News

Morocco lift the shutdown,reopens airspace after 2-month virus

The North African kingdom’s latest move was welcomed by tourism businesses who have suffered two lost years due to the pandemic, as well as by Moroccans stranded abroad. Passengers heading to the kingdom will still need to show proof of vaccination against the Covid-19 illness and a negative PCR test within the past 48 hours, the government said in a statement. On arrival, they will undergo further rapid tests and some will be chosen at random for another PCR test, it said. It also warned tourists of “the possibility of an additional test at their hotel or place of residence 48 hours after their entry into the country”, with positive cases obliged to self-isolate. Morocco’s vital tourism sector has been battered by the pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions, with a 71 percent drop in arrivals in 2021 compared to 2019 and some eight billion euros in losses. Authorities have vowed to launch a promotional campaign for “destination Morocco” and say they are working with airlines to relaunch the sector. Rabat has also laid out a more than 180-million-euro campaign to keep jobs and firms in the sector on life support – but many say the funds are not enough.

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Bengaluru emerges as air travel hub in south as connecting traffic doubles

Fairfax group-owned Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is positioning itself as the hub in South India with the addition of 20 domestic destinations in the last year. An increase in non-metro routes has also led to the doubling of connecting traffic at Bengaluru airport in calendar year 2021. Connecting or transfer traffic on domestic routes were up 19 per cent in 2021 from 10 per cent in pre-Covid times. Currently the airport serves 74 domestic destinations – the highest ever since the airport opened -- compared to 54 prior to the pandemic. These additions have been mainly to non-metro destinations and as a consequence flights to non-metro routes increased from 58 per cent in pre-Covid times to 63 per cent in 2021, BIAL said in a statement. Traffic on non-metro routes increased 27 per cent reinforcing strong demand on the routes, it added. The major airports contributing to high volumes of transfer traffic at Bengaluru were Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa. While increase in number of destinations and non-metro routes led to growth in transfer traffic, another factor which influenced one or two stop travel was the restrictions in the pandemic including limitations on flights or quarantine restrictions imposed by certain states.

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TSRTC to run 700 general buses from Feb 13 to 20 for Medaram Jatara

Around 3.5 lakh devotees are expected to travel from Hyderabad and Secunderabad for Medaram Jatara. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) will be operating 5 super luxury and over 700 general buses from February 13 to February 20 for Medaram Jatara. Around 3.5 lakh devotees are expected to travel from Hyderabad and Secunderabad for Medaram Jatara, Varaprasad, Regional Manager, TSRTC said. As many as 23 lakh passengers are expected to avail of the services of RTC buses for the Medaram Jatara this year, the official added “We are operating 5 super luxury & over general 700 buses from Feb 13 to Feb 20. Around 3.5 lakh devotees are expected to travel from Hyderabad & Secunderabad for Medaram Jatara," Varaprasad told ANI news agency. He said that people can avail the door pick-up services of the RTC by calling on 040-30102829. However, bookings would be accepted provided there were 30 passengers, he said. Students of KITS have developed the 'Medaram with the TSRTC' app that will also help RTC officials in the booking of the tickets. The app will provide information to the users regarding Medaram Jatara, buses and their routes, accommodation, and help desk numbers. The app can be downloaded from the TSRTC website and it will also be made available on Google Play Store

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US Embassy in India shares information on current consular services

To facilitate Indian travelers who wish to visit the United States, the US Embassy in India announced that it will attend to queries and concerns on travel rules In an attempt to ease Indian travelers who wish to visit the United States, the US Embassy in India has announced that it will take up travel queries and shared information of Consular officers providing updates and information on current consular services The US Embassy on its Twitter shared, “we are committed to facilitate legitimate travel to the U.S. and take your inquiries and concerns seriously. Here are some of our Consular officers providing updates and information on current consular services. Have a safe 2022!" Meanwhile, an international coalition of travel-related organizations called on the US government Wednesday to stop requiring vaccinated passengers to present a negative Covid test before boarding US-bound flights. "Travel and aviation's recovery is dependent on the government taking steps to remove travel restrictions that are no longer justified by current circumstances," the group argued in a letter addressed to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients. Among the 29 signatories were the main advocacy organizations representing Asian, European and US airlines, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Travel Association. The leader of the group, Airlines for America -- which represents major US carriers including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines -- posted the letter to its website. The three companies recently noted that the Omicron variant would delay their recovery by one to two months. Clearly Covid is widespread throughout the US and attempts to control its importation via air travel under today's circumstances are unlikely to change that fact," they argued in the letter.

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Heavens above: UK's Dark Skies festivals and stargazing destinations

Hebridean Dark Skies Festival : A packed programme of astronomy talks, stargazing, films, music, visual art and theatre combines to create the Dark Skies Festival on the Isle of Lewis, which runs from 11-25 February. The Dark Skies exhibition will feature newly commissioned works by a group of Hebridean artists, stargazing events will be held indoors at the Cosmos Planetarium and outside with Highland Astronomy, and the festival will kick off with a night of comedy and astronomy. Exmoor : The festival in Exmoor happens in autumn, but if you can’t wait that long there are regular Dark Skies events in the school holidays (a Night Sky Stargazing & Bushcraft Adventure evening is taking place on 21 February), while the Dark Sky Discovery Trail is a two-mile route across open moorland that takes in some of the best places to see the stars Yorkshire Dales : Learn about the night sky while hiking across open moorland, soaking in a hot tub, paddling a canoe or listening to expert astronomers – all on offer across the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park. The festival runs from 18 February to 6 March and includes a rocket-making workshop and planet pizza-making evening. Northumberland : One of the least-populated regions of the UK, this is an excellent stargazing spot with little light pollution. Its festival runs from 12-28 February, with events including aurora hunting at the Battlesteads Observatory, astronomy workshops, moon walks and stargazing experiences on Hadrian’s Wall.

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Turkey will now be known as ‘Turkiye’

Turkey will now be known as ‘Turkiye’. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently released a statement and announced tweaking the country’s internationally recognised name to Turkiye. Reportedly,the Turkish President announced the name change in early December. This decision will mainly impact how public and foreign nations address the country, As per the statement, the term ‘Turkiye’ represents and expresses the culture, civilization and values of the Turkish nation in the best way. As per the reports, the country is called Turkiye in Turkish language, and the country now wants to carry the said name over to international recognition. Reports have it that in the context of strengthening the ‘Turkiye’ brand, all types of correspondence and activities, especially in official relations with other international institutions, organisations, and countries, will now use the term ‘Turkiye’ instead of ‘Turkey’, ‘Turkei’, ‘Turquie’ and so on. Referring to this, the Turkish President stated that Turkiye is accepted as an umbrella brand for the country in national and international venues, further adding that Turkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilization and values. So going forward, ‘Made in Turkiye’ will now appear on all of the country's exports, whereas the country's tourism website, GoTurkiye.com, has also undergone the rebranding.

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