According to the sector’s hiring data unveiled by job site Indeed, job postings and clicks were down by 14% in August 2021 as compared to August 2020. Further, when compared to a pre-pandemic August 2019, hiring activity has witnessed a sharp 62% decline, while job seekers’ interest also plummeted as clicks for these jobs saw a de-growth of 36%. While hiring activity in the sector spiked between November 2020 and January 2021, it immediately began to fall from February 2021, as international and domestic travel was severely impacted due to the second wave of the pandemic. Though clicks seemed to have witnessed a gradual recovery after July, they still witnessed a 48% decline between February 2021 and August 2021. Job postings also witnessed a continuous decline, registering 30% degrowth between February 2021 and August 2021. A city-wise analysis found that Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru led sectoral hiring, while the maximum number of travel and tourism job aspirants emerged from Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, and Kolkata.

The base camp of Siachen glacier, the world’s highest and coldest battlefield, was opened on Monday for domestic tourists on the occasion of World Tourism Day. The step has been taken to boost tourism in Ladakh and give people a window to appreciate the tough work done by army jawans and engineers in extreme weather and inhospitable terrains. Secretary Tourism, Ladakh, Mehboob Ali Khan, flagged-off a cleanliness drive from the tourist reception centre. The department of tourism, Leh, also organised a cleanliness drive along with various stakeholders of the tourism industry such as All Ladakh Tour Operators Association (ALTOA), All Ladakh Hotels and Guest Houses Association (ALHGHA), Ladakh Mountain Guide Association (LMGA) and others.

Switzerland Tourism will conduct a webinar on Thursday, 30th September, 2021 with Interlaken Tourism. Interlaken is an extremely popular and sought after holiday destination, as well as a hub for adventure activities. The webinar will give attendees an insight into the various tourism offerings available in and around Interlaken for Indian guests across the year. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), announced that the MOT has launched the Responsible Traveller Campaign on the occasion of World Tourism Day. “The campaign will be activated throughout the country, with some part of it already active on social media. It is important that the development through tourism is sustainable, responsible and inclusive. This crisis is an opportunity to rethink about the sector and its contribution to the people and planet,” he said.

Under the banner of AlUla Moments, AlUla’s events calendar published today highlights four festivals including Winter at Tantora which is back by popular demand and celebrates heritage, AlUla Skies, AlUla Arts and AlUla’s Wellness Festival.  The festivals will offer curated experiences of art, culture, music, nature, wellness, equestrian, gastronomy and astronomy. The events will include free and ticketed experiences, with tickets and information available at experiencealula.com. The four distinct festivals will commence on 21 December and run through to 30 March against the backdrop of AlUla’s many timeless wonders. Musical performances will also be back in AlUla with Maraya taking centre stage again as the venue for regional and international acts starting from this October. Winter at Tantora, the very first music and arts festival in the Kingdom returns – now in a six-week format. A stunning Candlelit Symphonic Concert at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra will set the tone for the festival season as the opening event.  Equestrian events will include the eagerly awaited new haute couture horse fashion event, Ikmah Fashion Calvary, the return of the competitive Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Race and the oh-so-chic AlUla Desert Polo. A new Citrus Festival will celebrate AlUla produce and the Harrat Observation Deck with Back to Black restaurant will offer stunning sunrise and sunset views of AlUla from the top of the Harrat Uwayrid. Archaeology and cultural workshops will be introduced at the heritage sites, there will be live immersion shows at AlUla Old Town and in the oasis. Winter at Tantora will run from 21 December to 12 February. From February 2021, the AlUla Arts festival will bring together exhibitions and encounters created by …

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has become the first Indian hospitality association to be awarded both the ISO 9001:2015 as well as the ISO 27001:2013 certifications. Sherry Bhatia, President, HRAWI, says, “This accreditation is assurance that we have robust, clearly-defined procedures in place across all areas including handling of documents and data, strong business continuity processes, back-up plan, risk analysis and mitigation (Risk Management), communications security, office security, incident management, compliance and monitoring. To maintain the validity of the certification, HRAWI will perform regular audits to ensure compliance and identify areas of improvement.”

IndiGo recently conducted a familiarisation tour for top 10 agents of Indore to Gwalior to help the trade promote Gwalior as a new tourist destination. Also part of the group was TK Jose, TAFI Chairman (MP Chapter). They stayed at the Neemrana Heritage hotel.

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a representation to the Home Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs –Amit Shah requesting his urgent intervention in implementing the judgement passed by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for the State of Goa and Union Territories with respect to charging of electricity tariff at industrial rates for hotels in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Radisson Hotel Group is proud to achieve a milestone of 100 operating hotels in India with the opening of Radisson Bhopal. It plans to open 14 new hotels in 2021 and more than 60 hotels in the next five years. “This is indeed a nostalgic point in our journey of over two decades. Since inception in the 1990s, Radisson Hotel Group has charted out a success story and played a significant role in transforming the Indian hospitality industry. I am truly grateful to our guests, owners, employees and the extended hospitality industry for their tremendous support to help us reach this milestone,” said KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia.

Goa’s historic churches which are maintained by the ASI will be developed by the central government, which will also fund events related to the 60th anniversary of the state’s Liberation from Portuguese yoke, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy. Speaking at a helipad inauguration in Old Goa, Reddy said, “We will promote events related to the 60th anniversary of Goa’s Liberation through the Union ministry of Tourism and Culture. Churches maintained by the (ASI) will also be developed under the aegis of the central government. We will spend money on it. The PM has said that Goa should be allotted more money for tourism development,” Reddy said.