In a major development, Embassies of Spain and Slovakia have agreed to issue ‘Gratis Visa’ to all Indians who were issued a visa earlier this year but could not undertake travel in the last few months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision came following the appeal by OTOAI, which had sent a letter to European Embassies in India, requesting them to issue Gratis Visas to all those travellers who despite having received valid travel visas this year could not undertake the planned visits. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “We are pleased with this development and remain hopeful that in times to come, more European Embassies agree to issuing Gratis Visa. We understand that it will take some time for outbound travel to pick up from India but moves such as these will help in building people’s confidence for international travel while also offering some relief to their pocket. This is the time to show solidarity so that together we can get travel and tourism back on its feet.” This will benefit a lot of Indian travellers who couldn’t travel due to the Covid restrictions. Ivan Lancaric, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to India said, “Applicants, who could not travel on their Schengen visas to Slovakia, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, can apply for this visa fee waiver individually at the time of the submission of their new application. This possibility covers not only tourists, but all the Schengen visa categories. We are keen on promoting travel destinations in Slovakia, my visa section will assist the tourists travelling to Slovakia in this matter once they reapply for a Schengen visa.” “Please be informed that the Embassy of Spain will reissue …

TAAI has voiced its dejection on Air India’s social media post as well as communications to travellers to book on their website and verify airfares with the airlines before booking with agents. The airline has also stated that agents block inventory on GDS. The association has written to MoCA & Air India to withdraw the same.

As the nation equips to commend its 74th Independence Day on the 15th of August 2020, Ministry of Tourism as part of its  ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ webinar series has lined up five webinars to commemorate and honour nation’s most significant day. These webinars will collectively touch upon themes encompassing the freedom movement, places significant to it and pioneers who had a notable participation in helping India secure its independence. The webinar details are as follows: On 8thof August 2020 (Saturday) is the ‘Memoirs of 1857: A Prelude to Independence’ by Ms. Nidhi Bansal, CEO, India City Walks & India With Locals and Dr. Soumi Roy, Head of Operations, IWL & IHW On 10thof August 2020 (Monday) is the ‘Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs and Memories’ by Ms. Nidhi Bansal, CEO, India City Walks & India With Locals, Dr. Soumi Roy, Head of Operations, IWL & IHW and Ms.Somrita Sengupta, City Explorer, India City Walks. On 12thof August 2020 (Wednesday) is the ‘ Lesser known stories of India’s struggle for Independence’ by Mrs. Akila Raman and Ms. Nayantara Nayar from Storytrails On 14thof August 2020 (Friday) is the ‘Jallianwala Bagh: A turning point in the Freedom struggle’  by Ms. Kishwar Desai, Chairperson, The Partition Museum, Amritsar. On 15thof August 2020 (Saturday) is the ‘Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel- Architect of United India’ by Mr. Sanjay Joshi, Addl. Collector & Chief Manager, Statue of Unity, Government of Gujarat. All sessions will commence from 11:00 AM till 12:00 PM.

Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, has said that the tourism minister will be starting series of next round of discussions to further discuss the preparedness to deal with COVID-199 from 10th August. There will be layers of discussions with a common goal for the ministry and the stakeholders to work together, she said.

In response to news regarding Virgin Atlantic filing for bankruptcy, the airline has denied the news and has shared that this is not a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, but it is filing which supports the solvent recapitalisation of the airline under Chapter 15. The process is proceeding with the support of the majority of airline’s creditors.

7M Tours has launched a global job search portal, Tourism Jobs primarily for companies in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The portal was launched virtually amidst the presence of travel trade leaders from around the world. From India, Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI among others took part and lauded the noble initiative. The portal is live at www.tourismojobs.com.

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has virtually inaugurated the “Thenzawl Golf Resort” Project implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the presence of Tourism Minister of Mizoram, Robert RomawiaRoyte and other officials. The competitive advantage of Thenzawl Golf Course with 30 Eco-log huts is that it will provide quality golfing experience and international facilities at a fair price.

Data from World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) shows that travel and tourism contributed 6.8 per cent to India’s GDP last year, including the direct contribution from hotels, travel agents, airlines, restaurants and others.

Budget carrier SpiceJet will operate its first long-haul flight between Amsterdam and Bengaluru on August 1. The airline was given permission by the DGCA to operate flights to Europe and the US as a scheduled carrier last week. The flight will depart Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at 2:45 pm on August 1 and reach Bengaluru in the early hours of August 2 before heading to Hyderabad.

The Indian Railways has started introducing contactless ticketing system with QR code-enabled tickets, which will be scanned on handheld devices and mobile phones at the stations and on the trains. VK Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board said while 85 per cent train tickets are currently being booked online, a QR code will also be available for those buying tickets from counters.