News

Maldives top international destination for Indian travellers; Thailand, UAE follow suit

Keeping at bay the fear of new COVID-19 demand, Indian travellers are tapping their pent-up demand. South Asian island nation Maldives is the top destination for Indian wanderers in terms of international travel, this is followed by Thailand and the United Arab Emirates as their next favourite travel destination, data from travel portal Agoda shows. For Indian travellers, domestic travel, however, remained the top choice for vacationing. Apart from the above mentioned nations, Switzerland, Indonesia, France, Singapore, the United States, United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey ranks among top destinations for Indian travellers. Indians are seeking out warmer climates in the festive season, Agoda said. And its South Asian counterparts from Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines are flocking to cooler weather such as the United Kingdom and the United States, it added. Countries that eased travel restrictions after the COVID-19 pandemic eased saw a rush in tourists, while the ones that maintained restrictions with outbreak of newer cases saw a decline. For instance, Japan, China and Hong Kong were among the top travel destinations in 2019 ie before the pandemic, however they did not make the cut of top travel choices since the respective governments maintained a closed border policy, according to Agoda. Tourists were quick to move to alternatives such as France, Turkey, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, as these countries emerged as top destination choices. Switzerland, famously known for rich milky chocolate and mesmerising alpine scenery, has etched itself into the top 10 destination list for all markets, the data showed. The surge in travel is also because May is the festive season and is popular among travellers across Southeast Asia. “For many regions, the Eid celebration this year marks the first time since the onset of the pandemic that Muslims are able to travel freely, reunite and celebrate following the easing of travel restrictions,” Agoda said.

Read more

Why is it necessary for senior citizens to travel to stay happy and healthy?

Throughout our lives, we are in a rat race to excel and fulfill all our responsibilities optimally. As we enter our silver years, the sole aim is to lead the rest of our lives happily and at peace. To achieve this aim, one of the best ways is to explore the world by travelling. As much as the elderly might avoid and refrain; travelling is the perfect resort for them to rejuvenate themselves and finally enjoy life the way they want to! Just like kids or the young, even they need a vacation for a variety of reasons- the primary one being that it boosts their physical, mental, and emotional health. Uplifts Mood and Changes Perspective A vacation to a serene destination can uplift their mood and bring about a shift in their perspective. The comfort of home and routine are indeed bliss. However, a change in location helps them explore life and gives them a chance to view situations holistically from different angles. The holiday can be a great break from the mundane routine and fill them with enthusiasm. It can motivate them to pursue life and various activities with a fresh mindset; be it decorating their homes, gardening, exercising, cooking, etc. Deepens Connections A trip with family paves the way for strengthening relationships. It allows the elderly to connect with their family members and indulge in deeper conversations. The magic of shared stories and various activities and programs provides ample opportunities to interact and create a memorable experience with your loved ones during travel. The seniors can finally savor a few moments of happiness and peace with their children and grandchildren which otherwise is tough amidst their fast-paced lives. Motivates them to Explore New Things in Life Visiting a new place for a holiday can be a learning experience for senior citizens. They get to explore not only new destinations but their cultures, traditions, art, architecture, history, food, etc. This adds excitement and thrill to their lives and drives them to be flexible and keep on trying new things in life. Helps Fight Stress and Negativity Stress is one of the most common conditions that old age people often face. They are surrounded by negativity since they have completed six decades of their lives while building their careers and giving the best to their families for almost half of it. Now, they might end up feeling lonely and frustrated. This mindset can impact not only their physical health but mental health as well. Travelling can be an abode to relieve stress and attain happiness. It can help fight all the negative emotions that they would be experiencing and keep stress at bay! Summing Up! Staying unhappy and negative can lead to various health conditions and can even be risky in the long run. It thus becomes imperative for the elderly to stay joyous and in the pink of their health. Travelling can be the ideal resort for the seniors to move ahead in their life with zeal and enthusiasm. For the elderly, it can be fruitful as it will drive them to stay healthy. With boosted health from physical, mental, and psychological aspects, they will end up being at peace and spend the rest of their lives happily!

Read more

Oktoberfest to go ahead in 2022 after pandemic break

The annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, will take place this year without any Coronavirus restrictions after being cancelled for the past two years due to the pandemic, Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said on Friday. "There will be an unrestricted (festival), which will hopefully give a lot of people a lot of pleasure," Reiter told a news conference, adding that he had instructed the festival's management to go ahead "without delay and without restrictions." The Oktoberfest is due to be held from September 17 to October 3. Reiter, who said he did not come to his decision lightly due to the pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine, added that there remained the possibility the Oktoberfest could be cancelled if government officials reinstate pandemic measures. "I hope that the situation will not come to a head in the autumn," he said. The Oktoberfest usually attracts around 6 million visitors to Munich a year, with many travelling from abroad. Revellers sit at long communal tables to swig beer, eat sausages, pretzel or pork knuckle, and listen to oompah bands.

Read more

Visitors to Fiji no longer need Covid tests

Effective from May 1, all fully vaccinated visitors to Fiji will no longer be required to produce a pre-arrival negative Covid-19 test prior to entry, a move that reduces costs and lends greater convenience to those travelling to the country, a government statement said on Friday. The change applies to all visitors entering Fiji by air or sea who were previously required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or rapid antigen test (RAT) prior to their arrival, reports Xinhua news agency. The Fijian government said that this step is in line with best practice for entry requirements among highly vaccinated societies and follows countries such as Australia and Singapore who have also removed Covid-19 testing as an entry prerequisite. The requirement to book an in-country pre-Covid RAT test, prior to departing for Fiji remains. The test must be done within 48-72 hours of arrival. Commencing May 1, the vaccination requirement for entry into Fiji has also been widened. All visitors above the age of 16 years must now display proof of full Covid-19 vaccination prior to entering the country. The lowering of the age requirement for the vaccine prerequisite comes as more children globally are granted access to vaccines. Fiji's key visitor markets have considerably high coverage of vaccination among those below the 18-year age threshold. The government said that requiring that all tourists aged 16 years and above provide proof of vaccination prior to visits to Fiji further reduces the risk of community transmission of Covid and allows the island nation to capture a greater percentage of the fully vaccinated tourism market. All other existing conditions for entry remain applicable. These moves follow Fiji's continued effort to strengthen its in-country testing programme and wider community surveillance efforts designed to ensure the safety of visitors and Fijians alike. The Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Taskforce will continue to review Fiji's entry requirements and safe measures, with a focus on strengthening community surveillance and the robustness of the in-country testing digital platform, supplemented by the already high vaccination rates. There have been no admissions of Covid-19 positive people to hospitals or deaths in the last four days even though there have been 21 new cases recorded this week, according to Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong in the latest update. Fiji, which has a population of around 900,000, reported its first confirmed Covid-19 cases in March 2020. It was hit by the second wave in April last year.

Read more

Kerala Tourism launches first Water Street in Maravanthuruthu, Kottayam

Kerala Tourism's first STREET project was inaugurated in Maravanthuruthu in Kottayam. Maravanthuruthu Water Street is the first of the 10 STREET (Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic Tourism hubs) projects identified to be developed by Kerala Tourism through Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala with the support of the Local Self Governments over the next four years. Water Street was inaugurated by the state Tourism Minister, P A Mohamed Riyas. Announcing the launch, the Tourism Minister said that the STREET projects are intended at giving a new look and feel to Kerala’s tourism offerings through experiential tourism. He said that Maravanthuruthu will be developed as a model of sustainable and experiential tourism destination with a dedicated water street festival in Maravanthuruthu later this year. The Minister also announced a special INR 1 crore package for Maravanthuruthu for infrastructure development. Under the aegis of the Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala and the local village panchayat around 18 canal networks and 3 rivers around the area were cleaned to enable water Street experiences in the area. The Minister inaugurated the Kayaking expeditions in Maravanthuruthu. According to RT Mission sources, night safaris through the canals will also be launched shortly in Maravanthuruthu. Riyas said that the target is to bring more unexplored destinations into the mainstream through the STREET project. Around 1000 additional RT units will be activated and integrated into the tourism eco-system with the establishment of the STREET projects, he said. The STREET projects are conceptualised under different themes like Green Street, Cultural Street, Ethnic Cuisine Street, Village Life Experiences, Experiential Tourism streets, Water Street, Art Street, etc. At least three thematic streets will be integrated into each Street destination, the Minister said. Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator of the RT Mission Kerala said that the Maravanthuruthu Steet project has seen overwhelming participation by the local people and the whole village joined the Water Street celebration by decorating and lighting up their streets in the traditional way. He said that a couple of more thematic experiences will be added to the destination in the coming days. Kerala Tourism has identified destinations like Kadalundi (Kozhikode); Maravanthuruthu and Manachira (Kottayam); Thrithala and Pattithara (Palakkad); Valiyaparamba (Kasaragod); Kanthallur (Idukki), Chekadi (Wayanad) and Ancharakandi and Pinarayi (Kannur) for STREET initiatives.

Read more

Karnataka Tourism To Organise 19-City Roadshow To Draw Domestic Traffic

Keeping the growth trends in the domestic market in mind, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka along with Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) shall organise multi-city roadshows from May 2022 to November 2022 to promote the tourism sector of the state. KSTDC has identified 19 cities across the country, which are the key source market for domestic arrivals. Guwahati, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nashik, Pune, Goa, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Chennai, Vijayawada, Hyderabad & Nagpur are the few select cities for hosting the roadshows. G. Jagadeesha, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation said “Karnataka with its diverse range of products is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive states for the travel-trade, both for leisure and business travel. Domestic Tourism being the backbone of the Tourism economy has a lot of potential which needs to be tapped. Post-pandemic, these Roadshow activities will be an excellent occasion for our stakeholders to renew contacts with the travel-trade across India.” The first leg of these B2B roadshow is being organized in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow on May 17th, May 21st, May 23rd and May 25th respectively. This exclusive B2B Roadshow will have over 15 stakeholders from Karnataka interacting with more than 100 travel agent’s/tour operators of the respective cities. The main objective of Karnataka Tourism is to promote the State as a destination for Leisure, MICE, Adventure, Wildlife and Wedding Destination in the Indian market. KSTDC shall be the nodal agency to conduct the roadshows in various cities of India.

Read more