Tag Archives: Travel & Mobility

Nationality + Migration

U.A.E. News | Seychellois Visitors

Seychelles added to list of countries whose residents can travel to the UAE visa-free
  • The Indian Ocean archipelago’s 90,000 residents will now be able to travel to the United Arab Emirates for up to 90 days without a visa, with typical restrictions against working or studying applying.
  • Seychelles is the first African nation to be added to the UAE’s visa-free list, and according to one report is the African nation with the highest mobility as measured by passport-power.
  • The UAE is the most popular travel destination for Seychellois, with more than 9,000 trips to the country made in 2014.

Read the full story at the Seychelles News Agency.

(Image Credit: Wikipedia, via Seychelles News Agency)

Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

U.A.E. News | Visitors & Religious Minorities

Dubai food courts open for non-fasters during Ramadan, easing restrictions for non-Muslims and non-observants
  • While eating in public during the day is criminalized in Dubai during Ramadan, food courts have been given the legal option to cover their entrances and open their services in designated areas to those not fasting.
  • The allowance is particularly welcome by tourists visiting Dubai’s sprawling malls, now able to eat in one of the Mall of the Emirates’s food courts and the Dubai Mall food court.
  • In addition, non-fasting Muslims including children and those abstaining for health purposes are able to access the designated eating areas.

Read the full story from the Khaleej Times at Yahoo! News Maktoob.

(Image Credit: via Yahoo! News Maktoob)

Nationality + Migration

Kenya News | International Visitors

Kenya transitions to electronic visa system, easing visa acquisition for foreign visitors
  • Launched at the beginning of July, the new system aims to improve the efficiency of the visa application process by digitizing the application, payment, and issuance cycle.
  • The e-visa will operate alongside the old visa until September 1, allowing travelers with upcoming trips to enter under previous policies.
  • The transition comes on the heels of the digitization of the passport application process for Kenyans through its new e-citizen system.

Read the full story at the Daily Nation.

Nationality + Migration

Global News | International Visitors

Global “voluntourism” industry sparks concerns among researchers, humanitarian organizations for lack of regulation and sustainability-mindedness
  • One researcher indicates as many as 10 million are spending $2 billion each year to participate in service-oriented travel programs.
  • With no regulatory agency setting quality standards for organizations, there is limited accountability for projects undertaken, which can include quality-sensitive work like construction projects, childcare, and education.
  • Critics warn that the focus on altruism rather than skill can have negative economic impacts on destinations despite good intentions, with short-term, profit-driven solutions displacing long-term strategies for sustainable development.

“There’s this idea that is in-built in voluntourism that we in the West have the knowledge and the skills to make a difference, we have a right to make a difference. … It doesn’t even matter if we’re unskilled, it’s just the good will that matters because we’re somehow bonding anyway.”

Read the full story at the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

(Image Credit: Aly Song/Reuters)

Gender, Nationality + Migration

U.A.E. News | Visitors

UAE hoteliers advise hotel guests to align themselves with local sartorial standards during Ramadan
  • At their hotels’ iftars, the fast-breaking dinners held at sunset, hotel managers have said that they will turn away inappropriately dressed patrons, including those in beachwear and tight-fitting clothing.
  • Managers and security organizations encourage guests to dress modestly, covering shoulders and legs as they move through communal spaces.

“Ramadan is a time of devoutness, modesty and moderation. … Refrain from wearing revealing clothing out of respect to those observing Ramadan. This is particularly important when visiting malls, hotels and restaurants or iftar tents in the evening. As a general rule, clothing that is sheer, too short, low-cut or tightfitting should be avoided, particularly shorts, miniskirts and sleeveless tops.”

Read the full story at The National.

(Image Credit: Delores Johnson/The National)

Nationality + Migration
Ireland mourns the victims of a deadly balcony collapse in California as the public lashes out against negative attention to the visa program in which the students participated
  • A memorial service was held on the campus of the University of California, Davis, for the six Irish students who died in Berkeley, while another seven remain injured.
  • Outrage has mounted as the construction company responsible for the structure was revealed to have settled a lawsuit for improper balcony construction two years ago.
  • There has been significant backlash against a New York Times piece run following the tragedy drawing attention to negative incidents involving Irish students visiting the U.S. under the J-1, a visa for cultural exchange programs.

“The reaction to the tragedy showed the solidarity of Irish people when adverse events occurred. …We’ve always had this in Ireland; people understand adversity, they understand death, they understand people being taken away.”

More on this story at The Guardian.

(Image Credit: Niall Carson/PA, via The Guardian)

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity
African immigrants in China face strict immigration restrictions and an ambivalent public
  • One report puts the number of Africans with residence permits in Guangzhou at 30,000, with an additional undocumented 300,000.
  • The detention of some in the community for overstaying or failing to obtain their visas contributes to a public perception of criminality in the black Chinese population.
  • As China has begun aggressive efforts at building Sino-African relations and investment in the African continent, overt online racism and xenophobia create setbacks in friendly bilateral exchange, though the attitudes are not universal.

“People tend to be much braver online where there’s no fear of identification or retribution. Most people that spout racism online are generally people who’ve had no contact with black people or have been slighted by one and then hate all of them.”

More on this story at Global Voices.

(Image Credit: Apple Daily, via Global Voices)

Nationality + Migration
New South African visa regulations produce ambivalent response in the travel community
  • The new regulations include an unabridged birth certificate for traveling minors and biometric applications.
  • The birth certificate measure hopes to curb child trafficking, but industry officials express worry over growth slowdown and access issues in places like India and China where difficulties emerge with completing biometric applications.
  • In addition, South African aviation officials note economic problems with some of the national carrier’s longhaul routes (including to Beijing and Argentina), potentially constraining South Africans’ own mobility.

“I cannot criticise the reason for wanting an unabridged birth certificate, but in the global village we live in we compete, for instance, with Kenya for wild life safaris…It is, therefore, a complex issue and I wish it did not have a direct impact. I am not an expert on the issue, but from an airline standpoint I think it will have a negative impact.”

More on this story at Fin 24.

(Image Credit: Fin 24)