In a recent Tweet, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, has said that “domestic aviation operations in the country are slowly reaching towards the pre-COVID numbers.” He adds, “With 2,77,235 passengers on 2,235 flights, 4,469 total movements & 5,51,506 footfalls at airports, we are almost at a touching distance.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling for governments to abandon the concept of ‘high-risk countries’ and instead focus on how individual ‘high-risk travellers’ are treated at borders. It urges governments around the world to redefine their whole approach to risk assessment, to revive international business and leisure travel.

Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), the flagship holding company of Adani Group for its airports business, has acquired 23.5% equity stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) from ACSA Global Limited and Bid Services Division (Mauritius) Limited. This makes AAHL’s total stake in MIAL touch 74%, having earlier acquired the entire 50.5% cent stake of the GVK group in Mumbai Airport.

Beginning February 11, Indian low-cost carrier GoAir will fly direct between Hyderabad and Malé (in Maldives). The flight will be operated four times a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The new route will be serviced by the Airbus A320 neo aircraft, and will further strengthen the airline’s network in the region.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has headed into year 2021 by refreshing its identity, moving from IHG to IHG Hotels & Resorts and giving a makeover to its visual identity as well. It is also now presenting its 16 brands under four collections, namely ‘The Luxury and Lifestyle Collection’, ‘The Premium Collection’, ‘The Essentials Collection’, and ‘The Suites Collection’.

More than 200 people took out a peaceful protest rally in Kochi on February 5 to urge authorities to save the tourism sector that has been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. A call had recently been made by the Indian travel fraternity for the same.

MoCA is in talks with various others ministries – Home Affairs, Health, and External Affairs – for restarting the tourist visa. It has also revealed that AAI will privatise 6-10 more airports April onwards. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA, says that the government will look to club profitable airports with loss-making ones during the sale process.

Just like international marketing campaigns, domestic marketing campaigns of MOT will be specific to every region across the country. Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, says, “What is of interest to a 20-year-old or someone older can be different, hence, even for travelling within India, the basic principles of marketing and promotion will be followed by us.”

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, in a written reply to a query raised in the Rajya Sabha, said that MOT spent more than Rs124 crore in the last three years on media campaigns for tourism promotion in the country. Between 2017 and 2020, campaigns in the print media, television, online, radio, theatres and via SMS were run.

Maharashtra’s tourism department has announced 20 mini festivals across six regions of the state – Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Amravati and Nagpur – in Feb and Mar. An amount of Rs100 lakh has also been earmarked for organising these festivals that will provide tourists an opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage tourism of Maharashtra.