News

Another feather in the cap as one more tourist destination opens its gates after a long Covid wait: TAAI

A significant drop in Covid-19 cases and increased vaccination pace has led to a rise in tourist footfall in the state of Odisha. Industry insiders are very happy that normalcy is returning and hoped for a fast recovery in business. Expressing her happiness towards the revival of tourism business and congratulating Government of Odisha, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President, Jyoti Mayal commented that it is indeed a much-needed step on the government’s part which will encourage other states too in the same direction. “Covid did take a lot from us, now it is time to compensate for all the losses faced during the pandemic,” she said. “After the prolonged curbs for over 18 months, tourists are showing a strong desire to travel & are registering a month-on-month increase in demand. It is indeed a brilliant start to the tourist season with rooms almost full during the weekend and a sizeable number of domestic visitors flocking to spots. If the current situation continues then the recovery could be done in lesser time,” mentioned Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI. Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon Secretary General, TAAI stated, “The government of Odisha is leaving no stone unturned and coinciding with the upbeat mood of tourists by organising series of exciting events, including glamping at seven eco-retreat sites. A collective effort is required for the better and early revival of tourism sector which got massively hit during pandemic days.” Whereas, Shreeram Patel, Hon Treasurer, TAAI went on to thank the Government of India for a successful vaccine drive in the country which has encouraged travellers and has created a sense of safety amongst people of all walks.

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World’s first ever beach in India? Anand Mahindra sees lot of tourism potential

Recent findings show that ‘world’s first ever beach’ could be in Jharkhand's Singhbhum area. As much as this surprised all, the study also says, “findings also suggest that the continents emerged from the oceans about 700 million years earlier than previously thought." Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, who is known to be a travel and nature enthusiast, took to Twitter recently to share the picture of the site noting that it could be 'an opportunity here to develop a magnet for global tourists'. Pitching for development of eco-tourism in the region, the businessman asserted that ‘the rights of tribal societies should not be trampled’. Here is what Mahindra said: I see an opportunity here to develop a magnet for global tourists. Who would not put the ‘world’s first ever beach’ on their travel bucket list? However the rights of tribal societies should not be trampled on & eco-tourism should be the goal. Along with the post, he also shared an article that talks about the recent findings. The article says, A recent international study led by scientists from India, Australia and South Africa has revealed that the Earth's first continents or "cratons" may have emerged from the ocean around 3.2 billion years ago. This new finding is at odds with previous estimates, which suggested that the first continents emerged 2.5 billion years ago. Eastbound traffic makes its way past downtown Los Angeles on the evening of November 24, 2021, the day before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year.PREMIUM US travel hits pandemic high ahead of Thanksgiving holiday “… However, the precise timing and extent of the emergence of cratons remained ambiguous. This is where the present study comes in. Not only does this new study suggest that the continents emerged 700 million years earlier than previously thought, but it also claims that entire cratons, not just small patches of land, emerged from the oceans 3.3 billion years ago." And you'll never guess where the scientists found the evidence to make such a claim: in Singhbhum, Jharkhand!, it adds. The researchers trekked all the way to the Singhbhum Craton, located in eastern India, where "pockets" of ancient sedimentary rocks had previously been found, the study stated adding, in order to date the rocks, the researchers looked for zircon grains which consist of uranium. “But their efforts paid off, and by studying the chemical composition of the zircons, the team discovered that the rocks were produced in ancient rivers, beaches, and shallow oceans and are 3.1 billion years old." All of these bodies of water could only have existed if there had been continental land. They subsequently deduced that the Singhbhum region was above sea level 3.1 billion years ago and suggested that the Singhbhum Craton in eastern India initially rose above the seas around 3.3 billion to 3.2 billion years ago, making the region one of the oldest beaches on the planet, it added.

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NYC Tourism News Ahead of the Holidays

As we come down the homestretch on 2021 we are feeling thankful at City Guide. Thankful for the return of international tourists. Thankful for vaccines and the new treatments that will allow us to come together again. Thankful for governmental support and its promotion of our city. Most of all we are thankful for our colleagues and all our loyal partners. As we reflect with friends and family this weekend, we will feel grateful we have such a strong, vibrant community in New York City tourism, one that has better times ahead on the near horizon. We're also thankful for all the great feedback we're getting on our newly redesigned guides, now back in hotels across the city. If you haven't looked yet, here's a peek. Other signs of the city coming back include: 30th floor cocktail lair The Skylark to reopen in the Garment District The Sofitel New York has reopened The W New York Downtown has rebranded as The Washington - New York City Momofuku has opened Upstairs at Ssäm Bar in the Seaport with tabletop grills and private karaoke rooms New food court Mott Street Eatery now open in Chinatown Miracle on Union Holiday Pop-Up bar opens in North Brooklyn The Natural History's Origami Holiday Tree reopens today The Paley Center for Media reopens, with PaleyLand holiday extravaganza launching December 4th The Hotel Indigo Wall Street is taking bookings ahead of a December 15th opening "Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects" is the first comprehensive Holmes exhibition in NYC in more than 50 years—opens January 12th at the Grolier Club NYC Restaurant Week will return January 18th-February 13th We have been speaking with clients and friends about the return of international travel. Here are some telling quotes from the past few days: "International guests are starting to make more reservations at the restaurants, and we’re thrilled to be able to host them again. I think everyone is enthusiastic to be a part of the festivities in New York City. Everywhere you turn, you’ll see beautiful decorations, and feel like you’re in a winter wonderland, and our restaurants are no exception. We’re starting to see an increase of international guests calling us about making reservations for Christmas Day, because they saw the holiday decorations we put up and they want to dine in the cozy ambiance we created." —​Benjamin Prelvukaj, Owner—Benjamin Restaurant Group "We are thrilled to once again welcome our international guests back to The St. Regis New York! Our neighboring Fifth Avenue shops are bustling, restaurant reservations are increasingly harder to come by and theater seats are full. Almost immediately, we’ve seen an influx of European travelers here at the hotel, and it has been wonderful feeling their energy and excitement as many have been eagerly looking forward to returning to experience all that makes New York City the greatest city on Earth." —Harald G. Mootz, CHC, CGSP, Chef Concierge, The St. Regis New York “Attendance at Summit One Vanderbilt continues to be robust. It’s been a delight to hear the chatter at our attraction include German, Spanish, French and even some great English accents. You can really feel the momentum shift in the city.” —Jason Hackett, Senior Vice President, Director of Sales and Marketing, Summit One Vanderbilt We're feeling that momentum shift, too. An informal survey of Manhattan this weekend revealed a full house for Edge, tons of pedestrian traffic on The Hight Line and inside Hudson Yards, and 90-minute waits for tables in Union Square. Other promising notes for NYC tourism include: The most recent hotel occupancy rate for NYC is solid, just shy of 75% The Met just had its best weekend since the start of the pandemic Nationally, the TSA is reporting 95% of the traffic seen at this time in 2019 The city gained 83,500 jobs in October, at increase that's twice the rate of the nation as a whole Thanksgiving travel is expected to be at pre-pandemic levels. If you're leaving town we hope your travels are safe and we look forward to connecting with you in the weeks ahead.

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Turkey expects $22 bln tourism income in 2021

Turkey wants to generate $22 billion from tourism in 2021 by welcoming more than 28 million foreigners, its culture and tourism minister said on Nov. 24. Recalling the tourism income totaled $12.1 billion in 2020, when countries had strong coronavirus pandemic measures such as travel bans and lockdowns, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that the nation’s tourism income reached $16.8 billion during the first nine months of 2021. Speaking at Turkey's major economic event, Uludağ Economy Summit, that began Wednesday, he noted Turkey's promotional efforts have an important role in the recovery. The two-day summit has been organized since 2012 at a ski resort in the northwestern province of Bursa while the last two editions were held virtually because of pandemic measures. The tourism sector is one of the most affected fields from the pandemic and Turkey had to postpone its tourism targets, Ersoy said.

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International flights to and from India expected to return to normal

In a major turn of events, it has been announced that international flights to and from the country are expected to return to normal by this year's end. The same has been announced by Aviation Ministry Secretary Rajiv Bansal. Commercial flights to and from the country were barred in March last year, following the COVID-19 outbreak. While flights for essential services and goods, and repatriation purposes were later allowed, scheduled commercial flights have stayed barred apart from air-bubble arrangements with around 25 countries. Speculation has been rife on the matter as the decision to restart commercial scheduled flights has been deferred a number of times in the recent past. The announcement by Rajiv Bansal has brought in much relief for those eagerly awaiting a better turn of events. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also stated that the government has been mulling over brining back international flights to normal. He also expressed that while things might go back to normal, precautionary measures would be exercised to curtail any new waves of COVID-19. He was speaking at a public event, and stated that, "I am all for regaining our space in the civil aviation arena in the world and making a hub in India and for more wide body aircraft. We will get there but bear with me and trust me... I am on your side. We will work together but in a safe environment."

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Rich, immersive and beautiful: Community based tourism on the rise

Experiencing the actual local culture, gaining knowledge of local rituals and beliefs - Community based tourism refers to tourists living life like natives, sharing their lives by living in homestays, farm stays and indulging in activities like cooking and crafting together, storytelling, and village tours. “Community tourism focuses on the interaction between local communities and travellers. Since people are inseparable from the places they live in, it kind of forms a web of life along with ecology and landscapes of a region. It is in the interest of travellers, especially those who are looking for a meaningful, insightful and educational travel experience, to have a first hand interaction with communities that live in the places they travel to,” says Vaivhav Todi, Director at Greener Pastures, who organises community tourism tours to Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya. By engaging with the community, the traveler gets a rare opportunity to truly connect with the landscape through the people, in terms of cultural elements such as dances, folklore, songs, costume and cuisine that have developed in direct correlation with the natural environment and that which exposes this delicate and secretive web of life. “This type of travel not only gives you a real insight into local lives, but also ensures your travel experience makes a genuine difference to local people,” says Sumit Kapoor, an HR executive who just visited the Warli tribe in Walvanda, Maharashtra. The beauty of community based tourism is the fact that it allows local communities to have full ownership and management of the tourism experience, which in turn ensures that the economic benefits of tourism stay within their community. “The idea behind our model of community tourism is to have local communities take control and charge of tourism activities themselves, and showcase their own culture and heritage in the process. In our experiences, we generally offer direct interaction between guests and local experts from the community through walks, biodiversity trails, treks, art workshops. We also include a local home-cooked meal prepared with local flavours,” says Mohit Bagadia from Swadesee Experiences who organise tours by partnering with local experts. Through community based tourism, locals get a chance to showcase and share their culture with the world and also learn about other cultures thus lending a sense of pride among the native population. “The beautiful Nilgiris are home to many tribes like the Todas, Kotas, Badagas and Kurumbas. We organise a visit to the Toda tribe in Orissa that is truly an unforgettable experience. Their culture has an irresistible appeal for the travellers, who are charmed by the simple life that the Todas lead. They are also fascinated by their symmetrical and beautiful houses, known as ‘dogles’, which are made up of bamboo and stones,” says Miguel Munoz, Chief Resorts Officer, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited. Renest Bandhavgarh Meadows located near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh organises tours of the Baiga Tribals,”On clear full moon nights there is the local Baiga dance called Karma, along with a bonfire where the tourists are encouraged to join the locals in the dance ritual followed by a hearty dinner under the Jamun tree canopy. The Baiga tribals are farmers who tend small tracts of land all around the tiger reserve growing local varieties of rice, maize and mainly wheat,” says Vishal Lonkar, General Manager, Brand Development, Renest Hotels and Resorts. Meals generally depend on local agriculture, and communities keep in mind not to exceed limits as they can’t put unnecessary strain on their own resources. Such tours help them earn a better livelihood and thus lead to an enrichment of their lives. Shruti Khandare, model and influencer who visited Bishnoi village says, “Located not far from Jodhpur, Bishnoi village provides an authentic experience of rural Rajasthan. The notable Bishnoi tribe reveres nature and lives in harmony with it, so much so that they bury their dead to preserve trees as wood is used in cremation. We took the Bishnoi Village Safari from Jodhpur and visited artisans such as weavers, potters and block printers, and learnt about their culture.” As far as the costs of such travel goes, it fluctuates wildly. For tours in Maharashtra, prices could be as low as 1,000 per day while for immersive tours in far flung remote areas of North East, the price bracket could range from ₹5,000 to 9,000 It’s a great way to gain insights into new cultures, traditions, meet local people and learn from them which would not be possible in a conventional fleeting tour and what’s more, you get to forge life long relationships with these communities. Benefits of Community Based Travel Provides stimulant to the economy Community based travel provides employment opportunities to natives who can act as guides, provide meals, procure goods, and perform other tourism-related jobs “This type of tourism helps create new spaces for women to take on leadership positions especially when it comes to organising the homestay components of a tourism program,” says Khandare. Preserving culture By providing employment opportunities for youngsters locally, community based tourism prevents them from leaving for larger cities. “By creating a dialogue and exchange between urban folk or travellers and local communities from rural India we are trying to spread information, reduce barriers and eventually try to reduce the urban rural divide that is causing a lot of problems such as urban migration, water imbalance, unsustainable lifestyles and so on,” says Bagadia A lesson in sustainability Traditional communities often have far more to teach us about our sustainable practices than our urban counterparts. It aims at the protection of community resources and conservation of wildlife. It also encourages pride within the community.

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