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Kollam Junction railway station to get an international standard facelift

Kerala's Kollam Junction railway station is all set to get a major facelift of international standards. Kollam is one of the 21 railway station that is getting elevated to international standards in the country. The railway station is located in the city of Kollam, and is the largest railway station in terms of the number of tracks. It is also one of the oldest in the state. The news came to light after MP N K Premachandran announced it over a release. Kollam Junction will get a commercial complex, and a training institute, among other things. According to Premachandran, the railway station should be completed by December 2023. The railway station is going to get its first addition as early as November 25, this year. Kollam Junction will get its second escalator and lift by that time. The minister has suggested to convert a rest house that was built here way back in 1904. Moreover, it is being said that regular trains will start to run in the state, just like pre-COVID times, and additional steps will be taken in order to solve any problems that may arise for season ticket holders. It is important to note here that the COVID situation in the country is still not completely under control, hence, special trains might continue to run in the coming times. The railways had stopped all scheduled trains, and are running special trains across the country in this age of coronavirus. Railways say that it would be difficult to go back to normalcy so soon. It has also been reported that the electrification of the Kollam-Punalur route would be completed by March 31, 2022.

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IRCTC announces Shri Ramayana Yatra trains this November and December

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced to operate a series of Shri Ramayana Yatra Trains for pilgrims this November and December. These trains will run from different cities in India. According to the IRCTC, the first train will operate on November 7 from New Delhi. It is a 16-day journey that will end on November 23. After this, the trains will be made available in Madurai, Ganganagar, Pune and Sabarmati in the coming days. An official release said, "Besides, IRCTC is already operating Shri Ramayana Yatra ex from New Delhi all-inclusive package with its new fully air-conditioned deluxe tourist train for the premium segment tourists. The tour will commence from 7th November and end on 23rd November 2021. The tour package has been received very well by the market and the train is already fully booked. IRCTC will be soon launching more Shri Ramayana Yatra packages with deluxe trains soon". From Madhhurai, the train will depart on November 16. It will be a 12-day/13-night journey. From Ganganagar, the train will depart on November 25 on a 16-night/17-day tour. The train will depart from Pune on November 27 and from Sabarmati on December 25 (7-night/8-days). The train is available in standard and comfort categories and people can choose from these. The price of standard category (Sleeper Class) is INR 900 plus taxes per person per day. The comfort category package is priced at INR 1500 plus taxes per person per day (in AC 3-Tier). The New Delhi departures are designed for the premium market.

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U.S. to lift all travel restrictions for fully-vaccinated incoming foreign nationals from Today

Fully vaccinated travellers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel to the U.S. prior to boarding, a statement said. The U.S. set to lift all restrictions for fully-vaccinated international travellers, including from India, from November 8 but they will have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight to the country, according to an official statement. The travel guidelines included protocols around testing. To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travellers – whether U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of accepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one day of departure. And fully vaccinated travellers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel to the U.S. prior to boarding, the statement said. Unvaccinated minors will need to test at the same time as the adults with whom they are travelling – three days with vaccinated adults and one day with unvaccinated adults, it said. According to the statement, passengers will need to show their vaccination status and the airlines will need to match the name and date of birth to confirm that the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination; determine that the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given and review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC’s definition for fully-vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, site (e.g., vaccination clinic, health care facility) of vaccination. Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19, it said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that for purposes of travel to the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorised and World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency use listed (EUL) vaccines. The American travel industry has been asking for President Biden to lift the ban.

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Guyana approves India-made Covaxin for travel

Guyana has become another country to approve India-made Covaxin for travel. On Tuesday, the country recognised Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, which is India's first homemade vaccine against Covid-19. The Indian High Commission in Guyana on a happy note mentioned that this is a crucial step towards the post COVID partnership between the two nations. The High Commission of India in Guyana took to Twitter and tweeted, "Guyana has recognised India's indigenous vaccine Covaxin -important step forward in the post-Covid partnership between India and Guyana." It further mentioned, "Now, all passengers aged 18 years and above travelling to Guyana must be vaccinated against Covid-19 before arrival. Passengers are required to present their vaccination card bearing their name of vaccine, date vaccine was inoculated and batch from an accredited facility". Recently, Australia also recognised Covaxin for travel purposes. The country has allowed entry of those travellers who have received the vaccine. Along with Australia, five other nations have also approved the Indian vaccine certificate. The news was shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia too have approved India’s vaccination certificate. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates continues! Five more recognitions for India's vaccination certificate, including from Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia."

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Spain says its tourism may return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022

International travel to Spain is recovering fast and could allow the tourism-dependent nation to reach pre-pandemic foreign visitor levels by 2022, the government has said after data showed a sharp rise in September arrivals. The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain more than quadrupled in September from a year ago to nearly 4.7 million, data from the National Statistics Office showed, as widespread vaccination and looser travel restrictions enticed back more visitors. "These data confirm a reactivation of international tourism is underway and that in 2022 we could recover pre-pandemic levels," Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said in a statement. Maroto cited Spain's natural tourist attractions and its high level of vaccination - around 80pc of the population - as driving forces behind the recovery. She had said in the past that foreign tourism would be half pre-pandemic level in 2021 up from less than 20pc in 2020. Unlike Italy, France or Ireland, Spain does not require proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test to enter restaurants or bars, meaning unvaccinated visitors can enjoy their holiday without taking tests every few days. Nevertheless, total arrivals were still far below the 8.8 million who came to Spain in September of 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Tourists spent a total of €5.04 billion in the country - soaring from the €964m of the previous year, but a long way off the €9.62 billion spent in September 2020. Germans made up the largest group of foreign travellers, followed by Britons and French people, the data showed.

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First Chartered Flight Of Tourist Season To Arrive In Goa On Dec 13

After a nearly a year, the first chartered flight of the season will arrive in Goa from the UK on December 13, ending a lull in the international tourism sector since the COVID-19 outbreak, a senior official said on Saturday. After a nearly a year, the first chartered flight of the season will arrive in Goa from the UK on December 13, ending a lull in the international tourism sector since the COVID-19 outbreak, a senior official said on Saturday. Four chartered flights will fly to Goa every week from the UK starting December, two each from Gatwick and Manchester Airports, said Nilesh Shah, the president of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG). The operations of chartered flights were shut down last year following the viral outbreak, and the season of 2019-20 was also washed out due to the pandemic, Shah said. The tourism industry was expecting good response from the Russian market, but due to the COVID-19 wave in their country, the arrivals may be delayed, he said. Before the pandemic, Goa used to receive around 1,000 chartered flights during the tourist season, which begins in October and ends in April, the official said. The tourism industry will bounce back, if at least 50 per cent of the chartered flights arrive in the coastal state this tourist season, Shah said, adding that the current ban on scheduled flights from abroad is also affecting the industry.

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