Addressing attendee sat the TAAI-WITT and FICCI-FLO webinar titled ‘Skill HER for Sustainable Tourism’ powered by TravTalk, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), said, “Tourism is one of the routes through which women can be integrated into economic and social life. Entrepreneurship may help women, particularly those who live in rural areas where job opportunities are limited and will help increase self-reliance as well as better their position within families and society.”

Ministry of Tourism is holding a mega tourism promotion event in Srinagar ‘Tapping the Potential of Kashmir: Another Day in Paradise’ from 11th-13th April. A high-level delegation, consisting of over 100 members from MOT, headed by Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, is visiting the Valley for a 4-day visit. On landing in the UT for the event, Singh inaugurated a 60 ft Shikara at Srinagar Airport. The delegation will hold meetings with the J&K administration, senior officers from the tourism department, as well as the travel and hospitality sector.

India has finalised an air bubble agreement with Sri Lanka, making it the sixth such arrangement in SAARC region and the 28th in total, which would allow the operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries. All the eligible passengers will be able to travel between the countries in the near future, according to a tweet from Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

PATA India has announced that its members in good standing, who are interested to participate in the virtual PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart being held from May 26-27, 2021 will enjoy a 33% discount on registration fee for the first delegate, which will be reimbursed to them by PATA India after the event. Members will be required to register directly with PATA with a payment of USD 300.00, which is the registration fee for Chapter Members, under intimation to the India Chapter. Upon completion of the event and the member’s fulfilment of participation in the event, PATA India will reimburse an equivalent of USD 100.00 to them. Please note this offer is available for the first ten participants, on a first come first serve basis, who complete their registration and pay the required fees to PATA. The deadline for registration is Saturday 10thApril, 2021. Use the reference code PIC while completing the registration. Upon completion of registration, please intimate confirmation to Poonam Rajput at manager@pataindia.org. The offer is available for members in good standing which implies that Members must have paid their membership fees for 2020-21.

Deltin Group is all set to launch a large integrated resort in Goa. The complex will have hotels, a theatre, a water park, a shopping arcade and a convention centre. Spread over 125 acres, this property will be situated close to the airport. Also, the group will be investing INR 150 crore to build a new casino vessel, which would replace Deltin Caravela. A statement provided by the company to investors, said, “We hereby inform you that the company has received an in-principle approval from the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board for setting up of an integrated resort consisting of hotels, convention center, multiplex cinema, retail area, electronic casino, waterpark, and other facilities at Pernem, Goa.”

Following the fresh lockdown measures introduced in Maharashtra from April 5, Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Commissioner, BMC – Mumbai, clarified that passengers landing in Mumbai city during curfew hours – whether from out of state or internationally – will be allowed movement within the city. Their boarding pass and/or flight ticket will be enough for this. The night curfew is in place from 8pm to 7am and anyone breaking the rules will be fined Rs 500, said government officials.

IndiGo has joined hands with CarterPorter, to launch ‘6EBagport’, to provide door to door baggage delivery service starting April 1, 2021 in New Delhi and Hyderabad. The service, which starts at a nominal rate of INR 630 for one way, will subsequently be launched in Mumbai and Bengaluru as well. Passengers can book the service from the comfort of their homes. The facility will enable passengers to travel worry-free as CarterPorter will transfer their baggage contactless from one destination to another with added assistance inside the terminal. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo said, “We are continuously striving to enhance our customer service and this collaboration is a step further towards providing a one-stop hassle-free experience. The service will bring relief to customers who may want to travel with additional baggage from home to airport or would like to go for a meeting directly from airport without carrying bags. Our partnership with CarterPorter will ensure that our customers have a seamless experience as their baggage gets transferred door to door while they fly onboard our lean, clean flying machine”.

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai will conduct a webinar ‘Returning to Sevilla’ on 8th April at 3pm IST for travel trade professionals to showcase MICE experiences in Sevilla by representatives from the Congress and Convention Bureau Sevilla. The city of Sevilla that leaves its mark on every visitor. Perhaps its because of the grandeur of its monuments or maybe the scent of jasmine in its squares, or it could be the rhythm of flamenco dancing or the Spanish guitar music in its streets, or the grand celebration of its festivals. Participants stand a chance to win Amazon vouchers on attending all webinars. To register, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Maldivian, the National Carrier of Republic of Maldives, will start direct flights between Maafaru and Mumbai from April 13, 2021. Aishath Jennifer, Deputy Managing Director, Maldivian, shares that Indians can land at Maafaru and reach their respective resorts or guest houses in no time. “It will be very convenient if they come to Maafaru Airport, and we have four atolls with about 10,000 tourist beds in this region. With four islands in this vicinity, there is a lot of opportunity for the tourists. Unlike Male, we are asking the tourists to report to the airport only two hours prior to departure of the flight, so that they can spend more time in their resort or guest houses,” she said.

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), have signed a Vivanta resort in Hampi, Karnataka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 80-room resort is a management contract with Dhruvdesh Ventures. Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development, IHCL said, “IHCL has been a pioneer in developing new destinations and putting them on the global tourist map. With Vivanta Hampi, IHCL will create new circuits with Goa and Bangalore for both domestic and international travellers. We are delighted to partner with Dhruvdesh Ventures.”