News

Mumbai International Airport further reduces cost of Rapid PCR test on arrival for international travellers

In an official statement, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has announced that the Rapid RT-PCR test at the airport will now cost INR 1,975, after the airport authorities decided to revise the rates to further ease the financial burden of testing on arrival. The airport in the first week of December had last revised to prices when the Rapid test cost was reduced 3,500 from earlier applicable 3,900. The new rates will be applicable from December 15. The latest revision is done in line with the latest directive from the government of Maharashtra, the airport said. The standard RT-PCR test will continue to cost INR 500 like before. “CSMIA will continue to provide comprehensive testing infrastructure for the convenience and ease of our passengers. CSMIA follows all mandatory Covid19 protocols and is committed to passenger health, safety and well-being,” said the spokesperson of CSMIA. The airport has also set up 100 registration counters and 60 sampling booths including 100 Rapid PCR machines to avoid crowing and rush among the international arrivals. Passengers arriving from 12 at-risk countries including the UK, South Africa, and 10 others, shall have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival in Maharashtra, and are required to wait for their test results before leaving or taking a connecting flight. Apart from this, a certain number of arriving passengers (around 5 per cent from each flight) will be tested on a random basis selected by the airlines. Such tests will be free of cost. Travellers from countries excluding those at risk, are allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days’ post-arrival.

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Union Tourism Minister proposes Tourism Clubs in Navodaya schools

In order to instill interest in tourism and inculcate the values of tourism in society, the Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy has proposed to start Tourism Clubs in schools in the country. To start with, the Tourism Minister has proposed to start such clubs in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the country. Explaining the objectives of the Yuva Tourism campaign and Tourism Clubs in a tweet, Reddy said that the government wants to start the new campaign as part of the 75 years’ celebration of Indian independence - Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. By constituting Tourism Clubs in schools, the Minister hopes that the country will be able to create a pool of dedicated “young ambassadors” for Indian tourism. Apart from instilling the values of tourism in the young minds, the clubs will endeavour to educate about diverse natural and cultural heritage in the country; propagate responsible tourism practices in the society, and promote travel as a tool to improve the physical and mental health of people. These Tourism Clubs will be set up in classes VI onwards in all the JNV schools in the country.

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Virgin Atlantic, Collinson & PATA join the campaign against vaccine inequity

Virgin Atlantic has joined travel services specialist Collinson and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) as part of the Global Travel Sector Vaccine Coalition to use their collective reach to play a part in ensuring everyone has access to the Covid-19 vaccine. The travel industry has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the emergence of a new variant and renewed travel bans, it is urgent to address low vaccination rates in middle and low-income countries. Appreciating the Coalition of the travel sector stakeholders, Anil Soni, Chief Executive Officer of the WHO foundation, said, “Vaccine inequity is morally unjust and economically and epidemiologically self-defeating. We need everyone to help protect the world. We are thrilled to see this leadership from industry heavyweights to get vaccines to people who need them most. The Global Travel Sector Vaccine Coalition is a great example of how companies can join forces to make a global difference. We invite other members of the travel industry to join us to power vaccines around the world. Together, we can all play our part to ensure vaccines for everyone, everywhere.” The Collinson Covid-19 Testing Initiative was first launched in October 2020 and is now at several major UK airports. Listening to their experience, WHO Foundation and Collinson formed the Travel Coalition in recognition of how the industry can make a real difference. David Evans, Joint CEO at Collinson, said, “We are delighted to be supporting the WHO Foundation’s Go Give One campaign. The travel and tourism industry knows only too well how important it is for everyone, everywhere to have access to vaccines if we are to end the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve seen firsthand how our industry has had to adapt to ensure the safety of people and organisations in this new reality, and are calling on the sector now to join us as part of the Travel Coalition. There’s true power in numbers to get this done, and we’re urging our customers to give what they can, as well as asking other travel companies to join forces with us. It’s time to stamp out vaccine inequality, so support however you can, especially during this time of year – the season for giving back.” Virgin Atlantic is supporting the Go Give One campaign through onboard donations this December and an additional donation from the Virgin Atlantic Foundation. Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer, Virgin Atlantic, commented, “It’s evident that Covid-19 is something we must learn to live with. We know that en masse vaccine programmes work, thanks to the success we’ve seen in developed nations around the world, but unless we support lower-income countries in accessing these vaccines, we will not beat this global threat. It costs just GBP 4 to buy a vaccine, meaning even the smallest donations can go a long way. Successful vaccination programmes are the route out of the pandemic, and we must all play our part in combating this virus; together, we can do our bit to offer vaccines to the world and beat Covid-19.”

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This Air India flight between India & Thailand gets an extension till March 2022, check details here

Soon to be disinvested national carrier Air India has made an announcement which will bring relief to international travellers of East India travelling to Thailand. The airline has decided to extend the Kolkata-Bangkok flight, which was earlier scheduled to run till December 29, 2021. The same flight will now be operational till March 23, 2022, giving options to international travellers to plan summer travel to the popular South Asian capital, popular for beach holidays. Like the earlier schedule, the flight will continue to run twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. While Air India is currently the only airline operating flight in this sector, Thai Airways subsidiary, Thai Smile is expected to introduce a thrice-a-week flight service from January 2022. Budget carrier IndiGo is yet to take a call on when it will introduce the flights to Thailand. According to a TOI report, the first two flights that have operated on the route had around 95 per cent bookings but the airline saw a large number of noshows from passengers due to the denial of the Thai Pass, a system designed to enable air travellers to enter Thailand without the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Apart from a valid visa, getting a Thai Pass is mandatory for travellers from India. Travel agents and tour operators are now advising travellers to first apply for the pass online before making their visa application. “Passengers need to provide travel details, stay details, USD 50,000 worth of insurance coverage, and a fully vaccinated certificate while applying for the Thai Pass. Once the Pass is issued, the passenger can apply for the visa to ensure hassle-free travel,” a travel agent was quoted in the report. The USD 50,000 insurance costs around INR 600-700 for a person aged around 50 years.

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South Korea expects to welcome Indian travellers by early 2022

Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) recently hosted a one-day experiential event ‘Korea MICE Experience Day 2021’ in Delhi, making it the first physical event hosted by the NTO in India after the pandemic. The event was an effort by the tourism board to connect with its trade partners to prepare them to sell South Korea next year. On the sidelines of the event, YG Choi, Director, KTO New Delhi, says, the tourism board continues to engage with travel agents to constantly promote MICE in Korea, and adds, “We want our travel partners to be fully prepared when travel opens up and demand for South Korea starts flowing in from their consumers. Till the time that physical travel is not possible, we are focussing on providing complete MICE business solutions virtually. We have updated the current MICE website and have also developed new websites where all information about hotels, venues, unique venues, and other aspects of MICE are available with VR experience videos so that people can experience the product sitting in their offices. This will help them finalise venues and hotels for their events early on and at a good rate.” Excerpts from an interview: ETTravelWorld (ETTW): When do you plan to welcome tourists from India? YG Choi (YGC): We expect South Korea to open for Indian travellers by early next year. We plan to work closely with the tourism associations, OTAs, corporates, and other NTOs to rebound tourism. Although the growth pace will be slower than the pre-pandemic times, we are positive to reach prepandemic numbers by 2024. ETTW: The Indian Civil Aviation Minister had mentioned Korea as one of the countries with whom they are planning to start a travel bubble. What are Korea’s plans regarding an air travel bubble with India? YGC: Travel bubble is a bilateral decision and we have been having dialogues in this regard with the Indian authorities. We are just trying to reach a common ground and come to an understanding so that the interests of both countries are considered and it facilitates travellers from both the nations. If all goes well, we should have an arrangement by early next year. ETTW: How prepared is South Korea in view of the pandemic to welcome back tourists? YGC: The high standards of safety and hygiene that South Korea has been following during the pandemic have been much talked about. It may be too early to comment on how Omicron will change the travel protocols while travelling to South Korea, as currently, leisure travel to South Korea has not yet opened for Indian travellers. However, we have started visa processing for Indians who want to travel to Korea for longer stays, like work or study. An RTPCR test at the airport and a 10-day quarantine upon arrival in South Korea is the protocol that is currently being followed. ETTW: Who will your target tourist profile be? YGC: Our main target next year will be luxury travel, special interest groups, and K-pop and K-Drama fans in limited numbers to start with. We are working closely with our OTA partners and specialist travel agent partners to create some new travel products for next year. The packages will be designed keeping in mind the pandemic era and the evolved safety and hygiene demands of the travellers. Reaching out to the Hallyu fans with consumer events and catering them with specially curated packages with K-pop KDrama tourist spots is part of the plan. It’s one of the segments that has recently shown tremendous potential in a very short span of time. ETTW: Are there any special incentives for travel trade partners to boost tourism to South Korea? YGC: We are looking forward to signing MOU with companies who are confirming their interest in sending MICE groups to South Korea by 2023. These companies will be eligible for exclusive and additional support or incentives by KTO when travel formally resumes. We have also trained 45 premium travel consultants PAN India this year who are highly specialised in catering to the demand of South Korea packages in FIT and SIT segments. For the MICE Expo, we showcased the new list of experiences and also talked about a special support program for companies with group travel commitments to South Korea in the near future. ETTW: With news of South Korea and Singapore tourism boards copromoting both destinations, will this also apply to the destination promotion of the two tourism boards in India? YGC: Sure, we will be very happy to join hands with other tourism board partners in India. It all depends on the region-specific objectives of the NTOs. We already have plans to connect with Asian NTO partners in India to copromote the destination and create a win-win situation for the destinations. After all, we are targeting the same consumer group of Indian outbound travellers. Co-promotion will not only increase the visibility and reach of the destinations but will also bring a new experience for the consumers. Back in 2016, we had pioneered the first-ever joint marketing campaign between Japan National Tourism Organisation and Korea Tourism Organisation in partnership with FCM travel. ETTW: With the ups and downs due to the pandemic, how is KTO trying to stay relevant among the Indian audience and the travel trade? How important is the entertainment industry in Korea (eg: K-Dramas and K-Pop artists) in helping to promote Korea as a destination? YGC: K-Pop, K-Drama, and K-Culture have become a part of the Indian household. The number of Korean fans is rapidly increasing in India. With the ease of accessing the music and dramas on social media and OTT platforms, enjoying the K-Entertainment has become easier. It’s a great way to get a visual glimpse of South Korea, its beauty, people, and culture. All these aspects not only impact the Indians to follow the Korean lifestyle but also create an impulse to visit Korea. I am sure all the Hallyu Fans must be waiting for the pandemic restrictions to be lifted to visit South Korea. While travelling to Korea was not possible, we tried to bring Korean reached more than 20 million consumers and received more than 3,000 entries for our social media event the K-challenge. Today’s event is the final event of the KXperience series for 2021, where we are catering to our B2B partners. Once travel resumes, we would be actively promoting the filming sites of famous Korean films and dramas for K-fans to visit in the future. In the future, we will be working closely with the travel industry to create tour products and travel packages especially targeting the K-fans. Plan to collaborate with Luxury hotel brands in India to organise Korean food events in their Asian restaurants targeting the luxury segment customers.experiences to our consumers with a series of online and offline activities under the umbrella of our mega project, The KXperience. We

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Travel job placements at highest level since February 2020

More candidates were placed in travel job vacancies in last month than at any point since the pandemic began, according to C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment. The recruitment specialist said last month’s total number of travel placements was the highest since February 2020. The figure was up “exponentially” from last November but remained 15% down from November 2019. The number of vacancies fell 27% compared to October 2021 but was the fourth highest total of the year. However, because of the current high demand for travel talent, November 2021’s figure was up by 3% compared to the pre-pandemic month of November 2019. The number of new candidates fell by 21% from October to reach their lowest level since May 2021. Barbara Kolosinska, director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment, said: “November was a very strong month for travel recruitment, with a high number of new vacancies and more job placements than we’ve seen since the beginning of 2020. “But that isn’t the whole story. It is clear for everyone to see that we have a shortage of quality candidates in the travel industry. “We need to be doing more to retain our current employees and to attract new talent into the industry – whether that is increasing salaries, improving flexibility or simply offering a company brand that is enticing and attractive to potential new recruits.” All figures come from the month’s new vacancies advertised with C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.

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