According to the latest forecast by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the same amount was lost in 2020, making it one of the sectors hit hardest by the health crisis. The coronavirus pandemic would likely cost the global tourism sector $2 trillion in lost revenue in 2021, revealed UN’s travel body, calling the sector’s recovery “fragile” and “slow.”

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC supports the World Health Organization (WHO) position in calling for borders to remain open and safe travel to continue. Closing borders will not prevent the spread of new variants. The latest variant is increasingly being detected in countries around the world. The way to keep safe is to focus on the vaccination status of individual travellers rather than placing whole countries onto red lists”.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region – DoNER, distributes loan cheques & sanction letters to registered tour guides and operators in Delhi. During the segment of the event, the representatives from the banks such as Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India & other banks came forward, offering loan schemes on behalf of their banks.

Switzerland Tourism will conduct an exclusive webinar on Monday, 6th December 2021 at 3pm IST, with Swiss Travel System (STS) and Rail Europe. The webinar will highlight STS’s various products and services, as well as provide an update for 2022. It will also showcase the ease in booking of these products and services through Rail Europe’s distribution network. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

The German National Tourist Office in India has launched the Germany Specialist Program, which is designed exclusively for the Indian travel trade. The aim behind the campaign is to educate the agents across India about Destination Germany and its offerings for Indian tourists as a holiday destination. The program, which has four modules, is an interactive design template and a mobile first design to engage the users to take the training and become a Germany Specialist. log in now https://germanyspecialist.com/.

As the tourism industry is bouncing back with all safety protocols Enterprising Travel Agents Association ETAA, south chapter have initiated the knowledge session for its members on 26th November. Many crucial changes in travel agents booking systems, which will initiate digitalization, were announced. Travel Industry Designatory Service is an identity management program designed from IATA, montreal Canada for all NON IATA travel company made available free of cost Globally

Sommet Education, world leaders in hospitality and culinary education entered into a strategic partnership with Indian School of Hospitality. At an event in Delhi, to celebrate the partnership, Benoit Etienne Domenget, CEO, Sommet Education and Dilip Puri, Founder & CEO, Indian School of Hospitality announced their future development plans for India. The partnership aims at offering a global standard of education to a larger number of hospitality and culinary arts aspirants win years to come.

The much-awaited National Tourism Policy will be soon finalised and it will have the norms and provisions to suit the post COVID traveller, revealed Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism. “We are deliberating on how the policy is shaped in keeping with the global standards to be followed in the COVID-era. We have to digitise more to reduce physical touch, make places accessible for all,” she said on the sidelines of the three-day International Tourism Mart held in Nagaland.

IATO recently orgainsed a members meet where Hareet Shukla, Secretary Tourism, Govt. of Gujarat said, Gujarat has a progressive tourism policy. They have come up with various policies on heritage, adventure sports, homestays and are going to launch cinematic tourism policy soon. Through these policies the government of Gujarat aims to promote various sectors of the economy. The details of the upcoming 36th IATO Annual Convention from 16th – 19th December 2021 at Gandhinagar was also discussed. 

Sanjay Razdan, Joint Secretary, IATO reveals that the tourism post pandemic has completely changed. He said “Tourists travelling to India want to visit nature based tourist places, foreign tourists are keen to explore natural parks. The bookings that the travel agents are getting are different from what they used to get. International tourist are giving thrust on less popular and less crowded places at present”.