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Kerala RT Mission to introduce new experiential tourism packages from next month

Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission (RT Mission Kerala) is all set to take the village life experience packages to the next level. The RT Mission is hopeful of introducing new experiential tourism packages starting next month to take advantage of the ‘new normal’ in global tourism. As a beginning, the RT Mission has invited applications from individuals and groups associated with promotion of indigenous art and art forms, agri and farm products, activities which are different and thus, stand out, food that are special, unique festivals, to register with the RT Mission expressing their intention to join the programme. After receiving the registrations, the RT Mission will create packages to help guests get the taste of unique products and experiences based on their interests. The Mission is hoping to finalise these packages by the end of February. “The idea is to introduce new areas which are connected with unique farm techniques and produce, products with GI tags, food, festivals which are special to a place to tourists. The objective is to introduce new areas and activities which are not part of any of the current village life experiences of the RT Mission,” said K Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator of RT Mission Kerala to ET TravelWorld. He said that the packages will be framed in such a way that the visitors have the opportunity to experience a set or combination of things in an area. Elaborating it further, Kumar said that the visitors would be interested to learn about unique farming techniques associated with production of GI tagged rice varieties like Jeerakasala, Gandhakasala, Rakthashali, Njavara, etc. which is still practised in the State by a small group of farmers, Similarly, the craftsmanship involved in Aranmula kannadi (Mirror) and Pavithra Mothiram (ring) of Payyannur; the unique taste of Ramassery idli and Thalassery Biryani; the highly ritualistic temple festivals, the majestic processions associated with these festivals could make up for good experiential tourism packages.

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Coming soon in Ras Al Khaimah: Skydiving, hot air ballooning and aerobatic flights

Residents and visitors in Ras Al Khaimah will soon take part in some of the most adrenaline pumping activities of aviation adventures such as aerobatic flights, skydiving, and hot air ballooning. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (RKT) has signed an agreement to establish its airfield as the operational base for new aviation adventure tourism business, Actionflight Aviation LLC. This will see RKT become a hub for unique aerial experiences for residents and visitors to the Emirate, as well as providing a base for Vertical, ActionFlight’s advanced pilot training program. The agreement has been established to help support Ras Al Khaimah’s strategic plans to expand the travel and tourism landscape of the Emirate. Bringing a unique set of aviation experiences for the first time, the agreement also aims to contribute to Ras Al Khaimah’s ambitious destination development strategy and enhance its growing reputation as the adventure capital of the UAE. The new alliance will deliver a further boost to RKT’s status as the UAE’s fastest growing aviation hub as it is set to provide an operational base for ActionFlight’s Vertical training program. Specialising in Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT), which is now mandated for all new commercial, private jet, and airline pilots, both locally and internationally, the program will attract professional pilots from across the region and beyond to upgrade and refresh their skills. With its competitive growth strategy and the recent announcement of a Dh60 million five-year development plan, RKT is becoming one of the most attractive airports in the region. The Vertical program will help to further the airport’s connections across the international aviation community. The agreement was formalised during a signing ceremony that took place at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport in the presence of Sheikh Engr. Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and Mr. Atanasios Titonis, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. The signing comes following a recent event to coincide with UAE National Day, which saw ActionFlight debut a hot air balloon at Tower Links Golf Club to mark the Golden Jubilee and introduce the new venture to partners and stakeholders.

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India to soon introduce next generation e-Passport, confirms MEA as TCS retains 2nd phase of PSP

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that the government will soon introduce new chip-enabled e-passports for Indian citizens, secured with biometric data. Sanjay Bhattacharya, Secretary, MEA sharing the information in a social media post said that the new e-passports will enable smooth passage for passengers through immigration posts globally among other benefits. The largest software exporter, TCS, on Friday, had bagged the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP), after over decade-long work in the first phase which has witnessed rapid strides in citizens availing the services. The MEA Secretary also added that the upcoming e-Passports will secure biometric data, be compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and will be produced at Nashik’s India Security Press. “India to soon introduce next-gen e-passport for citizens. Secure biometric data, smooth passage through immigration posts globally, ICAO compliant, produced at India Security Press, Nashik,” mentioned Bhattacharya in his tweet. As of now, the e-Passports project is enabled on the pilot project as India had issued around 20,000 official and diplomatic e-Passports with an electronic microprocessor chip embedded in them. After the successful trials, the government is expected to roll out e-passports for all citizens. Currently, passports issued to Indian citizens are printed on booklets. Incidentally, in another update, the second phase of the PSP, which is already the largest mission-critical e-governance programme in India, will last nineand-a-half years and see the company deploy the latest technologies to further ease services. Over the last decade, over 86 million passport issuances have been facilitated by TCS as part of the first phase of the PSP.

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Priority Pass partners with CarTrawler to drive frictionless travel experience

Collinson’s Priority Pass has launched a global partnership with CarTrawler – the global B2B provider of technology solutions for the travel industry – offering members access to CarTrawler services through the Priority Pass app. The partnership represents a push towards creating a seamless travel experience for Members, by going beyond the airport to enhance the overall customer journey. With 56,000 locations around the world, CarTrawler leverages a network of over 2,200 car rental and mobility providers to ensure optimal availability and pricing – allowing for travellers to choose from a range of add-on transport options that best suit their needs, budget and schedule. The service will be available globally to all Priority Pass Members in 42 different languages and includes car rental as well as a variety of airport transfer options including shuttle and on-demand ride-hailing. The new global partnership gives Priority Pass Members the added value of a streamlined travel experience which enables them to effortlessly book ground-based transport and is accessible within each market that Priority Pass has a presence. Members across Asia-Pacific including Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Australia and India can gain access to competitive rates from multiple car rental and mobility providers such as Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Enterprise. Members can also simply use any valid payment card to hire their vehicle or pay for their transfer. “Collinson is dedicated to continually innovating our range of premium travel experiences, to meet the rapidly changing needs of today’s traveller. More specifically our customers are looking for enhanced, digitally enabled, end-to-end customer experiences. This partnership with CarTrawler directly responds to that need, providing a market-leading benefit, beyond the airport, delivered directly into their hands via our Priority Pass app,” said Christopher Evans, Joint CEO at Collinson. CarTrawler CCO Aileen McCormack commented, “CarTrawler’s purpose is driving successful partnerships, so we are excited to partner with Priority Pass on this seamless customer proposition for their Members. Not only does it provide the broadest choice and breadth of car rental and mobility options to Priority Pass’s Members around the world, it also enables us to use our world-class technology to curate a best-in-class traveller journey which eliminates the stress and worry concerns which travellers are facing today. As the travel industry looks to recover from the global pandemic, a partnership like this is important to help get the industry back to where it needs to be.” This partnership announcement is yet another example of how Priority Pass is preparing for the safe return to travel and improving customer journeys – by creating relevant, personalised and premium end-to-end experiences. It follows on from this week’s news in Asia-Pacific of Priority Pass partnering with Thai Airways to provide premium domestic lounge access in Thailand.

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India, UK free trade agreement to boost cooperation in tourism, technology, startups, education, says Piyush Goyal

After India and the UK launched formal negotiations for the free trade agreement on Thursday, Union Minister of Commerce and Trade Piyush Goyal said that the agreement will expand cooperation in tourism, technology, startups, education, climate change, etc. "The terms of reference of the free trade agreement have been finalised and formally endorsed by both countries and therefore, we are launching formal negotiations for the free trade agreement," said Goyal while addressing a press conference with UK Secretary of State for International Trade AnneMarie Trevelyan. Both countries "will be proactively and regularly engaging with each other deliberating on different aspects of our relationship and fast-tracking the interim agreement or an early-harvest agreement where we hope to capture the low hanging fruits, which will provide opportunities for businesses on both sides and UK and India and help us substantially, enhancing the volume of trade in goods and services," he added. Goyal also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson in May 2021 had announced the India-UK trade partnership setting an ambitious target to double bilateral trade by 2030. "We are looking forward to a very multidimensional economic partnership between the two countries particularly when we both share vibrant democracies, we share the rich history and traditional cultural ties over centuries," he said. The two leaders had agreed on negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement including consideration of an interim trade agreement to deliver early gains. Emphasising that India and the UK are two dynamic leading economies of the world, Goyal said that the two countries are coming together to embark on the next phase moving from the enhanced trade partnership which was "launched by the two Prime Ministers in May last year to expand it to a full-fledged discussion on a free trade agreement, on comprehensive strategic partnership is truly a very very important milestone in our engagements between the two countries". The agreement aims to create huge benefits for both countries and could boost our total trade by up to euro 28 billion a year by 2035 and increase wages by up to euro 3 billion across the UK, according to the UK Department for International Trade. Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Commerce and Trade Piyush Goyal met UK Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan for the launch of India-UK Free Trade Agreement Negotiations here on Thursday. "Met with UK Secretary of State for International Trade @AnnieTrev for the launch of India-UK Free Trade Agreement Negotiations," said Goyal in a tweet on Thursday. "Deliberations will be held over an array of trade opportunities of mutual interest benefitting both India and UK."

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Gujarat cabinet okays coastal highway, other infrastructure projects worth over INR 4,400 crore

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday gave his approval to various infrastructure projects worth INR 4,437 crore, including construction of a coastal highway, with the aim of boosting tourism activity and strengthening connectivity, a minister said. Another key project that was approved by Patel during the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday is construction of a new corridor or highway between the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Narmada district and Shabri Dham, a famous pilgrimage-cumtourist spot in Dang district, said government spokesperson and education minister Jitu Vaghani after the meeting. "The state government has decided to build a new corridor with a cumulative length of 218 km, to connect the Statue of Unity with Shabri Dham by either broadening the existing roads or by building new roads wherever required. The estimated cost of the project would be INR 1,670 crore," he said. The new corridor will connect other tourist destinations such as Saputara, Ukai, Devmogra and Zarvani. At present, people wanting to go towards Bhavnagar or nearby districts like Amreli and Gir Somnath from South Gujarat have the only option of taking the Borsad-Tarapur-Vataman route to reach Bhavnagar via Dholera. Local MLAs and MPs have been demanding an alternative and shorter route since a long time to reduce the travel time, Vaghani said. Vaghani announced that the CM has accepted the demand and gave his approval to build a 135 km long coastal highway which will connect Bharuch with the coastal town of Khambhat and go till Kamatalav and Ambli Patiya near Dholera on Bhavnagar-side. "Thus, instead of taking the Tarapur-Vataman route, traffic going towards Bhavnagar from south Gujarat or vice-a-versa can use this coastal highway. This will reduce 70 to 80 kilometers of travel," he added. Another major project that received approval during the cabinet meeting is a new bridge over river Narmada near Moti Koral-Nareshwar in Bharuch district and development of a new corridor connecting Karjan, Nareshwar, Netrang and Mandvi at a cost of INR 300 crore. "This will help tourists wanting to go directly towards Saputara and other destinations in Dang. This corridor will also provide a shorter route to the traffic going towards Maharashtra as well as Bardoli and Mandvi," said Vaghani. Despite the expansion of roads and construction of new bridges in the recent times, traffic jams are still happening regularly at some places on the busy Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway-8. In order to overcome this situation, the state government will build a new bridge and a service road at a cost of INR 27 crore between Vadodara and Surat, he said.

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