News

Separate Tatkal app for Rail passengers! One stop destination to solve all your emergency travel hassles

In what would come as a big respite for train passengers who need to book emergency tickets or in the wake of a sudden travel plan, the Indian Railways has come up with a specific app that provides Tatkal services. The service has been listed under ConfirmTICKET Mobile App. ConfirmTkt is the official IRCTC partner train app for the Indian Railways that allows users to book train tickets, check seat availability, check train schedules and save them to access offline. Users can also file TDR for e-tickets or cancel tickets at any time using the app. The ConfirmTICKET Mobile App provides the information regarding available seats under Tatkal quota. And what is more useful for the train passengers is that they don’t have to feed in the names of different trains under their sought after route. Instead this app allows for the users to view the information regarding all the details of Tatkal seats available on different trains running on that particular route. It is like an umbrella of information regarding Tatkal seats on various trains running on a particular route. For example X, Y, Z trains run on route A. Passengers in that case will not have to search for tatkal tickets for X, Y, Z trains separately. Using the app, they can view the status of all the Tatkal seats for all the trains running in route A. The app can be downloaded from Google play store. The app also has a master list for ticket booking that takes care of all your needs. Users can save their travel details before confirming their booking. This eases the burden when passengers opt for final booking. As per Tatkal booking norms, the tickets will be open for booking from 10 am, after which passengers can make their online booking and online payment. Passengers should however note that their Tatkal ticket booked via this app could either be confirmed or could be in the wait list also. IRCTC said that the app provides a quick, easy and convenient way to book train tickets or enquire about them in just a few clicks. Tickets can be booked in 3 easy steps while passengers will also get 24x7 assistance.

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Singapore to relax COVID-19 restrictions for vaccinated travellers from February 22

Starting February 22, the Singapore government will relax entry and testing requirements for Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) passengers. However, people arriving from India will need to carry a negative PCR test report or rapid antigen test, not older than 48 hours. As per Singapore Airlines (SIA), fully vaccinated passengers travelling to Singapore on VTL flights from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai will have their travel history requirement reduced from 14 to 7 days. Eligibility for VTL flights According to SIA, travellers should not have travel history (including transit) outside of VTL countries/regions, or outside of countries/regions listed as Category I, namely Macao, Mainland China, and Taiwan by Singapore’s Ministry of Health in the past seven days. A statement released by the SIA read, “If the traveller has been in Singapore within those last seven days, his/her stay in Singapore can be counted towards fulfilling this seven-day travel history requirement.” Secondly, long-term pass holders will no longer have to apply for a vaccinated travel pass (VTP). As per the statement, on-arrival testing requirements at Singapore will also be relaxed. A testing notice, with a weblink to book tests upon entry into Singapore, will be issued to the passengers. If the above antigen test is negative, no further tests will be needed. Currently, Singapore Airlines is operating 52 flights to Singapore from eight cities in India.

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Taj Mahotsav to begin from March 20 in Agra, all details here

The Taj Mahotsav 2022 is all set to be held from March 20 to March 29 this year. This 10-day cultural festival is held in Agra every year, and is well-known as a gourmet, art, culture and craft festival. Earlier, it was scheduled to be held from February 18 to February 27, but had to be rescheduled due to Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. As per the reports, this year’s 10-day celebration theme will be Aazadi ke Amrit Mahotsav sang, Taj ke rang. While announcing the postponement, Deputy Director of Uttar Pradesh Tourism RK Rawat stated that due to the ongoing assembly elections, the annual fair of Taj Mahotsav has been postponed, whereas preparations are going on full swing for the fair to be organised between March 20 and 29. If reports are to go by, this event started in 1992 with the aim of promoting the creative art of craftsmen and encouraging them to showcase their respective skills. During this occasion, various cultural performances by national and international famed artists are witnessed which make this event a confluence of traditions and cultures. Details of Taj Mahotsav 2022 Taj Mahotsav dates: Revised dates are from March 20 to March 29, 2022. Timings: As per the official website of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, the celebration will commence between 10 AM - 10 PM. Venue: The event will be held in Shilpgram, which is a well-known crafts village in Agra, UP, and is located not so far from the Taj Mahal. Ticket price: No entry tickets for kids below 5 years of age. Adults will have to buy tickets worth INR 40 to enter the festival, while a group of 100 school students can get an entry for INR 500. Foreigners can visit the Taj Mahotsav free of cost.

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Israel to open to unvaccinated tourists from March

Israel has announced that starting from March 1 it will open borders to all tourists, including the unvaccinated. All tourists would be required to undergo two PCR tests, one prior to departure and the other after landing, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said in a joint statement on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. For Israeli nationals, the requirement to take an antigen test before boarding the plane was cancelled. Instead, only a PCR test upon arrival will be mandatory. The unvaccinated Israelis will need no quarantine if with a negative result of a PCR test at the airport. "We are seeing a steady decline in the morbidity data," Bennett said in the statement. "At the moment, the situation in Israel is good," he noted, adding that this was "the result of correct and dynamic management." Currently, only vaccinated tourists are allowed to enter the country. Israel restricted the entry of foreign visitors in March 2020 and later eased the restrictions. As cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant were detected in late 2021, the country virtually closed its skies to foreign tourists.

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Travel Insurance Market May See a Big Move

Global Travel Insurance Industry Market Research Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2020 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Worldwide Spread) is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market risk side analysis, highlighting opportunities and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The report provides information on market trends and development, growth drivers, technologies, and the changing investment structure of the Global Travel Insurance Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Tokio Marine, MH Ross, Seven Corners, Pingan Baoxian, Generali, AIG, Groupama, USI Affinity, Hanse Merkur, Mapfre Asistencia, Sompo Japan, CSA Travel Protection, AXA, Allianz, STARR & Munich RE. Travel Insurance research study defines market size of various segments & countries by historical years and forecast the values for next 6 years. The report is assembled to comprise qualitative and quantitative elements of Travel Insurance industry including: market share, market size (value and volume 2015-2020, and forecast to 2026) that admires each country concerned in the competitive marketplace. Further, the study also caters and provides in-depth statistics about the crucial elements of Travel Insurance which includes drivers & restraining factors that helps estimate future growth outlook of the market. Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Oversea Tourism & Domestic Tourism

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Northern Railway to launch radio in trains with Ooka Radio

Northern Railway has initiated a new programme with a start-up Ooka Radio. The aim is to provide full entertainment to travelers in trains & give a feel about cities they are traveling to. Ooka Radio, an in-door entertainment company, is all set to partner with Northern Railways trains Shatabdi & Vande Bharat Express for all routes of the Delhi division. "Loaded with new technology, Ooka Shatabdi Radio will play the music/songs in customized patterns according to cities traveling & the mood of climate. Ooka Shatabdi Radio will play music in all yoners & have a large bank of music /artist & unplugged music opportunities like never before,” the company said. "Ooka Shatabdi Radio has also initiated many out-of-box programmes to give more pleasant journeys to travelers which they have never experienced, like we are going for short stories, stand-up comedies & real-time contests & many more programme. Now when you travel across Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ajmer, Dehradun, Kanpur, Varanasi, Katra and Kathgodam, you will be greeted by Ooka radio music and connectivity in transit. In other words, Ooka Radio is all about the largest audience of 80 million hearts just waiting to be won over,” they said further. “Ooka is keen to offer this unimaginable advantage of brand building & advertisement communication through Ooka Shatabdi Radio. We want to give opportunities to Indian brands to make themselves as popular & big as other multinational Brands at a very low price specially designed for Indian brands,” says Amit Chawla, co-founder Ooka Radio.

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