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Russia to use Fan-IDs (again) as visas for 2020 UEFA Euro Cup visitors

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Upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, have passed on Monday a bill allowing foreign tourists with Fan-IDs to travel to Russia without entry visas for matches of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

Last week, the bill was passed in the third and final reading by lawmakers from the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, and following today’s approval by the senators, it must be signed into law by the Russian president.

“Within the period, which begins 14 days prior to the first match of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup in Saint Petersburg and ends on the day of the last match [in St. Petersburg], the entrance to Russia for foreign citizens and stateless persons, who come to Russia to watch 2020 UEFA Euro Cup matches, will not require issuance of visas based on identification documents,” according to the explanatory note.

Addressing a government’s session in mid-March, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the country planned “to employ the same mechanism we used in the past regarding the issuance and operational rules of Fan-IDs.”

Russia came up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with an innovation, which was the so-called Fan-ID and was required for all ticketholders. This innovation was successfully tested during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia and earned high marks from the world’s governing football body of FIFA.

The Fan-ID played an important security role during the major football tournament in Russia as it granted admittance to the stadiums and also served as visa for foreign visitors to enter the country.

A Fan-ID holder was allowed to enter the country without having a Russian visa and stay for the duration of the global football tournament. Fan-IDs were obligatory, in addition to purchased tickets, in order to attend matches of the 2018 World Cup tournament in Russia.

2020 UEFA Euro Cup

The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held at stadiums in 12 different cities across Europe, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg was granted the right to host three group stage matches and one of the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

The decision to hold the 2020 Euro Cup, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary that year, in various European countries instead of in one or two hosting countries was made at the UEFA Executive Committee’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 6, 2012.

A total of 24 national football teams will be playing in the final tournament of the 2020 Euro Cup. All 55 UEFA national member teams, including 12 teams from the hosting countries, will have to play in the qualifying matches to vie for the berth in the final 24-team lineup of the quadrennial European football championship.

It is possible that some of the national teams from the hosting countries of the 2020 Euro Cup will not be playing on home soil in case they fail to clear the qualifying stage.

Travel News | eTurboNews

IGLTA Foundation’s new NYC think tank to address key issues in LGBTQ+ Tourism

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The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association Foundation (IGLTAF) inaugural Leadership Think Tank will unite top executives from LGBTQ+ welcoming destinations around the globe at Google during IGLTA’s 36th Annual Global Convention in New York City this April. The invitation-only discussion will focus on responsible tourism through the lens of LGBTQ+ welcoming travel and is presented with support from Miles Partnership and Google.

“IGLTA strives to continuously drive the conversations around LGBTQ+ travel to reflect our ever-evolving industry,” said IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella. “We’re proud that IGLTAF has assembled for this important dialogue such an influential group of industry veterans from destinations and organizations that value our LGBTQ+ travel community.”

The Leadership Think Tank, organized in collaboration with NYC & Company and NYU’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, will include leaders from Destination Canada, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Cape Town Tourism, Destination DC, Italy National Tourist Board, Visit Dallas, Destination Niagara USA, Bermuda Tourism Authority, Discover Puerto Rico, Embratur (Brazil), Visit California, Milano Smart City Association, Greater Boston CVB, Destinations International, Tourism Madrid, Guam Visitors Bureau, U.S. Travel Association, Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, Barcelona Tourism, Visit Salt Lake City, Thailand Tourism, and Greater Miami CVB.

“Accepting a seat at the leadership table during this invitation-only roundtable is important to affirm Bermuda’s position as a welcoming destination to all travelers, including the LGBTQ+ visitors,” said Kevin Dallas, CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. “We applaud the IGLTA Foundation’s role in convening such diverse destinations to discuss critical issues facing the industry.”

A white paper from the session will be provided to the trade press and IGLTA’s global membership that focuses on five topics:
• Addressing issues of destination overcrowding as it impacts LGBTQ + travelers
• Analyzing the differences between LGBTQ+ travel niches and integration of LGBTQ+ travelers into the “mainstream”
• Diversifying LGBTQ+ products and services
• Examining cultural perspectives that impact LGBTQ+ tourism
• Discussing the challenges facing LGBTQ+ business owners in emerging destinations

“It’s a privilege to work with IGLTAF and to be a part of this special event, which is pondering some of the key forward-looking issues facing travel and tourism,” said U.S. Travel Association President/CEO Roger Dow. “This will be a terrific lineup engaging one of the most valuable practices we can undertake as an industry: anticipating and planning for challenges, which will better enable us to sustain our strength as an economic engine and job creator.”

Daniela Wagner, Group Business Development Director, Jacobs Media Group & Director EMEA, Pacific Asia Travel Association, and Fred Mayo, MBA, PhD, CHE, CHT, Founder, Mayo Consulting Services and Clinical Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, NYU, will co-moderate the Leadership Think Tank.

The 36th Annual IGLTA Global Convention would not be possible without the generous support of our convention sponsors: Presenting Level – NYC & Company, Delta Air Lines, Disney Destinations©, Italian National Tourist Board; Official Level – AIG Travel, Inc., Airbnb, Guam Visitors Bureau, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Italian National Tourist Board, Malta Tourism Authority, Visit Philadelphia®; Conference Level – Inprotur Argentina, Visit Britain, VisitDallas, International Experience Canada/Government of Canada, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Miles Partnership, Q.Digital, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit West Hollywood.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Aviation Ministers will be attending Global Investment in Aviation Summit GIAS2019

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The first edition of the Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS 2019) will kick off in Dubai with the participation of the largest ever gathering of aviation ministers and heads of civil aviation authorities from around the world.

Taking place on January 28 & 29, 2019, GIAS 2019 will see the attendance of HE Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Board Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Sheikh Salman Al Sabah, Chairman of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication, Abdul Hakim bin Mohammed Suleiman Al Tamimi, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Hadi Sirica, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Blade Nzimande, South Africa’s Minister of Transport, Volodymyr Omelyan, Minister of Infrastructure in Ukraine, Monica Azuba Ntege, Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport, Captain Sameh El Hefny, President of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, and Ricardo Fenelon Junior, Director General of Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency.and other decision makers will also attend the two-day aviation event.

His highness Engineer Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansori the minister of Economy and head of Board of Directors of UAE- GCAA stated “The summit coincides with the remarkable achievement of increasing the number of passengers through Dubai international airport to reach over one billion, as it was stated by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the state, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai who expressed his delight over holding the event in Dubai to exchange experiences and information between international experts in aviation sector, as well as holding partnerships that would support investment in aviation. The Global Investment Aviation Summit in Dubai highlights UAE’s leading regional role in aviation sector which is a key pillar in enriching the national economy”.

The Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GCAA confirmed that UAE concerns much with aviation field in terms of using the latest developments in modern technologies and specialized studies and the holding of many specialized events and active participation in local and international conferences, hoping to conclude agreements and deals that would increase the investment opportunities in aviation, stressing that the summit contributes to the promotion of the state’s efforts to attract investments in the aviation sector, to lineup with the state’s strategic position.

HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, said: “The participation of aviation ministers and heads of air transport agencies and airline companies, as well as industry leaders and businessmen from all around the world, is a testament of the importance of GIAS. It also emphasizes the prestigious stature occupied by the UAE in the aviation industry, which is a key driver of economic growth in the country.”

He added: “The UAE’s aviation and air transport sector has made unique jumps during the past few years, where the state managed to reach milestones on a par with the leading countries in this sector, whether in terms of the number of flights taking off or landing every day at Emirati airports or the number of passengers.”

Highlighting the importance of the aviation sector, Al Suwaidi said: “The aviation sector has contributed significantly to cementing the UAE’s position as one of the leading countries that provide the highest quality air transport services, by harnessing the latest technologies and smart services in the aviation industry.”

The engagement of aviation ministers along with key industry leaders confirms the importance of GIAS, given the prestigious status occupied by the UAE in the airline industry regionally and globally.

The UAE is also ranked among top countries in the ease of doing business, in addition to its accumulated expertise in increasing the capacity of its international airports that achieved phenomenal growth rates in passenger traffic. All this has coupled with a massive expansion in its infrastructure and the fleets of its national carriers, use of the latest technological equipment and provision of quality of services, among others. 

The UAE is one of the leading countries in the world’s aviation and air transport sector, where aviation is one of the most prominent sectors that contribute to creating a sustainable economy, which ultimately leads to the country’s overall future sustainable development. The country seeks to become first globally in the airline service quality index after it achieved a unique shift in the size of its air transport infrastructure projects over the past few years.

The UAE focuses on the aviation sector, which contributes 15 per cent to the country’s GDP, and is expected to reach 20 per cent over the next few years. The national carriers are continuing their expansion in various foreign markets, thereby reinforcing the UAE’s position in the global air travel industry. Dubai has increased the capacity of its airports, in terms of the number of passengers and flights taking off and landing, in addition to its ongoing expansion plans to reach new destinations across the world.

GIAS 2019 will offer an ideal platform for ministers of aviation, airline companies and professionals in the air transport sector to keep them up-to-date with the latest developments on the airline industry, and allow them to gain insights into investment opportunities available in local, regional and global aviation markets

The event will focus on guiding investments towards six sectors, including aircraft maintenance, manufacturing and supply, aircraft engineering and technology, defense aviation, duty free markets and airline catering industry.

GCAA is the federal authority that manages and regulates the UAE’s airspace and the aviation sector in order to serve the public in a dynamic and thriving aviation environment.

eTurboNews is a proud media partner of this important event.

Source: http://www.gias.ae/