The Embassy/ Consulate of Turkey has announced that they will provide long-validity visas (24 months) for applicants during COVID-19. In addition, the Embassy/ Consulate of Turkey will issue a new sticker visa for applicants who already had a sticker or e-visa visa but were not able to use it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new visa will also have a validity of 24 months. Therefore, those who could not use their valid visa due to pandemic should re-apply for their visa free of charge. The application should be submitted in New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad Turkey visa application centres.

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts continues to expand its leisure portfolio with the signing of its second hotel in Mussoorie – Rasa Sarovar Premiere. An upscale hotel nestled in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan range, will offer an array of dining choices, state-of-the- art fitness centre, Bar, Spa centre and a conference hall. All guest rooms will feature private pools and gardens.

Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been given the additional charge of Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). In a Tweet announcing the appointment, Padhee revealed that she is the first woman to have been appointed to the post. Padhee succeeds IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, who has been appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force (BSF).

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State, Tourism & Culture (I/C), has announced that they will be launching NIDHI- National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry on September 27, 2020, i.e. World Tourism Day. MOT is also working on another platform, SAATHI – System for Assessment, Awareness and Training for Hospitality Industry. Both these platforms come in line with the brainstorming sessions that MOT had with industry stakeholders. In his Tweet, Patel said, “NIDHI will be a source of information for the country and the world. MOT had 1600 hotels registered with it; after the discussion with stakeholders, this figure has reached 21,000.”

Ark Travels, a B2B company specialising in cruise representation business, has penetrated further into the non-cruising space with the acquisition of Outbound Konnections, spearheaded by Anjum Lokhandwala, who will continue as its Director. Kishan Biyani, MD, Ark Travels, says, “I felt this was the right time to enter into the non-cruise space. Along with Ark Travels, we can have a bouquet of products besides cruises, Club Med Resorts and Europamundo Vacations to offer to their B2B network without increasing overheads.”

Most travellers in India are ready to book domestic and international trips, but only if airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies collectively implement 10 different safety measures throughout their journey, reveals a new survey by Travelport. Demand for almost every safety measure is highest in India of the five countries surveyed.

FHRAI has requested Minister of Finance and the RBI for an extension of moratorium for an additional 3 months, adding that 90% of the hospitality sector could be declared as NPAs post August 31. In another move, it has requested Ministry of Home Affairs for relaxing of quarantine norms for domestic travellers as well as permission to open bars and banquet halls, among others.

Ministry of Culture has constituted new ASI circles in six states. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Tourism & Culture, announced, “In MP, Jabalpur has a new circle; for Bundelkhand (UP), Jhansi will be a separate circle and for South UP, Meerut; in Gujarat, Rajkot will be the second circle; Hampi and Delhi will be full circles; in Tamil Nadu, Trichy and in West Bengal, Raiganj will be separate circles.”

The ‘COVID-19 and Transforming Tourism’ policy brief from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that economic damage to the global tourism sector is likely to exceed $1 trillion in 2020 alone, with up to 120 million jobs at risk.

After 20 stellar years in the Indian and global travel trade, Hema Manghnani joins forces with Silicon Valley-founded StreetGooser.com, one of the fastest growing technologies developed to redefine the business of mid-size accommodation worldwide. As VP – Business Development, Hema will head global strategy and revenue of cloud-based StreetGooser, developed by technocrat/CEO John Varghese. StreetGooser is an intuitive, revolutionary technology solution that connects mid-size properties to a diversified audience and redefines their distribution strategy.