The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) which represents more than 1,600 operators for inbound tourists, has written to PM Modi asking for an intervention for amendment to conditions imposed by National Credit Guarantee Trustee (NCGTC) in implementation of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) which has been extended to travel and hospitality sectors. It provides operators access to easy emergency credit with the govt standing as guarantor.

Writing to all the Chief Secretaries of states and UTs, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, has requested to consider the personnel involved in aviation and related services like airlines, airports, maintenance, cargo, ground handling agencies catering etc, as a priority group since “air transportation is an essential service”.

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has opened a 108-key Vivanta hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Ideally suited for business and MICE, Vivanta Thiruvananthapuram is in partnership with Muralya Group – part of the SFC Group, founded by Kesavan Muraleedharan. The Group has a vision of opening similar hotels across leading cities in India and emerging as a leading hotel brand in India.

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not back requiring vaccination passports for entry or exit, due to uncertainty over whether inoculation prevents transmission of the virus, as well as equity concerns. It now expects to review China’s COVID-19 vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac for possible emergency use listing around the end of April, as more data is required.

The divestment process for national carrier Air India could be delayed by a few months due to the ongoing pandemic and due to processes like physical inspection of assets by potential bidders, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary of the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM), said. Due diligence process is currently on. The government was targeting to complete disinvestment by September this year.

Los Angeles is starting its comeback, safely reopening museums, indoor dining, theme parks and outdoor live events including spectator sports, with appropriate capacity controls and safety protocols. Now, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is inspiring lovers of LA to start their comeback, whenever they are ready, with the launch of an advertising campaign. Los Angeles Tourism has developed new advertising that presents the concept of LA being a movie; specifically, a comeback story. A double entendre, the comeback story is a nod to the challenges the destination has faced over the past year, while acknowledging the overflowing optimism for the future – with the campaign’s creative aiming to inspire visitors to come back to LA. Adam Burke, President & CEO, Los Angeles Tourism, says, “Our focus groups around the world have taught us that visitors view a trip to Los Angeles as a transformative experience. LA’s more than 300 days of healing sunshine, spirit-lifting champion sports teams, inspiring cultural attractions, electric new hotels and restaurants, and endless outdoor experiences are the balm travelers seek.”          

The tourism fraternity in Kerala will observe May 1 as Black Day to pressure the state government to resolve problems faced by the sector. Tourism Samrakshana Samithi, an umbrella body of 20 organisations, will observe the Labour Day state wide by wearing black masks. A social media campaign #SaveTourism too will be launched. An immediate financial package of ₹250 crore to support tourism workers, financial aid as loan worth ₹2,500 crore through the Kerala Bank and restructuring of all loans in the sector are some of the demands.

Surge in ‘Second-City’ Destinations: 69% of respondents are interested in visiting lesser-known destinations and American Express Travel booking data reinforces this trend, showing a rise in reservations for second-city destinations. Amex consultants are seeing requests for smaller cities like Porto instead of Lisbon in Portugal, and Wellington instead of Auckland in New Zealand.

Speaking on the sidelines of Virtual Gulf Travel Show 2021, Manoharan Periasamy, senior director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board said, “Tourism Malaysia has pan-India presence, however, Gujarat remains one of our main markets for tourism. For this, our Mumbai-based office is touching base with international tourism operators in Ahmedabad.” Of the 5 lakh tourists visiting Malaysia every year, before the pandemic, a major chunk was from Gujarat.

Speaking on during a webinar conducted by the MoT recently, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism discussed the important of training programmes for students in the hospitality and service industry and how more and more students should be encouraged to participate in these programme in near future by the tourism industry.