News

Italy relaxes Covid-19 travel restrictions and here’s all you need to know

With things slowly and steadily returning to a normal post-Covid-19 pandemic, Italy too, like many countries across the globe, has relaxed Covid-19 travel restrictions. According to the country’s latest travel guidelines, visitors will now no longer need to fill out the EU passenger locator form at the airport check-in form, a long and complicated process previously used to facilitate international contact tracing. The Covid-19 Green Health Pass which was earlier mandatory to enter public spaces like restaurants, movie halls, and gyms, is now no longer a requirement. However, to visit hospitals and nursing homes, one still needs to produce a green pass showing proof of vaccination, recovery from Covid-19 or a recent negative test result. As Italy gears up for the tourist season, it has kept the mask mandate. The country continues to keep the mask mandate for public places like public transport, movies and in all health care facilities. Masks are no longer a requirement inside malls, supermarkets and workplaces. Italy is expecting a normal tourist season after two years of pandemic and lockdowns.

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MoT to conduct district-wise tourist survey in the Northeast region

The objective of the tourist survey is to compile the data of tourist visits – both domestic and foreign tourists to each district in the Northeastern states and the UTs. The survey will be conducted at three levels – major tourist destinations in the district; entry and exit points of the district; and at the accommodation units of the district – as per the request for empanelment floated by the Tourism Ministry recently. The government has invited consultancy firms, government organisations and institutions with experience in the field for empanelment as survey agencies for the job. The whole survey, as per the RFP, has to be conducted in two phases. The state level agencies will prepare the list of major destinations in the districts, the entry and exit points and accommodation units to be covered. The proposed plan is likely to include headers such as promotion of all North-East unique festivals; a prominent branding/positioning for the North-East at the upcoming SATTE event; familiarisation trips for tour operators and mediapersons to the North-East; digital promotion of all North-East unique tourism products, North-East Roadshow in Northern India (like tourist generating cities such as Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, etc.), among others. National Productivity Council (NPC) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has been commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism to develop an integrated and automated dashboard for submission of the Domestic and Foreign Tourist data. The field surveyors will be enabled with a mobile application to collect these data which will be fed into the automated dashboard for compilation of the data.By conducting the survey, the government intends to find out various aspects of tourist visits to the region and to the states in the region in terms of the purpose of visit, mode of visit, the average stay in a destination, mode of accommodation used, etc.

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US CDC says travellers should still wear masks on airplanes

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended travelers continue to wear masks in airplanes, trains and airports despite a judge's April 18 order declaring the 14-month-old transportation mask mandate unlawful. The CDC said it based its recommendation on current COVID-19 conditions and spread as well as the protective value of masks. The Justice Department last month filed notice it will appeal the ruling and it has until May 31 to do so. But the government has made no effort to seek immediate court action to reinstate the mandate. The mask mandate had been due to expire on Tuesday just before midnight unless the CDC sought an extension of a Transportation Security Administration directive. A CDC spokeswoman said, "As a result of a court order, the mask order is no longer in effect and is not being enforced." At a Senate hearing Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cast doubt on the idea that the administration wanted to reimpose the mask mandate. "The appeal concerns whether the CDC has the authority to (require masks) in this pandemic or in any pandemic, which is completely distinct from whether a mask mandate ought to be applied any given day," Buttigieg said. Buttigieg said he agreed that based on conditions on April 13 when the mandate was extended for 15 days that it should have been allowed to expire but said it was a CDC decision. Hours after the April 18 ruling, the Biden administration said it would no longer enforce the mask mandate, which prompted airlines to let passengers end wearing masks mid-flight. Passengers report now that on some flights 10% or fewer air travelers are wearing masks.

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With big recovery hopes, Kerala Tourism industry goes all out behind KTM

Kerala Tourism department and the private tourism industry in the state are all geared to make the first opportunity to showcase the state after a two-year-long global pandemic a big event. Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the flagship travel exhibition for Destination Kerala, is all set to begin in the commercial capital of the state, Kochi, from tomorrow. The Governor of the state, Arif Mohammad Khan will open the travel mart, in the presence of over 300 hosted buyers from 69 countries of the world. More than 1200 domestic buyers from 25 states in the country will also attend the business-to-business event which will last till May 8. MA Yusuff Ali, Chairman of LuLu Group will be the guest of honour at the inaugural event. The inaugural event will be at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty and the expo at the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centre in Willingdon Island. The organisers expect no less than 55,000 buyerseller meetings during the three-day travel exhibition and destination showcase. “We are quite hopeful that the event will mark the revival of tourism in the state in a big way. The overwhelming interest of buyers from 25 states in the country and the presence of over 300 buyers from 69 countries of the world to participate in the event is a great assurance for the industry,” said Baby Mathew, President, KTM Society on the eve of the event. Mathew said that for the first time in the history of the KTM they have extended an invitation to all the legislators from the State Assembly, Members of the Parliament from Kerala, Ministers, and leaders of all the political parties in the state, to attend the event. “We want them to understand the importance of the tourism sector and the strength of the sector,” he said. In order to create a buzz for the forthcoming Champions Boat League (CBL), a competitive boat race designed in the lines of cricket and football leagues, the organisers have arranged a mock promotional boat race for the KTM visitors in Kochi backwaters before the grand opening tomorrow. Extending support to the global sustainable tourism goals, the organisers have taken the decision to make KTM 2022 a paperless and plastic-free event. There will be an increased focus on new tourism products within Adventure Tourism, Caravan Tourism, Responsible Tourism, etc., at the KTM 2022 showcase.

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Much awaited Chardham Yatra begins today in Uttarakhand

The Chardham Yatra commenced today in Uttarakhand with the opening of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, formally initiated the Chardham Yatra when he reached the Gangotri shrine and registered himself for entry. He was provided with a wristband with a QR code. Registration of every pilgrim coming to the state for the Chardham Yatra has been made mandatory. So far more than 350,000 pilgrims have already confirmed their registration. The first worship at the Gangotri shrine was performed on behalf of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, followed by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, offering worship at the temple praying for the well being of the citizens in the state and of the country. “The Chardham Yatra begins today, and I welcome all the pilgrims to Uttarakhand, and I hope that each of you has a comfortable and safe yatra. We are committed to providing flawless hospitality and ensuring that you have a memorable experience,” said the Chief Minister. Pushkar Singh Dhami also called on the priests at Yamunotri Shrine and conveyed his greetings to them on the occasion. The Uttarakhand Tourism Minister, Satpal Maharaj, also expressed his pleasure over the commencement of the Chardham Yatra in the state. He said that the state is fully geared to welcome the pilgrims to the Devbhumi. He urged the people of Uttarakhand to provide the best amenities to the pilgrims expected to arrive in large numbers during the season. Tourism Secretary, Dilip Jawalkar, said that the state expects a record turnout of pilgrims this year, considering there has been a gap of two years due to the pandemic. He highlighted that in addition to the offline registration at multiple locations, the Uttarakhand government has also launched online registration as well for the convenience of the incoming pilgrims. One can visit https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/ for online registration. The portals of Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines will open on May 6 and 8 respectively followed by the Hemkund Sahib, which will open on May 22

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Travel Agents say domestic flight fares are up 20-25%

The effects of the Russia-Ukraine war are showing in airfares as they have soared by 20%-25% for domestic flights from Chandigarh International Airport, according to travel agents. Chandigarh-based travel agent Parminder Singh Sethi of Riverpool Holidays said the rise had taken place in the domestic sector. "Though we are getting bookings, travellers are feeling the pinch," he said. An airline operator at Chandigarh airport said the fare on the Delhi route has risen from INR 2,700-INR 3,100 to INR 4,200-INR 4,500, while the rates for Mumbai had increased from INR 5,500-INR 5,700 to INR 8,300-INR 8,500 per passenger. The airfare from Chandigarh to Bengaluru is now beween INR 6,500 and INR 7,500 per passenger for a single trip. This figure was INR 5,300- INR 5,800 per passenger earlier. Apart from this, the flexi fare policy to buy air tickets for the coming day is costlier. Under flexi fare, the air ticket for Delhi is priced at INR 5,800-INR 6,500. For Mumbai, it is between INR 9,800 and INR 10,000. The figure is INR 12,000-INR 13,500 for Bengaluru.

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