U.S. Mission India has announced that in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, they are cancelling all immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments from March 16, 2020, onward. Once Mission India resumes regular consular operations, appointments will be made available and all will be able to reschedule. Please see www.ustraveldocs.com/in and in.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ for further information or refer to the below links. https://in.usembassy.gov/alert-cancelling-of-immigrant-and-nonimmigrant-visa-appointments/ https://in.usembassy.gov/public-access-to-american-spaces-india-closed-until-further-notice/ U.S. Mission India posts, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, are cancelling immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments from March 16, 2020, onward. More here: https://t.co/xDACtcz8lp — U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) March 14, 2020
Read More »OTOAI meets Jt. Secretary, Finance, to revoke TCS implementation
The team of Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), recently met Kamlesh Varshney, Joint secretary, TPL, Ministry of Finance, to apprise him of situations arising currently on tourism industry because of TCS. In a statement by the association, it was mentioned, “We requested that TCS be not implemented and deferred in present situation. He assured that our request will be positively looked into and they would consider our request of rolling back of the law, and if rollback is not possible then deferment will be considered.” Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI; Shravan Bhalla, Gen. Secretary; Guldeep Singh Sahni, Former President and Rajeev Sabharwal, Former Treasurer, met the Joint Secretary to voice their concerns.
Read More »Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resorts, Greater Noida, on COVID-19
Kumud Singh, GM, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resorts, Greater Noida, says, “Heath and well being is our foremost priority, our team members and all who are visiting our property is our main concern, we are vigorously monitoring novel coronavirus and responding based on the best advice of medical professionals and public health authorities. Safety measures have been followed by the team . Cleaning and disinfection have been thoroughly monitored in all the surfaces which are visibly contaminated with body fluids all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as bathrooms, door handles, floor, chairs, telephones, grab-rails in corridors and stairwells has been disinfected using disposable cloths, paper roll and disposable mop heads. All operators have been additional cleaned by using sanitizing sprays and wipes to use on vehicle surfaces during their routes, while hand sanitizer dispensers have to been kept refilled.”
Read More »EU suspends ‘slot use’ rules till June 2020
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (EC) granting the temporary suspension until June 2020 of the 80-20 ‘use it or lose it’ rule for airport slots. The decision reflects the unprecedented situation facing the airline industry. However, granting the suspension only until June is the very minimum the industry needs, and a decision on a full suspension until October will be needed within the next month to allow airlines to plan their schedules. The COVID-19 virus has caused a collapse in global air travel demand. Owing to the requirement to continue to operate an airport slot for at least 80% of the time, airlines have been unable to respond by adjusting their capacity. The suspension of the slot use rules until June will allow airlines to begin putting in place measures to cope with the unprecedented fall in traffic, but it is a shorter period than airlines had requested. Airlines need the suspension to be extended to cover the whole season (to October), as other regulators worldwide have already agreed. The EC will therefore need to review the extension request by April 15. “Airlines are in crisis. The collapse in demand is unprecedented. And airlines are struggling to match capacity to the fast-changing situation. The Commission’s decision to suspend slot use rules until June means that airlines can make these critical decisions immediately—without worrying about the impact on future availability of slots. This is much needed and most welcome. However, given all the uncertainties, it is disappointing that the decision does not cover the full season,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe. The Commission’s decision will benefit airlines, airports and …
Read More »Lords Hotels and Resorts to launch Pemaling Lords Inn in Arunachal Pradesh
Lords Hotels and Resorts has forayed into Arunachal Pradesh with a new property at Dirang. Pemaling Lords Inn will feature 24 well-appointed rooms and a multi cuisine restaurant. The property is located at West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Dirang is a mesmerizing halt on the way to Twang. Commenting on the occasion Pushpendra Bansal – Chief Operating Officer, Lords Hotels and Resorts, commented “Dirang welcomes you with snow-capped mountains, gushing streams and lush greenery”. We see immense potential for leisure tourism and are proud to introduce Lords Inn in this region”. Buban Prasad, promoter – Pemaling Lords Inn Dirang stated “There was a need for branded hotel of this caliber in this location and we found Lords Hotels and Resorts to be the best partner for the project” Rakesh Mathur, Director and Principal Advisor – Lords Hotels and Resorts further added ”Arunachal Pradesh is a growing market and is witnessing an escalating demand for quality accommodation. Lords Hotels and Resorts aims to bridge this gap by offering its True Value hospitality”. Vikas Suri, Sr. Vice President – Lords Hotels and Resorts concluded “We are delighted to expand our presence in North East with first property in Guwahati and now the second one in Dirang. We believe that this hotel will deliver notable experience to our guest.
Read More »SAS puts most of its operations on hold
As a result of the coronavirus and the measures implemented by national authorities, the demand for air travel is virtually non-existent. SAS has therefore decided to put most of its operations on hold, starting on Monday 16 March and until the necessary conditions for commercial aviation return. To help our customers, SAS will, as far as possible, maintain a certain level of operation over the next few days to enable travelers to return from different destinations . We will be at the disposal of the authorities, at their request, to bring stranded citizens home or maintain community-critical infrastructure for as long as possible. This also means that SAS is unfortunately forced to temporarily reduce its workforce by up to 10,000 employees, corresponding to 90% of the workforce . The temporary reductions will affect all parts of SAS and will be implemented in accordance with national legislation in each country . SAS implements these measures in order to return to normal operation as soon as the situation permits.
Read More »Lufthansa Group Airlines extend rebooking options for customers
Lufthansa Group Airlines Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti are expanding their existing, comprehensive rebooking options in the interests of their customers due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of the coronavirus. Customers who have tickets for cancelled and also existing Lufthansa Group Airline flights can keep this ticket without having to commit to a new flight date directly. Existing bookings will be cancelled for the time being, but the ticket and ticket value will remain unchanged and can be rebooked to a new departure date up to and including 31 December 2020. This rule applies to tickets booked up to and including 12 March 2020 and having a confirmed travel date up to and including 30 April 2020. Customers are requested to inform us of their desired rebooking by 1 June 2020. No rebooking fees will be charged. If the original fare is no longer available, the corresponding difference must be paid when the rebooking is made. In addition, customers can also rebook to another destination. With this extended goodwill arrangement, Lufthansa Group Airlines are responding to the wish of many customers to be able to have more flexibility regarding their travel plans given the current exceptional circumstances. Last week, the Lufthansa Group already introduced flexible rebooking options for its customers with regard to existing and future bookings. More information is available at lh.com. In addition, customers can contact the service hotline at any time on +49 (0) 69 86 799 799 to change their reservations.
Read More »MOT launches ‘Champion Sector’ scheme for M!CE tourism from 1st April 2020
Rakesh Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Govt. of India, has revealed that they have launched a champion sector scheme to boost MICE tourism in India. “The Champion Sector scheme reimburses part of the expenditure on hotel stay by the foreigners during events. We will start this scheme from 1st April this year. There are certain conditions but broadly for the first night’s stay, the GST charged on the stay will be reimbursed to the customer. MICE tourism is a very important component of tourism ministry and we are putting a lot of focus on developing this sector. India has great opportunity for growing this sector. We are trying to improve our rank and increase the number of meetings, which are happening in our country. As a Ministry, we will facilitate this bureau in taking this sector forward and growing this sector,” he said.
Read More »Aeroflot makes amendments to flight schedules on European routes
Aeroflot has adjusted its flight schedules to destinations in Europe. From 16 March, Aeroflot will continue to operate flights from Moscow to the following destinations in Europe: Amsterdam, Athens, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Dublin, Geneva, Helsinki, Larnaca, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Paris, Riga, Rome, Sofia, Stockholm, Tivat and Zagreb. Aeroflot has temporarily suspended flights between Moscow and the following cities: Barcelona (21 March to 30 April) Bukhara (16 March to 30 April) Chishinau (19 March to 31 March) Copenhagen (17 March and subsequently from 21 March to 30 April) Frankfurt (19 March to 30 April) Munich (19 March to 30 April) Oslo (18 March to 30 April) Prague (20 March to 30 April) Samarkand (16 March to 30 April) Tallinn (19 March to 30 April) Tashkent (16 March to 30 April) Thessaloniki (16 March to 30 April) Vienna (20 March to 30 April) Vilnius (19 March to 30 March) Warsaw (15 March to 27 March) Zurich (19 March to 30 April) Aeroflot will continue operating the following flights to allow Russian citizens to return to Russia: Prague – SU2012/SU2013 and SU2016/2017 (16 to 19 March) Frankfurt – SU2300/2301 (16, 17, 18 March), SU2304/2305 (16, 17 March) and SU2656/2657 (18 March) Munich – SU2322/2323 (16, 17, 18 March) Barcelona – SU2638/2639 (16, 17, 18, 19, 20 March), SU2512/2513 (16, 17, 19, 20 March) and SU2514/2515 (18 March) Zurich – SU2486/2487 (16-18 March) Copenhagen – SU2658/2659 (16, 18, 19, 20 March) Oslo – SU2174/2175 (16-17 March) Chishinau – SU1844/1845 (16-18 March) Vilnius – SU2108/2109 (16-17 March) Warsaw – SU2002/2003 (16-18 March) Tallinn – SU2106/2107 (17-19 March) Vienna – SU2184/2185 (17, 18, 19 March), SU2352/2353 (17, 19 March) and SU2354/2355 (18, 19 March) Scheduled Rossiya Airlines flights operated under Aeroflot’s SU code from St Petersburg to EU destinations including Larnaca, Prague and Vienna, as well as to …
Read More »Tourism New Zealand to host webinar today at 2:30pm
Tourism New Zealand welcomes Indians with its new campaign creative and announces the expansion of tourism industry partnership for quicker visitor visa application processing. Inspired by the fact that New Zealand is one of the first places to see the sunlight of a new day, Tourism New Zealand, as part of its 100% Pure Welcome – 100% Pure New Zealand, has released a content series with ‘Good Morning World’ messages shared by locals welcoming visitors from their favourite spots across the country. The campaign showcases what makes New Zealand unique as a holiday destination – the warm and friendly people, stunning landscapes and variety of things to do. In order to support this, a trade webinar is being hosted today at 1430hrs to help increase the travel agents’ destination knowledge of New Zealand. Those who are interested in participating can get in touch with Jaspreet Kaur for further information either via email at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call 9650196532.
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