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Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park, India’s own mini Amazon, is now open for tourists

Bhitarkanika National Park, also popular as Mini Amazon of India, is now open for wildlife enthusiasts and tourists. Situated in the Kendrapara district of Odisha on the coast of Bay of Bengal, this wildlife sanctuary is the second largest Mangrove in India after Sundarbans. The mangrove forest is made by two river deltas of River Brahmani and Baitarani. The park along with the nearby wildlife sanctuary are a 'Ramsar site', an important wetland region having international significance. The national park was shut down to tourists after the country was hit by the second wave of COVID-19. The park was scheduled to reopen on July 31 but things didn’t work in favor. However, now the park has completely reopened for tourists keeping in mind the mating season of the saltwater crocodiles. For those who don’t know, the park is home to the world's largest white crocodile park. A huge number of saltwater crocodiles also live here and thousands are born during the prime breeding and nesting seasons each year. The park alone is accountable for about 70 percent of India’s saltwater crocodile population. In 1975, the park started the conservation of crocodiles. Though the park is open, tourists to the park are supposed to follow all the COVID-19 protocols. From maintaining social distance and wearing face masks at all times inside the park, tourists will have to adhere to COVID appropriate behaviour. As per latest guidelines by the forest department, a local guide will accompany visitors mandatorily inside the park. The forest department has trained some 40 youngsters from nearby villages as local guides. Also a good number of forest department personnel are deployed to ensure appropriate behaviour.

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GO FIRST Expands Domestic Network; Introduces 32 New Flights

GO FIRST (formerly known as GoAir) today announced the introduction of 32 new flights to its expanding domestic network. The airline has added Amritsar, Surat, Dehradun and Aizawl to its domestic network and these airports will be connected by direct flights to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Guwahati, thus enhancing regional connectivity. The addition of new stations will further reinfornce GO FIRST’s robust network capacity and enhanced connectivity between Metros and Tier I cities, offering added choices for customers. Amritsar will be connected to Mumbai (2x Daily), Delhi (3x Daily) and Srinagar (1x Daily) with connections through its hubs in Mumbai and Delhi to/from Bengaluru, Jammu, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Maldives, Goa, Ranchi, Cochin, Nagpur, Jaipur and Chennai. Surat will be connected to Bengaluru (1x Daily), Delhi (2x Daily) and Kolkata (1x Daily) with connections to/from Hyderabad, Siliguri, Patna, Srinagar, Guwahati, Jammu, Maldives, Lucknow and Ranchi. Dehradun will be connected to Mumbai (1x Daily), Delhi (2x Daily) with connections to/from Ahmedabad, Jaipur,Lucknow, Chennai,Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ranchi, Patna,Varanasiand Goa. Aijawl will be connected to Kolkata, Guwahati and Delhi. Speaking on the development, Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, GO FIRST, said: “At GO FIRST, it has been a constant endeavour to build a strong network that will offer our customers ease of travel and viable options to choose from. We believe that the addition of these new stations will not only make our network robust but would provide customers direct connectivity to metros and other important cities and beyond.”

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Travel and tourism industry sees green shoots after Covid-19 shock

After being the worst-hit sector for nearly two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel and tourism industry is witnessing a gradual recovery. Several tour operators and travel agencies told Moneycontrol that a strong pent-up demand, reopening of international borders and easing of domestic restrictions have contributed to the recovery. "The recovery is definitely underway; I have taken several tours abroad this year. The industry hit rock-bottom last year so compared to that, people are willing to travel," said Shanti Kohli, managing director of Amber Tours, a Delhi-based travel agency. Kohli said she has been receiving at least 2 enquiries for international travel on a daily basis, compared to 2-3 during the pre-pandemic period. Radhika Khanijo, CEO, MD and travel designer at Welgrow Travels, said that domestic travel has picked up in a big way and has started recovering much earlier than international travel. "Although there has not been a 100 percent recovery yet, figures are indicating that a complete revival can happen soon by the end of first quarter of the next year or the second quarter, provided that a third wave does not occur," said Khanijo. Welgrow was working in the space of international travel but forayed into domestic tourism during the pandemic as international tourism was completely shut owing to travel restrictions, Khanijo added. Both Kohli and Khanijo observed that there has been a lot of enthusiasm for travel lately and the festive season between Dussehra to Diwali was particularly upbeat.

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India to issue tourist visas to Bangladeshi nationals from Nov 15: Indian High Commissioner

New Delhi: India will start issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi nationals from November 15, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Vikram Doraiswami said yesterday. As per reports, Mr. Doraiswami returned to the country from Dhaka via Akhaura check post and made this declaration. He noted that a limited-time single entry visa will be issued to Bangladeshi nationals that will remain valid for 120 days and the approved visa holders can stay in the country for 30 days. The envoy also said that the visas will be issued only if the tourists travel by plane and shouldn’t extend their stay in India beyond 30 days. More visas will be issued if the Covid-19 situation improves, he added. Visas will be issued for traveling through land ports and railway gradually in the next coming months, added the envoy. Mr. Doraiswami further informed that in a bid to complete the ongoing work along the Akhaura-Agartala railway an inspection team will be sent over to India. Asked about BSF’s objection over the immigration building in Akhaura, the high commissioner said, “There are many issues like this that need to be resolved. We are holding discussions. Hopefully, both parties will be able to solve the problems.” The envoy will be returning back to Dhaka on November 13 through the land port.

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Aurangabad: One dose of COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for those visiting monuments

Anyone who has not taken even a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be denied entry at historic monuments and sites in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. Referring to this, an official in the know how stated that District Collector Sunil Chava has passed the said orders, and the same have already been put into place. As per the orders, when the district administration found that the vaccination figures in the region were relatively low, it passed the said order. Now, as per the latest rules, at least one dose of vaccine is mandatory for those seeking to visit the historic monuments and sites. Reportedly, the government as well as private offices that are connected to the tourism industry, have also been instructed to make sure that their staff is fully vaccinated against Coronavirus. All those visiting ticketed museums, monuments and places such as Arungabad, Bibi Ka Maqbara, Pitolkara, Ajanta and Ellora caves should have at least taken one jab of COVID-19 vaccine, the order stated. Reportedly, the government health agencies have also been directed to establish vaccination booths at places that are registering high footfall of tourists. Further, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has also been directed to check if staff at tourist locations has taken at least one jab of COVID-19 vaccine.

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Leisure Hotels Group Opens 'The Hideaway Bedzzz' Varanasi

Leisure Hotels Group (LHG) has opened a youth centric hotel “The Hideaway Bedzzz” in Varanasi. The opening also marks the group’s consolidation as a premium player in the spiritual tourism circuit of India. Vibhas Prasad, Director states “Kashi sees a diverse mix of tourists of all ages and nationalities round the year. The leisure traveller, spiritual seeker, the business traveller, or the global backpacker, ‘Benaras’ has always attracted explorers looking to discover themselves. "Our Bedzzz properties offer a Signature Rooftop Dining experience with music at the “Travel Diaries Cafe” which is unique to this “youthstel” across all destinations. The menu offers a unique perspective on fusion of international, indian and local flavours”, further added Prasad.

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