The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) thanks the BMC and the Government of Maharashtra for the 3-month waiver on property tax for the industry. However, it has requested to grant waiver to all hotels as well as restaurants for a six-month period, during which they were asked to remain shut. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, President, HRAWI, adds, “We have not been paid for the cost of operation borne by us towards quarantining essential workers.”

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in Parliament, said Air India’s only 21 routes, including nine domestic and twelve international, are profitable. Only these routes can cover the total cost of operating flights on 100 routes on which the airline operated between April 2019 and March 2020, he further added. Puri’s response indicated that Air India operates in 56 domestic and 44 international destinations and out of those 101 domestic and 10 international routes, it does not cover variable costs. “Air India continuously monitors market developments and the performance of its flights and conducts studies with the aim of withdrawing, introducing new routes or increasing / decreasing the frequency of existing routes. Air India has withdrawn flights that did not meet fixed / variable costs,” said Puri. He said that services on loss-making routes will be analyzed based on their strategic importance before deciding whether to withdraw or continue those routes.

After the recent Unlock 4 guidelines coming into play and movement starting to normalize, the Uttarakhand tourism sector has started to revive at a slow but steady pace. In order to breathe life into tourism industry during the ongoing COVID-19 scenario, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) has been coming up with several guidelines which are being issued in accordance with the pandemic. Sharing his views on the revival of tourism industry, Secretary, Uttarakhand Tourism, Dilip Jawalkar, says, “UTDB has been coming up with several schemes during the revival period to support various sectors in the tourism industry. To ease the travel of visitors coming to Uttarakhand, we have removed all kinds of movement restrictions for tourists having the mandatory COVID-19 negative test report. Such people are allowed to enter the state and stay in a hotel for any number of days they want. We are also planning to deploy tourist facilitation counters at all important state borders and provide on-the-spot COVID-19 testing facility to visitors not carrying the COVID-19 negative test reports.” He adds, “Simultaneously, it is our collective efforts at UTDB to constantly be in touch with all the stakeholders and to thoughtfully and mutually come up with apt guidelines, in order to support the industries at every step during these difficult times. For instance, recently we held an online meeting with the stakeholders and effective steps during the revival period of adventure tourism were discussed.” Adventure Tourism contributes to a majority part in the state’s overall tourism industry. Uttarakhand is a heavenly destination when it comes to offering various adventure activities to tourists. White Water River Rafting Rishikesh is the name that pops-up when someone talks about …

International Tourist Arrivals drop by 56% in 2020, from that of 2019, which recorded 1.5 Billion arrivals across the world, revealed UNWTO. In Asia-Pacific, this drop was 60%, in Middle East 52%, while in Africa it was 47%. Europe saw a percentage decline of 58% in arrivals, and for US it was 47%.

Strengthening their presence in the North, Cygnett Group of Hotels and Resorts have launched their First Hotel in Punjab— Cozzet Stay Amritsar, with 40 rooms, which is located about 400 meters from the Golden Temple.

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) brought together representatives from Jeju Tourism Organizations, wedding planners, Korea DMCs as well as KTO in an in-depth virtual discussion on possibilities on weddings, honeymoons and celebratory events in South Korea. Sandeep Datta, Marketing Manager, KTO New Delhi office says, “Only island in the world which is among the seven natural wonders of the world. It is a volcanic island.”

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2020, will be held virtually this year. To be held from 23rd-27th November, KTM Virtual 2020 will be an online buyer-seller event. The flagship inbound event of ‘God’s Own Country’ is usually held biennially in Kochi, Kerala.

Speaking at the PATA India Chapter’s webinar ‘Europe-The New Order’, Margreet van Egmond, Director Spain, Travel Marketing Concept (TMC), has said that travel agencies and associations across Spain are asking for one focal point for information on India. “In India, many regions have different protocols when people enter, and hence agencies are asking for one focal point, so that people can go to one destination, which has all the inputs, which is very important,” she revealed.

Participate in the IPL Travel Agent Fantasy League organised by Tripjack, India’s largest B2B travel company, starting tomorrow to win prizes every day! Hasan Patel, Director, Tripjack, says, “There are about 60 matches in the IPL and the Fantasy league will have contests daily. Before every cricket match, travel partners need to log into the app or through tripjack.com and set up a team of the best 11 players. Top winners from every match can win hotel stays, air tickets, gifts, and loyalty points called ‘TJ Coins’.”

Speaking at the TravTalk Digital Conclave, Mehernosh Colombowalla, Director – Beyond Borders Travel Management Company, has said, “A new paradigm of luxury travel that is life-enriching and values-based is emerging. It’s important to stay positive, believe in yourself and channelise your energy in finding opportunities during these difficult times. Don’t wait for others to help you. Help yourself. Inspire your customers during this long hiatus.”