The first day of GPS Kochi set the tone of the show by opening with a session that laid a strong emphasis on the environment and how all stakeholders in the tourism industry can do their bit by being a little mindful and aware. Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS), said, “We had an entire session in the morning that focuses on simple do’s and dont’s for water conservation and importance of rain-water harvesting for a responsible citizen. We also spoke about the dangers of plastic use and how it can be easily avoided. I’m a polymer engineer by education and I understand how toxic plastic can be if not used wisely.” He said the need of the hour is for us not just as tourism stakeholders but also as citizens of this world to go back to the age when we used recyclable things. “We also spoke about how operators can educate their clients on what they can take with them from a hotel and what they cannot. Some times it’s just a matter of informing them and being guided. They do it out of ignorance. So we played a video that addresses this issue as well,” Singh said. The Kochi edition saw high attendance from buyers coming from all over Kerala such as Madurai, Coimbatore, Thissur, Trivandrum, Calicut, Kannur, Trichy, Salem, Tirur,  Erode, and Kozhikode. Dates for EcoCONNECT will be announced during the Kolkata show.

Taking ‘climate change’ as a matter of concern, Travel Designer Group on 27 July 2019 set an example by creating a “GO Green” atmosphere in its Corporate Office in Ahmedabad by bringing in potted plants in its premises. Go Green initiative started with the objective of every family member of Travel Designer Group being cautious over their carbon footprint imposition. Acts of green can be made simple with recycling, reducing and reusing resources in both home and office to imbibe go green habits. Also, the motive was to contribute and continue nurturing the nature which will help all the employees in getting fresh air and energy. The enthusiastic employees of the company wore green colored clothes and participated in the event with full dedication. The plants were placed at the respective spots and the employees promised to take care of it too, and as the tradition goes, pictures were taken with placards having slogans related to the issue. The event came to an end with a “Slogan Writing Competition” that was conducted for the employees. The various departments competed with each other and the best one was given gifts and hampers. Like, Travel Designer Group, other travel companies should also come up with such initiatives and do their part in contributing to environmental conservation. Kudos to Travel Designer Group for their participation in this noble cause.

Addressing in Lok Sabha, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri gave an assurance that the tourism industry’s long-pending demand for air connectivity between the Taj city and major destinations would soon be addressed. He said airlines are ready with plans to start flights connecting Agra with Varanasi, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi and Jaipur. The Minister announced that four of these flights will begin in December. Source: IANS

Starting from September, Korean Air will increase the frequency of direct passenger flights between Delhi and Incheon, Korea, from five days a week to daily. Korean Air uses a 218-seater A330-200 on its Delhi route. The airline currently operates direct passenger flights from both Delhi and Mumbai to Incheon. The Mumbai-Incheon route is operated three days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday). Korean Air also offers flights to various Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya, most efficiently for those travelling to Japan from Delhi. The Delhi-Incheon flights arrive early in the morning, and flights from Incheon to Japan are scheduled throughout the day.

Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, recently stated that the Central government has earmarked Rs 70 crore for development of beach tourism in the Union Territory. The seven villages being developed under the Centrally-sponsored ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme are Kalapet, Chinnaveerampattinam, Chunnambar, Manapet, Narambai, Dubrayapet, and Arikamedu. The programme includes several projects such as restoration, conservation, and illumination of heritage structures; revitalisation of parks; online tourist statistic information system, etc. Bedi also emphasised on the need for comprehensive planning in the villages, which could include solar lighting, rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment, beach sanitation, and landscaping along with parking slots.

In a recent update by Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, MP’s from Kerala conducted a meeting recently and discussed issues regarding air capacity and frequency in the state. He says, “In the meeting it turns out that with 684 international flights offering nearly 1.4 lakh seats and 929 domestic flights with about 1.6 lakh seats every week, Kerala is amongst our best connected states.”

As part of the endeavour to support the initiative by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enroll Nigerian adults and children into the National Identity Database (NIDB), VFS Global has announced the launch of its first enrollment centre in India in New Delhi. The newly launched centre will offer enrollment services for Nigerian Nationals residing in India with the issuance of their National Identification Number (NIN). The newly launched VFS Global NIN centre, located at Connaught Place in New Delhi, commenced enrollments on 31 July 2019. A dedicated contact centre and email support service is also available for applicants to answer queries and track the application status. The National Identification Number is a unique set of eleven digits issued to the legal citizens (home and abroad) of Nigeria by NIMC, as a mandatory national identity. Okere, Samuel Onwuzurike, Counsellor/Head – Trade & Investment, High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mr. Alok Singhal, Regional Head- North & East India, VFS Global inaugurated the centre in a formal ceremony held on 31 July 2019. NIN is used for processing all forms of transactions that involves submitting an identity verification in Nigeria, such as getting a driver’s license, voter’s card or even for opening a bank account which will offer greater convenience and transparency. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global said, “I am pleased to announce the launch of this first National Identification Number enrollment centre in India to support the initiative by the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission. As part of our endeavour to offer seamless Identity and Citizen Services space globally and by utilising our in-depth knowledge of managing …

The government announced that Jammu and Kashmir would be a UT with a Legislature while the Ladakh region will be a separate UT without a legislature. Talking about its impact on tourism, Parvez Dewan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, says, “I don’t think tourism will get affected post this decision. The unrest or security issue is very temporary, and in the long run tourism will not be affected because these UTs will remain next to each other. Since 1994-95, a certain number of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims have always gone to Kashmir after the Darshan. Around 34 per cent of foreign tourists visiting Ladakh do it in combination with Kashmir and around 66 per cent might only go to Ladakh. Similarly, a certain percentage always do Jammu and Kashmir together, and that will continue.”

Commenting on the government’s decision to scrap Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir and bifurcating the state in two union territories, PP Khanna, President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) said that the Union Government’s move will definitely affect the number of tourists going to the state amidst fear and security reasons. He adds, “The tourism industry has already come to standstill in the state after the government ordered to stop the Amarnath Yatra and asked all the tourists to leave the state immediately. There is a sense of fear and security concern among visitors amid presence of military forces and possibility any riot-like situation in the valley. If the government itself doesn’t want tourists to stay in the state so how the industry will motivate the visitors to travel to the state? It has become hard for us to promote the state currently with such sensitive condition. Going forward, it will deeply impact the number of tourists.”

Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO, says, “I am quite hopeful that situation should normalise soon with the change in the scenario as tourism is the main bread and butter of the people of Kashmir. Although the number of tourists has gone down recently, I think that by September, the situation should become normal and tourists will start going back to Jammu & Kashmir. Once things start settling down, we will plan a roadshow in association with our state chapter to promote the destination again among FTOs and DMCs. I think tourism will grow now with more international hotel chains coming into the region. With Ladakh being a separate union territory, the development of the area will take place and again it will become a friendly tourist destination.”