The railway ministry has offered nine routes to private players in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone that covers most parts of north Bengal and the entire North East region. It is estimated that the total project would bring in investments of Rs 30,000 crore. Among the routes selected are Guwahati’s link to Delhi and cities like Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru and Bhopal.

PATA India Chapter will conduct its next webinar on 15th July, 2020. Titled, ‘Tourism PowerHouse in an Evolving Landscape’, the webinar will have key international speakers such as Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA and Oliver Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys. They will share global trends and analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector and the way forward.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) that the government is working on re-opening protocols. He said that they would re-open in a phased manner to avoid any backlash. Thackeray also informed that the government is working on certain concessions such as in excise fees to help revive the industry.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism & Culture, has said that his ministry has encouraged state governments and Union Territory administrations to consider providing relief measures to the sector. These measures include waiver of penalty or interest to be levied on payment of dues owed to the state bodies, relief from excise fees, electricity duty, and reduction of property tax.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a review meeting on the progress of Kashi Vishwanath Dham Project in Varanasi, has directed the Kashi Vishwanath Trust to prepare a route map with appropriate tourist guides to help pilgrims who visit the complex. He also said that all old temples which were unearthed during the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Parisar should be protected and preserved. Help of experts should be taken to maintain their historical and architectural legacy. Carbon dating should be conducted so that these temples and their importance is highlighted to the tourists and pilgrims who visit the temple.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma recently inaugurated ‘isolated cottages’ called Orchid Log Houses in New Shillong Township funded under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.  He said, “The idea is to adapt to the changing situation. It is important that we have cottages that are isolated but have good infrastructure.” However, Meghalaya is currently closed for all tourists.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has requested all diplomatic missions in India to resume visa processing services “in view of lifting of the Covid lockdown”. The move comes at a time when the government is considering a calibrated resumption of international flights from July. The MEA wrote to the diplomatic missions on June 9.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has been working on creating a product that will help protect agents. Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI, says, “Yes, the TAAI team has already worked on the options as to how an insurance cover/deposit/ financial security to protect agents/customers from airline defaults, suspension, bankruptcy, non-depositing of statutory taxes like TDS, etc can be charged on the ticket or submitted by the airlines/IATA or otherwise. An insurance charge/levy on the ticket, if worked on, shall be a win-win for the airlines and agents, whereby agents’ financial security will also not be required and their working capital shall also be enhanced,” he says, adding that this will create a better working environment and a level-playing field.

The Ministry of Tourism will soon relax norms for the approval of tour operators. It recently received requests to allow travel agencies to shift their office premises to their respective homes given the situation. The current norms require tour operators to have a dedicated office space for MoT’s approval. Sharing details during the IATO Members Meet, Meenakshi Sharma, DG Tourism assured that prompt action will be taken to decide the new norms.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau plans to launch a long-awaited multi-million-dollar global tourism promotion campaign. The final terms of references of the five-year campaign are being reviewed by a committee. The aim is to finish the procurement process by December and to kick off the campaign by January 2021.