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J&K Directorate of Tourism notifies rates for various tourist services

The Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir has notified rates for various services provided to tourists and activities conducted at tourist destinations across the Valley, officials said on Friday. A notification to this effect under the Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Tourist Trade Act was issued by Director, Tourism, Kashmir, G N Itoo here on Thursday. The rates have been notified for the year 2021-22 and 2022-2023, the notification said. The tourism services for which the rates have been fixed or revised include tourist guides, ski guides, mountain/trekking guides, sledges, ski equipment, ice skating, ice skating equipment, rafting, cycling, zorbing, hydro zorbing, snow mobile, ATV, motorbiking, paragliding, motor boats, bathing boats, labour/helper/mazdoor/porter for trekking at high altitude. The services also include flat water rafting boating, paddle boat riding, bungee trampoline, mechanical mad-bull, golf cart ride, zip line, hot air balloon, battery operated vehicles at Sonmarg, shikara rides at Dal, Nigeen and Manasbal lakes for various durations, pony rides for various durations and various tracks, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, Yousmarg, Doodpathri and Ahrabal, photography of various kinds and other related services. According to the notification, the rates of these services as are existent at present shall remain unchanged till March 31, 2022, and from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 shall be hiked by 10 per cent, the officials said. The department has appealed to tourists and those visitors availing these services not to pay more than the notified rates and in case the rates are overcharged, the same shall be reported to the department for regulation, they added.

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Laos to reopen for tourists from January 1

Vientiane: The Laos government announced on Thursday a plan to reopen for visitors starting from January 1, 2022, according to a notice issued by the Prime Minister's Office. The notice, which was signed by the Head of the Prime Minister's Office, Khamchen Vongphosy, was released on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the notice, the government has approved the Lao Travel Green Zone Plan that would allow tourists to visit provinces and cities designated as "green zones" once the country reopens. The notice states that an official announcement will be made on December 17 outlining the official reopening plan, and has set January 1 as the date when the country reopens for tourism. The decision came after a number of lengthy meetings between tourism stakeholders and a government task force set up specifically to assist with reopening. As of Thursday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Laos reached 94,554 with 262 deaths. Laos reported its first two confirmed Covid-19 cases on March 23 last year.

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Domestic air passenger numbers crossed 1 cr threshold in November

The domestic air passenger numbers crossed the 1 crore threshold for the first time after the Indian airports and air services resumed operations after the closure during the first outbreak of the pandemic in the middle of 2020. In November 2021, the Indian domestic carriers collectively carried 1.05 crore passengers. This is plus 17 per cent growth on a sequential basis. In October 2021, the number of total domestic travellers was 89.85 lakh passengers. Although the number of domestic passengers is still below the pre-pandemic months of October - November 2019, when the number of domestic passengers was around 129.47 lakh, the crossing of the one-crore threshold indicates a major revival in the confidence of the travellers in air travel in the country. As per the latest domestic figures published by the DGCA, 726.11 lakh people travelled on domestic flights between January and November this year, compared to 556.84 in the corresponding period last year, registering a growth of over 30 per cent. On a month-on-month basis, the growth was more than 60 per cent. The growth in total traffic in November 2021 was also reflected positively in the passenger load factors (PLF) of major domestic carriers. Major carriers registered PLF above 80 per cent last month. While Spicejet led the pack with 86 per cent; Air India (80.5 per cent); IndiGo (80.5 per cent), etc., also recorded PLF above 80 per cent.

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Caravan tourism could be the next big travel trend amid pandemic

In the pandemic era, caravan tourism is gaining popularity across the globe. Back home, Kerala's Caravan Tourism policy – Keravan Kerala provides tempting options for backpackers who are looking at customized travelling options. Benefits of travelling by caravan are many as one can cook their own meals while travelling, carry as much luggage as they want, and be in complete isolation. In case you are looking to explore a domestic location this holiday season while keeping yourself safe amid virus scare, Kerala is the place to be. Kerala's Caravan Tourism policy - Keravan Kerala promises visitors a customized and closest-to-nature travel experience. “Going by Kerala’s inherent strengths of natural beauty and tourism-friendly culture, Caravan Tourism has immense scope for the state. Besides offering a refreshing experience for the tourists, local communities stand to gain substantially by enabling them to showcase their culture and products before the visitors,” says Mr VR Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism. The policy envisages tourist caravans as safe, comfortable and fully compliant with local and state regulations, providing a homely feeling for the guests. It also entails development of Caravan Parks as private, public or joint ventures. A park, which needs at least 50 cents of land, should have space to accommodate five caravans at a time with facilities like food parks, rest rooms, activity area and drivers' lodge. The initiative also opens up the possibility of turning accessible but unexplored places in the state into alluring destinations. It is designed to make tourism a sustainable activity that would bring benefits to local communities and also scale up opportunities for the industry. Abraham George, Managing Director of Intersight Tours and Travels, feels there will be a good demand for caravans as the recent trend shows that most of the tourists are coming as couples or families and they want to go to less crowded places. “It will be a big hit with honeymooners because of the privacy and security offered by caravans,” he said. “The introduction of caravan tourism at this juncture will give a much-needed fillip to tourism in the state which is yet to fully recover from the impact of the COVID pandemic,” said Riyaz UC, Managing Director, Spiceland Holidays.

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India successfully test-fires new generation Agni Prime missile off Odisha coast

India on Saturday successfully test-fired the Agni Prime missile off the coast of Odisha in Balasore, government officials said. Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles. It is a two-stage canisterised missile with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km. This was the second test of the Agni Prime missile. The test was conducted at 11am off the APJ Abdul Kalam island in balasore. An ANI report said a lot of new features have been added to the nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni Prime during this test. “The missile test met all its mission objectives with a high level of accuracy,” an official was quoted as saying. The first test was successfully carried out on June 28 at the same place. Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for the successful flight test and expressed his happiness over the system's performance. “Test carried out by DRDO at 11.06am. Telemetry, radar, electro-optical stations and downrange ships positioned along eastern coast tracked and monitored missile trajectory and parameters. Missile followed textbook trajectory, meeting all mission objectives with high level of accuracy,” the DRDO said in a statement. The ballistic missile weighs 50 per cent less than Agni 3 and can be launched from rail and road and stored for a longer period and transported all across the country as per operational requirements. On December 7, the country successfully test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that the ministry of defence described as a ‘major milestone’ in BrahMos development. The ministry had said the missile was successfully test-fired from Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sukhoi 30 MKI supersonic fighter aircraft from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), based in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. Around the same time, the Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) was successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur. According to Defence Research and Development Organisation officials (DRDO), the air defence system can engage targets at around 15km. The VL-SRSAM, indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO for the Indian Navy, is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets, the organisation said.

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Uttarakhand is boosting economy, tourism through homestays, says CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state government aims to boost the economy and tourism sector in the state through homestays. The Chief Minister was speaking in Tehri Garhwal district today where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various developmental schemes. Addressing the people in Chham area of the district, Dhami said, "Our government is boosting the economy and tourism of Uttarakhand, through homestays. Homestays will be prepared in villages too. Around 3,600 homestays are registered so far, providing employment to 8,000 people." "All those people who have expressed concern for Gramodaya and development of Uttarakhand...we are chalking out new action plans in the form of Bodhisattva programme," the Chief Minister said. Dhami said that the state government is providing self-employment through Mukhyamantri Nano Udyam and Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana. "Our government has simplified the process of getting loans from banks for selfemployment." "Healthy youth, healthy Uttarakhand and with the new sports policy, we are coming up with great schemes for the youth. We are determined for the development of the youth of the state," he said. Lauding the Central government, Dhami said, "Today the army has become more powerful under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. The country is in safe and powerful hands. We have seen the strength of our army in the form of air strike and surgical strike.

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