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TAT organises Loy Krathong Festival Celebration in New Delhi

Keeping the festive spirits alive and following the tradition, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (New Delhi) along with the Royal Thai Embassy and Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport Hotel, celebrated the Thai festival of lights – ‘Loy Krathong’ on 19th November 2021 at Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport Hotel. It was a beautiful and picturesque evening as several floating candles, flowers and krathongs decorated the venue showcasing Thai festivals and traditions. Guests including diplomats, corporates, media and members of the travel fraternity were invited to celebrate the magical festival of lights where candle-lit krathongs twinkled on the water creating unforgettable experiences. The evening was inaugurated with a welcome speech by Thirapath Mongkolnavin, Minister & Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Thai Embassy who thanked the guests for joining the event and celebrating the Thai festival of lights. This was followed by a welcome remark from Nitin Kapur Director Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport Hotel. The event was highlighted by cultural dance performances depicting the strong cultural and religious links between India and Thailand. Other performances included a traditional Loy Krathong dance and a dance from the four different regions of Thailand. This was followed by the beautiful Loy Krathong procession that was led by Nang Noppamas who invited the guests to release the candle and incense-lit krathongs into the water thereby paying respect to the water goddess. Guests at the event learnt the art of traditional Krathong making and decoration which they floated into the water. The event included demonstrations of a popular Thai noodle dish – Pad Thai which was greatly enjoyed by the guests. Office of Thai Commercial Affairs also showcased Thai products which are being imported into India and used in Thai cuisine. Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi said “We are very grateful to be able to celebrate the Loy Krathong festival in New Delhi and pay respect to our Thai festivities as well as highlight the strong cultural bond between India and Thailand. I hope this event has given the guests a glimpse of Thai traditions, art & culture and a taste of delicious and authentic Thai food by Soy Neung Roi restaurant at the Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport Hotel. We would like to thank all our guests who joined us and of course our hotel partner Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport Hotel for their continuous support in making this a memorable celebration. Now that Thailand is open for fully vaccinated travellers from India, we look forward to welcoming travellers to experience Amazing Thailand which is now “Even more Amazing.”

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Australia announces easing of travel restrictions from December 1

Australia on Monday announced easing of its stringent pandemic-related travel restrictions from next month, a decision that is expected to help thousands of Indian students return to that country. From December 1, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders including students and skilled workers, can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption, a statement by the Australian government said. It said the visitor will have to be fully vaccinated with a "completed dosage" of a vaccine approved or recognised by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and hold a valid visa for one of the eligible visa subclasses. The travellers will also have to provide proof of their vaccination status and present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within three days of departure for Australia. The statement said travellers to Australia must comply with the quarantine requirements in the territory of their arrival. According to the announcement, citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea, who hold a valid Australian visa, will be able to travel from their home country quarantine-free to Australia without needing to seek a travel exemption. "Australia continues to take further steps to safely reopen to the world, with additional changes to our international border arrangements coming into effect on 1 December," the statement said. It said consistent with the national plan to safely reopen Australia, the changes will ensure that it continues to protect the health of Australians, while reuniting families and securing its economic recovery by opening the border to skilled and student visa holders. "From 1 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. Eligible visa holders include skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders," it said. "Travellers to Australia must comply with the quarantine requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel," it added. The Australian government said the return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will further cement the country's economic recovery and support the education sector. "Today's announcement follows earlier changes which have seen us welcome home fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members since 1 November, and follows the commencement of the Singapore safe travel zone yesterday," it said. "These changes demonstrate the success of our national plan, as the government continues to get Australia back to normal and reopen to the world safely," it said.

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Madhya Pradesh takes up safety of women travellers

‘Dil khol ke ghoomo, Hindustan ke dil mein, aap safe hai’ - with a tagline that reassures travellers that they are safe, Madhya Pradesh is sending out a loud and clear message to everyone, especially women travellers, telling them that they are welcome to explore the state without having to fear for their safety. To ensure that the message is not just limited to a tagline, the state is also working to develop tourist sites as safe tourist destinations and friendly for women and in this they are involving the participation of the local community at these tourist destinations. The project will be implemented in 50 tourist places in 20 clusters of the state. It includes tourist places and districts like Chambal, Pachmarhi, Shahdol, Khajuraho, Chanderi, Datia, Sanchi, Ujjain and Burhanpur. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board will also be working with various departments, like the Women and Child Development, Home, Urban Development and Housing, Transport, School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education and Skill Development and State Rural Livelihood Mission, Rural Development Department, to help develop safe tourist destinations for women. Addressing an orientation workshop, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Spirituality, Usha Thakur, has said that the innovation of ‘Development of safe tourist destinations for women’ will also help to empower women economically and socially. An MoU was also signed between Tourism Board, Madhya Pradesh Police and UN Women India during the workshop to conduct the project with coordinated efforts. Thakur said that with cooperation of all departments, the participation of women would be ensured in building an ‘Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh’. Principal Secretary Tourism and Managing Director Tourism Board, Sheo Shekhar Shukla said that developing a safe tourist destination for women is a unique project in itself. Underlining the role that the state will play in this implementation, Shukla called it an ambitious, contemporary and urgently needed project for the society and added, “It will provide a platform to half of the state’s population to contribute towards making Madhya Pradesh selfreliant. This will increase the participation of women in tourism and economic sector.” Shukla went on to say that more and more women employees would be employed in the hospitality sector of tourism and about 40,000 women would be imparted training in self-defence. Along with this, about 10,000 women would also be given training under skill development. Calling on the need to develop infrastructure, UN Women Representative for India, Susan Jane Ferguson, said that while social sensitivity and policy decisions help to create a safe environment for women, improvement of infrastructure is also equally important. She lauded Madhya Pradesh’s efforts towards this direction. This concept by Madhya Pradesh Tourism also received recognition at the World Travel Mart (WTM), London. A discussion was also organised on the topic of women safety in tourism. Partner organisations working on Responsible Tourism also displayed their eco-friendly products in the workshop.

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Covid-19: Applications for Vaccinated Travel Pass for Singapore from Nov 22

From Nov 22, travellers from India fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), can apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) for flights to Singapore, a day after aviation regulators from the two countries reached an agreement to resume daily commercial passenger flights from India, beginning November 29. The applications for VTPs will open at 6pm. Those applying for such passes should present a digital proof for full vaccination. They are also required to take two Covid-19 tests, of which the first has to be taken within two days before departing for the city-state. The other, meanwhile, has to be taken upon arrival at the Changi airport, following which the visitors have to keep themselves under self-isolation, until the result turns out to be negative. Flights from India to Singapore will operate under the latter's Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) facility; on November 15, Singapore included India on its VTL list. Under this facility, travellers from the countries on this list are exempted from quarantine upon arrival, provided they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and have proof for this. Under VTL, six daily flights, two each from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, will commence operations. Non-VTL flights can also operate, though passengers on these will be subjected to certain public health requirements. The resumption of regular passenger air traffic between the two countries also comes in the backdrop of external affairs minister S Jaishankar's visit to Singapore last week. Singapore started the VTL mechanism on September 8 with, Brunei and Germany being the first two countries. The arrangement is now available with 13 countries, including Australia, the UK and the US. VTLs for India, Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sweden will be effective from November 29, and similar arrangements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will begin from December 6.

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Explore Munnar on a KSRTC sleeper bus

It has been a year since KSTRC Munnar’s depot joined hands with the tourism department. And it has been a successful ride ever since. They had introduced sleeper coach buses for Munnar tourists for overnight stay at reasonable rates. Two deluxe buses were converted into sleepers with 16 berths. They started this service on November 14, 2020. In a year, KSTRC has managed to rake up profits. Currently, there are seven buses that have been overhauled into sleeper coaches. The depot got a profit of Rs 14,33,970 during this one year. Each bed will cost Rs 100 from 6 pm till noon the next day and the customer will have to pay an amount equivalent to the rent as a security deposit. Around 16 people can lodge inside the bus at a time. If needed, they will provide you with a blanket and hot water for an additional amount of money. A tourist group can book an entire sleeper bus. KSRTC had also renovated the toilet complex in the depot for their customers. It also partnered with nearby restaurants to provide food in the bus. It is said that KSRTC first launched sleeper buses for its crew after they complained of poor facilities while waiting for passengers at the airport during the lockdown. In the last year, around 12,073 people have utilized this sleeper facility. These buses are stationed at the bus stands. Once these sleeper coaches became popular, they thought of introducing the concept of sightseeing buses. This service is available for tourists towards places like Kanthaloor and Top station. Though the pandemic put a lid on the services to Kanthaloor, the bus is still continuing its service to the top station. This service started on January 1. For now, around 7107 people availed this service and toured Munnar. So far, they have collected Rs 16,90,500. KSRTC MD Biju Prabhakar, Munnar depot in charge Savi George are the people behind this project. Also, the exclusive bus service from Malabar aided in the success of sleeper coach and sightseeing services.

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World's highest 360-degree infinity pool opens in Dubai

Dubai has turned breaking world records into something of an art form over the years, and the emirate now has yet another to add to its list. The world's first and highest 360-degree infinity pool has just opened at the Palm Tower, a hotel and residential building from developer Nakheel that offers showstopping views of the Dubai skyline. Set at a height of 200 meters, Aura Skypool encompasses a 750-square-meter pool deck on the 50th floor of the new landmark, which is also home to the St. Regis Dubai, located in Palm Jumeirah. Described as "an island in the sky," the space also features a lounge filled with VIP sun beds, as well as a bar serving cocktail and tapas dishes. Those keen to take a dip in deep in the blue-tiled pool have the option to book either a morning or sunset session, while day tickets are available for visitors with a little more time on their hands. The entry fee starts at $46 (170 AED) for morning visits and rises to $163 (600 AED) for a full day VIP "island" experience with access to the entire Aura area. "Aura is truly unlike any other destination in the UAE and the world," Antonio Gonzalez, CEO of Sunset Hospitality, the company behind the infinity pool, said in a statement last month. "With 360-degree views of some of the world's most iconic sights, from the manmade Palm Jumeirah -- celebrating this year 20 years since its construction -- through to Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and Ain Dubai -- all in one view, it's a breathtaking new destination that will continue to showcase the very best of Dubai." The launch of Aura Skypool comes months after The View at The Palm, a 240-meter high observation deck, opened on the 52nd floor of the spectacular tower, while the building also features the Middle East's first SushiSamba restaurant. Meanwhile, the world's tallest infinity pool inside a building, a 293.906 meters high bathing spot on the 77th floor of the Address Beach Resort in Dubai's Jumeirah Gate, was entered into the Guinness World Book of Record earlier this year. Unlike the Aura Skypool, the pool is only open to hotel guests, aged 21 and older. However, diners who book a table at rooftop restaurant Zeta Seventy Seven, which is situated right across from the pool, can also get a taste of the view, as well as a good look at the record-breaking pool.

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