Tag Archives: Secretary

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, in his address at the 10th ADTOI Convention has said that Kevadia is the most powerful example of how tourism can improve the standard of living of all. He also added that things are returning to normal in the last quarter of this financial year, adding that 2020 was unprecedented in many ways. Singh also informed that constant discussions are going on with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Health Ministry to relax the ban on tourist visas and the right decision will be taken in this matter when the appropriate time comes.

ADTOI, with support from MOT, is all set to kick-off its 10th Annual Convention today with support from Ministry of Tourism at Kevadia, Gujarat. The inauguration ceremony will start at 5pm today, and will be graced by the presence of Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State, Tourism & Culture. The business sessions will begin tomorrow, which will see Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism addressing a session on ‘Role of Aviation in Promotion of Tourism’. Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism will moderate a session on ‘Technology is Future-Travel Real from Virtual’.

MoCA is in talks with various others ministries – Home Affairs, Health, and External Affairs – for restarting the tourist visa. It has also revealed that AAI will privatise 6-10 more airports April onwards. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA, says that the government will look to club profitable airports with loss-making ones during the sale process.

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%.

Pradeep S Kharola, Secretary, MoCA, has said that the government will now focus on promoting Indian carriers. Speaking at a webinar organised by FAITH, he said, “We have realised the importance of tourism and aviation as an industry. Hence, as a matter of policy, the government would be giving more thrust on promoting Indian carriers.”

Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Civil Aviation, has said that in the last few months, the ridership for domestic operations has increased from 29,000 on first day to almost 1.8 lakh, which is a jump of virtually six times. This increase validates that all the safety measures taken by airlines and airports have worked, and indicates that the second phase of operations will see us rapidly grow from 50% to almost near normal.

Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, during a webinar organised by FHRAI, shared his view on moratorium extension and debt restructuring. He said, “Extending the moratorium is not a solution as it is only postponing it; it is better to get restructuring done so that you know what is to be paid and in how much time.”

The Empowered Group 6 (EG 6) constituted by Government of India and chaired by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, held a meeting with business leaders from the aviation industry and Ministry of Civil Aviation to discuss possibilities for strengthening operations and augmenting the recovery of the aviation sector under the new normal. The meeting was also attended by Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), which covers the functioning of banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and the National Pension System; and representatives of airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, AirAsia, Vistara and Air India.

The theme of the Indian delegation at FITUR will be ‘Finding the Incredible You’, revealed Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Tourism. The delegation will be led by Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Tourism. To be held from January 22-26, 2020, FITUR is an important market for India. Speaking about the same, Brar said, “Spain is an important market and is itself one of the top countries visited by Indians. So, these are occasions also for us to learn best practices of other counties that come into these events. We look forward to that. As far as showcasing India is concerned, the theme remains ‘Finding the Incredible You’. The idea behind the campaign is that there is so much within us that is not exposed and India is a place that allows you to visit the places and also discover yourself. I am sure that there is so much of spirituality and mysticism attached to India, along with the modernity that is a part of our lives now, we have a unique quality as a country. We are lapping up all the modern technologies, being a cutting edge nation and yet we are carrying along with it all our traditions that are coming to us from thousands of years. That is the USP of our country, and we are looking forward to showcasing that in FITUR also. The Indian delegation is being led by Secretary, Tourism, and he shall be accompanied by the officers of the departments, and the officers that are in Europe will also be part of the delegation.”

  Around 300 delegates from 28 countries attended PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019 (PATA ATRTCM) in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The event, organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, brought together international experts at the forefront of the adventure travel industry from both the private and public sectors to discuss issues and opportunities in travel and tourism. Delegates heard from a diverse line-up of speakers at the one-day conference on the theme ‘Rejuvenate Your Soul Through Travel’. The thought leaders, innovators and pioneers, who are shaping the emerging landscape of the adventure travel and responsible tourism industry, examined various conference topics that covered ‘Rejuvenating Your Soul Through Travel’, ‘Storytelling to Sell Travel on Instagram’, ‘Using Sustainability to Future-Proof Our Destination’, ‘Trends to India’, ‘Creating Experiences that are Regenerative’, ‘Marketing to the New Adventure Travellers’, ‘Tourism as a Tool for Rejuvenation’, ‘A Special Story of Indian Rejuvenation’ and ‘Sustaining our Souls: Vision-Driven Leadership in Adventure Tourism’. The conference was opened by Dilip Jawalkar, IAS, Secretary Tourism, Religious Affairs and Culture Department, Government of Uttarakhand; Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism; Yogendra Tripathi, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, and Satpal Maharaj, Minister of Tourism, Uttarakhand. Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA noted, “The event aims to be a catalyst for generating new ideas and improving collaboration between public and private sector organisations. By bringing together such a dynamic and diverse group of speakers, we hoped to highlight the need to discuss, analyse and share various ideas with both the public and private sector in planning, building and promoting a responsible travel and tourism industry.” The B2B mart welcomed 47 seller organisations from 10 destinations and 44 buyer organisations …