With Chipi airport in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra set to be operational later this month, Government of Maharashtra plans to develop the region further as an alternative destination to Goa. This will help boost tourism in the coastal district, currently reached by tourists mostly via rail or road.

IATO, in association with TravTalk , will host a webinar titled ‘Website Secrets Revealed’ on January 8, 11:30 am onwards. During the session, Digital Marketing Specialist Gaurav Gurbaxani will educate attendees on the most common mistakes to avoid in developing a website. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91-9650196532.

With a Rs438 crore project underway to upgrade it, Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala, Tripura, is all set to become the third international airport in the Northeast region of India. Government of Tripura aims to connect the state with Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. The upgrade is pegged to be completed by March end this year.

Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director (Events & Marketing), Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, says, “We are already in the process of conducting both virtual and physical roadshows. MP Tourism has also started organising virtual and physical events such as the Jal Mahotsav, and has started planning a virtual Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart to promote our tourism products.”

Singapore is expected to relax restrictions for those travellers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The government is carefully monitoring the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing transmission risk. 

A group of around 30 travel agents from Mumbai decided to have a mini celebration recently at Craft Bar, BKC, while observing all safety protocols. Initiated by Ajay Chhabria, Director of In-Time Travels By Design, the travel fraternity members got a chance to let their hair down after a tough 10 months.

Tourism & Culture Minister PS Patel recently met officials of NGMA Mumbai, ASI, Nehru Science Centre and The Asiatic Society at the Indiatourism Mumbai office, instructing them to base their promotion strategy going forward on the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign of the Government of India that celebrates the diversity and unity of the nation.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has written to the Prime Minister proposing establishment of an international airport in Puri city. He says that the proposed ‘Sri Jagannath International Airport’ will boost the tourism, economy and cultural outreach of the eastern state. The Rath Yatra of Puri is a world-famous event that is celebrated across 192 countries.

An upgraded version of the Indian Railways e-ticketing website www.irctc.co.in and the IRCTC Rail Connect mobile App were virtually launched by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Railways; Commerce & Industry; Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution. The new versions are set to enhance passenger convenience.

With the government having announced the resumption of passenger flights between India and the United Kingdom, Air India has opened bookings for travellers and even added to the frequency. The additional flights between January 6 and 8 will connect both Delhi and Mumbai with London Heathrow.