demand for travel is currently on hold and the timing of the recovery is still uncertain, it’s important that we continue to engage with business event planners around the globe,” she added.
“Our goal is keeping Australia front of mind for event planners by using this enforced period of self-isolation to engage with people in their living rooms, feed their escapism and inspire them to plan for travel again once the restrictions start to lift.”
• Check out the full list of live experiences and special-guest hosts here.
• RSVP on Facebook.
Qatar Airways gives away 100,000 free tickets to healthcare workers
On International Nurses Day, 12 May, Qatar Airways said thank you to frontline medical workers around the world for their heroic work looking after people during the current Covid-19 pandemic with a gift of 100,000 complimentary tickets.
Healthcare professionals – doctors, medical practitioners, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, lab technicians, clinical researcher from every country in the world – are eligible for the free flights. Each country receives a daily allocation of tickets, depending on its population size.
The daily allocation closes at 23:59 on 18 May (Doha time). Those eligible can register at qatarairways.com/ThankYouHeroes to receive a unique promotion code. Those selected can use the code to book up to two complimentary Economy Class return tickets – one for themselves and one for a companion – to anywhere on the airline’s global network.
Tickets must be booked before 26 November, with travel valid until 10 December 2020. The tickets will be fully flexible, with an unlimited number of destination or date changes allowed without any fees. Fare and surcharges will be waived on tickets but airport taxes apply.
As a further gesture of appreciation, healthcare professionals are offered additionally a voucher with 35% discount to redeem at Qatar Duty Free retail outlets at Hamad International Airport in Doha, valid until 31 December 2020.
Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker, said the airline is “incredibly grateful” for the commitment and hard work of healthcare professionals around the world who looked after people in these times of uncertainty and helped saved thousands of lives.
“There are no words or gestures that are enough to repay these brave men and women, but we hope that our small offer of a complimentary return flight on Qatar Airways will allow them to enjoy a well-deserved holiday, visit family and friends or explore a destination they have always dreamed of, as travel restrictions start to ease.”
He added that Qatar Airway’s crew and operation have also “never given up during these past three months, never abandoned hope or their mission to help people get home to their loved ones and we do not intend to do so now.”
Qatar Airways recently announced that it has begun a phased approach to expanding its network in line with passenger demand evolution, and the expected relaxation of entry restrictions around the world. It aims to rebuild its network to an initial 52 destinations by the end of May and 80 in June.
AirAsia implements contactless procedures for travel
Low cost carrier AirAsia will be rolling out several contactless procedures for essential travel, as well as enhanced features on its mobile app to help ensure a smooth and safe travel experience.
The airline said it has set up contactless payment options including Wave payments for AliPay and WeChat Pay at Kuala Lumpur’s budget terminal klia2, which will be expanded to other airports soon. gradually.
For contactless check-in, the airline has installed contactless kiosks at all operating airports across Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. Travellers can print their boarding pass and baggage tag at these kiosks after checking-in online on airasia.com or through the mobile app.
Another contactless travel procedure is the Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS), which will be available at klia2, expanding to other airports in Malaysia where AirAsia operates. The PRS ensures there no boarding pass exchange between guests and AVSEC (aviation security) as guests only need to scan them instead.
AirAsia has also digitised the boarding process by scanning all boarding passes at the boarding gate instead of collecting stubs of physical ones.
The airline revealed its mobile app would be enhanced later this month. It will allow guests to scan their passports via the app itself, facilitating a more streamlined user experience and a seamless and contactless self check-in process. There are also plans to progressively add other features such as travel visa scanning capabilities in the near future.
AirAsia Group chief operations officer Javed Malik said the contactless procedures would provide a more secure, safe, efficient and contactless experience for guests. This is in addition to the existing strict safety measures on-ground such as social distancing markers and wearing personal protective equipment.
“The safety of our guests and Allstars is our utmost priority and these additional enhancements demonstrate our continued commitment to keeping flying safe in the new normal environment for air travel.”
The carrier has implemented several new safety measures for essential travel. Check them out here.
#DiscoverGermanyFromHome campaign gains traction
In March, as tourism in Germany came to a virtual standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) brought together its ongoing marketing activities on all social media channels worldwide in a communication campaign called #DiscoverGermanyFromHome.
The international campaign included virtual experiences of the destinations in all of the 16 federal states. The goal was to create inspiring, empathic and informative content in an engaging and interactive way and to communicate with potential future visitors to Germany via GNTB’s social media channels.
Two months on, GNTB reported the campaign has reached 9.6 million users via its media channels and generated more than a million interactions. There are also 19,000 contributions about the campaign on external channels, which in turn triggered 210,000 interactions.
“The sentiment for the campaign is outstanding, with 94.4% percent positive reactions,” it announced in a statement.
The tourism body has set up a microsite to supplement the digital offerings with virtual experience formats for all the destinations, Spotify playlists, an interactive map, quizzes and recipes. There is also a three-minute film to complement the campaign, which can be seen on the GNTB’s YouTube channel and the microsite. It plans to add an AI chatbot to the microsite.
“The established appeal of our ‘Destination Germany’ brand, combined with high flexibility in creating and implementing the campaign, as well as the multi-layered use of digital possibilities keeps the interest in the product alive – even in times of lockdown,” explained Petra Hedorfer, CEO of GNTB.
“With inspiration and information we maintain active customer dialogue and contacts in the international travel industry. We are creating the basis today for launching successful recovery programmes in the future.”
Recovery measures could start in the second half of the year. Campaigns are rescheduled, and content could be rolled out quickly in accordance with the market.
• Featured image credit: Tourism Australia
