Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Air India has announced that it is all set to launch flights between Hyderabad and London from May 9, 2021 to September 6, 2021. The non-stop flights will be operated every Monday in the said period, and the carrier has allowed bookings through its website, booking offices, call centre, as well as through authorised travel agents.

According to JLL, hotel conversions in India had seen a consistent increase, nearly doubling from 33 conversions in 2016 to 65 in 2019. However, the conversions plummeted to just 29 hotels in 2020 under the impact of the pandemic. The uncertainty in the market made existing or committed hotel owners adopt a cautious approach than take conclusive investment decisions.

Indian LCC IndiGo claims that the airline has already processed close to Rs1030 crore of refunds, which amounts to about 99.95% of the total amount owed to its customers. The pending credit shells are mostly cash transactions wherein IndiGo is awaiting bank transfer details from the customers.

In its commitment to get travellers safely where they need to be, Qatar Airways has announced that it will no longer require passengers to present a negative RT-PCR test report when departing India, where this requirement was implemented previously. However, any government regulation imposed or required by the destination or transit country will continue to apply. The airline has included a total of 13 countries in its list of exempt nations, including the Philippines and Nepal.

Updating the trade on its preparedness for the future, Dr Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said that Nepal is all set to welcome international tourists. “We are looking at changing the perception of Nepal. It’s not just a pilgrimage site, but it has a lot more to offer including lower hill treks, nightlife & adventure activities as well.”

Carla Puverel, GM, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, shares that the Indian market is very important for them. “It is one of the few markets that are travelling regularly right now. Hence, it’s very important that we attract them. Also, the Indian market may give feedback, allowing us to adapt to their needs. It is a very loyal market—they come to a property once and if you can make a connection or build a relationship, then they return, often with friends and family. There is word of mouth publicity and that’s very important right now. Also, many Indian carriers are flying into the Maldives as well as close to where we are located, and not just only in to the international airport. Hence, it’s very important to make those connections and relationships,” she says.

Manmeet Singh, Chairman, IATO Punjab Chapter & ADTOI Haryana & Chandigarh Chapter has shared that he, along with other tourism stakeholders of the region met with Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, and apprised him with the issues plaguing the industry. “We had a meeting with the honourable Chief Minister of Punjab, where we reiterated the points which we had earlier emphasised. The CM gave us a patient hearing to our points, which were pending. He also wanted to know what is the current scenario in which we were facing problems, especially the movement restriction owing to night curfew in the region. The said that he will get back to us. We have also been sharing things with the bureaucracy,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Dr Bhagwat Karad in the Parliament said that it is necessary to build infrastructure for the growth of tourism and economic development at the Ajanta, Ellora caves. “At the same time, efforts should be made at the government level to advertise these places. Accordingly, this can be made possible through various mediums and initiatives,” he said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a new order and said that international passengers are exempted from the mandatory week-long institutional quarantine on arrival at Mumbai Airport if they have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

To commemorate the 75-week long celebration of India@75, Indiatourism Delhi organised various activities including a Heritage Walk in the Mahrauli area to commemorate the Shahidi Diwas and a photo exhibition at Indian International Center in Delhi.