Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism and Culture has virtually inaugurated the Association of Buddhist Tour Operators (ABTO) International Convention. The ABTO Convention is being held at Hotel Oaks, Bodh Gaya.

According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka will re-open for tourists by early 2021 with caution and necessary protocols regularly reviewed by Ministry of Health (MOH). When Sri Lanka does re-open it will be for travellers from around the globe and they must abide by the following visa requirements. Evidence of a negative PCR Covid 19 test 72 hours before arrival, be tested again upon arrival, a third test to be carried out on day 7. All travellers must commit to a minimum stay of 14 days in the country and apply for an online visa. The Sri Lankan government has stated that all countries and nationalities are welcome to visit when they re-open for tourists. There will be no quarantine period if travellers follow all testing entry requirements, however if they are tested positive upon arrival, they will have to immediately report to the relevant authority.

Day 5 at Russian Expo Days (RED) would allow participants to attend live sessions on Samara and Krasnodar regions and presentation by Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains. At 12pm IST, one can watch webinar titled ‘Discover the amazing nature of the Samara region’ allowing the participants to learn about cruises along the Volga river, national parks and a lot of events and festivals. At 2:30pm IST, watch the webinar titled ‘Travelling to the south of Russia’ and learn about mountains, sea, delicious food, world famous Sochi and more wonderful things for tourists in the Krasnodar region. Watch Krasnaya Polyana Resort presents holidays in the mountains near Sochi at 4:30pm IST, and learn about accommodation and activities for Indian tourists. Watching all sessions live would allow them to win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Register for free at russiadays.travel. Register for free at russiadays.travel.

Ministry of Tourism has appreciated Vasuki K. Sundaram, Chairperson, IATO Maharashtra Chapter, on twitter for her positive feedback on her recent trip to Shirdi, where she mentions that her experience was great in the temple without crowds, social distancing maintained, hotels adhering to compliances, and she pointed out that the wayside amenities on her way back to Mumbai were clean. MOT, in their tweet shared a video of Sundaram saying that it shows the idea of Dekho Apna Desh being executed thoroughly.

The government has proposed to sell up to 20% of its stake in IRCTC through an Offer for Sale (OFS) which opens for subscription on Thursday. “Offer for Sale in IRCTC opens tomorrow for Non Retail investors. Day 2 for retail investors. The government would divest 15 percent equity with a 5 percent green shoe option,” said Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) in a tweet. As of September 30, the government had held an 87.40 stake in IRCTC which went public last year. To meet SEBI’s public holding norm, the government has to lower its stake in the company to 75%.

Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group has confirmed that his company is reviewing its AirAsia India partnership with Tata Group. “We are in discussion with TATA group right now on whether to put money to continue business in India or expand to ASEAN. There will be some announcements soon,” he said during a CAPA Live session.

To motivate stakeholders to promote tourism destinations in the country, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has modified the guidelines of the Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) scheme for the promotion of domestic tourism. The new guidelines has made availing the scheme simpler with liberal norms and more financial assistance to eligible stakeholders such as tour operators, hotels and aggregators.

Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo while speaking at CAPA Live said the airline expects to reach 100% of its pre-COVID domestic capacity in early 2021. “We are only flying 20% of our old international capacity right now, IndiGo aims to recover to 100% of its pre-pandemic international capacity by the end of 2021,” he said.

On Day4 of Russian Expo Days (RED), participants can attend live sessions on Kamchatka, Tula, Vladimir regions and St. Petersburg. At 10:30 am IST, at the session titled ‘Kamchatka: a magical journey to active volcanoes, geysers and untouched nature’, one can get information on tours, accommodation and prices. There will be a prize at the webinar. At 1pm IST, the webinar titled ‘Tula region presents active, cultural and gastronomy tourism in the region’ would allow one to find out why it is the land of craft masters, museums and natural wonders. At 3:30pm IST, one can attend webinar titled ‘Russian towns of the Golden ring and cultural routes for your tourists in the Vladimir region: a place of dozens UNESCO World Heritage sites’, while at 5:30pm one can attend ‘Saint Petersburg you never knew before: New Holland Island, eco parks, art clusters and other locations that will surprise tourists’ webinar. Attending all live sessions can make you win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Free registration at russiadays.travel.  

Meghalaya is going to open its doors for tourists from December 21 for the first time since entry restrictions were put in place in the state in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Registration would be made mandatory through a dedicated app of Meghalaya Tourism.