News

Kerala Tourism set to make Beypore Water Fest a grand spectacle

Kerala Tourism has launched the maiden Water Fest in Chaliyar River in Beypore in Kozhikode district with all fanfare. Happening in the Tourism Minister’s own constituency, the first-ever grand water fest to showcase the tourism potential of Northern Kerala and the adventure sports opportunities in the water bodies around the Malabar area has turned into an all-round show in terms of its diversity and participation. In order to make it participatory, different departments of the government have joined hands to launch different events like cycle rallies, sand art on the beach, kite festival, etc., around the Beypore Water Fest. The Water Fest inaugurated by Malayalam superstar Mammooty will last till December 29, 2021. With a fun-filled blend of adventure and tourism, the water fest happening on the banks of Chaliyar River will have multiple attractions like kayaking, sailing, kite-fest, illuminated and decorated boat parades, rowing, stand-up paddling, and navy and coast guard show. Beypore Water Fest 2021 will be hosting 4 different types of kayaking races, leisure sit on top, K1 sporting, whitewater kayaking on the beach, and sea kayaking, respectively, with each type of kayak offering different skills and different types of watercraft. In order to engage the local people in the whole event, the organisers have included special competitions for bamboo rafts and other local boats. There will also be a flea market and food pavilion for the visitors to enjoy at the fest. Speaking on the occasion, Public Works and Tourism Minister of Kerala, PA Mohammed Riyas said that the water fest will mark the excellent comeback for Kerala Tourism with the energy and enthusiasm that Kerala has missed in the past couple of years. Kerala Tourism, he said, will continue to work around innovative ideas to boost tourism in the state. The highlight of the show will be the professional Sailing Regatta by international sailers like Cdr Abhilash Tomy, Capt Tribhuvan Jaiswal, Cdr Prashant Menon, and Capt Arun S and supervised by the officials from the leading sailing association in the country headed by Col Alok Yadav.

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Seychelles Gears Up To Welcome Indians Next Year

Seychelles, a short haul destination for India, has carved a niche positioning in the Indian outbound travel market. The island country, establishing itself as a honeymoon destination in India, has started attracting Indians from across the segments. “With quarantine regulations easing, we expect tourism from India to see an uptick. The overarching sentiment will continue in favour of priority to safety and hygienic hotel properties, incorporation of strict safety protocols at public places and restaurants. We are very hopeful of achieving part of pre-pandemic numbers from India in 2022,” Lubaina Sheerazi, CEO and Co-Founder, BRANDit India, says. BRANDit India represents Seychelles Tourism Board in India. The destination was witnessing significant year-on-year growth in Indian arrivals pre-pandemic. Seychelles’ proximity to the country as well as growth of tourism to other island destinations in the last couple of years are all positive indicators of focusing on India. “We certainly foresee India amongst our priority markets,” Sheerazi replies to a question over India’s positioning in the post pandemic months. Revealing the plan further, Sheerazi opines that the Board is focusing on the evolving needs of Indian travellers, from attracting the main segment of honeymooners to families and those seeking a more experiential holiday. We also aim to promote a gamut of accommodation options across various categories in multiple islands. “We are setting short term goals, reviewing and aligning them as needed, keeping in line with the global parameters and protocols for the pandemic,” she adds. Speaking on the segment, she informs that honeymooners will remain an important sector for Seychelles followed by DINKS, young couples and small families. “We also understand the paradigm shift in celebrations of Indian weddings and smaller events and aim to focus heavily on getting small groups for intimate celebrations and weddings from India,” she says. According to her, on ground events are slowly picking up, more stringent and effective safety protocols are being rolled out around the globe. Many countries are achieving herd immunity and vaccination drives across the globe are at an all-time high. “We foresee the markets to open in stages and bounce back to its former glory by 2023,” she adds. The Board is looking at scheduling a roadshow, engaging with trade media, conducting workshops and sales visits in key cities of India as well as participating in trade shows in 2022 to further strengthen its trade ties. that allow robust trade and consumer engagement. “We are hopeful of going back to high arrival numbers from India, engaging with a larger audience pool as well as providing a location for shoots for the Indian entertainment industry and are working towards setting protocols I that space,” she says.

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France weighs new Covid restrictions in Omicron fight

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce new Covid measures on Monday as the country braces for a new surge in cases due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. Officials have warned that hospitals again risk being overwhelmed after a record 100,000 cases were reported Saturday, the highest daily level in France since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. Health experts have estimated the number of daily cases could increase rapidly by mid-January, even though millions of people have received booster shots in recent weeks. Nearly 3,300 people are currently in intensive care, again above the crisis threshold of 3,000 set by authorities for handling the worst cases. Macron will hold a crisis meeting at 4:00 pm (15.00 GMT) via videoconference from his Mediterranean holiday retreat at Bregancon with key members of his cabinet and representatives of French public health bodies. One measure under consideration is to restrict the country's Covid health pass, which is required to enter restaurants, cinemas and other public venues, only to people who are fully vaccinated- and no longer also to those with a recent negative test. The pass as well as a negative test could also be required for bars or cafes without table seating, and possibly for nightclubs if they are allowed to reopen in January after a four-week closure ordered on December 6. Some doctors have also suggested a curfew for New Year's Eve, while a group of health workers want to postpone the return of students to schools after the holidays, set for January 3. Masks could also be required when outside, a measure already imposed in the Savoie region in the French Alps, and in other European countries. Officials have been urging people not to hold parties or large family gatherings over the holidays, and some 22 million people out of an eligible 40 million have received Covid booster shots.

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Direct flights between India and Switzerland to restart from January 10

Swiss International Air Lines is reportedly expanding its range of scheduled flights and adding new destinations to its networks. This means that the airlines will be restoring its services to Delhi and Mumbai, which were earlier suspended due to the pandemic. According to latest reports, Swiss International Air Lines will be welcoming passengers from India as early as January 10, 2022. Hence, direct flights to and from Switzerland will be operational as part of the air bubble agreement between the two countries. You will be able to fly to Zurich from Mumbai on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on the other hand, you can fly from Zurich to Mumbai on Mondays and Wednesdays. The following months will see more flights available from Mumbai, and Delhi. This could mean that your Swiss holiday is soon going to become a reality, but that is subject to change, as per the situation, and restrictions in the future. You are advised to check the eligibility conditions for travel before you book tickets. Also, do check the transit regulations for Switzerland during that time. Fully vaccinated travellers can now travel to Switzerland, so if you have been vaccinated with Covishield, or Covaxin, then you are eligible to travel. However, all adult travellers need to submit a negative PCR test report, which should not be older than 72 hours before your entry into the country. Switzerland used to have a rule where travellers needed to take a second PCR or rapid antigen test, four to seven days after arriving into Switzerland, but that too is not necessary now.

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Mumbai announces 7-day home quarantine for those travelling from Dubai

Given the rise in the numbers of Omicron cases in the country, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has announced some new standard operating procedures for passengers arriving from Dubai. The new guidelines are: 1) Passengers arriving from Dubai will have to undergo seven days of home quarantine after arriving in Mumbai. 2) No need to take an RT-PCR test on arrival. 3) Travellers not living in Mumbai will be transferred by the Collector [district officer], who shall arrange transport for such travellers and these travellers will not be allowed to take public transport. 4) Those who have connecting flights to other states or other locations in Maharashtra will be allowed to take the connecting flights. But it will be the responsibility of the Airport Authority to inform the respective Airport Officer regarding the travellers. 5) All the travellers arriving from Dubai and who are residents of Mumbai will be in home quarantine and will be tracked by the Ward War Room for seven days. Then on day seven, an RT-PCR test will be conducted. If the test is negative, the traveller will self-monitor for further seven days. But if the test is positive, travellers will be shifted to an institutional quarantine facility. On December 23, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation also made an announcement for all passengers arriving in New Delhi. 1) Thermal screening mandatory for all passengers upon arrival. 2) RT PCR test will be conducted through random sample collection. Passengers will be allowed to exit after sample collection. 3) If you are travelling on a connecting flight and not leaving the airport at the transit, then the guidelines for the state which is your final destination would be applicable. 4) If a passenger tests positive for the virus, he/she will have to undergo a 10-day home quarantine, Covid Care Centre (CCC) or COVID Health Centre (CHC).

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Sandals launches 12 Days of Christmas sale

Agents can book a luxury Caribbean holiday with Sandals for their clients before January 6th and save £150 on package holidays of seven-nights or more, with the 12 Days of Christmas sale. To take advantage of the £150 saving, agents must quote ‘12DAYS’ when making a new booking of seven-nights or more for their clients at any Sandals or Beaches Resort, either online or via the UK call centre. The 12 Days of Christmas discount is in addition to current offers of up to 45 per cent off the cost of accommodation, up to £700 savings with the Sandals and Beaches Booking Bonus, plus an extra five per cent discount applicable on selected rooms, resorts and departure dates. Travel dates are available in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Clients can choose from a range of tropical destinations such as Curaçao (opening in April), the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, Grenada and Turks & Caicos. Guests can also rest assured knowing that their booking is in safe hands, with the Sandals Holiday Assurance Programme - valid on bookings departing up until the end of December next year. Holiday prices can be secured and guaranteed with a £175 per person deposit. Full balance is due 71-days before departure.

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