News

Tourists pick farmhouses over hotels in Nashik

The farmhouses, which have mushroomed on the outskirts of the city, have become an attraction for the tourists coming to Nashik on weekends. Tourists prefer farmhouses for stays of two or three days with their family members instead of hotels. According to the Travel Agents Association of Nashik (TAAN), there are over 700 farmhouses in Nashik city-Igatpuri and Trimbakeshwar belt that have come up during the last few years. “Staying at a farmhouse became popular during the pandemic, Most the tourists felt farmhouses were safer than the hotels,” said Datta Bhalerao, a senior member of the TAAN. Owners of the farmhouses said this new concept is becoming popular and the farmhouse business is increasing in Nashik. These farmhouses provide all the basic facilities with adequate rooms that four to five families can easily use, said Shailesh Kute, the owner of a farmhouse. Farmhouses also provide cooks. “Some agencies are also providing online bookings for the farmhouses in Nashik. Tourists from Mumbai, Pune and Gujarat prefer farmhouses to spend one or two days,” said Kute. Bhalerao further said Nashik has emerged as the major tourist destination not only in Maharashtra but across the country due to its better climate, agrotourism hub, wineries and vineyards.

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Hong Kong Tourism announces revival plan showcasing new developments and experiences

In its annual tourism update event online, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced a revival plan that highlights Hong Kong’s vibrant developments and new experiences, aiming to generate a positive ambience and make the city a top-of-mind destination for worldwide travellers when travel resumes. With the theme, Together Towards New Horizons, Tourism Update 2022 attracted 3,200 trade representatives from travel agencies, attractions, hotels, airlines, retailers, restaurants, and meeting and exhibition organisers from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and overseas markets. The HKTB shared insights into the latest tourism trends and its work plan for the coming year. In his opening remarks, YK Pang, Chairman, HKTB highlighted Hong Kong’s return to normality. “The fifth wave of the pandemic is subsiding,” he said. “Hong Kong’s daily life and economic activities are now gradually returning to normal, allowing us to stage large-scale events and prepare to welcome back visitors.” “Throughout the pandemic, Hong Kong never stopped building and upgrading its tourism infrastructure. We will see the grand opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum this summer, while the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport is expected to go into service within the next couple of years. With these new infrastructure elements and the support of the Central and Hong Kong SAR Governments, Hong Kong’s competitive edge has held firm and we can head towards new horizons with confidence,” Pang added. In his presentation of the work plan for the coming year, Dane Cheng, Executive Director, HKTB described how the HKTB will focus first on generating a positive ambience in the city, stimulating consumption, and maintaining Hong Kong’s profile globally by launching , Hong Kong Summer Treats. The campaign will provide a wide range of discounts and promotional offerings and will begin with Arts in Hong Kong – a campaign that supports international art and cultural events, such as Art Basel, which will return in a physical format. When social distancing measures are further relaxed, the HKTB will arrange more world-class events in phases, including the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival and Hong Kong WinterFest, and give its support to other high-profile events such as the Hong Kong Sevens. Cheng further stressed the importance of ensuring a recovery at home in the run-up to the return of worldwide visitors. “These promotions will generate a positive ambience in Hong Kong and demonstrate how we have returned to normal. The HKTB will then launch extensive promotions, including the tactical ‘Open House Hong Kong’ campaign, to welcome back visitors when the time is right. To better respond to market needs, we will also strive to enhance the visitor journey into a seamless experience through a comprehensive digital transformation,” Cheng said. He revealed, "The HKTB has conducted extensive research in 16 markets and found Hong Kong is still well-loved by travellers worldwide. They have specifically identified some major driving factors to visit Hong Kong, including cleanliness, local culture, in-depth experiences, unique cuisine, high accessibility, and ease of communication. These factors are not only core strengths of Hong Kong but also match the trends and tastes of the post-Covid travel era.

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Domestic and international traffic catches up with pre-Covid levels

Notwithstanding the looming uncertainties in the international travel market, the Indian aviation market witnessed promising growth in the month of April 2022, both on the international and domestic front. The domestic air travel numbers continued to surge ahead for the second month above the 10 million mark. An estimated 10.5 million people travelled by air in April which was only 5 per cent lower compared to the April 2019 (pre-pandemic) numbers. On a year-on-year basis, the growth in April 2022 was 83 per cent more than the same period last year. Also, for April 2022, the international passenger traffic for Indian carriers witnessed a surge to 1.85 million, which marginally surpassed pre-Covid levels. India had opened its skies for international scheduled flights as per the bilateral agreements from March 27, 2022. The airlines’ capacity deployment for April 2022 was 36 per cent higher than April 2021 (81,777 departures in April 2022 against 59,967 departures in April 2021). On a sequential basis, the number of departures in April 2022 was higher by around 2 per cent, given the near normalcy seen in business operations. However, sequentially, the domestic passenger traffic in April 2022 was almost flat compared to 10.7 million in March 2022. While the travel demand has shown encouraging recovery, the report cautions against the rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices due to ongoing geopolitical issues which might slow down the recovery. The average number of passengers per flight during April 2022 was 128, against an average of 133 passengers per flight in March 2022 and lower than an average of 135 passengers per flight in April 2019. Commenting on the trends, Suprio Banerjee, Vice President & Sector Head, ICRA, said, “Though recovery in passenger traffic is expected to be relatively fast-paced in FY2023, given the near normalcy situation seen in domestic airline operations, overhang of any further Covid wave looms on the sector. Elevated ATF prices aggravated by geo-political issues will remain a nearterm challenge for the industry and will continue to weigh on the profitability of Indian carriers.”

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Jazeera Airways launches new routes to Vienna and Prague

Jazeera Airways launched two new routes serving Vienna, Austria and Prague, Czech Republic. The services will come as a part of the airline’s summer schedule which includes the return of popular leisure destinations. Speaking of the expansion, Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said, “We are very excited to be launching two new services or this summer season, giving our customers more choice to enjoy a vacation filled with activities and cultural experiences with family or friends. Demand for unique tourist destinations is very high following two years of travel restrictions. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard these new flights very soon.” Flights to Vienna are scheduled on Mondays and Thursdays staring June 2, while flights to Prague will be operated on Tuesdays and Sundays, starting June 5

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Qantas announces programme to bolster domestic travel

The Australian national carrier Qantas is set to launch hundreds of "points planes" offering super cheap domestic flights in a bid to drum up domestic travel during the country's winter months. The programme is the airline's latest effort to balance their frequent flyer sheets as customers have accumulated massive stockpiles of points during the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the airline introduced a "Green Tier" programme, which awards customers with frequent flyer points based on their sustainable choices. From June, passengers who are travelling between Australia's capital cities will enjoy discounts of 30 per cent while booking economy seats. Additionally, 1,700 "points planes" are set to launch, where every seat could be purchased using frequent flyers. Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said, on Monday, that the programmes would help boost tourism across the nation in the coming months. "We've seen a huge increase in demand for regional travel since the start of the pandemic and these Points Planes will help tens of thousands of frequent flyers discover regional Australia this winter." This means that jet-setters could pay as little as 41 Australian dollars (about 29 US dollars) to fly between Sydney and Townsville, a small city in the Australian state of Queensland, when used in conjunction with points. The most recent data from Australia's federal transport research body, the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, showed that domestic aviation is still well below pre-pandemic levels. In February of 2022, 2.69 million passengers travelled domestically, up from 1.87 million in February of 2021, but well below 4.6 million passengers in February of 2020 before disruptions due to the pandemic.

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Electric buses to ferry tourists from Manali to Rohtang pass

Tourists can now enjoy a smooth ride to the Rohtang pass at 13,050 feet in eco-friendly electric buses at a very reasonable cost, and that too without the need of booking the permit online. To promote sustainable tourism, the Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC) is running electric buses on Manali-Rohtang-Atal tunnel-Manali route, and at present three buses are plying on this route. As the demand is growing, more such buses are expected in the next few days. Tourists are being charged INR 600 for a seat for both way journey from Manali bus stand. HRTC Regional Manager at Kullu, D K Narang, said, “The bus starts from Manali in the morning and takes tourists to Rohtang pass via Kothi, Gulaba and Marhi. It stops at Rohtang so that tourists can enjoy the snow. Then it goes to Koksar in Lahaul valley and returns back to Manali via Atal tunnel .” Narang added that the tourists travelling to Manali in HRTC Volvo buses are being informed about the electric bus service by the bus staff. He said once the bus is charged in Manali, it can come back to the depot as it automatically gets recharged while using regenerative braking. Permit for private vehicle to visit Rohtang pass is booked online and is not available easily in summer season. “Permits are given to only 1,200 vehicles every day. Tourists travelling in electric buses need not seek a permit,” he added. While electric bus service to Rohtang pass has provided relief to tourists, local taxi operators, who are dependent on Rohtang for their livelihood, are upset. They have demanded that the government must lift the 1,200 vehicles bar to Rohtang. “Over 3,000 taxi operators are earning livelihood only because of Rohtang pass. Our work has been hit after opening of Atal tunnel. Now, the bus service is a big threat to our livelihood,” local taxi operator Bhim Singh said.

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