Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Goa Government has announced the Tourism Policy 2020 and Tourism Master Plan. The license fee for beach shacks has been reduced by 50%. Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar said under the tourism policy, a tourism board would be constituted having experts from various fields. The required infrastructure would be developed on the Public-Private Partnership mode to develop tourism in the state.

The Pune airport will remain shut during night for a year due to recarpeting work of runway which starts from October 26 and will be on for around one year. Flight operations will remain suspended between 8 pm  and 8 am. All the night flight services, including take-offs as well as landings, have been spread out in the day time.

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts today have expanded their portfolio in Maharashtra and have signed a hotel in Aurangabad. Sarovar Portico upon completion will offer 68 well- appointed rooms and suites offering modern amenities and personalised service. The hotel aims to promote business and tourism in the area and offer high-quality service and stay options. The hotel is strategically located in Shendra MIDC and is close to the airport. Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., said “We are glad to be setting our footprints in this rich heritage city and getaway to numerous exotic tourist destinations. With our immense focus on providing quality accommodation and services at the best rates, we hope to ensure a pleasant stay for all our guests travelling to this region.”

Randhir Singh Vaghela, Chairman, Gujarat Chapter, IATO, is leading the #JanAndolan campaign that aims to spread awareness about the safety precautions that the industry needs to follow strictly. He says, “I request the travel industry stakeholders to join #JanAndolan for everyday preventive actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We must strictly follow three things: wearing a mask at all times, sanitising hands on a regular basis and keep social distancing. For tourism to re-open safely we all have to adhere to this new normal.”

CommonPass, or a COVID-passport, is a technology framework that can be used by apps to verify an individual’s health status. It is being trialled by two airlines across a few sectors in the world. The system hopes to become a fail-safe way to verify a traveller’s health status and tally it against local entry laws. If it works, it could inspire governments to drop bans and quarantines.  

In a bid to revive the hard-hit tourism industry, Nepal announced that foreign tourists having COVID-19 negative report will not be required to quarantine themselves for seven days from October 17. Foreign trekkers may enter without quarantine if they produce a PCR negative report from October 17. Its tourism ministry is working to carry out instant antigen test for COVID-19 for foreign tourists upon their arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Highlighting the reason why domestic tourism has not taken off in India, PP Khanna, President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI), said, “The GST on tour operators should be 1.8% with full set offs and not 5% which is making domestic tour operators uncompetitive. To survive, the domestic tour operators need to be supported have an operating cash subsidy to pay their salaries and operating costs.”

Captain Swadesh Kumar, President, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) has said that India currently has negligible share in the US$ 750bn world adventure tourism industry which is poised to touch US$ 1.5 trillion in the post Covid world. “We want to work closely with the Central and State government to get at a respectable market share of 5-10% in the medium to long run in the international market,” he said.  

FM Nirmala Sitharaman made a slew of announcements to stimulate consumer spending and capital expenditure, including a special LTC (Leave Travel Concession) cash voucher. She said LTC funds could be used to spend on goods and items in the 12% GST category. However, FAITH and TAAI expressed disappointment stating that LTC funds of government employees will now be redirected to buy consumer goods.