Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism, has said that since there is a lot of interest and curiosity post-COVID on wellness tourism, “MOT will be expanding our footprint and we are in the process of making many more creative, campaigns and getting a lot more digital presence through social media for creating awareness for these products, which are truly India’s strength.”

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture will be leading the International Day of Yoga (IDY) Celebrations at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad in Hyderabad. The Chief Guest will be Vice President of India, M Vankaiah Naidu. The State Tourism Ministers, Shripad Yesso Naik and Ajay Bhatt, will be leading the celebrations at Churches and Convent of Goa and Wagah Border, Amritsar, respectively.

Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI, has said, “Yoga is India’s gift to the world. Wellness Tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry and yoga occupies a very important place in the pursuit of wellness. The Covid pandemic brought mass tourism to a halt and as travel revives we can see a shift in the attitude of travellers – they are more focused and more discerning. India is uniquely placed as the home of three vital elements of wellness – yoga, Ayurveda and meditation, together they constitute a powerful magnet to attract the sensitive and ecologically aware tourist to our country.”

Airlines have been informed by Bureau of Immigration – Ministry of Home Affairs at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, that all passengers must carry a printed copy of paper/online visa for presentation at immigration clearance. Soft/digital copy of visas are not accepted.

Resorts World Cruises has officially been launched on board the flagship brand Genting Dream. Colin Au, CEO and Executive Director, Resorts World Cruises said, “We are super excited to officially launch Genting Dream under the Resorts World Cruises brand. We are keen to explore Dubai as a market and will be soon exploring more opportunities to take the Asian cruising experience to the global markets.” Michael Goh, President, Resorts World Cruises said, “We are thankful to all the partners and industry friends for their consistent support and confidence in us. We look forward to your continued support to take Resorts World Cruises to new heights and new markets, together!”

From July 1, companies providing incentives such as foreign trips, cars, gold coins or gift items exceeding 220,000 to their dealers and distributors, will need to deduct tax at the rate of 10 per cent. This comes after a new Section was added in the Finance Act. 2022.

Compared to May 2021, India’s bookings have grown by 178 per cent even though the country witnesses high cost of travel, revealed RateGain Travel Technologies in their monthly PULSE survey of May 2022, which show Travel Demand has no impact of global inflation.

Choice Hotels International is closing down its operations of its wholly owned subsidiary, Choice Hotels India, which is now being taken over as master franchise by Suba Group of Hotels, based out of Mumbai. Suba Group of Hotels has properties across the country and also includes brands like Click and 1589.

South Korea has announced that starting 8 June 2022, all international travellers to Korea are not required to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status. COVID-19 testing will still be in effect, making it necessary for travelers to submit a negative COVID-19 test result. Travellers must do a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test before departing to Korea.

The transport department of Delhi issued 4,286 International Driving Permits (IDP) from February till June 7. In fact, in June alone, they issued 439 IDPs to residents of Delhi who had moved abroad to study, work, and other business purposes. Of the international permits issued this year, 1,150 were issued for the United States and 986 were issued for Canada.