UK-BASED travel safety and risk management company beTravelwise has issued a Zika prevention advisory ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics which officially kicks off on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the origin of the Zika virus outbreak.

“Slap on the mosquito repellent and practice safe sex or abstain completely if you want to stay safe this summer,” the company warned in a statement.

Said beTravelwise director Andy Prior: “Mosquito bite prevention and safe or no sex is the best defence against the Zika virus; that’s the advice we are giving to our clients who are travelling to the Olympic Games or other Zika-infected areas.”

The travel safety specialist has come up with six methods to prevent mosquito bites. This includes covering exposed skin with long sleeves, trousers and socks; using insect repellent formulas with at least 30 per cent DEET (diethyltoluamide); spraying the room with repellant before sleep; sleeping in a screened room; and using a mosquito net.

The Zika virus is known to cause microcephaly, a birth defect resulting in developmental problems in babies. It can also lead to the rare neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, according to the World Health Organisation. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy are advised against all non-essential travel to Zika-infected areas.

Larry Lo, CEO, Asia at Westminster Travel

THE Society of IATA Passenger Agents (SIPA) in Hong Kong has made a leadership reshuffle as part of renewed efforts to take a stronger stand against “industry and commercial issues directly affecting the livelihood of its members”.

SIPA last week accepted the resignation of its chairman Gary Leung, from Poloair International (China), who stepped down in order to focus on his other business and trade commitments, according to a statement by the association. Larry Lo from Westminster Travel will succeed Leung.

Jason Shum from Nan Hwa Express Travel Service also resigned from SIPA’s executive committee in order to focus on his current term as the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents.

Going forward, SIPA said its new executive committee, which sees former chairmen Francis Bagaman from American Lloyd Travel Service, Sunil Nanda from GC Nanda & Sons, and Martin Wong from Citizen Thunderbird coming back on board, has agreed on new priorities and that working groups have been established to map out an action plan for the next 60 days.

Issues that SIPA hope to address include “the impact of increased non-commissionable levies, a revised IATA’s New Gen ISS accreditation and settlement system, and new GDS charges and airline content fees, which are merely a veiled attempt for airlines to recover their distribution costs from their travel agency customers,” it stated.

SIPA was formed in 1978 to protect the specific interests of IATA appointed agents in Hong Kong.

Qantas Group’s CEO Alan Joyce and Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan

THE national carrier of Australia and the country’s top tourism body have put their differences aside in pursuit of greater international arrivals, sealing their renewed friendship with a new A$20 million (US$15.2 million) deal signed yesterday.

Qantas and Tourism Australia will embark on a three-year agreement to invest in joint campaigns involving public relations, social media and trade activities with a focus on Asia, Europe, the US and the UK.

It also includes an anonymised data sharing arrangement to better reach customers considering travelling to Australia.

The move comes four years after the two entities had a row over differences centered around Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and his former mentor Geoff Dixon, who was also chairman of Tourism Australia for a time.

“Both Qantas and Tourism Australia want the same thing – a strong tourism industry that makes Australia the first choice for people all over the world. With tourism both to-and-within Australia on the rise, it’s the ideal time for us to join forces once again,” said Joyce in a press statement.

“This new investment builds on the marketing we already do and our partnerships with state and territory governments to put Australia’s best foot forward. Qantas has always been the biggest private sector supporter of Australian tourism and we will continue to focus on growing visitor numbers.”

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan also expressed his optimism for the partnership, which has been a long time coming.

“When you consider the nature of our respective businesses, this is a deal which just makes sense – for Tourism Australia, for Qantas and, most of all, for Australian inbound tourism,” he said.

“The shared resources this agreement brings together are considerable and we’re very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead to grow international inbound traffic and increase regional dispersal.”

Damaged Emirates flight EK521 at Dubai International Airport

THOSE flying with Emirates and were affected by flight cancellations, delays or diversions due to the closing of Dubai International Airport for a few hours yesterday can rebook or cancel their bookings at no charge.

The world’s busiest airport was forced to close momentarily after Emirates flight EK521 arriving from Thiruvananthapuram, India at around 12.45 local time made an emergency crash-landing on the tarmac before bursting into flames.

All 282 passengers and 18 crew aboard were evacuated safely, but a firefighter who was part of the rescue efforts died.

The Boeing 777-300 aircraft was first delivered to Emirates in 2003. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the Middle Eastern airline is currently “fully collaborating with local authorities to determine the cause of the incident”, it said in a statement.

The carrier added that all Emirates passengers holding tickets purchased on or before August 3 can rebook or cancel their bookings for free.

For a few hours, all flights at Dubai’s main airport were either cancelled, delayed or diverted due to the incident. Some flights were rerouted to Dubai’s smaller Al-Maktoum International Airport, which opened back in 2013.

Dubai International Airport gradually resumed operations at approximately 18.30 local time yesterday.

Warorot Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand

CHIANG Mai tour operators have downplayed fears of a Chinese tourist boycott, saying visitor numbers were on track to exceed last year.

Reports of a boycott have circulated in the Thai media, which suggested that Chinese visitors felt belittled after a number of incidents went viral. The president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents in Chiang Mai, Boonta Chailert, was quoted as saying there had been a 30 per cent drop in demand.

However, Natchuda Nanthichanaphat, inbound manager for Chiang Mai at Quality Express, said the numbers up to the beginning of August were 50 per cent stronger than the same time last year.

“The numbers have increased so fast,” she said. “We are trying to find interesting places in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for them.”

Natchuda said there were occasional culture clashes, but these were often blown out of proportion.

“Sometimes they don’t know the culture, sometimes there are problems, but if it’s a tour when there’s a guide, there’s usually no problem.”

The reports have put the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) on the PR offensive, saying all visitors including the Chinese were welcome in Chiang Mai.

TAT’s latest data showed 240,000 Chinese visitors to Chiang Mai in the first quarter, a 40 per cent year-on-year increase.

Chiangmai To Travel owner Peter Rungrod, who has been critical of Chinese visitors for taking part in zero-dollar tours, said he had not noticed a drop in numbers.

The most obvious change was fewer Chinese driving to Chiang Mai after tougher enforcement of the laws governing foreign vehicles.

“If they can drive safely, that’s fine,” he said. “It’s for their safety too, and it’s good for everyone.”