Nandini Chakraborty, Tourism Secretary, West Bengal, has revealed that the current occupancy at around 30 operational properties of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDCL) is 100%. “We have done extensive promotion on social and other media about our properties as well as the state, and the response has been phenomenal,” she commented. Hotels and guest houses at popular tourist destinations Bengal are seeing over 80% occupancy in the last 2-3 months, which is more than the average occupancy of 60-70% which these properties have recorded in the last 2-3 years. Source: TOI

Justa Mukteshwar Retreat and Spa has launched an awesome blend of celebrations, stunning Himalayan views and scrumptious cuisine to usher in the New Year.  Celebrations include complimentary snacks and IMFL during gala dinner and new year brunch at Sabor.

India’s first hot air balloon wildlife safari in a tiger reserve has been launched in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve by Madhya Pradesh forest minister Vijay Shah. The balloon wildlife safari will be restricted to the buffer area and people can watch tigers, leopards, Indian sloth bear and other wild animals from a height,” revealed Shah. “One more adventure has been added for tourists coming to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve with the launch of the hot air balloon wildlife safari. It is the first in any tiger reserve in the country. Now like Africa’s forests, tourists in India will also enjoy hot air balloon wildlife safari,” he added. The plan is to introduce this service in Pench, Kanha and Panna tiger reserves as well. The service will be operated by Jaipur-based Sky Waltz, whose official Jai Thakur said that they are hoping for a good response from tourists.

Baywatch Travels has launched curated sailing experience brand Baywatch Sailzz. Manish Kriplani, MD, Baywatch Travels, announced the new venture, saying, “Baywatch Sailzz is our answer to fresh outdoor experiences, where we offer curated sailing experiences for birthday, dinner, sunrise, sunset cruise and other celebrations. We have our international medallist skipper Chinna Reddy who will assist with the entire experience around Chennai Harbour and the Bay of Bengal.”

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Tourism & Culture, conducted a meeting with officials of MOT on ‘Adopt A Heritage’ scheme. Officials present in the meeting included Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, MOT; Meenakshi Sharma, Director General, MOT; and Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, MOT.

Sunil Kumar, President, UFTAA, has said that the association has initiated a concept of Zero Risk with IATA that can protect the agents and airlines from any future risk to either parties. “The current scenario has reflected our unpreparedness to protect the monies of the stakeholders and the customers, owing to the challenges the agencies had to go through. In an evolving scenario, it is time that such a Zero Risk to either of the stakeholders is envisioned through IATA’s governing resolution and we be better prepared to handle such crisis, if it would ever come up in future,” he says. Towards this, all Global Federations of Associations which are part of IATA’s PAPGJC have come together and a working group is getting created with terms of reference of the committee meeting the expectations of all. “This working group will involve representatives of airlines, agency associations, and IATA. This is anticipated to be finalised by January and thereupon the working group can deliberate to plan a great legacy for the future which does not pose any risk or threat to our customers or agencies. We eagerly look forward to this working group to be able to come up with a favourable solution for the industry and its stake holders,” Kumar adds.

Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has shared the draft guidelines of the Champion Sector Scheme, ‘Incentive To Tour Operators For Enhancing Tourist Arrivals To India’ with the industry for their comments. The scheme is aimed towards extending financial incentives to Foreign Tour Operators (FTOs) of short haul / long haul countries or Inbound Tour Operators approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, on a pilot basis

Russia will be offering e-visa from 1st January 2021 to 52 countries, including India. The information was shared at the Discover Moscow Digital Roadshow. “Indians can file for electronic visa to enter Russia for tourist, business, humanitarian and guest visits. E-visa will be valid for 60 days from the date of receipt, for up to 16 days to travel to all regions of Russia. Tourists will not be required to provide an invitation, hotels reservations or any other documents to confirm the purpose of the trip. They have to pay a counsellor fee of about US$40, and it will be free for children under 6 years. The period of issuing the e-visa will not be longer than 4 calendar days the date of submission. The application can be submitted by a travel agent as well.

IndiGo has recommenced operations from 8 cities in the Northeast—Agartala, Aizawl, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Guwahati, Imphal, Jorhat & Silchar. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer, IndiGo said, “Being the airline with the most connections from the North-eastern states to the entire country, we take immense pleasure in slowly and steadily getting back to the recovery path on the back of strengthening confidence in air travel. We are providing nonstop connectivity to our customers from Northeast to key metro cities, catering to the increasing demand for direct flights owing to the pandemic. We have established more than mandated procedures and guidelines to provide a safe and hassle-free travel experience onboard our lean, clean flying machines. We will continue to strengthen our network and connectivity in the Northeast, in line with the government policies and focus on development in the region.”

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, has said that they are in discussion with Quality Council of India organising the entire travel trade, on the lines of SAATHI & NIDHI hospitality platforms. “In the supply chain there are tour operators, OTAs, taxi operators and bus operators. The idea is not just to bring people into a database, but to make sure to reach out as support to the industry from the Government perspective and also to make the ecosystem safe for the future traveller. It is not only from the COVID perspective, but because a value chain needs to be created for the consumer.