Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved the resumption of the Exemption from Quarantine (TEST & GO) entry scheme, the reopening of the Pattaya and Ko Chang Sandbox destinations, and the reintroduction of the Sandbox Extension programme for vaccinated travellers from around the world, all of which will take effect on February 1, 2022.

In a message to the people on the 50th statehood day, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that, with the Centre formulating a comprehensive action plan for development and tourism, Meghalaya could become one of the most developed states in the country in the next 25 years. Dedicated efforts have been undertaken in Meghalaya for the development of infrastructure over the last several years.

Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister, Himachal Chief Minister has unveiled the Dharamsala Skyway (Dharamsala ropeway) constructed at a cost of Rs 207 crores, which would connect Dharamsala with McLeodganj. It has the hourly capacity of carrying 1,000 persons and would reach Dharamsala to McLeodganj in five minutes instead of usual 20-25 minutes taken by car. The length of the ropeway is 1.8 km. The ropeway has 10 towers and 2 stations at Dharamsala and McLeodganj. One way tariff for travelling in ropeway from Dharamsala to McLeodganj is Rs 300 per person and two way tariff is Rs 500 per person.

Ahmedabad airport will partially remain closed for around 9 hours till May 31 owing to runway re-carpeting work. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has started scheduled runway re-carpeting work from 17th January  to 31st May, 2022, except on public holidays and Sundays. The work will be carried out from 9am to 6pm.

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO has thanked Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO and the entire team at The Indian Hotels Company Ltd. for rolling out the Taj Hotels Promo Code Special Rates for IATO Members. In a statement, he has revealed that each member has been given a Unique Agency Code and booking can be done on line without any hindrances.  Promo Code Special Rates are exclusively for inbound business only and not valid for domestic leisure and are only for FITs.

VisitBritain has launched the ‘GetReadyForBirmingham’ campaign with TravTalk to promote West Midlands, England region, using the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a hook. Log on to www.GetReadyForBirmingham.com and get clicked at the virtual photo booth offering the most scenic backgrounds in West Midlands, which is playing host to the games.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, visited the National War Memorial and attended the retreat ceremony. He appealed to the youth to visit the National War Memorial built in the memory of martyrs who died in the line of duty. As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Reddy urged that the students of all the states and universities must come and visit the National War Memorial, which imbues every one with a patriotic zeal. 

After more than a year, Lufthansa has resumed its scheduled flight from Munich to Delhi. The service will be operated three times a week with modern Airbus A350 long-haul aircraft. Departures from Bavaria’s aviation hub are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.  In the coming summer schedule, Lufthansa will operate a total of 21 long-haul aircraft of this type stationed at Munich Airport, which causes significantly less noise and emissions than comparable aircraft. 

Emphasizing on the revival of domestic demand in tourism, Zubin Saxena, Co-Chair, CII Northern Regional Committee on Tourism & Hospitality and Managing Director & VP, Radisson Hotel Group Managing Director said, “India needs to stimulate its domestic demand by ways of promoting domestic tourist destinations through proper outreach by way of advertisements and leveraging social media along with providing safe and hygienic options that will ensure a greater footfall of tourists. We need to make collaborative efforts with all stakeholders including the Government of India, state boards, and various ministries for the on-ground implementation of a domestic tourism policy which rolls out confidence-building measures and encourages the best of smart and digital technologies.” 

Global tourism experienced a 4% upturn in 2021, compared to 2020 (415 million versus 400 million). However, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) were still 72% below the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to preliminary estimates by UNWTO. This follows on from 2020, the worst year on record for tourism, when international arrivals decreased by 73%.