In an unprecedented airline-citizen partnership, the travel trade and the hotel industry in Jaisalmer came together and helped reinstate SpiceJet flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad to the Golden City starting 12 February, 2021. Ritika Modi, Regional President, UNIGLOBE Travel South Asia and Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, MD, Suryagarh and Founder of I Love Jaisalmer, played a key role. They reached out to Shilpa Bhatia, CCO, SpiceJet, and proposed that the stakeholders share airline losses on the routes. After the agreement for the same, SpiceJet and the Government have now reinstated the flight.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism revealed that to fund the various schemes implemented by MoT during FY2021-22, the Ministry of Finance has earmarked Rs. 2026.77 cr in the Union Budget 2021-22, which is 61% higher than the revised estimates of 2020-21. He added out of this, Rs 950 cr will be used for tourism infrastructure and Rs 670 cr on promotional activities. The rest of the allocation would be used for funding other schemes like capacity building for service providers, champion service sector scheme etc and to meet the establishment expenditure of the Ministry.

With a special package of Rs 300 crore received from Centre to celebrate its independence from Portuguese rule, Goa government now may have to part with some of it for tourism. Nilesh Shah, President of Travel & Tourism Association of Goa, says “We hope 50 per cent of this fund is allocated to tourism.” There is no clarity on when the funds would be disbursed and if they would come for any specific purpose.

Arunachal Pradesh deputy CM Chowna Mein has asked the department of tourism to simplify the process of obtaining Inner Line and Protected Area Permits for tourists willing to visit the state. He said, “This will increase tourist inflow and make the state more traveller-friendly. A large number of tourists want to visit Arunachal but many are reluctant because of the complexity one has to go through in obtaining these permits.”

Etihad Airways has become the first airline in the world with all its operating pilots and cabin crew vaccinated to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and give its passengers peace of mind. In January 2021, Etihad was awarded Diamond status for ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitisation in the inaugural ‘APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying’ audit. The airline’s vaccination initiative has consolidated Etihad’s position as an industry leader in its response to the pandemic and in keeping its employees and travellers safe. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “We proactively made the vaccine available to all our employees to not only help combat the effects of COVID-19 but to make travellers feel confident and reassured the next time they fly with us. We are the only airline in the world to make COVID-19 testing mandatory for every passenger and crew member before every flight and now, we’re the first airline in the world with 100% vaccinated crew on board. “I chose very early on to be vaccinated to demonstrate my own support of the national vaccination programme and to encourage everyone at Etihad who was eligible for the vaccine, to receive it as soon as possible. I would like to thank the entire Etihad family for everything they have done to help us reach this milestone – I am truly humbled.” This achievement was made possible through Etihad’s ‘Protected Together’ employee vaccination initiative which was formally launched in January this year. Building on the UAE’s Choose to Vaccinate campaign, Protected Together is about helping staff take proactive, personal steps towards protecting themselves against COVID-19.

Interglobe Aviation, that runs IndiGo, has paid SEBI Rs 2.10 cr under the consent mechanism of the regulator in the case of alleged violations of listing norms and lapses of corporate governance. The company however, SEBI said, has not admitted or denied any violation on its part. Indigo came under the scanner after the regulator received a complaint from Rakesh Gangwal, co-promoter of firm in 2019, alleging corporate governance lapses against his partner Rahul Bhatia.

The Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its online bus booking services that went live for the service of the nation on January 29, 2021. IRCTC is gradually moving towards firmly positioning itself as the first government ‘One Stop Shop Travel Portal’ of the country. IRCTC is already in the business of online rail and flight tickets booking.

The 15th Finance Commission ((FC) has recommended the Central government to provide a grant of Rs 875 crore to Tripura for five state-specific projects related to tourism development. The projects included construction of ropeway at Mata Tripureswari Temple and installation of light and sound show at Neermahal Palace near Tripura.

Sharing updates on the tourism highlights in the Union Budget 2021-22, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, revealed that developing expressways will offer better connectivity to tourist sites and in turn will contribute to the development of the tourism sector. He added that construction of the 3500km highway will start in Tamil Nadu next year, which will include Madurai-Kollam Corridor and Chittoor-Thatchur Corridor. He highlighted that AAI Airports in tier-II and III cities, NHAI toll roads, and railway infrastructure will also strengthen the tourism might of the country. The new aesthetically-designed Vistadome LHB coach on tourist routes will give a better travel experience to passengers. Singh also highlighted various initiatives to maintain health and hygiene in the country mentioned in the Budget, including vaccination drives, Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, and opening of wellness centres in urban as well as rural areas.

In a bold initiative to try and jumpstart MICE in the country, Thomas Cook India conducted a roadshow dedicated to MICE for its corporate clients at the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel on February 8, 2021. Madhavan Menon, Chairman and Managing Director, Thomas Cook India, addressed the gathering and said, “We have reached an inflection point where we are able to move from virtual to physical events now.” The event included a panel discussion with three key corporates, a motivational session by actor Ashish Vidyarthi, and table-top meetings. Various Marriott properties in India were part of this B2B meetings, along with Tourism New Zealand.