Category: India

A month ago, Karnataka’s tourism department was trying to encourage travellers to visit various destinations in the state in order to revive the sector. But with coronavirus cases rising each day in large numbers, the department has decided to go slow. In fact, Tourism Minister C T Ravi has asked travellers coming in from Bengaluru not to flock to districts like Chikkamagaluru and adjoining hilly districts. Tourists have had to encounter locals who were quite agitated by the tourist movement in the district. There have been clashes too. The tourism industry had gained momentum with package tours and eco-tourism activities, ... Read more

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, India’s leading integrated travel services company, has introduced Honeymoon Specials & Romantic Breaks, a range of exclusive experiences for newly-weds or getaways for India’s couples looking to spend quality time post lockdown. India’s lockdown and work-from-home has put couples through increased pressures: a relationship test amidst juggling work with domestic chores. Thomas Cook India’s Romantic Breaks thus offers couples that much-needed time to unwind and rediscover themselves. The packages also serve as a unique opportunity to celebrate an anniversary or special occasions – for couples across age groups, Thomas Cook India stated. Set against spectacular locales, ... Read more

Himachal Pradesh has made it mandatory for tourists to show COVID-19 negative test reports from an ICMR recognised lab. Those coming in without the test reports will be denied entry. The state has decided to open the state for tourists and the tourism department will issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the functioning of the industry today. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that on the basis of the guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs, there will not be any restrictions on movements of people. “Registrations would be mandatory and we would keep a record if someone is tested ... Read more

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, is set to reopen on Monday but visitors will have to adhere strictly to the Covid-19 guidelines. The monument was closed for over three months, as part of the lockdown restrictions. Only 5,000 tourists will be allowed in a day, split into two groups, news agency Reuters has said. Earlier around 80,000 tourists used to visit the monument in Agra on a daily basis. The visitors will have to wear masks and maintain social distancing. “All centrally protected monuments & sites shall be bound by the protocols like sanitization, ... Read more

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, has announced nine new flights connecting various south Indian cities from July 9-14. The move follows the UAE government’s objection to Vande Bharat Mission flights operated by Air India. Air India Express will operate these flights as part of the repatriation mission from Sharjah, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai.  The flights will connect Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Hyderabad. Indian nationals registered with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General of India in Dubai and fulfilling the required entry conditions can book through the Air India Express ... Read more

Showcasing the potential of motoring expeditions in India, a recent Dekho Apna Desh webinar organised by the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted the diverse network of roads and terrain available in various corners of the country. The virtual session was moderated by Tourism Ministry’s additional director general Rupinder Brar and presented by Manish Sarser, senior manager, Mahindra Adventure and Hari Singh, Head of Operations, JK Motorsports and Founder, DriveTech India. Beginning with India’s leadership position in terms of length of road networks, Brar stated that the country has the second largest road network in the world with a total length of ... Read more

Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport has banned flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Nagpur from July 6 to July 19 or until further orders in light of COVID-19 situation. “No flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai & Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further orders whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted,” state-run Kolkata airport wrote on Twitter. It is important to note that the chief secretary of West Bengal, Rajiv Sinha, had written a letter on June 30 to Pradeep Singh Kharola, secretary, civil aviation ministry on ... Read more

Five of Delhi’s tourist destinations opened to the public on Saturday, after being closed for months. Dilli Haat, Nature Bazaar, Garden of Five Senses, Azad Hind Gram and GTB Memorial are the destinations that opened in India’s capital, with precautions in place. The Delhi tourism department in a statement said that for the first 15 days of their opening, entry to these spots will be free in order to encourage high footfall. However, all visitors will have to wear masks and maintain social distancing, and will be screened on entry. Provisions for frequent hand wash will be made available, and ... Read more

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the resumption of domestic tourism, which was suspended due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, will kickstart the coastal state’s economy. There was a lot of pressure from tourism stakeholders to restart the tourism industry and the government acceded to their demands as it is an economic activity, the chief minister said. “At present, Goans require employment and there was immense pressure from tourism stakeholders to restart the sector. After considering all the aspects and putting standard operating procedures in place, we decided to reopen the sector,” Sawant said. Tourism activities resumed in Goa on Thursday, with ... Read more

India’s aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday announced that international air travel to and from India will remain suspended till July 31. The circular released by DGCA stated, “In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 2359 hrs IST of 31st July 2020. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.’ Just last week DGCA had announced that international air travel will remain suspended till July 15. The decision ... Read more

Telangana forest minister Indrakaran Reddy on Friday said that the state government was developing lung spaces in cities and towns by setting up urban forest parks and eco-tourism parks in  available forest land. Speaking after inaugurating the urban forest parks – Anjaneya and Narasimha – at Raigiri near Yadagirigutta, the minister said the ecological balance of a place would depend on the extent of forest area and green cover. Hence, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has taken up afforestation to improve forest coverage area. No other state has taken up sapling planting in such a big way in the country, ... Read more

To allow tourist passenger vehicles move seamlessly across the country, a new scheme is being formulated by the Indian government under which any tourist vehicle operator may apply online for an all-India authorisation permit. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification for an amendment to the National Permit regime under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 for promoting tourism across the country. “The Ministry is in the pursuit of providing seamless movement to the tourist passenger vehicles after the success of goods carriage vehicles under the National Permit Regime,” the Ministry said in a statement. This ... Read more

All monuments that were closed amid the Covid-19 pandemic can be opened from July 4, the India government has said. “It has been decided that all the monuments can be opened with full security,” Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said in a tweet on Thursday. Under ‘unlock-2’ which got underway on July 1, the government is trying to open up more activities outside containment zones. But the surge in the Covid-19 pandemic in many parts of the country has meant that people have largely kept away from destinations including monument sites. The Taj Mahal, for example, has been closed ... Read more

The Himachal Pradesh government is considering reopening the tourism industry within a week, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday. He was interacting with media persons on the side-lines of a review meeting of various developmental projects being undertaken in Mandi district. Thakur said that there was a demand to open the tourism industry in the state but the government was not in a hurry as the Covid-19 cases were rapidly increasing. “However, I have asked the tourism department to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for tourist activities. Maybe within a week, the tourism activities will be resumed,” he ... Read more

India is in talks with the US, Canada and some countries in Europe and West Asia on establishing  bilateral international flight bubbles, said Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI), on Thursday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) had on June 23 said India is considering establishing “individual bilateral bubbles” with the US, the UK, Germany and France. Singh said, “Talks are mainly going on between India and the US, India and Canada, India and Europe and India and the Gulf countries to start flights,” he said at a webinar called “Reposing the faith in flying” organised by the ... Read more