News

Kuwait lifts many travel restrictions; no quarantine for fully vaccinated passengers

Kuwait has lifted many of its travel restrictions and has announced revised guidelines for travellers. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) State of Kuwait has announced that fully vaccinated travellers will not have to undergo mandatory quarantine on arrival. The government of Kuwait has also said that all passengers (except visa on arrival in Kuwait) can enter the city-state despite their vaccination status. According to new travel guidelines, those who are fully vaccinated and have taken a booster dose, are no longer required to take a pre-departure and on arrival RT PCR test in Kuwait. Such travellers are also exempted from home quarantine upon arrival. On the other hand, if a traveller is partially vaccinated, or hasn’t received the second dose of vaccine over nine months ago, they’ll have to undergo a mandatory home quarantine for seven days on arrival along with on-arrival testing. Such travellers will get an option of ending the quarantine by showing a negative PCR test report. Unvaccinated travellers or the ones who have not completed the full dose of vaccination will also have to carry their negative PCR test report not older than 72 hours. Kids under 16 are exempted from the testing requirement. The Kuwait DGCA has also asked travellers to take a Rapid Home test if they are experiencing any symptoms of the virus.

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Gujrat : Tourism sector poised to make 40% recovery

With several foreign countries opening their borders for tourists, the outbound tourism business in Gujarat has embarked on a journey to recovery. Estimates of Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI), Gujarat, suggest that the tourism industry in the state is looking at a 40% recovery in business from summer bookings, primarily driven by international travel. The international outbound travel business in Gujarat was estimated to be about Rs 400 crore for the summer season in 2019. With international holiday bookings to the US, Canada, Switzerland, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and the UK resuming, TAFI estimates that the business will recover by at least 40%, that is about Rs 160 crore. Manish Sharma, chairman, TAFI-Gujarat, said: “With Covid-19 cases receding, countries easing norms for tourists, and disposable incomes going up, tourism bookings appear to be bullish.” Sharma added: “There is a likelihood of other countries opening their borders for international tourists.” He went on to say: “We hope that the government resumes international flight operations which will help boost the tourism industry in the state.” With limited flights to international destinations such as London, Switzerland, and the US, airfares have surged by at least 30% leading to an increase in the costs of holidays. Even so, the uptakes for international travel are good. “With Switzerland opening up to tourists, people have begun making bookings for their summer holidays and the airfare surge is no deterrence,” said Virendra Shah, president, Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI), Gujarat. “People have not taken international holidays over the past two years and therefore they are keen on travelling.” Shah added: “Inquiries are pouring in for Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia as well. People are waiting for these countries to clarify Covid-19 protocols and rules for international tourists.” He went on to say: “If flights resume, these will be highly preferred destinations.” Tour operators said that among domestic destinations, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Northeast have good uptakes.

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Student travel bookings jump significantly as offline classes start

After a gap of two years, as educational institutions start resuming offline classes, the renewed enthusiasm is evident as student travel picks up again. As per data on travel booking portal, MakeMyTrip, there has been a 60 per cent increase in searches and bookings from and for students in the first two weeks of February, in comparison to previous weeks. Additionally, nearly 80 per cent of these searches are for travel within the next fortnight, signalling a gradual increase in bookings for immediate travel. Speaking to India Today Television, MakeMyTrip said in the coming days, as more institutes across the country announce resumption of offline classes, the booking window is expected to shorten further, with many students booking tickets within a few days from the date of travel. The online portal said it had observed "a significant surge" in air travel from non-metros to metros. As per data available with it, bookings on the platform by students between non-metros to metros has grown two-fold from February 1 to February 15, this year. For instance, routes including Guwahati to Delhi, Kolkata to Bengaluru, Kochi to Delhi, Lucknow to Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar to Delhi, Kolkata to Chennai, Guwahati to Bengaluru, and Lucknow to Delhi have seen 100 per cent or more growth in bookings in February. With the travel industry having suffered multiple setbacks over the past couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this heartening news has brought much cheer. To encourage this trend, MakeMyTrip has launched ‘Reward Young Minds referral program’ for students to earn credit and to avail extra discounts on their next flight booking through the platform.

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Indian Railways Runs Shri Ramayana Yatra Train From 22nd Feb'22

The Shri Ramayana Yatra special train from Delhi is starting from Tuesday by the Indian Railways. As per the earlier schedule, the train was supposed to run from Delhi on February 9 but the date was later extended to February 22 owing to surge in Covid-19 cases. Notably, the Shri Ramayana Yatra special train is part of IRCTC’s series of Shri Ramayana Yatra Tours to promote the religious tourism. Last year in November, the train had covered its first journey from Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station to Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram via Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya and Varanasi. The Shri Ramayana Yatra special train covers Ayodhya, Sitamadhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Shringverpur, Nasik, Buxar, Kanchipuram, and Bhadrachalam among others in 19 nights/20 days. The train has a capacity of 132 passengers in two categories- 2AC and 1AC. Earlier, the journey of the Shri Ramayana train used to be of 17 days, but now the journey of the train will be of 20 days. In the new timetable, three new religious places associated with Lord Shri Rama have also been added. At present, the train passengers will also visit Bihar’s Buxar, Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram and Telangana’s Bhadrachalam. The earlier ticket fare was less due to the lesser number of places and travel time but it has now increased. As per the latest updates, the fare of the first AC will be Rs 1.25 lakh, which was earlier Rs 1.02 lakh. Moreover, the fare of the second AC has gone up to Rs 98,000, which was earlier Rs 82,000. The Shri Ramayana Yatra special train is equipped with many facilities such as two rail dining restaurants, a modern kitchen car, a foot massager for passengers, a library, clean toilets etc. Moreover, the Shri Ramayana Express tour package includes vegetarian food, tourist sightseeing by buses and accommodation in AC hotels.

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Etihad Airways unveils summer holiday flights

Travellers with Etihad Airways can look forward to a new destination this summer, along with the return of popular seasonal routes to Europe and the Indian Ocean. Starting June 15th, the carrier will launch a seasonal twice-per-week service to Crete, the largest island in Greece. The flights are set to be operated on an Airbus A320 aircraft and will connect Abu Dhabi to the main city of Heraklion. Lying in the Aegean Sea, Crete offers travellers a rich tapestry of spectacular landscapes, cuisine and culture, with traditional villages and historic sites dating back thousands of years, such as the 4,000-year-old Palace of Knossos. The airline will also return to Malaga, Santorini and Zanzibar this summer. All four destinations are set to be operated from mid-June. “Etihad Airways is delighted to provide travellers with more choice for their summer vacations in 2022,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president sales and cargo at Etihad. “Crete is an ideal summer destination for travellers who are looking for a mix of beach and mountain adventures, and along with the hotspots of Malaga, Santorini and Zanzibar, makes for a perfect addition to Etihad’s summer network.”

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Panaji beach carnival to be held this month, boosting local culinary scene

Panaji is all set to host its very first beach carnival with an eye on UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list. The carnival is going to be hosted this month in the city of Panaji in Goa. According to Angelo Fernandes, Panaji Corporation Commissioner, "The Beach Carnaval will focus on a bouquet of culinary experiences and help put local 'foodpreneurs' on the map.” Panaji has partnered with FIERCE Kitchens, which is a Culinary Incubator, to make the beach carnival a success. A dedicated zone shall be available for food entrepreneurs at the walkway that is along the beautiful Miramar Beach. It is a great opportunity for local entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative foods. The UCCN is a project that was launched in 2004. It helps to promote cooperation among cities that recognises creativity as an instrumental part in urban development. Thus the beach carnival organised here in Panaji is going to focus on the culinary experiences of the city, and Goa as a whole. This will greatly help food-entrepreneurs who have small businesses that took a hit during the pandemic. The pandemic halted travel, and Goa was one of the major places that was affected by it. According to Fernandes, "The pandemic has been tough on many. During the pandemic many people have turned into foodpreneurs, opening small-scale, aat-home' businesses offering a variety of food. These ventures are largely driven by passion. We have decided to put the spotlight on foodpreneurs this year in an effort by the city to encourage them and offer the foodpreneurs a platform to showcase their creations."

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