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Chennai: Ceebros Group set to acquire iconic Adyar Gate hotel

The iconic Adyar Gate hotel in the tony Boat Club area may soon make way for a high rise of premium residences. Property developer Ceebros is finalising a redevelopment agreement with the Goyals, the family that owns the Adyar Gate Hotels Limited (AGHL). The 286-room hotel was a landmark 5-star property since its inauguration in the 1970s. It was later run by ITC as Park Sheraton Hotels & Towers for years and then became the Crowne Plaza, but was always known by its first name. "Only the nitty gritty of the commercial agreement needs to be finalised. For Ceebros, Crowne Plaza will be the third hotel property it is acquiring, after the Atlantic Hotel in Egmore and Viceroy in MRC Nagar. Ceebros had razed both those properties and built residential towers," multiple sources said. Ceebros' managing director C Subba Reddy told TOI that "talks are on", while declining to reveal any further details. The property was originally owned by industrialist TT Vasu's family, who later sold it to the Goyals. Promoters owe the civic body INR 42 cr as property tax Industry sources said, "While AGHL was already going through a troubled phase, the Covid pandemic hastened the trouble. Despite opting for a moratorium on repayments during the pandemic, the liquidity crunch hit the group hard." The promoters owe Greater Chennai Corporation around INR 42 crore as property tax. The civic body had even had conducted a "drum beat" in front of the hotel to highlight the tax arrears. Vinish Goyal, director, Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental Hotels, Chennai, said, "I do not know who is spreading such rumours? We have settled all property tax dues to the authorities." According to property consultants, Ceebros did well redeveloping the Atlantic and the Viceroy. Even though the MRC redevelopment '174' ran into commercial trouble for a while, now apartments are not available for resale even at rates in excess of INR 20,000 per sq ft. "With Ceebros already owning and operating two business hotels under the brand name 'Rain Tree' on Anna Salai and St Mary's Road, the company is unlikely to retain Crowne Plaza as a hotel," a property consultant, who did not want to be named, said. "Given the proximity of the Crowne Plaza property to the upmarket Boat Club, where residential apartment prices are around ₹30,000 per sq ft, residential property will easily fetch ₹25,000 per sq ft here," the consultant added. The Goyals own two other hotel properties through AGHL, the 67-room Fortune Sullivan in Ooty and the 106-room Intercontinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort, besides the 2.5 lakh sq ft Sai Real Tech Park on the Taramani-Velachery road.

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Karnataka to set up new airports in four more districts

Karnataka will look at the scope of setting up airports in four more districts in the state to improve the intra-state connectivity. The plan is to set up airports which can be used for the operations of smaller aircrafts. According to Murugesh Nirani, State Industries Minister, Karnataka, the process of identifying suitable land for setting up airports in districts like Hassan, Davanagere, Bagalkot and Raichur has started and is hopeful of completing it in the next one year. These airports would require around 500 acre of land per airport, the Minister said. With the setting up of these airports, the minister said that the state will have an airport every 100 km in the state. Karnataka currently has 8 airports. The objective is to connect all the small airports and start air operations under the UDAN scheme of the government, the Minister said. On Sunday, the Karnataka government also signed MoUs to offer heli tourism services in the state. Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), which signed the MoUs for a five-year period, will help the chopper service providers with government approvals, permits, certification and access to government helipads. It will also help the service providers in tieups with luxury hotels and resorts. The MoUs are part of the state's heli tourism project.

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Kenyan Tourism Begins Recovery From Pandemic with Local Travel

Kenya’s tourism industry has started to recover after losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said on January 19. It said that travel from locals increased while prices were lower. The number of foreign visitors, however, is still well below pre-pandemic levels. The tourism industry is usually one of the East African nation’s top sources of foreign exchange, or foreign money. The Kenyan government expects the industry to earn $1.5 billion this year. That is an increase of 18.5 percent from last year. George Gitonga is the acting chief executive of the state-run Tourism Research Institute. He told Reuters after the numbers were released, “The recovery seems to have begun.” Officials said that earnings in tourism decreased to $781 million in 2020. This was caused by the restriction of movement by governments around the world to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It included the closure of air spaces, or ways for flights to enter a country. Tourism minister, Najib Balala, said earnings recovered to $1.29 billion last year. He added that the number of hotel nights occupied by local Kenyan travelers doubled during this period. Local resorts normally direct their marketing efforts toward foreign tourists. However, they were forced to turn those efforts toward the local Kenyan market during the pandemic. Foreign visitor numbers are still greatly lower than pre-pandemic levels. The number of foreign visitors in 2021 was around 870,000 compared to 2 million in 2019. They are predicted to reach 1.03 million this year. The drop in earnings in the industry from foreign tourists has partly caused a great decrease in value for the local currency, the Kenyan shilling. It is trading at all-time lows against the dollar. Gitonga said this year’s predictions for the industry’s performance depends on the continuation of world efforts to vaccinate people against COVID-19. And, he added, it also depends on continued marketing efforts into traditional markets like Britain, and new ones in Asia. Popular tourism activities in Kenya include safaris in the Maasai Mara, a national park, and other wildlife areas to holidays on Indian Ocean beaches. Kenya’s tourism industry is about 10 percent of its economic output and employs over 2 million people. The tourism ministry said the industry lost nearly 1.2 million jobs after the beginning of the pandemic. But, it has started to gain back some of those loses during a possible recovery. Balala said, "Most of the jobs have come back from October 2021.”

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Belize travel update: Travel insurance mandatory to visit the country from February

In a recent update, Belize has made it mandatory for travellers to have travel insurance wanting to enter the Central American nation. Belize is home to some incredible beaches and world-class scuba diving spots. But travellers who wish to enjoy all these will soon be required to purchase travel insurance starting February 15. The travel insurance policy must be official, as informed by the Belize Tourism Board. The policy will cost $18 (INR 1339) and will cover up to $50000 in COVID-19 related medical expenses while $2000 for lodging expenses, in case quarantine is required. The insurance requirement will be in effect for 21 days. The Belize Tourism Board said, "The new travel health insurance mandate underscores Belize's commitment to health and safety, enhancing travel confidence and giving visitors peace of mind to schedule that well-deserved vacation for 2022 and beyond." The insurance policies can be bought prior to travel, at the airport, or at land border crossings. Requirements to enter Belize: To enter the Caribbean country, travellers will have to test negative for COVID-19 regardless of their vaccination status. They must carry a negative RT PCR test taken within 96 hours of their arrival or an antigen test taken within 48 hours of their arrival. At-home test kits results won't be considered valid by the Belize governement. Travellers must stick to tour operators with COVID-19 safety standards. Anyone arriving without negative COVID-19 test results to Philip Goldson International Airport, will have to take a COVID-19 test onsite by paying $50. If someone tests positive, they'll have to be quarantined for a minimum of 10 days at their own expense in the country.

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‘Eternal springtime’: Best island for British expats named - but sun can 'get too much'

RELOCATING to an island in the sun is a dream many believe unattainable. But Britons don't need to fly off to the other side of the world for their adventure, as one of the Canary Islands is singled out as best for expats. British expats still deciding on a destination for their relocations may be looking to far-flung places. While Bali, Hawai’i and the Caribbean are attractive options, there are idyllic islands closer to home. The Postcard Academy podcast said: “Move over Bali, Gran Canaria is the new hot spot for expats.” With plenty of sun and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, the Canary Islands, just a hop and skip away, could be the best destination for British expats. With Gran Canaria, expats, digital nomads and entrepreneurs have found their dream destination. The main Canaries’ island offers plenty of opportunities for British expats and there is a large expat community.

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AirAsia India curtails flights till February 10, 2022

AirAsia India is curtailing its flights till February 10 as the third wave of the pandemic has hit the travel demand, the airline said in a statement on Sunday. This includes all its daily flights to/from Mumbai, it is learnt. Domestic traffic has shrunk nearly 38 per cent in the first three weeks of January forcing airlines to adjust schedules. Overall industry-wide number of daily departures too is down to 1600-1800 from over 2500 last month. The airline does not park any of its aircraft in Mumbai and thus operations are also impacted due to cancellations between two other cities. “Due to a surge in Omicron cases, immediate demand for flights has been significantly impacted. We have consequently curtailed our schedule till February 10 to avoid inconveniencing our guests with last-minute flight cancellations. We continue to closely monitor demand and look forward to a quick recovery,” the airline said.

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