Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet, has said that flying is currently the safest way to travel and there is no reason to feel that the air inside the cabin can be contaminated. “The air in an aircraft flows from top to bottom, and doesn’t really circulate in the cabin. Once it flows out of the cabin, it goes through HEPA filters which, according to manufacturers, clean 99.99 per cent of all contaminants in the air. Hence, we believe that flying is by far the safest way to travel. In buses, metros and trains, having this kind of pure air is not possible. We are providing a controlled environment with a set of tools and safeguards, making sure that it is the safest mode of travel,” he said while speaking at the GMR webinar recently.

UNWTO’s Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, has said that commitment to international cooperation will be important as we move forward and rebuild confidence and trust. “Restarting our sector must be done in a timely and responsible manner, avoiding all costs coming at the expense of fair and equal treatment of tourists,” he said. The World Committee on Tourism Ethics, an independent body convened by UNWTO, has stressed on the importance of safeguarding the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism as travel restrictions are eased.

Government of Rajasthan has restored the free movement of persons in and out of the state, thereby removing the restriction imposed earlier vide its letter dated June 10, 2020. According to the statement released by the state government, the relaxation comes keeping in view that “daily new COVID-19 positive cases have now stabilised, that the recovery rate in the state has improved to being among the best in the country, and that regulations imposed on the inter-state movement of persons is causing difficulty to the people”. Free movement, however, is subject to the condition that all persons entering and exiting the state shall be screened at the point of entry or exit, respectively. There will no longer be any requirement for any person to obtain a pass or NOC for the purpose of entry or exit into or out of Rajasthan.

Low cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet have started charter flight service for providing safe and private experience to flyers travelling to both domestic and international destinations. Charter services will be conducted in line with prevailing government regulations. SpiceJet claims to fly even a group of less than 6 passengers, up to a group as large as 212 passengers.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism & Culture, has said that while domestic tourism will be a priority in the near future, inbound is also important. He claimed that by 2024, he will fulfil his promise to the Prime Minister, of doubling the number of international arrivals to India. Citing UNWTO Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, he said that India jumped from 65th to 34th rank in 2019. “We wanted to travel to 1st position, but the COVID-19 crisis came in between. However, I can confidently say that in 2024, I will fulfil my promise to the PM to double the number of international arrivals in the country. In fact, I am sure that we will achieve that before time. We are capable of doing it and all the stakeholders are participants in that journey,” asserted Patel.

A NITI Aayog working group under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kant has presented an action plan for improving heritage management of monuments in the country and key action points for separate sections have been outlined. The implementation strategy covers, among others, creation of a National Archaeological Database, and a National GIS Database for monuments and sites to be authenticated and validated with ISRO.

Alitalia will increase number of flights and destinations served in July, operating over 1,000 weekly flights reaching 13 new domestic and international airports that will include Amsterdam, Athens, Boston, Malta, Nice, Tel Aviv, Tirana, Tunis and in Italy, Brindisi, Florence, Lampedusa, Pantelleria and Reggio Calabria. Alitalia will operate 60 per cent more flights compared to June, and double the number of services compared to May.

Jatinder Taneja, Vice Chairman, PATA India Chapter, has revealed that they will start holding their EC meeting, webinars and an Update & Outlook Meeting with Ministry of Tourism (MOT) from this month. “PATA India Chapter has already planned and is starting with the EC meeting. We will also hold webinars and an Update & Outlook Meeting with the Ministry of Tourism from this month,” he shared.

Deep Knowledge Group recently completed a study assessing the Covid-19 condition in 200 countries. Switzerland has been ranked as the safest country in the world, with a total score of 752 points against all 130 parameters under categories of quarantine efficiency, healthcare readiness, risk management among others. Germany emerged as a close second with 749 points. Even though Switzerland was very close to major epicentres of initial COVID-19 spread in Europe, the country has managed to control the virus.  Despite experiencing significant volumes of infection spread and mortality at the early stages of the pandemic, the rates of mortality and new cases now, continue to decline.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has announced that the country will open its borders to the Schengen Zone and the UK on June 21, which were originally due to remain closed until July 1. The Portuguese border, however, will remain shut until July 1. It has also been announced that travellers from non-Schengen countries will not need to self-quarantine July 1 onwards, based on the reciprocal agreement on travel.