Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has said that he hopes that other states follow Maharashtra in doing away with RTPCR test for fully vaccinated travellers. He revealed that in a meeting with associations and state tourism boards, it was agreed upon that the states will work towards having uniform protocols in the entire country.

G Kishan Reddy, Cabinet Minister, Tourism & Culture, has said that the centre, the state, industry and the private stakeholders need to jointly identify the priority areas, so that the revival of tourism, is focused on a sustainability and responsible travelling. “To achieve true potential of tourism, the fundamental requirement is to ensure coordination at every level of activity. We need to have a proactive approach from every stakeholder, be it centre, state, industry or private players,” he added.

With its majestic temples, unique culture and traditions, and numerous beaches for surfing or relaxing, Bali is every traveller’s dream. So is Away Bali Legian Camakila by Thai hotel group Cross Hotels & Resorts. Nestled between Legian Beach and a bustling shopping and entertainment street, the hotel allows guests to experience the best of both worlds – stunning sunsets right on the beach with views of the Indian Ocean and the colourful Balinese ambiance right outside the front door. The accommodation reflects a refined Balinese décor providing a culturally textured yet modern escape from the outside world. Guests can settle in at their own pace while enjoying two spacious swimming pools, a relaxing spa, or a workout at the fitness centre. A selection of menus with international and Balinese cuisines awaits them, available through the day or night and complemented by an eclectic drinks list. Away Bali Legian Camakila offers 117 rooms and suites including three spacious suites allowing guests the laid back holidaying they deserve. Adjacent to the main pool, Azaa Restaurant & Bar offers delicious Balinese and international cuisine throughout the day. The Beach House creates exotic tastes in an exceptional location offering an infinity pool and bar – the perfect place to take in Balinese sunset views overlooking the Indian Ocean on Legian Beach. Salila Spa is another excellent space of absolute relaxation offering restorative body treatments by qualified spa professionals. Weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries and birthdays – all events will remain most memorable with the splendid and picturesque Legian Beach as a backdrop. The events team at the hotel strives to do its best at creating what guests can only imagine! Time to get away from your …

FHRAI has shared its suggestions on the proposed amendments to Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2020 to Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The suggestions aim to cover the duties and responsibilities of sellers, of e-commerce entities as well as to protect the consumer and hotels and restaurants owners in case of deficiency in services.

During the last five years (FY 2016-17 to FY 2020-21), an amount of Approx. Rs. 17784 crore has been spent by the Government/Airports Authority of India in renovating/building airports, according to information given by General (Retd.) V K Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation. He also said that during the last three years, Government of India (GoI) has accorded ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up of two Greenfield Airports across the country namely Jewar (2018) in Uttar Pradesh and Hollongi (2019) in Arunachal Pradesh.

Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State, Tourism, has said in a tweet that work on weather road to connect Char Dham is going on along with Rishikesh- Karnaprayag rail line. Apart from that, in Uttarakhand, renovation work of Kedarnath is also being carried out under the BJP Government in the state.

Investing in a sound domestic tourism plan with healthy airline promotions and tour operators in sync has its merits, claims ForwardKeys in a presentation at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, South Korea. Giving an example of China, the presentation mentioned that China reached pre-pandemic domestic arrival levels as early as September 2020, even with the pandemic in flagrant, thanks to teaming up its national public holidays with airline deals for couples (two for one offers) and the introduction of tax-free perks for shopping holidays to Hainan.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced passenger demand performance for June 2021, which shows total demand for air travel in June 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 60.1% compared to June 2019. The pandemic resurgence weighed also on passenger recovery in India and Japan – with both markets reporting RPKs only at ~30% of the pre-crisis levels.

G Kishan Reddy, Cabinet Minister, Tourism & Culture, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, shared that around 21.5 million people working in the sector lost their jobs during the nine-month period from April 2020-December 2020. He said that a significant number of jobs were lost in the tourism sector once the lockdown was implemented. “About 14.5 million jobs during Q1, 5.2 million during Q2 and 1.8 million jobs during Q3 were expected to have been lost as compared to estimated 34.8 million jobs in the pre-pandemic period of 2019-20 [direct jobs],” he shared.

PATA’s webinar ‘Asia Pacific Tourism Forecast’, is set to be held today at 12.00 pm. During this webinar, participants will get to meet Liz Ortiguera, the new CEO of PATA, who will share insights on the future of travel & tourism around the world, with a focus on Asia Pacific. Also, Prof John Koldowski, School of Tourism, Leshan University, China, and a renowned tourism analyst will share indepth analysis on the forecast for Asia Pacific Tourism. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bku5hVW-TRq5f_SiqmD5IQ.