Category: India

India is considering establishing “individual bilateral bubbles” with the US, the UK, Germany and France allowing airlines of each country in the pact to operate international passenger flights, the Aviation Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry’s statement has come after the US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it has barred Air India from operating chartered flights between India and the United States from July 22 without its prior approval, in an apparent retaliation for the Indian government not allowing American carriers to operate between the two countries. The Aviation Ministry said, “As we contemplate further opening up in ... Read more

Shillong now has another tourism attraction in arsenal. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has inaugurated a set of Orchid Log Houses overlooking the beautiful hills of Mawdiangdiang. The tourism project is funded under the Swadesh Darshan initiative of the Ministry of Tourism. Mawdiangdiang is located 6 km from Shillong towards the east. The Meghalaya government expects that the canopy walkway and the log houses will be a sought-after tourist attraction even as the state is planning to formulate a novel tourism strategy to attract high-end domestic tourists. In the wake of the COVID-19 situation when foreign travel is still likely to ... Read more

Although Karnataka has cleared its new tourism policy (2020-25), for the district of Chikkamagaluru a separate policy is being formulated, to address the growing concerns of environmentalists and conservationists. The hill district with just a population of 12 lakh receives a tourist footfall of 85 lakhs annually. In the wake of rampant violations — construction of resorts, roads, exploitation of water resources in ecologically fragile areas and spoilage of hills ranges by irresponsible tourists — the need for a separate tourism policy was felt, New Indian Express said in a report. Efforts have begun to frame guidelines so as to make ... Read more

The US government has restricted charter flights from India, accusing it of “unfair and discriminatory practices” by violating a treaty governing aviation between the two countries, Bloomberg has reported. Air India has been making flights to repatriate its citizens during the travel disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, but also has been selling tickets to the public, the US Department of Transportation alleged. At the same time, US airlines have been prohibited from flying to India by aviation regulators there, the department said in its order. The situation “creates a competitive disadvantage for US carriers,” the agency said in a ... Read more

Delhi’s mango lovers are a disappointed lot. The annual mango festival organised by Delhi Tourism will not be organised this year at Dilli Haat, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, a virtual edition of the mango festival will be organised to reminisce the previous years’ festivals. Over the years, Delhi Tourism’s annual mango festival has seen a wide variety of the fruit available for the visitors, drawing tourists from even outside the state. The festival has also been giving unique names to the fruits. Over the years, they have been named after famous actors, sportspersons and politicians, including Vidya Balan, Salman ... Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic is not only causing distress in the health sector but has also brought other activities, including tourism, to a grinding halt leaving many families on the brink of uncertainty, news agency UNI has reported. After the ban on coal mining in April 2014, which was the highest revenue earner for the State’s exchequer, tourism had emerged as an economic saviour, but with the spread of coronavirus, which, subsequently led to the lockdown for nearly three months, stakeholders are now staring at a bleak future. With no tourists at all for nearly three months now, those running tourist ... Read more

The Ayush Department, which is into promoting alternative medicine systems in India, has introduced new schemes through its Ayur Raksha clinics to spread the message of ayurveda. The schemes – Swasthyam, Sukhayushyam, Punarjani, and Amritham – will be promoted through the clinics in government run ayurvedic institutions. Swasthyam is focussed on reducing the intake of medicines to focus on daily routine, seasonal routines, good food, and moderate exercise for physical and mental health Sukhayushyam is focussed on the health of the elderly. Medicines should not leave them sapped of energy but be able to boost their immunity. They should also ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government will prepare an action plan for the tourism sector, hit badly by the Covid-19 lockdown. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has instructed officials to prepare an action plan for tourism, via an online meeting over the weekend. Ashwini Lohani, advisor to the Chardham Devasthanam Board and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) were present during the meeting. “There is a need to encourage tourism apart from the peak tourist period, especially in places located on the travel route. Suggestions of pilgrims and locals should also be obtained on ... Read more

Air India has introduced a “shorter working week scheme” under which its permanent employees, except pilots and cabin crew members, can opt to work for three days a week at 60% salary. This measure has been introduced in order to improve the airline’s cash flow position amid the coronavirus pandemic, news agency PTI has said. “The permanent employee who opts for such a scheme can avail this for a period of one year,” according to the airline’s senior officials. The pandemic has impacted the aviation industry significantly, and all airlines in India have taken steps like slashing salaries of employees ... Read more

To showcase the north-east region of India, which is a largely unexplored destination for both domestic and foreign travellers, the Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar “Northeast India for the immersive traveller” offered an attractive virtual tour to four north-eastern states namely Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim. The presenters spoke about the unexplored destinations, tribes, festivals, crafts, culture of the local people to convey the message that north east’s speciality is not only hills but there is a lot more to explore and experience. Some of the wonders and experiences that North East India offers to travellers which ... Read more

Pranayama will help us in building immunity and curing respiratory illnesses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. Addressing the nation on Yoga Day 2020, Modi emphasised the benefits of yoga and how it is helping the world in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “Yoga is helping us in this fight against this pandemic. The pranayama will help us in building immunity and resolving respiratory illnesses,” he said. Highlighting the importance of exercises, PM Modi requested citizens to make yoga a part of their regular life. “All of us are doing yoga at home with the family. International Day of Yoga ... Read more

Tomorrow is International Day of Yoga. The mass performance of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) – one of the most popular Yoga programmes across the world – will remain at the heart of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) like always, but this year it will be observed in a non-congregative manner. Yoga is an invaluable ancient Indian practice with numerous benefits to both physical and mental health. Given the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic including restrictions on the movement of people and a slowdown in economic activity, the benefits offered by Yoga have become especially important for physical ... Read more

To boost domestic tourism in India, safety and hygiene at travel destinations will be important,  tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel has said. Tourists want to ensure that the places where he is staying, eating and travelling are safe and sanitized, he said. All over the world, with the lockdown being enforced and flights being halted, places that mainly rely on tourism for their revenue have been suffering. Moreover, the hesitation of most people regarding the sanitization of the destinations is also a major hurdle. In an interaction with the Indian Express, he said India needs to show a new spirit ... Read more

The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to upgrade facilities at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in order to attract more tourists in the coming years. One gate would be constructed at the junction point of Pilibhit-Basti national highway, the second one would be near Mustafabad forest guest house and the third on the Pilibhit-Mahof forest range road, IANS said in a report. After repairs of tourist huts at Chuka are completed, UP tourism and PTR officials would finalize 3-4 picturesque sites around the place to develop into tourist destinations with state-of-the-art facilities. This venture would ensure compliance of National Tiger ... Read more

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to reopen businesses, including restaurants and hotels, as part of ‘Unlock 1.0’, but the state’s hotel and tourism sector stakeholders are not looking at commencing operations immediately. The industry has decided to keep out of business until at least September, given that the inter-state borders, the principal gateway to Himachal, are still closed for tourists and outsiders. It is also concerned about operational safety. Kullu-Manali, the state’s tourism hotspot, has been hit badly due to the coronavirus crisis. The impact has been so widespread that more than 100,000 people have been rendered jobless in ... Read more