Sharing his experience and perception of Thailand as a holiday destination, Rajeev Sabharwal, CEO, Gaurav Travels, says, “We have had wonderful experiences on our trips to Thailand over the years, whether it is destination weddings, MICE movements, or holidays with family and friends. The Thai hospitality and its cuisine are the reasons that make Thailand a great destination.”

Speaking about his experience and perception of Thailand, Guldeep Singh Sahni, MD, Weldon Tours & Travels, says, “Serene beaches, fantastic attractions, and delicious food. Thailand has everything one needs for a vacation. The country is very welcoming and safe for visitors. For many, Thailand is a weekend destination. But for me and my family, we think of Thailand when we want to take some time off. We love holidaying here. Come together with Thailand.”  

In a series of tweets, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, announced that MoCA has proposed air bubbles with neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan. “We are now taking these efforts forward and are negotiating with 13 more countries to establish such arrangements. These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. We continue to further strengthen the reach and scope of ‘Vande Bharat Mission’. Air travel arrangements are already in place with USA, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar and Maldives,” he tweeted.

Rajan Sehgal, President, Indian Golf Tourism Association (IGTA) and MC member of TAAI, believes that golf tourism in India will be in great demand after the monsoons are over. “The first thing that opened after Unlock 1.0 were the golf courses. They opened all over the world. Even the ones in Delhi-NCR are full. This is because they offer open spaces, give us a chance to connect with nature, and physical distancing is maintained. I think, golf tourism in India will be in great demand after the monsoons  because Indian golfers, who used to travel to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam for golf, will now travel within India. It will give a big boost as Delhi golfers will travel to Rajasthan, South India, and Central India to play golf. We had a serious session with the advisor to Governor of Kashmir, and we requested him to open tourism at the earliest in the UT, so that we can attract a lot of visitors from across India to Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.

EM Najeeb, President, Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI), met Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Minister of Kerala and thanked him for the Rs 445cr package and support on behalf of the entire tourism industry. “The minister has informed me that another package for the houseboat sector, homestay sector as well as the tourist guides will be announced this week,” he revealed.

According to a LinkedIn report, people working in the travel sector are seven times more likely to look for a job in a different sector right now. Competition for jobs is heating up compared to six months ago, with average applications per job posted on LinkedIn increasing from around 90 in January to 180 in June 2020.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, has said that it has emerged from her discussions with industry stakeholders that the most significant enabler in the times to come is the safety factor and that there is need for harmonisation of quarantine rules across states. “People have to feel safe to travel, which means safety protocols need to be in place, but equally important is to create the perception of safety, for which, the Government, associations, industry and citizens should work together. In order to create ease of travel, we also need to create harmonisation around the rules within different states, owing to local conditions,” she said.

During week #3 of the ‘TogetherThailand’ digital campaign by TAT India, Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Certification (SHA) will be the main theme. This is aimed to make tourism part of the overall national preventive measures for COVID-19 and ensure that tourists have a positive and safe experience.

With the aim to educate the travel trade about the eight big cats, wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, a Kolkata-based tour operator Time Travels is conducting a 35-series live webinar starting from August 10. The hour-long webinars with have 35 experts from nine countries speaking on their area of expertise. Supriya Khaitan, CEO, Time Travels  and Co-Founder of FOMONoMore, says, “We created a big team of experts from all walks of wildlife who wished to address the need for conversations, and this led us to establish FOMONoMore.”

As physical distancing continues to be a norm, South Korea is making health safety its top priority. It is promoting its Hanok – a traditional house accommodation – as a preferred choice of stay for visitors since it ensures a secluded stay with minimal interaction with service staff and other guests. A Hanok also lends an authentic Korean experience with thorough privacy for tourists.