UNESCO has inscribed Ramappa Temple in Warangal, Telangana, as a World Heritage Site. This was announced at the World Heritage Committee’s 44th session taking place online from July 16 to 31. A consensus with 17 countries backing the move ensured the inscription of the site. Ramappa Temple stands on a six-foot-high star-shaped platform, and is named after sculptor Ramappa who built it.

The aviation sector of India continues to fly higher as Airports Authority of India (AAI) witnesses 50 per cent of its pre-COVID era flight movement and passenger footfalls. AAI reveals that amidst this growth, Belagavi Airport has emerged as the third busiest airport in Karnataka, with 2.6 lakh passengers flying with 6.4K flights in the last 10 months.

Budget airline GoFirst, formerly known as GoAir, operated its first ever night flight from Jammu to Delhi. Operated on an Airbus A320neo, the flight took off from Jammu at 20:00 hrs. Going forward, GoFirst will operate four flights on the route, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The budget airline will also operate three flights from Jammu to Srinagar on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Parvez Dewan, Former Tourism Secretary, has said that the pandemic has hurt tourism, hence, we need to retool ourselves. “There must be innovation in everything we do – Hotel staff needs to be retrained, and just like we have First Class in aeroplanes, we should have a Quarantine Class,” he suggested.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has said that the Ministry will participate in World Expo 2020, being organised from Oct 2021 to March 2022 in Dubai. “We will especially be undertaking a major promotion during the tourism fortnight, which will be organised from December 31, 2021 to January 13, 2022 at the Expo. We look forward to participating as an important stakeholder at the India pavilion in Dubai,” he added.

Robert Romawia Royte, Minister of State for Tourism, Sports & Youth Affairs (I/C), Mizoram, has said, “Northeast states are rich in diversity. We can promote eco-tourism and nature-based tourism here,” adding that there needs to be a circuit among the northeastern states so that by collaborating with each other, the Northeast may become a potential emerging region in the tourism sector.

Under the chairmanship of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has formed three advisory groups comprising airlines, airport operators and MRO, cargo carriers, FTOs and ground-handling companies. The groups will meet regularly to deliberate upon issues and resolve challenges that each of these sectors faces.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that based on its latest passenger survey, most air travellers are confident about the safety of air travel and support mask-wearing in the near-term. In fact, 65% air travellers agree that the air on an aircraft is as clean as that in an operating room (OR).

Cabinet Minister for Tourism & Culture, G Kishan Reddy, along with Ministers of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi, recently reviewed the various initiatives undertaken at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, including the virtual museum and the audio-visual App.

Liz Ortiguera, CEO, PATA, will share her insights on the future of travel & tourism in APAC at the PATA Tourism PowerHouse webinar on 29th July, at 12 pm. Prof John Koldowski, School of Tourism, Leshan University, China and a renowned tourism analyst, will also share his views on outbound tourism from India at the webinar. To attend, register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bku5hVW-TRq5f_SiqmD5IQ