Category Archives: States

The Madhya Pradesh government has reconstituted its tourism cabinet, which will be headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while the principal secretary of the tourism department will be the secretary in-charge of the cabinet committee. The panel will focus on promoting tourism in the state by developing infrastructure to generate employment in the sector.

Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh, has announced that the state is now open to visitors, but they have to follow the SOPs, that includes a COVID, negative report. Khandu tweeted regarding the same and stated, “Arunachal Pradesh opens today to welcome tourists. Get mesmerized by its beauty and rejuvenated by the purity of its nature. Those who dreamt—it’s time to explore.” Here’s what tourists have to keep in mind when visiting Arunachal Pradesh: As per the SOP, only pre-booked package tours, done exclusively via local tours operators of the state will be allowed to operate. All ground handling and tourist transport services, including pick up/drop, will also be authorised via local travel tour/agent operators. Since Inner Line Permit (ILP) is required to visit the state, visitors will need to provide four other additional documents—tour itineraries and vehicle details, COVID-19 certificate, tour booking slips, and details of the guide and driver. Tourists should possess a valid COVID-19 negative certificate (RTPCR or True NAT test) from ICMR designated laboratory/facility, which they have undergone not more than 72 hours prior to the date of arrival, as per a government notification. All tourists, accompanying drivers and guides from outside the state should adhere to COVID-19 inter-state traveller testing protocol issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Arunachal Pradesh. As per the protocol, tourists should strictly observe adequate social distancing norms. Although family groups can stay together, they would have to ensure that they will remain 2 m away from other individuals or family groups. Visitors are expected to wear protective face masks when they are within the premises of any tourist destination and that all payments are processed via digital mode, …

Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray and Minister of State Aditi Tatkare yesterday unveiled the new logo and new feedback QR code of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). They also unveiled the logo of Boat Club in Nashik. During the event, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed with Airbnb, an online marketplace company, to boost tourism in the state. Speaking on this occasion, Mr Thackeray said that the culture of Maharashtra is reflected in a meaningful way in the new logo of MTDC. He said, there is a huge scope for the development of the tourism sector in the state in the post-Corona period. He noted that in such a scenario, the role of MTDC’s resorts and various initiatives in the state are important. He said that employment generation from tourism in the state would be boosted in future. Minister of State Aditi Tatkare said that at present, the Department of Tourism and MTDC are jointly implementing innovative initiatives to boost the tourism and hospitality business in the state. She said, the new logo of MTDC is a testament to the culture, bravery and richness of nature of the state. Ms Tatkare said, this will introduce a new dimension to tourism in Maharashtra. She said that the new initiatives being implemented by the corporation would provide more facilities to the tourists coming to the state. The Ministers applauded Head of the Indian School of Design and Innovation Dr. Indu Shahani and her team for creating the new logo.

About 2.93 lakh domestic tourists have visited monuments, museums and tourist destinations in Rajasthan since June 1 this year. Since the crisis caused by COVID-19 had created a need for policy-level intervention, the state government would adopt a vision to explore the tourism sector’s potential to support economic development, said, Alok Gupta, Principal Secretary (Tourism), Rajasthan.

Officials from Gujarat Tourism recently met up with two national and three regional travel trade associations in Kolkata along with other travel agents and tour operators in order to promote tourism offerings in the state, particularly the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. Around 85 people attended this event at Hotel Astor. Gujarat is also planning to conduct fam trips for the trade-in smaller groups of 25 pax. Present at the occasion were Nilanjan Basu, Secretary of Travel Agents Association of Bengal; Koushik Banerjee, Chapter Chairman of Enterprising Travel Agents Association; Kamal Gupta, Secretary of Association of Tourism Service Provider of Bengal; and Supratim Sinha, Secretary of Travel Agents Hoteliers & Travellers.

Gujarat Tourism has been conducting multi-city roadshows across India to promote its tourism offerings at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. They have so far conducted B2B meets at Chennai, Bengaluru, Raipur, Kolkata, Patna, Nagpur, Lucknow, Indore, and Bhopal. The state department is also participating in WTM Virtual to promote Statue of Unity among other things.

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.”

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.

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.

Tourism Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao has said that the state government plans to establish 7-star and 5-star hotels at 12 locations across the state. These locations are Gandikota, Kakinada, Pichukalanka, Horsley Hills, Nagarjuna Sagar, Suryalanka beach, Orvakal, Kalingapatnam, Rushikonda, Bhavani Island, Tirupati-Perur and Polavaram. To attract investors, roadshows will also be conducted.