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Valley of Flowers trek in Uttarakhand to begin from June 1, 2022

Good news for trekkers! The famous Valley of Flowers trek in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is all set to open from June 1, 2022. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valley of Flowers falls in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. The place is home to some colourful and incredible flowers such as marigold and orchids. Besides, one can also see a range of birds, butterflies and animals in the region. For those planning the trek must do it before October 31, 2022 as the trek will shut after this. The entire valley is blessed with the rare and exotic Himalayan flora and is home to over 300 species of flowers including anemones, geraniums, primulas, blue poppy and bluebell. But the most awesome flower to witness here is the Brahma Kamal, which is also the state flower of Uttarakhand. The mighty Himalayan ranges play a perfect background against these pretty flowers. The trek goes through some dense forests, and takes trekkers along the Pushpawati River. A number of pretty bridges, glaciers and waterfalls fall on the way. Considered as one of the most scenic spots in India, the Valley of Flowers along with the gorgeous national park, attracts travellers and trekkers from across the globe. The charming meadows of alpine flowers, the richness of flora and fauna, and the wonderful view of snow-clad peaks can’t be experienced anywhere else. If you get lucky, you can also witness sheep, musk deer, bear and snow leopards in the region.

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Sun, sea and now smoke free: Barcelona bans cigarettes on the beach

Barcelona beachgoers will no longer have to contend with cigarette butts or passive smoke starting in July when Spain's second largest city will ban smoking on all its beaches, the city hall said on Friday. The decision comes after a pilot project las year saw smoking banned on four of the city's 10 local beaches. "Beaches with no smoking allowed will offer healthier communal living areas, with less waste and will respect the defence of environment," the statement said. Several Spanish regions imposed bans in 2020 to clamp down on the spread of Covid-19, while others like the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, had already adopted the measure before the pandemic for environmental reasons. The Canary Islands, Andalusia, Galicia and Valencia have followed suit with partial or total bans of smoking on their beaches.

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Shanghai to start easing Covid-19 lockdown after another mass testing

China's largest city of Shanghai will soon begin lifting lockdown in communities that report no positive cases within 14 days after another round of Covid-19 testing, authorities said Saturday. The fresh round of testing comes as the city reported about 23,000 cases on Saturday, most of them asymptomatic. Large swathes of Shanghai, with a population of 26 million, have been under lockdown since March 28, leading to complaints from residents about shortages of food and basic necessities. Separately, Guangzhou authorities announced that the city northwest of Hong Kong would also begin mass testing its 18 million residents, according to central broadcaster CCTV. The city reported only two confirmed infections on Friday. Under the new measures, areas in Shanghai will be classified as “precautionary,” “controlled” on “locked down,” depending on the results of the latest round of testing, Shanghai Vice Mayor Zong Ming told a news conference. Residents in areas deemed to be “precautionary” with no infections within the last two weeks will be able to move around their district, although gatherings will still be restricted. Meanwhile, in “controlled” areas, residents can move around in their neighbourhoods, which are smaller than districts, while “locked down” areas will require everyone to stay at home. During the news conference, Zong choked up with emotion, saying that she was moved by the efforts of residents and front-line workers. “There is still a big gap from everyone’s expectations. We will do our best to improve it,” she said. The city has built over 100 makeshift hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients with over 160,000 beds. But the harsh restrictions on movement have also tested residents' patience. Some have received government food packages containing meat and vegetables. Many, however, are struggling to obtain rice and other basics, with online vendors sold out and delivery services unable to keep up with demand. China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began. It is one of the only countries sticking to a “zero Covid” policy, taking drastic measures such as lockdowns and mass testing to identify and isolate every single case. China is still closed to international travel, even as most of the world has sought ways to live with the virus.

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US tells citizens to avoid Shanghai, Hong Kong on ‘arbitrary’ Covid travel curbs

The US State Department asked Americans to reconsider travel to China and avoid visiting virus hotspots including Shanghai due to what it calls an “arbitrary enforcement” of Covid-19 restrictions amid the country’s worst outbreak. In a travel advisory issued on Friday, Washington highlighted Hong Kong, and Jilin province in north-eastern China in addition to Shanghai as places Americans should not travel to “due to Covid-19-related restrictions, including the risk of parents and children being separated.” Non-emergency employees and their family members from the US consulate in Shanghai are also allowed to leave. The city reported more than 23,600 new cases on Friday. The US embassy in China has notified Chinese officials of the voluntary departure decision and raised concerns regarding the ongoing outbreak and Beijing’s Covid response, according to a US embassy spokesperson. The move to allow voluntary departure of US consulate employees in Shanghai and discourage Americans from visiting China’s mega cities Shanghai and Hong Kong could exacerbate tensions that already run high between the world’s two biggest economies amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. China is struggling to stop the hyper-infectious omicron variant with lockdowns in several cities and repeated mass testing as it clings to a zero-tolerance approach. Known as Covid Zero, the strategy has become less effective in preventing domestic flareups due to the growing contagiousness of new variants and more disruptive to economic activities and people’s lives. China’s adherence to it has left the country increasingly isolated in a world that have largely moved to reopening borders and living with the virus. The lockdown of 25 million people in Shanghai and another 24 million in Jilin Province spurred growing angst and discontent among locals confined to their homes, as food supplies dwindled and others had difficulties in accessing timely healthcare. Officials have vowed better support for those under lockdown in recent days and reiterated the need to keep the Covid Zero strategy amid growing questions from the public on whether it’s starting to cause more harm than good.

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Kashmir witnesses record-breaking tourist footfall this year, highest in decade

Kashmir, the Heaven on Earth received a record-breaking tourist footfall this year, the highest in a decade. The major attraction for tourists is Asia's largest "tulip garden" which was opened for visitors on March 23. People are enjoying the beauty of 1.5 million multicoloured tulips under the foothills of the Zabarwan mountains. "If we compare the figures for the past 10 years, then the Valley is recording the best footfall this year. Keeping in view the COVID-19 pandemic situation, we have done rigorous campaigning for tourism. We also used the social media platforms," said Dr GN Itoo, Director Tourism Kashmir told ANI. Dr Usha, a visitor said, "I have come from Kerala. Kashmir is really very beautiful place. In this valley, the weather is very pleasing and we are having a nice time here." "This is my first visit to Kashmir which is also called the Heaven on Earth. I have never seen such a beautiful place and a garden in my life. After the difficult times of Covid-19, we felt like visiting this heavenly place," Sharda, another visitor said. Samarth, a tourist from Delhi has also recommended people visit Kashmir valley at least once in their lifetime. "I have come on a trip to Kashmir for the first time. I was really excited to visit Tulip garden," he added. Meanwhile, Mohamad Afzal, a photographer expressed his happiness over receiving an impressive number footfall in the Kashmir valley this year. "For the last two years, we were facing huge losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourists were not coming here to visit. But now, around two lakh tourists have come here and we are expecting more in the coming days. This is the only source of income for us," the photographer stated.

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Go First, Visa Lounge to offer evisa to all countries that offer online visas

Go First (formerly known as GoAir) recently announced its association with eVisa service provider Visa Lounge, to offer their e-visa on flygofirst.com, to all countries that offer online visas. Go First passengers can apply for Visa online and enjoy a hassle-free travel experience. This can be done by accessing the "Visa Services" section on the platform, which will be managed and operated exclusively by Visa Lounge. Visa Lounge's innovation offers a simple one-form, one-click solution on one single platform, for all countries. Thus simplifying the entire process. This proves beneficial not only to the passengers, but an integration with a wellknown airline like Go First also helps drive incremental revenue to capitalise on the changing travel economy. Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First, said, “Go First remains firm to its commitment to excellence in service delivery, and this service is yet another initiative to offer optimal customer delight. We live in an age where time is of prime essence and this service will help passengers to save a lot of time and effort, making their travel experience seamless. We are delighted to have Visa Lounge as our partner and we look forward to serving our customers together.” "As restrictions ease across the world, this association comes at a crucial time for the travel industry, as part of Visa Lounge's commitment to aid travellers (individual and corporates alike) to take to the skies once again, in the most convenient way possible. We tasked ourselves with finding a solution built on our technology to help compress timelines and accelerate the road to recovery. We are proud to say that this innovative solution allows travellers to purchase their e-visa’s in the most simplistic way possible", says Clevio Monteiro, Chief Executive Officer, Visa Lounge.

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