Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Air China has been rated 4.1 out of 5 on the Safe Travel Score for the Asia Pacific region by Safe Travel Barometer. Air China, among Asia Pacific’s largest airlines, emerged as the leading airline in the region with a Safe Travel Score of 4.1 out of 5, having carried out various traveller health and safety initiatives. Air China was among the first carriers globally to resume domestic services after the COVID-19 outbreak grounded its fleet earlier in 2020. While the airline had basics covered such as mandatory face masks and sanitizers for passengers, it also initiated fogging of aircraft before or after every flight.

Andaman Association of Tour Operators conducted an awareness meet on COVID-19 SOPs and guidelines under the leadership of M. Vinod, President at hotel Aries Grand on 7th Nov, 2020. Stakeholders from AATO, ACCI, hoteliers, boat owners and adventure sports operators participated in the meet. Chief guest Suneel Anchipaka, DC (SA) mentioned that A&N Administration is making all possible efforts to revive tourism in the Islands following all COVID protocols. He also mentioned that safety of the islanders is paramount and we will have to ensure that all precautionary measures are followed while conducting tourism activities in the Islands.

Satpal Maharaj, Tourism Minister, Uttarakhand, has said that “Our Government is considering bringing culinary art at a front line of the state’s tourism sector. If the hidden treasure of cuisine tourism is explored and implemented efficiently and effectively then within a very short period, the state will place itself as the culinary hub in the global map. Uttarakhand has a repository of polyherbs, spices that are known for its therapeutic use and used by the Rishis and exponents of the Ayurveda for centuries. The treasure trove of immunity-boosting delicacies of Uttarakhand can derive huge benefits from Healthy Cuisine tourism.”

EbixCash has launched the ‘Phir Se Ghoomega India’ campaign and offering value-for-money deals to the consumers looking to travel in the festive season. The offers will be available on its portal, Via.com. “I am excited at the campaign and equally optimistic about its success as we are experiencing a great response post-lockdown,” said Naveen Kundu, MD, Ebixcash Travel Group. The airline partners for this campaign are Vistara, AirAsia and GoAir, and the hotel groups having joined this campaign are Taj Group, Marriott, The Park, Radission Hotels, ITC Hotels, Sterling Holidays and Accor. The cab partners for this campaign are EbixCash Cab – AHA Taxis and EbixCash Gift Card.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Sarnath light and sound show in Varanasi among many other projects through video conference. In his address, he said that tourism is also a part of the development plan of the city and countryside in Varanasi. He also stressed that the connectivity of Varanasi has always been a top priority of the Government. Also, he added that new infrastructure is being constructed so that the people of Kashi and the tourists don’t waste their time in traffic jams.

Sunil C Gupta, EC Member & Chairman-Northern Region, IATO and Director, Travel Bureau, Agra, has said that the Minister of Tourism and Culture needs to review the capping of tourist numbers at the Taj Mahal, since that is creating a chaos and black marketing of tickets. Reacting on reports of tourists not getting tickets at Taj Mahal, he said, “It is very said that we have mismanaged and now there is a cap of 2500 tourists for morning and afternoon. This unnecessary shortage of tickets creates panic, fear, chaos and frustration among tourists. It’s totally unwarranted and impractical. We humbly request our dear tourism minister and DG-ASI to kindly review this as there is no need for any capping. This is sending a wrong a message to tourist and is counter-productive to the efforts of MOT and MOC for revival of tourism.”

Around 34% of Indians are still wary of travel, saying they would not feel comfortable traveling until a vaccine for COVID-19 is available, and the same sentiment is seen worldwide, according to the Amex Trendex, a trend report from American Express. It also revealed that 32% Indians already dreaming about their next holiday and 1 in 2 (50%) Indian adults are interested in receiving a trip in 2021 as a gift this holiday season.  They also marked a strong preference and were willing to pay extra for lodging and hotels that offered private and/or socially distanced amenities, eg: socially distanced spas (49%) and private pools (49%). 45% of Indian respondents said they are saving more money for their next trip as a result of the pandemic.

Yatra.com, leading online travel portal conducted its annual festive survey amongst 5000 respondents, highlighting what the travel trends look like in the new normal. The survey indicated an uptick in demand for travel as almost 75% of respondents said they are planning to take up a vacation compared to 2019 where 61% of respondents were willing to go on a holiday during the festive season. The trend of advance booking continues with 39.3% of respondents planning leisure trips for more than one month in advance to rest, relax, and recuperate. Safety and hygiene take priority while planning a holiday as travelers are looking at the number of cases in the vicinity, sanitization measures adopted, government guidelines, amenities in case of emergency, among other factors. The survey revealed that about 52.5% of respondents are seeking medical/travel insurance for the sake of security and more than 50% of respondents said that they would be prefer ordering room service rather than visiting restaurants and bars. Taking extra safety precautions, about 72.1% of respondents said that they will be going through sanitization processes followed by monuments and tourist spots before planning a visit to them. This assurance is important as about 48.2% of respondents are planning their holiday with the family.  Interestingly, beating beaches as a preferred location for holiday goers, 37.9% of respondents said they would like to visit the hills, to escape the monotony and stress brought by the pandemic. Budget travel continues to see a spike as 35.4% of respondents are keeping Rs.10,000-Rs.25,000 per person as set targets for their budget during vacations. Commenting on this survey Sabina Chopra, Co-Founder and COO, Corporate Travel & Head Industry Relations, Yatra.com, said, “Over the years, consumers have given priority to various aspects of travel while planning a trip …

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai will be organising a two-day roadshow with 22 Spanish suppliers on December 2-3, 2020. The suppliers will be a mix of local tourism boards, hotels and DMCs, who will meet key travel agents and tour operators from key source markets of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. To attend as buyer, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

FHRAI has asked the government to provide soft loans with low interest rate to hotel and restaurant players to help cover working capital requirements and help them sustain themselves. This, the Federation says, can support the industry until it reaches the pre-pandemic business levels.