GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board, has revealed that they are expecting 40+ Singapore tourism stakeholders (comprising attractions, DMCs and hotels) to network and re-engage with the travel trade in India at the Singapore Virtual Tradeshow. The virtual event is scheduled on January, 12th, 15th, 19th and 21st for South, North, West and East India respectively. “Themed “Charting Our Pathways to Tourism Recovery”, we will present latest developments in Singapore and share information on some of the product enhancements by the stakeholders with safe management measures in place,” he said.

Speaking at a webinar, Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism & Culture, has said that Niti Aayog is working on infrastructure development for tourism & hospitality, and they are waiting for the Govt think tank’s report to discuss this with the industry. “Niti Aayog is working on it and even the development work in Andaman has been started as a model initiative for the same.   Even the Prime Minister wants us to exploit opportunities with our long coastline. We will be working with other ministries, as well as the private sector, once Niti Aayog comes with its report,” he said.

‘Unlocking Nepal: Understanding Tourism Opportunities’ webinar is all set to take place today at 10:45am. Sharing information aboit Nepal at the virtual event will be Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board, along with Laxman Gautam, Officiating Director, Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department, Nepal. To register, email Jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com, or call +919650196532.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Tourism & Culture, chaired the 5th meeting of  National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board, which saw in attendance representatives from different concerned ministries, insurance companies, medical service providers, Director AIIMS, and many other concerned executives. The aim of the meeting was to consider ideas for plans in this segment.

Senator Travels in New Delhi, completed 34 years of being in business on 11th December, 2020. The company is known for ticketing and tour related services for a long time.

A Travel Safe microsite has been prepared and commissioned that will provide daily updated information, both on entry requirements to Spain, and on the measures adopted by Spanish Autonomous Regions. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and the Director General of TURESPAÑA, Miguel Sanz, presented a new communication strategy with the claim “Travel Safe” which mainly focusses on two objectives: firstly, to inform about the requirements and conditions for safe travel and secondly, to inspire and influence the purchase intention of travellers, encouraging them to take safe trips. Minister Reyes Maroto presented ´Travel Safe´ campaign, the new Turespaña campaign to restore traveler confidence, she said ¨ With this campaign we wish to position Spain’s Tourism Brand as a reference of travel safety. The Minister emphasized that with this campaign, Turespaña also aims to position Spain as a reference for safe travels and at the same time supply an official and updated information service to help restore travelers’ confidence and security. Travel Safe is a 360º communication strategy based on informative content on safety and protection measures, which will be developed through a microsite with information for tourists integrated into the official Spanish tourism website. The microsite will be an informative and interactive one with maps that will be display daily updated information and will cover all aspects of safety, hygiene and entry requirements. This will allow travellers to easily check all the information about local/regional closings, mobility restrictions, capacity of restaurants and other tourist services. Link to the Travel Safe microsite which is now live and running: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/

Satpal Maharaj, Tourism Minister, Uttarakhand, is focusing on developing ancient temples in the state and promote tourism around the same. In this regard, he conducted a meeting with the Uttarakhand Tourism Board (UTDB) to ponder over the plan and look at the possibility of developing a temple circuit for tourists. He also shared that he will be inviting filmmakers to shoot films and projects around Uttarakhand’s famous personalities.

IndiGo is all set to start operating its direct flight to Mumbai from the Gaya airport from December 25. The new connection would boost Jain and Buddhist tourism in the region. Already, IndiGo is operating a daily flight between Delhi and Gaya. The Mumbai-Gaya flight will be operated four days a week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There are reports of starting direct flights to Bengaluru and Kolkata from Gaya by next year. Bookings for the Mumbai flight have already started.

Ravi Gosain, Hony. Treasurer, IATO, has said that the Government should announce a date for reopening of visa applications for India, whether it eventually happens or not. “If they make the announcement, it will be an important step for inbound market, because it would allow people to plan well in advance. If there is a possibility of doing it in March, the should announce it now, of if they think it can open by June-August, they should announce it as soon as possible, so that professionals can work for promotions and plan something,” he advised.

United Airlines has launched its new daily nonstop service between Delhi and Chicago, which will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. With the new route United will operate four daily nonstop flights from India. The airline additionally operates daily year-round services from Mumbai and New Delhi to New York/Newark, and from New Delhi to San Francisco. It is expected that United will introduce a new daily nonstop service between Bengaluru and San Francisco commencing starting 8th May 2021. United will be the first U.S. carrier to provide nonstop service from Bengaluru to the U.S. and will offer more nonstop services from India than any other U.S airline.