Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Darpan Jain (IAS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoCI), has said that Rs.1000 crore have been earmarked for programmes for tourism and medical value sector under the Champion Services Sector Programme, which is being coordinated by MoCI. Around Rs. 1000 crore worth of programmes have already been approved, he informed.

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has launched the round-the-clock COVID-19 testing facility using the RT-PCR method at the airport where flyers will be able to get the result in as early as 13 minutes. The cost of this rapid test would be Rs 2,400. Online pre-booking of the test is also available.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in its communication with travel trade at the STB India Virtual Tradeshow would focus on the preparations that have taken place in Singapore, as they gear up for a travel restart sometime next year, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia- Singapore Tourism Board.

Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant has said that the cancellation of lights connecting the UK and India will affect tourism in Goa. “Tourism in Goa is dependent for its revival on international tourists, mainly those coming from the UK and Russia, so definitively there will be an impact,” he said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is likely to provide a Rs 2,100 crore loan to the Tripura government for the development of urban areas and tourism in the state. Out of this, Rs 500 crore will be earmarked for tourism development.

Reuniting together, the members of Enterprising Knot of Travel & Tourism Associates (EKTTA) attended a workshop on ‘Facing the new normal’ at the State Convention Center (Lok Seva Bhavan) in Bhubaneswar. The workshop was organised by Odisha Tourism in association with Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.  

Regional commuter airline Flybig started its first flight from Shillong direct to Delhi on December 21, 2020. However, it used a SpiceJet aircraft for the same. Part of Big Charter, Flybig was awarded the contract for this route through a tender floated by Meghalaya Transport Corporation at the beginning of 2020. It will initially operate this route twice a week.

The first flight from Belgaum (Karnataka) to Surat (Gujarat) to Kishangarh (Rajasthan) was flagged off on December 21, 2020 by Star Air India under RCS-UDAN. This flag-off marks the inauguration of the 303rd route under the scheme and the 20th UDAN route by the airline. The airline is being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the scheme to keep fares affordable. The airline will operate thrice-weekly flights on the route and will deploy its 50-seater Embraer-145.

After nine months of restriction on the entry of tourists to Meghalaya due to the pandemic, the state re-opened its doors on December 21, 2020. The Tourism Department has issued SOP for all tourists wherein they will need to mandatorily register on ‘The Meghalaya Tourism App’ and generate an e-invite for the proposed itinerary.

With widespread travel ban on the UK introduced overnight, Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said, “While protecting public health is paramount, blanket travel bans cannot be the answer. They have not worked in the past and they will not work now. If a comprehensive and quick turnaround testing regime were in place at airports to test all travellers before they depart, it would ensure only those infected with COVID-19 are isolated. There would be no need for countries to introduce damaging and counterproductive wholesale bans on UK travellers.”