Tourism Minister PS Patel recently conducted a presentation on the development of tourism across the Ganga Basin, where Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, National Mission for Clean Ganga and senior officers of the ministry were also present. In a tweet, Patel revealed that decisions were taken on the location and components of the project.

TAAI has appealed to Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation and PS Patel, Minister of Tourism, to set up urgent protocols for travellers who are getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “This shall enable vaccinated travellers to resume their activities to pre-COVID times and live towards a better future,” says Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI.

TAFI’s Pune (Maharashtra) chapter recently elected its new team for the term 2021-23. Sunil Uttam has been elected Chairman, Sameer Kulkarni is Honorary Secretary and Pramod Bidkar is Honorary Treasurer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off eight new trains from various destinations to Kevadiya in Gujarat, boosting connectivity to the Statue of Unity town. These trains connect Kevadiya to Varanasi, Dadar, Ahmedabad, H. Nizamuddin, Rewa, Chennai and Pratapnagar.

PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, has shared that 500 domestic buyers will be part of India Tourism Mart (ITM) Virtual, which will be held from February 18-20 this year. Domestic buyers will include tour operators, institutions and corporates. The participation fee for exhibitors is Rs10,000. About 500 foreign tour operators are also expected at the event.

Sharing his expectations on the impending Budget, Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI, says, “We request Nirmala Sitharaman and Prahlad Singh Patel to bring tourism under the Concurrent List of the Constitution along with granting industry status to the hospitality sector. Lack of adequate support is impeding survival and revival efforts.”

The Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) will conduct its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election on January 20, 2021. The event, which will be organised virtually, will allow the association to discuss the proceedings and events of the past year, and also help it plan the agenda for 2021, informs Vinayak Koul, Hony. Secretary, ATOAI.

In order to further strengthen domestic connectivity, IndiGo plans to initiate flights from seven new stations subject to regulatory approvals and slot allocation. Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo, says, “We plan to open Leh and Darbhanga in February, followed by Kurnool and Agra in March, Bareilly and Durgapur in April, and Rajkot in May 2021.”

Kenya is now open to Indian tourists. Passengers are required to undertake a COVID-19 test at least 72 hours prior to their departure and produce the physical copies of the same on arrival. The Yellow fever vaccine continues to be a mandate. Visa applications are to be done online at a charge of $50. At present, there are scheduled direct flights from Mumbai to Nairobi by Kenya Airways three times a week.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism recently conducted a two-day agent familiarisation trip to Jal Mahotsav, India’s biggest water carnival in the state. Around 14 travel agents from the state travelled to Hanuwantiya Island in Madhya Pradesh for this event, which will conclude on January 15. The month-long water fest was inaugurated by Forest Minister Vijay Shah.