Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Russia will be offering e-visa from 1st January 2021 to 52 countries, including India. The information was shared at the Discover Moscow Digital Roadshow. “Indians can file for electronic visa to enter Russia for tourist, business, humanitarian and guest visits. E-visa will be valid for 60 days from the date of receipt, for up to 16 days to travel to all regions of Russia. Tourists will not be required to provide an invitation, hotels reservations or any other documents to confirm the purpose of the trip. They have to pay a counsellor fee of about US$40, and it will be free for children under 6 years. The period of issuing the e-visa will not be longer than 4 calendar days the date of submission. The application can be submitted by a travel agent as well.

GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board, has revealed that they are expecting 40+ Singapore tourism stakeholders (comprising attractions, DMCs and hotels) to network and re-engage with the travel trade in India at the Singapore Virtual Tradeshow. The virtual event is scheduled on January, 12th, 15th, 19th and 21st for South, North, West and East India respectively. “Themed “Charting Our Pathways to Tourism Recovery”, we will present latest developments in Singapore and share information on some of the product enhancements by the stakeholders with safe management measures in place,” he said.

‘Unlocking Nepal: Understanding Tourism Opportunities’ webinar is all set to take place today at 10:45am. Sharing information aboit Nepal at the virtual event will be Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board, along with Laxman Gautam, Officiating Director, Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department, Nepal. To register, email Jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com, or call +919650196532.

A Travel Safe microsite has been prepared and commissioned that will provide daily updated information, both on entry requirements to Spain, and on the measures adopted by Spanish Autonomous Regions. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and the Director General of TURESPAÑA, Miguel Sanz, presented a new communication strategy with the claim “Travel Safe” which mainly focusses on two objectives: firstly, to inform about the requirements and conditions for safe travel and secondly, to inspire and influence the purchase intention of travellers, encouraging them to take safe trips. Minister Reyes Maroto presented ´Travel Safe´ campaign, the new Turespaña campaign to restore traveler confidence, she said ¨ With this campaign we wish to position Spain’s Tourism Brand as a reference of travel safety. The Minister emphasized that with this campaign, Turespaña also aims to position Spain as a reference for safe travels and at the same time supply an official and updated information service to help restore travelers’ confidence and security. Travel Safe is a 360º communication strategy based on informative content on safety and protection measures, which will be developed through a microsite with information for tourists integrated into the official Spanish tourism website. The microsite will be an informative and interactive one with maps that will be display daily updated information and will cover all aspects of safety, hygiene and entry requirements. This will allow travellers to easily check all the information about local/regional closings, mobility restrictions, capacity of restaurants and other tourist services. Link to the Travel Safe microsite which is now live and running: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/

STB India Roadshow 2021, a 4-day roadshow will see tourism stakeholders from Singapore engage with travel agents and tour operators from India from different regions on different days. GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia- Singapore Tourism Board, calls out to the travel trade saying, “The theme of the roadshow is – Charting our Pathways to Tourism Recovery’. The dates are spread out so that we can engage by region and we can have a deeper and more engaged conversations. It is going to be our way of reconnecting with Indian travel trade early in the year.” On 12th January, 2021, the roadshow will be for South India; on 15th January, 2021 for North India; on 19th January for West India and for East India on 21st January.

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.

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.  

After conducting a series of webinars for the trade recently, Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Representatives, Tourism Ireland, says, “We look forward to welcoming Indian customers to Ireland when borders re-open. They will discover heart-warming moments and spectacular sights in Ireland. Indians can visit Ireland and UK on a single visa under the British Irish visa scheme.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines  in cooperation with Department of Tourism & National Commission for Culture and Arts have launched “Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of Philippine Festivals”, a 6-part, multi-format online event series from December 2020 until May 2021, which will simulate the experience of a festival through a combination of live and pre-recorded videos and live workshops and activities. The project aims to introduce and showcase Philippine festivals, culture, and traditions to our global audience and invite them to the country when conditions are more favorable.