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Kashi, Ayodhya, Char Dham projects key to religious tourism ecosystem: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the ongoing projects in Kashi Vishwanath, Ayodhya and the Char Dham will help create a religious tourism ecosystem in the country and ensure that Indian cultural heritage centres of faith are viewed with deserved pride. Speaking at a function in Kedarnath after laying the foundation stones of different projects and unveiling a 12-foot statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, Modi said the under-construction Char Dham roads will ensure that the third decade of the 21st century belongs to Uttarakhand. He also inaugurated Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi that has been reconstructed after the destruction in the 2013 floods. "His life was as extraordinary as it was devoted to the welfare of the common man," Modi said about Adi Shankaracharya. His address was telecast live in 87 temples, including 12 Jyotirlinga, four Dhams and different places of faith. Several BJP leaders, including chief ministers and union ministers, joined the politically significant event - coming months ahead of a number of states including Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh go to polls early next year - virtually from different places. Highlighting the recent grand celebration of Deepotsava in Ayodhya and the ongoing construction of the Ram temple there, Modi said, "Ayodhya is getting its glory back." In his fifth visit to Kedarnath as the prime minister, Modi quoted a verse from Ramcharitmanas to express how he feels under the shelter of Baba Kedarnath: "Some experiences are so supernatural, so infinite that they cannot be expressed in words." He said he has been personally monitoring the reconstruction works at Kedarpuri. "I have regularly reviewed redevelopment works at Kedarnath from Delhi," he said. "I reviewed the progress of different works being carried out here through drone footage. I want to thank all 'Rawals' here for their guidance for these works.

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Border reopenings, new flights, trains and hotels: this week’s travel news

New attractions, hotel openings, flight routes and government advisories Border reopenings Argentina has reopened to international visitors, offering quarantine-free stays to fully vaccinated arrivals who can provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to travel (argentina.travel). Fully vaccinated arrivals can now also visit Thailand without the need to self-isolate (tourismthailand.org). And the US opens its international borders on Monday Responsible tourism winners Indian destinations and businesses led the way at the WTM Responsible Tourism Awards, winning four out of six categories. They included the zero emissions Govardhan Eco Village in Maharashtra (ecovillage.org.in), a model farm that hosts study programmes, and the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (tourism.mp.gov.in), which supports its communities through initiatives such as homestays. Mumbai-based tour operator No Footprints won for its immersive city tours that introduce visitors to niche experiences (nfpexplore.com). New routes No-frills airline Vueling has launched a twice-weekly route from Newcastle to Paris Orly (vueling.com). SkyAlps, meanwhile, is preparing a new route between London Gatwick and Bolzano in Italy’s South Tyrol on 15 December (skyalps.com). Early next year, Bamboo Airways will launch Heathrow to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh services in Vietnam on Boeing 787 Dreamliners (bambooairways.com). On the rails, two new sleeper services will launch in Europe, with connections to Eurostar trains. Nightjet will offer a Paris-Munich-Vienna service, alongside Amsterdam-Cologne-Zurich from 13 December (nightjet.com). London’s new net zero hotel A new “hometel” will open in Chiswick, west London, on 1 December. Claiming to be “the first hotel in the world to account fully for its entire carbon footprint”, room2 has renewable energy sources, as well as two on-site “lab rooms” to analyse energy and water use, interiors by local artists and designers, plus a laundry room, gym, café and cocktail bar.

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Planning to travel abroad? These countries have opened their borders for Indians

Australia, Oman, Philippines, Mexico, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Greece recognised India's Covaxin as it eased curbs on international travel. Indian tourists vaccinated with Bharat Biotech's Covaxin will be considered fully immunised in these countries. The Ministry of External Affairs informed that five more countries have recognised India's Covaxin vaccination certificate, including Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia. Planning to travel abroad this festive season? Thailand has allowed quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated travellers from 63 countries, including India. According to new travel guidelines, the US will lift travel restrictions on China, India and much of Europe effective November 8. The White House said that with few exceptions, only foreign nationals with vaccinations approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization will be allowed to board planes to the U.S. "For anyone travelling to the United States who cannot demonstrate proof of full vaccination, they will have to produce documentation of a negative test within one day of departure," instead of the current three days, according to the White House. The UK has exempted fully vaccinated from quarantine requirements. Fully vaccinated Indians can travel to UK, but they have to take COVID-19 test on the second day of their arrival. The passengers will also have to complete a passenger locator form 48 hours before arriving in the country.

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Uttarakhand to receive more tourists in next 10 yrs than last 100 yrs: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that several infrastructure projects have been planned for Uttarakhand which will boost tourism in the state. "A number of infrastructure works are planned for Uttarakhand including road connectivity to Char Dhams and ropeway near Hemkund Sahib to facilitate devotees. This decade belongs to Uttarakhand. In the next 10 years, the state will receive more tourists than it did in the last 100 years," the Prime Minister said while addressing people at Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. "Work has also started on a cable car, so that more devotees can visit Kedarnath," the Prime Minister added. Lauding the efforts of the state government, he said, "Uttarakhand government is working proactively connecting Char Dham with well-constructed roads and highways which will help in boosting tourism initiatives and employment in the state."

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Leh-Manali highway closed, will reopen April-May 2022

The Manali-Leh Highway is currently closed, and will no longer is available for civilian vehicles for the next few months. The highway closed down from November 2 due to heavy snowfall, and is set to open in April-May, 2022. The Darcha-Padum road is also currently closed for all kinds of vehicular movements. Moreover, the Gramphu-Kaza highway is also currently closed. The police in the region has said that people are insisting on going on the road (beyond Darcha), even though it is very dangerous to do so right now. It has been decided that unruly tourists will be booked if they do not follow protocol. Manav Verma, Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police, said, “We are noticing that tourists staying in hotels and homestays of Lahaul are trying to go towards officially closed Baralacha and Shinkula. This can result in a mishap. Given the present situation, police are needed to take preventive measures to avoid any accident. So, under Section 149 of CrPC Act, civilian vehicular movement shall remain banned beyond Darcha until the highway is again reopened officially in the next summer season." Going to see snow in Lahaul is one of the best things to do for travellers coming to the area, however, one must be aware of the weather and road conditions during this time of the year. The highway beyond Darcha is currently covered in ice, and the weather is extremely cold. At such a time it is not safe to drive or to hire taxis to go to see the snow. The police has also ordered hotels, homestays, and other accommodation facilities to let their guests know about the situation regarding the road closure.

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Air traffic demand saw a moderate uptick in Sep: IATA

Air travel witnessed a moderate rebound in September 2021 from August driven by a recovery in domestic markets such as China, airline trade group International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has more than 290 global airlines as members, said on Friday. However, overall international air passenger traffic demand slipped slightly compared to August, it said. “Total demand for air travel in September 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 53.4% compared to September 2019," IATA said. “Domestic markets were down 24.3% compared to September 2019, a significant improvement from August 2021, when traffic was down 32.6% versus two years ago. All markets showed improvement with the exception of Japan and Russia, though the latter remained in solid growth territory compared to 2019," it said. International passenger demand in September was 69.2% below September 2019, fractionally worse than the 68.7% decline recorded in August, IATA said. Indian airlines fared better in September compared to the previous month, on the back of festive season bookings. Domestic air passenger traffic saw a 5.45% growth in September. Around 7.07 million passengers took to the skies in during the month, compared to 6.7 million in August, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

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