Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Effective 30 August 2021, VFS Global has resumed UAE tourist visa services for Indians. UAE announced the reopening of borders for Indian travellers ahead of the Expo 2020 trade fair scheduled to commence on 1 October 2021. Travellers will be required to present a valid negative COVID-19 Test certificate issued within 48 hours from the time of collecting the sample and from an approved health service. No GDRFA or ICA approval is required for tourists travelling to the UAE.

Switzerland’s natural landscape and scenery makes it an ideal destination for a self-drive experience. The Grand Tour of Switzerland is the ultimate scenic driving route which enables travellers to travel across Switzerland and their own pace. This 1,600-kilometer journey of discovery leads through four language regions, five mountain passes, eleven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two biospheres and along 22 lakes. Travellers get the opportunity to discover the popular attractions, and some hidden gems too! On Friday, 3rd September 2021, at 3 pm IST, Switzerland Tourism will conduct an exclusive webinar for the travel trade highlighting the self-drive experience in Switzerland. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

The high court of Bombay at Goa on Monday permitted the state government to allow the entry of fully-vaccinated persons in Goa without a COVID-19 negative test report. Partially vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons will still have to produce a negative Covid test report for entry. The expert committee has also unanimously agreed and decided to explore the possibility of issuing a universal pass which is linked to the Co-Win portal as adopted and issued by the government of Maharashtra.

The Gujarat government’s Seema Darshan project is being constructed as a major spot at Nada Bet in Banaskantha district. Jenu Devan, Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, said that the Seema Darshan project which was inaugurated in December 2016 at Nada Bet has already started receiving around 4,000-5,000 visitors during the weekends. “The tourism department is now trying to promote Nada Bet on the lines of the Wagah Border with not only a Retreat Ceremony, but also creating a two-three hours tour package for that entire area which will include a tourist facilitation centre, auditorium, museum, interpretation centres, and other amenities. Electric vehicles will be introduced that will take the tourists around the 25 km border area up to zero point where they will be allowed to take photographs,” he said.

To say that virtual events will take over is a myth, feels Sandeep Nagpal, VP & Head of Marketing, Cvent India. He says, “Virtual will go hybrid. While physical events will happen, the same events will be viewed by thousands virtually. That is an opportunity both for planners as well as hotels. There are a lot of venues in the world that are transforming themselves into hybrid venues.”

Encouraging his members to register themselves with MoT and as MSMEs, Jitul Mehta, Chairman, Western India, TAFI, says, “I have been talking about MoT and MSME since the last five years. These topics are very close to my heart and I shall continue to focus on them for our members. There are benefits in terms of the government schemes for accredited tourism entities and how MSME registration can help them obtain business loans at a lower rate with minimum documentation. Being registered as a MSME could also help to recover outstandings from corporates.”

Representatives from ‘Invest India’ gave a brief presentation on their tourism vision plan they are jointly developing with Ministry of Tourism at the recent ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ that took place in Ladakh. The presentation included short, medium and long-term plans for various segments such as adventure and wellness tourism in Ladakh.

Principal Secretary, Tourism, Surendra Kumar visited the newly-constructed Nimantran restaurant in Bhubaneshwar and reviewed the preparation. The soon to be inaugurated restaurant is an initiative of Odisha Tourism to promote Odia cuisine. The restaurant chain will be operated by Odisha Tourism Development Corporation through a dedicated wing.

RARE India has added 18 new hotels, of which seven are based in North and West India, five in South and Western Ghats while six hotels are located in the North Hills, Terai, East India and the Himalayas. With these additions, RARE India now has 86 hospitality and destination brands across 18 states in the Indian subcontinent, all of which offer experiential stays and immersions that place a great emphasis on community engagement and strive to preserve and protect the planet. The new hotels and experiences in the RARE India Community include: North & West:Khem Villas in Ranthambhore (Rajasthan); Premkunj in Udaipur (Rajasthan); Dera Amer near Jaipur (Rajasthan); Killa Bhawan in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan); Mihir Garh near Jodhpur (Rajasthan); Rohet Garh near Jodhpur (Rajasthan); The Rohet House in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) South & Western Ghats:Gratitude Heritage, Kariappa House and Grand Hotel D’Europe in Puducherry; Dhole’s Den in Bandipur (Karnataka); Cabo Serai in Cabo de Rama (Goa) North Hills, Terai, East & Himalayas: Karan Mahal in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir); The Apricot Tree Hotel in Nurla (Ladakh); Atali Ganga in Rishikesh (Uttarakhand); The Mandala House in Devprayag (Uttarakhand); Neeralaya in Manali (Himachal Pradesh); Ging Tea House in Darjeeling (West Bengal) Shoba Mohan, Founder, RARE India, said, “We worked away through the pandemic lockdowns, creating value and awareness for the RARE India Community hoping that when the world opens up for travel, our community of hotels, carefully chosen for their experiences and attitude towards sustainable luxury and community engagement, will be known globally and will be on the travel-list of Indian travellers discovering their own country and the subcontinent. This not only meant stepping up our marketing strategy to improve sales but also create better distribution of our hotels and …

The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi will be organising a webinar titled, ‘Rediscover MICE in Abu Dhabi’ on Tuesday 7th September, 2021 at 3pm IST. One of the panelists on the webinar is Roula Jouny, Executive Director, Tourism 365. Speaking about their focus, she said, “Post COVID, we see a huge potential to develop the MICE business to Abu Dhabi from India following the strategic partnership between the two countries, the frequency of the accessibility of the destination through both airlines Etihad and Emirates as well as the important commercial exchange between the two countries.”