#Google Maps to alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions

Google is adding features on its Maps service to alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions to help them plan their trips better, the Alphabet Inc unit said on Monday.

The update would allow users to check how crowded a train station might be at a particular time, or if buses on a certain route are running on a limited schedule, Google said.

The transit alerts would be rolled out in Argentina, France, India, Netherlands, the United States and United Kingdom among other countries, the company said in a blog post.

The new features would also include details on COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions on crossing national borders, starting with Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In recent months, the company has analyzed location data from billions of Google users' phones in 131 countries to examine mobility under lockdowns and help health authorities assess if people were abiding with social-distancing and other orders issued to rein in the virus.

Google has invested billions of dollars from its search ads business to digitally map the world, drawing 1 billion users on average every month to its free navigation app.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Thailand - Guideline on charges of tourist guide service approved

The board of Tourism Business and Guides has approved the guideline on minimum guide service charges for three types of tourists - outbound tourists, inbound tourists and domestic tourists, said Thaweesak Wanitcharoen, director general of Department of Tourism. 

 

Thaweesak said the rates were in line with the policy of Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, to prevent tourists from being exploited in spending and service charges by tour businesses and guides.

“After the approval, the sub-committee will consider ways to improve the Tourism Business and Guide Act, B.E. 2551 (2008) in order to enforce it as a law ,” he said.

The approved minimum guide service charges for outbound tourists range from Bt1,600 to 9,000 per person (three days and two nights), exlcuding airline ticket price.

For inbound tourists, the charges are: a minimum of Bt800 per person per night (Asean), Bt1,000 (Asia), Bt1,500 for others. 

Domestic tourists will pay a service rate of Bt300 each for non-overnight stay, Bt600 per night for overnight stay. The charges include accommodation and transportation fees.

Source - TheNation