Bali welcomes tourists without quarantine as South-East Asian countries continue to scrap travel restrictions

Jessica Gordon is happy she could holiday in Bali last week.

“Bali is like a second home to me,” said the 32-year-old interior designer from Brisbane.

Ms Gordon arrived in the tourist hotspot via Singapore from Australia last Sunday, after she discovered she could visit Indonesia without having to quarantine.

“I’m actually going to visit my grandmother who is unwell in Surabaya, but could only enter through Bali because it is the only airport that offered visa on arrival,” she said.

Ms Gordon last visited Bali in 2019 but before the pandemic, she went to the island almost every year.

She said she was not worried about the current COVID-19 situation in Indonesia.

“I love Bali and want to support the beautiful people here,” she said.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/

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The subtle evolution from bleisure to workations

I was recently on a trip to Aruba, in the Caribbean. I initially wanted to book a week-long leisure trip at some kind of all-inclusive beach resort but figured I might as well extend my stay and bring my computer along for some work, too. So I opted for a fully-furnished condo. Unusual? Not at all, according to many recent studies.

The Rise in Workations

BCD Travel’s research recently found that 85% of workers in the US are looking for a mix of remote and office work in the future. This recent pandemic clearly demonstrated it is possible to work efficiently from home or wherever there is a good wifi connexion and access to business amenities. Zoom, Teams or Meet, anyone?

So how is that any different to bleisure, a trend we have been seeing growing in recent years?

Bleisure usually relates to a business trip to which a leisure component is added. Think of folks attending in conference in New Orleans, Paris or Bangkok, and deciding to add a couple of days to the trip in order to make the most of their trip. Perhaps bringing a spouse along.

Source: eHotelier (www.ehotelier.com)

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6 main ethical concerns of service robots and human interaction

Around the world, a lot of people have lost their jobs during the pandemic. In parallel, automation, AI, and the usage of robots are becoming more and more frequent. Indeed, the health situation has increased firms’ digitalization and automatization processes. In the past, when automation has eliminated jobs, companies created new ones to meet their needs. This, however, is no longer the case. Indeed, as automation lets companies do more with fewer people, successful companies do not need as many workers. As pointed out by Semuels (2020), in 1964 the most valuable company in the U.S. was AT&T with 758,611 employees. The most valuable company today is Apple, which has around 137,000 employees.

Source: eHotelier (www.ehotelier.com)

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Here Are The Top Food Tech And Sustainability Predictions For 2022

If the word of 2021 was unpredictable, the word of 2022 is impermanence.

From rising food prices to continued supply chain woes, decades-high inflation, worker shortages due to Covid and working conditions, and our climate, our food system is in crisis. McKinsey estimates that 73 million jobs will be eliminated due to automation by 2030, including the food production and manufacturing sectors.

To persevere through these converging crises, human rights and planetary health is moving center of plate. From food policy to innovation and investing, the considerations of these trends drove my top predictions for 2022.

 

Source: Forbes (www.forbes.com)

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6 trends shaping food and beverage growth in 2022

As many consumers hope for a fresh start in 2022, the ongoing pandemic will play a major role in shaping food and beverage trends regardless of whether COVID-19 itself finally becomes a thing of the past.

The virus’ effect will be especially noticeable in health and wellness, with functional ingredients such as adaptogens, nootropics and CBD making their way into new product categories.

Plant-based meat, which has seen tremendous growth during the past two years, will continue to evolve, with more progress made on the form and texture of products. And Generation Z is maturing into adulthood and will shape trends with its interest in ethical sourcing, sustainability and local food.

The new year also is expected to provide a boost to private label as inflation, a draw-down in savings and better-quality products attract new consumers to the category or bring back those who chose to stock up on more familiar brand names throughout the pandemic. Meanwhile, CPGs that are not only facing higher expenses but also supply-chain disruptions will continue to see ongoing labor shortages disrupt their operations.

After conversations with industry experts and analysts, here is a breakdown of the six biggest trends that Food Dive predicts will impact the food and beverage industry in 2022.

Source: Food Dive (www.fooddive.com)

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Angka Kesembuhan COVID-19 Terus Meningkat dengan Kasus Aktif yang Konsisten Turun

Hari ini, angka kesembuhan COVID-19 kembali menunjukkan tren kenaikan. Data Kemenkes menunjukkan angka kesembuhan mencapai 46.669, lebih tinggi dari kemarin (4/3) yang di 40.462. Angka kesembuhan hari ini juga lebih tinggi dari kasus konfirmasi yang hari ini berada di posisi 30.156. Sementara itu, kasus aktif juga mengalami penurunan secara konsisten dan hari ini menyentuh 500.418, atau turun sebesar 16.835 kasus aktif dibanding kemarin (4/3) yang tercatat di angka 517.253. Sementara itu, angka keterisian tempat tidur di rumah sakit juga masih bertahan di posisi 31% dari kapasitas nasional, sama seperti kemarin.

“Dari pantuan kondisi penanganan pandemi COVID-19 secara harian maupun mingguan, meskipun beberapa indikator menunjukkan angka yang positif secara konsisten, namun kita masih perlu kerja keras dan kerja sama semua pihak agar pandemi bisa terkendali seperti yang diharapkan,” ujar dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi M.Epid., Juru Bicara Vaksinasi COVID-19 Kemenkes.

Pemerintah terus mengupayakan agar pandemi COVID-19 di Indonesia dapat terkendali. Salah satu indikator yang terus dipantau adalah positivity rate dengan target di bawah 5%. Positivity rate pada Jumat (4/3) lalu berada di posisi 13,58%, turun dari angka 17,43% di Kamis (3/3). Dengan begitu, rata-rata positivity rate mingguan berubah menjadi 15,87%, berkurang dari posisi sebelumnya di angka 16,49%.

“Mempertimbangkan rentannya lansia yang terinfeksi COVID-19 menjadi bergejala berat dan berisiko fatal, maka pemerintah mengimbau agar lansia berkonsultasi ke dokter dan ke rumah sakit untuk menerima perawatan. Langkah ini juga penting untuk membantu menekan angka kematian terutama pada golongan lansia,” ujar dr. Nadia.

Sementara itu untuk masyarakat umum lainnya, apabila terinfeksi COVID-19 dan tanpa gejala (OTG) maupun bergejala ringan, bisa dirawat isolasi mandiri (isoman) di rumah maupun di isolasi terpusat (isoter) yang disediakan pemerintah. Fasilitas pelayanan kesehatan dan tenaga kesehatan baik di puskesmas, isoter, maupun konsultasi jarak jauh menggunakan fasilitas telemedisin bisa dimanfaatkan masyarakat dengan gejala ringan ataupun OTG.

“Pemerintah juga terus memperluas dan mempercepat cakupan vaksinasi primer dua dosis ditambah vaksinasi lanjutan (booster), guna memperkuat pertahanan masyarakat dari infeksi COVID-19, terutama dari gejala berat dan risiko kematian,” tutup dr. Nadia.

Hotline Virus Corona 119 ext 9. Berita ini disiarkan oleh Biro Komunikasi dan Pelayanan Masyarakat, Kementerian Kesehatan RI. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut dapat menghubungi nomor hotline Halo Kemenkes melalui nomor hotline 1500-567, SMS 081281562620, faksimili (021) 5223002, 52921669, dan alamat email [email protected]

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Source: https://sehatnegeriku.kemkes.go.id/baca/rilis-media/20220306/5139468/angka-kesembuhan-covid-19-terus-meningkat-dengan-kasus-aktif-yang-konsisten-turun/

Alhamdulillah, WHO Bawa Kabar Baik Terbaru soal Covid-19 Lagi

Badan Kesehatan Dunia (WHO) kembali memberi update terbaru soal Covid-19 global pekan ini. Dari laporan yang diterbitkan untuk 21 hingga 27 Februari, WHO menyebut kasus corona secara keseluruhan di dunia termasuk kematian, menurun.

“Secara keseluruhan, selama pekan 21 hingga 27 Februari 2022, jumlah kasus dan kematian baru Covid-19 terus menurun masing-masing sebesar 16% dan 10% dibandingkan pekan sebelumnya,” tulis WHO di situs resminya dikutip CNBC Indonesia, Minggu (6/3/2022).

WHO mencatat di enam wilayah kerja, terdapat lebih dari 10 juta kasus baru dan lebih dari 60.000 kematian baru dilaporkan. Per 27 Februari 2022 jumlah kasus Covid-19 total di dunia sejak kasus pertama di Wuhan, China, terjadi adalah 433 juta kasus terkonfirmasi dengan 5,9 juta kematian.

Meski menurun di banyak wilayah, WHO memaparkan kasus mingguan baru meningkat di Pasifik Barat. Bahkan di minggu itu, kasus naik hingga 32% dibanding pekan sebelumnya.

Jumlah kematian juga meningkat di pekan yang sama, untuk wilayah itu dan Mediterania Timur. Sementara Afrika, Asia Tenggara, Eropa, AS dan Amerika menurun masing-masing 59%, 18%, 13% dan 8%.

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Source: https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20220306072952-4-320346/alhamdulillah-who-bawa-kabar-baik-terbaru-soal-covid-19-lagi

Quarantine-Free Plan for Bali Tourists to Launch One Week Early

Indonesia will allow quarantine-free entry for foreigners traveling to Bali starting March 7, bringing forward the plan by a week.

Visitors from 23 countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia, can get a visa on arrival as long as they are fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19 prior to departure, Bali Governor Wayan Koster said in a notice on Friday. They will be tested again upon arrival on the island, with those positive for the virus required to isolate in a hotel or hospital until a follow-up swab on the third day.

They must also have health insurance with Covid-19 coverage.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is gradually easing restrictions, following some other countries in the region in preparing to live with the coronavirus even as infections continue to spread nationwide.

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Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-05/travel-to-bali-without-quarantine-date-now-announced

10 direct channel KPIs every hotelier needs to know

Direct bookings are essential for hotel brands to be successful, yet performance management of this channel is sometimes insufficient. Data analytics can help you better understand your direct channel performance, but the true value comes from being able to compare your brand to the market to identify opportunities for growth.

With hotel benchmarking, hoteliers are able to use valuable competitive insights to make better-informed decisions and take action where it matters most. However, it can sometimes be difficult to know which metrics you should be paying attention to.

At The Hotels Network, we recently released an ebook for hoteliers, 10 Direct Channel KPIs. In this highly practical guide. we introduce a brand-new KPI framework that highlights the top metrics to focus on when evaluating the direct channel success of your hotel, including THN’s very own KPIs.

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Source: https://insights.ehotelier.com/insights/2022/02/23/10-direct-channel-kpis-every-hotelier-needs-to-know/?goal=0_e17a7bf7c4-16a7f155ec-327011669&mc_cid=16a7f155ec&mc_eid=27c4ae9c1b

Pelancong Asing Bebas Karantina Masuk ke Bali Mulai 14 Maret!

Pemerintah akan membebaskan kewajiban karantina bagi pelaku perjalanan luar negeri (PPLN) yang ke Bali mulai 14 Maret 2022.

Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan memaparkan bahwa uji coba bebas karantina dilakukan dengan mempertimbangkan kondisi penyebaran Covid-19 yang terjadi beberapa waktu belakangan ini.

“Uji coba ini sebenarnya bisa dipercepat, jika selama seminggu ke depan angkanya terus membaik,” kata Luhut, Minggu (27/2/2022).

Adapun syarat bagi PPLN yang akan mendapatkan bebas karantina saat di Bali antara lain menunjukkan bukti sudah membayar hotel untuk 4 hari, bukti domisili di Bali bagi WNI, tes PCR, dan vaksinasi lengkap atau booster.

“Setelah itu mereka bebas untuk beraktivitas di Bali dengan protokol kesehatan yang ketat,” imbuh Luhut.

Para pelancong, kata Luhut, akan kembali melakukan tes PCR pada hari ketiga di hotel masing-masing. Kewajiban itu untuk menjaga supaya penyebaran Covid-19 tetap terkendali di Bali.

 

“Pemerintah memilih Bali karena vaksinasi dosis kedua lebih tinggi dibandingkan lainnya, kalau berjalan baik kebijakan ini akan diperluas.

Source: https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20220227/15/1505380/pelancong-asing-bebas-karantina-masuk-ke-bali-mulai-14-maret.