Category: India

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has criticised the stimulus package announced by the government, completing ignoring the concerns of the hospitality sector. “I am really shocked that tourism and hospitality was completely ignored despite PM Modi mentioning hospitality as one of the five pillars in his speech. We don’t know what was the criteria of importance. Is space programme more important than tourism? We had made 20 representations to the Department of Tourism and Ministry of tourism but not even one has been considered,” said Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, FHRAI (Federation of Hotel & Restaurant ... Read more

Almost all Indian states are concerned about the immediate future of the travel and tourism industry, which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 epidemic, but hardly any of them have come up with decisive steps. In this context what the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is trying to do, appears positive. The state government should pay 50% salary of at least half of the employees working in the hospitality sector, UP’s director general (DG) of tourism Ravi Kumar has said in a draft proposal. In the proposal prepared for a giving a “bailout package” to the tourism industry, Ravi Kumar ... Read more

All leading industry associations representing the Indian tourism sector have expressed shock over the central government’s position of not addressing any of its concerns in the economic stimulus package, though the sector is in a standstill ravaged by the epidemic. Key industry body, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), said the Indian tourism industry is deeply taken aback by the fact that none of its concerns have been addressed by the government in its economic stimulus package. “Indian tourism industry has gone into a state of disbelief and shock. It was looking forward to a deep ... Read more

Today we are taking you to the land of bisibele bath, coffee, silk and Mysore Pak. It’s also the land of brave Queen Rani Chennamma also known as Kittur Chennamma of the princely state of Kittur who led an armed rebellion against the East India Company. Yes, we are taking a trip to Mysuru. We probably know enough of the Mysore Palace and the Brindavan Gardens, and hence we are not going into it. Today what we are going to bring to you is a joint initiative between the ministry of tourism and another government institution the National Institute of ... Read more

National carrier Air India has said that it will operate flights to 32 countries to bring back stranded Indians. “Reservation for travel from India to select destinations in the USA, UK, Australia and to Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore has commenced from 1700 hrs on May 14 on the website,” a statement from the carrier said. Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that under the second phase as many as 30,000 Indians will be returning to India – which is almost double of the 14,800 Indians – which was the target number in the first phase. “In 1st phase ... Read more

The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, has won this year’s SKYTRAX Award for Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia. In a statement, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has said that the airport was voted by customers as the Best Regional Airport in India & Central Asia for the third time in four years at the 2020 World Airport Awards. “For an 11-year old airport to be named Best Regional Airport in India & Central Asia for the third time is a remarkable achievement for Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. This award reaffirms our commitment to provide a world-class experience for ... Read more

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has said it has initiated a training programme on COVID-19 preparedness in collaboration with food safety regulator FSSAI for hospitality professionals across the country. The programme aims to gear up hotel and restaurant players for a post-lockdown scenario to ensure the safety of their guests and to instil customer confidence, FHRAI said in a statement. It covers training on precautions to be taken and procedures that establishments should ensure implementing including receiving of raw materials, guest service, lobby management, and room maintenance post the lockdown, it added. “The idea behind ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has set up a new fund under the Champion Sector in Services Scheme (CSSS) to encourage MICE operators to bring more conferences and seminars to India. The MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) operators will now be able to avail financial incentives in the form of GST reimbursements. The incentive would be made available for a period of three years. A prior approval from the Ministry will be required to avail these incentives along with a no-objection certificate from the concerned travel trade association. The Ministry has made India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) as the nodal agency ... Read more

Besides being colonized by the Portuguese, Goa has a fascinating historical past, which dates back further to the 3rd century BC. A prominent part of the Mauryan Empire, Goa enjoyed prime importance because of its natural harbours and wide river base. Only in 1987 did Goa get the status of an independent state and the regional language Konkani was recognized as one of India’s official languages. Despite the multi-cultural influences on Goa, the state still boasts of a distinctive culture, which makes the destination an affable one. Fairs and festivals in Goa are really a refreshing experience for the town ... Read more

The ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative of the Ministry of Tourism is to encourage the citizens to travel widely within the country and explore the wonders of India. The aim is to thus enable the development of domestic tourism tourist facilities and infrastructure in tourism spots within the country. As part of this, the Ministry of Tourism, is looking to have a distinct brand identity for this campaign by developing a logo for ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ series based on creative inputs from the citizens of the country through the Dekho Apna Desh logo design Contest. The winner will get a 5-nights ... Read more

Goa will have to reinvent its tourism profile and go back to the pristine 1960s, in a bid to get the industry back on its feet, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters outside Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s official residence in Panaji, Ajgaonkar said that the state would only focus on “wealthy tourists” and stay away from budget tourism in the future. “We have to recreate the Goa of the 1960s to kickstart our tourism again. In 1960s, Goa was beautiful and now in 2020 it is very different with more than 8 million visiting tourists,” the ... Read more

The Union Ministry of Tourism is preparing a set of guidelines for travellers, monuments, guides, hotels and restaurants, tour operators and other stakeholders, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The official document should be ready by the middle of this month and will be supported, endorsed and vetted by the ministry, news agency IANS has reported. It will be in line with the Ministry of Health guidelines and various ideas that are coming from the industry. This was stated by Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Dr Rupinder Brar. She was speaking at a webinar organised by ... Read more

National carrier Air India has opened bookings for those passengers who meet the eligibility criteria and wish to travel from India to London, Singapore and select destinations in the United States on flights that will operate between May 8 to May 14, a statement from the airline said. “We would like to inform all those who wish to travel from India to London, Singapore and select destinations in the USA on Air India flights operating between May 8 and May 14 to click on http://www.airindia.in/r1landingpage.htm for booking. Passengers are requested to read the eligibility criteria carefully as available on the ... Read more

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to waive off electricity charges for a period of six months, in a major relief to the travel and hospitality sector in the state. The move is expected to provide a relief of around Rs 15 crore. The excise and taxation license fee would also be waived off, the government said. A decision to this effect was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Jairam Thakur. A presentation was made in the Cabinet regarding steps taken for economic revival and economic reforms to be initiated by the state government after lockdown. Several ... Read more

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) — the nodal federation of all the national associations representing the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors in India — has estimated a loss of Rs 10 lakh crores to the industry, as a result of the pandemic. The federation presented the revised guidance during a meeting with the Empowered Group-6 (EG-6), an inter-ministerial panel set up by the government and headed by Niti Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant. The earlier estimate was given to the government in March, when it had pegged the loss at Rs 5 lakh crores. The ... Read more