In a bid to tap the potential of Rajasthan’s cultural heitage, the Rajasthan Tourism and UNESCO have joined hands for a project, wherein 10 cultural tourism hubs are being developed in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Barmer districts. These hubs are being developed by adopting the ‘Art of Life’ methodology. The project is adding prosperity to the life of 884 performing artists and 594 handicraft artists and safeguarding the traditional art forms.

Fortune Hotels have announced that they have signed four individual operating agreements for hotels in Candolim (Goa), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Haldwani (Uttarakhand) and Tirupur (Tamil Nadu). Samir MC, Managing Director, Fortune Park Hotels Limited, said: “With these additions, we not only increase our appeal in the domestic market but also offer a very interesting destination mix to our business and leisure customers, thereby opening up new vistas for their travel.”

Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA, has said that it is the importance of resilience that will be the biggest take away from 2020.  “We have always been told in the past to have a financial reserve personally as well as for the business, and till 10 years ago people said that thus one needs to save as reserve for 3 months, which later became 6 months, and then one year. However, in the current situation, one probably needs several years of reserve, to be able to sustain this type of crisis we are facing today. At PATA, we are very fortunate that we built a very strong reserve for the last couple of years, which allows us to sustain this crisis and for the foreseeable future. 2020 highlighted which I already knew and highlighted the importance of saving, to prepare us to be more resilient in the future because sadly this is not the only crisis we will be facing in years to come, but certainly it is the largest I have ever experienced in my life so far,” he added.

In a tweet, Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that passengers travelling under air bubble arrangements with France, Germany & Netherlands can further travel to EU/Schengen area, South American & African countries. Travellers of bubble arrangement between India-Qatar & India-UAE can further travel to South America & Africa. Passengers travelling under Air Bubble arrangement between India & Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda & Tanzania can also travel to any country in Africa. Passengers travelling between India- Ukraine can travel to and from CIS countries, except Russia. Nepalese & Bhutanese passengers along with Indian nationals have been allowed to travel under air bubble arrangements with Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Kenya, Netherlands, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ukraine & UAE.

STB India Roadshow 2021, a 4-day roadshow will see tourism stakeholders from Singapore engage with travel agents and tour operators from India from different regions on different days. GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia- Singapore Tourism Board, calls out to the travel trade saying, “The theme of the roadshow is – Charting our Pathways to Tourism Recovery’. The dates are spread out so that we can engage by region and we can have a deeper and more engaged conversations. It is going to be our way of reconnecting with Indian travel trade early in the year.” On 12th January, 2021, the roadshow will be for South India; on 15th January, 2021 for North India; on 19th January for West India and for East India on 21st January.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism and Culture has virtually inaugurated the Association of Buddhist Tour Operators (ABTO) International Convention. The ABTO Convention is being held at Hotel Oaks, Bodh Gaya.

According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka will re-open for tourists by early 2021 with caution and necessary protocols regularly reviewed by Ministry of Health (MOH). When Sri Lanka does re-open it will be for travellers from around the globe and they must abide by the following visa requirements. Evidence of a negative PCR Covid 19 test 72 hours before arrival, be tested again upon arrival, a third test to be carried out on day 7. All travellers must commit to a minimum stay of 14 days in the country and apply for an online visa. The Sri Lankan government has stated that all countries and nationalities are welcome to visit when they re-open for tourists. There will be no quarantine period if travellers follow all testing entry requirements, however if they are tested positive upon arrival, they will have to immediately report to the relevant authority.

Day 5 at Russian Expo Days (RED) would allow participants to attend live sessions on Samara and Krasnodar regions and presentation by Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains. At 12pm IST, one can watch webinar titled ‘Discover the amazing nature of the Samara region’ allowing the participants to learn about cruises along the Volga river, national parks and a lot of events and festivals. At 2:30pm IST, watch the webinar titled ‘Travelling to the south of Russia’ and learn about mountains, sea, delicious food, world famous Sochi and more wonderful things for tourists in the Krasnodar region. Watch Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains near Sochi at 4:30pm IST, and learn about accommodation and activities for Indian tourists. Watching all sessions live would allow them to win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Register for free at russiadays.travel. Register for free at russiadays.travel.

Ministry of Tourism has appreciated Vasuki K. Sundaram, Chairperson, IATO Maharashtra Chapter, on twitter for her positive feedback on her recent trip to Shirdi, where she mentions that her experience was great in the temple without crowds, social distancing maintained, hotels adhering to compliances, and she pointed out that the wayside amenities on her way back to Mumbai were clean. MOT, in their tweet shared a video of Sundaram saying that it shows the idea of Dekho Apna Desh being executed thoroughly.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, has shared that the content they are creating for international and domestic market will also focus on the growing infrastructure in the country and not just the heritage of the country. “We noticed that we do focus on monuments, cities, palaces, etc., but we are not showing and leveraging on the growing infrastructure in the country. Hence, the content needs to show that when you land in India, you are landing in a country which may be 1000s of years old, but at the same time, it is backed up with infrastructure that is as modern as it can get,” she added.