News

Japan all set to welcome foriegn tourists after two years

Japan is all set to welcome tourists from 98 countries after a gap of two years! This marks the most significant day in the country's COVID-19 travel history. Apparently, Jaan was one of those few countries in the world to follow extremely strict virus restrictions. However, the nation will still continue to follow a few restrictions, including the requirement of entering the nation as part of a tour group. As per Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the countries have been divided into three risk zones: red, yellow and blue. These will determine whether or not visitors can skip quarantine measures. The decision comes after Japan said that it would allow people from the US, Australia, Thailand and Singapore to enter in small group tours. The country had banned foreign visitors from attending the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as well in the wake of COVID-19. But now the Japanese government has put a limit on daily foreign arrivals to 20000 starting 1 June. And from 10 June, foriegn travellers will be allowed to enter in tour groups. The tour groups will take responsibility for making sure that travellers entering the country respect their mask-wearing and COVID-19 measures to avoid any mishap. Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, has said that he wants to make things easier for travellers but such moves are expected to proceed slowly. In 2019, Japan had welcomed a record 31.9 million foreign visitors.

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One lakh commuters hop on e-buses in first three days

Delhi Government's 's e-buses have received a bumper response from Delhiites. About one lakh commuters have hopped on the switch towards zero-emission e-buses in just three days. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had flagged off 150 e-buses on May 24. The Kejriwal Government had announced free travel for everyone on the e-buses from May 24 to 26 to promote clean mobility. MLAs, along with the top brass of the Delhi, took rides in the e-buses over the last three days to witness & review the facilities as well. According to the Delhi government data, ''About one lakh people have travelled in electric buses for free on three days on 24, 25 and 26 May. Out of which 40 per cent are women. In which about 12 thousand people travelled on the first day on 24 May. On May 25, about 28 thousand people travelled. Along with this, on May 26, about 52 thousand people travelled for free.'' The biggest feature of electric buses is that they are pollution free. There is no pollution due to the running of these buses. Along with zero emission, these buses are zero noise. In addition, they are equipped with GPS devices, ramps for the differently-abled, panic buttons, CCTV cameras and other security related facilities. Out of 150 busses, 51 are running from the Mundelakan depot, and 99 buses are running from Rohini Sector-37 depot. CM Arvind Kejriwal had also kicked off a selfie competition to spread the word about the e-buses by taking a selfie in the new electric bus fleet. This competition will run till 30th June. The selfie contest named #IrideEbus is being run on social media, where passengers will post a selfie while travelling in an electric bus. The three most liked and shared contestants will be selected for felicitation by the Delhi Government and will get an iPad as a reward.

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Flying to small towns from Chennai airport becomes more expensive

Flying to small towns from Chennai airport remains expensive due to high demand and increase in operational cost. One-way fares on direct flights to Ranchi, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Surat, Patna, Chandigarh and a few other destinations are edging closer to INR 10,000 for travel in the first and second week of June though summer holidays are drawing to a close. Though demand for tickets is high, airlines are operating only 1-2 direct flights a day to many small towns. The air fare is INR 7,000 to Bhopal, INR 8,300 to Ranchi, INR 10,000 to Chandigarh, INR 7,700 to Surat, INR 9,000 to Ahmedabad, INR 8,900 to Patna for travel in the first week of next month. Sources said the fare is also fixed at a higher band to earn maximum revenue when ticket demand is high. An airline official said that the “load factor is definitely above the average on most of the routes. There is scope for increasing the frequency because its an under penetrated market. But the airlines are also incurring an increase in cost due to the high fuel price.” ATF price is INR 1.27lakh per kilo litre in Chennai, the highest after Kolkata. Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels said that domestic travel has increased, pushing up the fares on most of the routes. “The demand is high due to the summer holidays. Groups are also switching to domestic holidays because of the time taken to obtain a visa to popular foreign destinations. It has become difficult to make last minute changes. A one-way ticket from Srinagar to Chennai was 30,000 when booked a few hours before departure.” The fares are likely to come down in June or July. The regional connectivity scheme, which could have ensured a cap in the air fare, had not taken off after the pandemic. The Chennai-Salem flight is yet to resume. Flights from Chennai to the metros are also expensive because of international travellers. Frequent travellers have been asking the government to bring in a regulatory body to keep a check on indiscriminate increase in fares.

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1,000 more flights canceled Sunday, disrupting the holiday weekend

It's another chaotic holiday weekend for Americans traveling by air. Almost 4,800 US flights have been canceled since Friday, with 1,100 more on Sunday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Delta Air Lines (DAL) is most affected by the cancellations, with more than 400 flights axed on Saturday and Sunday. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where Delta is headquartered and has its largest hub, is heavily affected by the travel snags. The carrier blamed Saturday's cancellations on bad weather and "air traffic control actions" on Friday, saying it is trying to cancel flights at least 24 hours in advance. United canceled 23 flights Saturday and JetBlue canceled 10, representing about 1% of the carriers' operations On Thursday, Delta announced it was decreasing its summer flight schedule ahead of Memorial Day weekend. From July 1 through August 7, the airline said, it would cut around 100 daily flights primarily in the US and Latin America. "More than any time in our history, the various factors currently impacting our operation — weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, increased COVID case rates contributing to higher-than-planned unscheduled absences in some work groups —are resulting in an operation that isn't consistently up to the standards Delta has set for the industry in recent years," said Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband in an online post. Airlines are also preemptively canceling 230 flights Monday. Delta has cut 53 so far. Delta said in its post that it will issue travel waivers for those affected by bad weather in the Southeast and Northeast this weekend. The most affected airports, which include the New York City and Washington, DC areas, are listed on the company's website. Delta said it expected around 2.5 million customers will be flying during the Memorial Day weekend — up 25% from last year. AAA estimated 3 million Americans would be traveling by air over the weekend. Separately, JetBlue said it would cut 8% to 10% of its summer schedule. Alaska Airlines reduced its schedule by about 2% through June to match "pilot capacity.

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Germany Travel Mart in 2023 to take place in Essen from April 16 – 18

At the conclusion of the 48th Germany Travel Mart (GTM) in Oberammergau, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has announced the venue and dates of the next year’s show which will take place in Essen from April 16-18. The 49th edition of GTM will be organised in partnership with Essen Marketing Gesellschaft mbH (EMG), Ruhr Tourismus GmbH (RTG) and Tourismus NRW eV. Commenting on the development, Petra Hedorfer, GNTB, said, “We are looking forward to organising the next GTM in Essen. The high level of interest in travel to Germany among the travel industry reflects the need for such a business platform. The Ruhr region exemplifies a successful transformation into an environmentally oriented region with a wide range of offers for nature and active vacations. Essen, on the other hand, underscores the region’s position as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for example, with the Zeche Zollverein and Villa Hügel, for example, underscore Germany's position as Europe’s No. 1 cultural Europe. This supports our commitment to further develop the brand essence ‘Germany simply inspiring’ further toward even more sustainable tourism.” The workshop will take place in the rooms of the Philharmonie and Saalbau. The meeting will be flanked by two events at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein and in the then newly opened Airship Hall at Essen-Mülheim Airport. Sharing his thought from India’s perspective and participation in GTM 2023, Romit Theophilus, Director, Sales & Marketing, India said, “The mart would be an excellent opportunity to explore Germany’s third-greenest city in the heart of the Ruhr region. Whether a city excursion, family vacation, or a trip to a trade fair, Essen is always worth visiting. Whether one enjoys shopping in a vibrant metropolis, hiking and cycling in idyllic countryside, or art and culture in top-notch museums, theatres, or the UNESCO World Heritage site at the Zollverein colliery – Essen has everything.”

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Malaysia offers visa on arrival for Indian travellers

Malaysia announces Visa on Arrival (VOA) effective June 1, 2022, for Indian travellers arriving in Malaysia through selected entry points via Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, or Indonesia, with a valid visa from either country. According to the Immigration Department of Malaysia (Mumbai Attaché), the VOA fee is MYR200 (USD 46) and travellers must show that they have at least USD 500 cash/ credit card/ debit card/ traveller’s cheque or any electronic money which is certified by the Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia). Travellers are allowed to stay up to 15 days with a confirmed return air ticket. Malaysia has opened its shores for quarantine-free travel and welcomes fully-vaccinated international travellers starting May 1, 2022. Fully-vaccinated inbound travellers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, including children aged 17 and below. Currently, Malaysia’s eVISA can also be applied online and more than 18,000 seats are offered weekly between India and Malaysia through Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, AirAsia, IndiGo, and Air India Express.

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