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Abu Dhabi Unveils Its Event Calendar

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced its line-up of thrilling events with the return of the Abu Dhabi Calendar, the official guide for unmissable experiences taking place in the emirate. The time is now to create new memories and discover everything that this spectacular emirate has to offer. If you dream it, Abu Dhabi delivers it; from international sporting events to live concerts, cultural exhibitions, comedy gigs, and much more. The calendar is the go-to guide for everything happening in Abu Dhabi, offering unrivalled inspiration for the top things to explore in the emirate. Bigger than ever, it has been carefully curated with more than 500 event days and just shy of 80 of the best and exclusive events taking place across the capital over the next six months. With a revamped look, the Abu Dhabi Calendar puts the emirate in the palm of your hand – with all the exhilarating experiences, events, concerts and shows taking place across the emirate, simply one click away. It is the perfect starting point for those looking to reconnect with this amazing emirate, whilst helping to create long-lasting and unforgettable memories. A whole world of discovery awaits those that explore the Abu Dhabi Calendar, with a few key highlights including; International sporting events such as the UFC Fight Island series, the Spartan World Championship, which leaves the US for the first time to be hosted at Liwa Oasis, the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mubadala World Tennis Championship, and the annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Events that are ideal for the culture vultures, such as Abu Dhabi Art, Sheikh Zayed Festival and Abu Dhabi Classics, which brings some of the world’s best classical musicians to Abu Dhabi. It doesn't stop here! The emirate presents new iterations of Abu Dhabi Culinary Season and the emirate’s Abu Dhabi Shopping Season where the offers are so rewarding. Whether you are looking for a short or extended visit, there are incredible comedy gigs and concerts such as An Evening with Michael McIntrye, which will see the UK’s leading comedian performing in Abu Dhabi for the very first time, but WAIT, there’s more… As the emirate brings the first destination-led Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week anchored by Semi Permanent Middle East, a first-in-the-region creativity festival. Beloved family-friendly event the Mother of the Nation Festival will return for its fifth edition, celebrating the innovation, creativity and the traditions of the UAE while honouring the legacy of HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. There will also be a range of entertainment events including The World of Nickelodeon - ideal for families to explore – and the Middle East Film & Comic Con, which will take place in Abu Dhabi for the first time with comics fans and cosplayers sure to be thrilled with the three-day event. As the emirate is ready to welcome all vaccinated visitors and entertainment venues are safely accommodating live audiences, the Abu Dhabi Calendar is the ideal platform to plan an upcoming trip – offering a glimpse of the destination’s exciting events at your fingertips. All events will be held in accordance with the stringent safety protocols and within the allowed occupancy allocations as per the latest government guidelines.

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Airfares, hotel tariffs soar as travel demand zooms

An unprecedented surge in this winter is pushing up air fares and to record levels. With demand increasing month-on-month as more people become confident to travel, the travel trade industry expects the surge to persist beyond the conventional holiday season. Tour operator Thomas Cook India senior vice-president (leisure travel) Romil Pant said domestic travel in September 2021 was up four-fold against September 2019 and was growing at a frantic pace. “Prior to the pandemic, 85% of the business revenue was from outbound and the rest was from domestic travel. But with many international destinations, including popular ones like Thailand in South-East Asia still closed to Indian travellers, the revenue pie from domestic travel has increased to 40%. In terms of travellers, 60% are in the domestic sector. While we are still at 50-55% of prepandemic level in outbound travel, domestic travel is increasing by 300%,” said Pant. Travel agents in the city said the huge spurt in travel was aided by both pent up demand and increased confidence flights are twice the usual, that on international flights is up 2.5-3 times,” said Travel Agents’ Association of India chairman (east) Manav Soni. Anil Punjabi, the eastern region chairman of Travel Agents’ Federation of India, said the surge in the domestic sector was fuelled by many outbound travellers also visiting domestic destinations. “The rush has prompted several hotels to charge premium rates. Revenge tourism has fuelled the boom,” he said. While Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar are in demand in the domestic circuit, Maldives, Dubai, Egypt, Russia, France, Switzerland and Germany are sought after internationally. “There is a huge demand for honeymoon travel, both because couples who have got married in the past 18 months have not been able to travel till now and also because due to the restriction in the number of guests, spends at the weddings have been low and now they have more disposable funds for the trip,” said Pant. Apart from higher and hotel tariffs, Covid SOP compliance and travel cover has also added to travel cost. Insurance is up 15-20% but includes Covid coverage. In Covid compliance, it is usually RT-PCR test requirements. Incidentally, travel options are open to only those who are fully vaccinated.

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Indians vaxxed with Covishield can now travel to Poland, no quarantine required

In a recent travel update, Poland has become the latest European country to recognise India-made Covishield vaccine. The Embassy of Poland recently announced that Indians vaxxed with Covishield against the COVID-19 can travel to Poland without quarantine requirements. The embassy took to Twitter to make the announcement and tweeted: “Poland has recognized #Covishield as a vaccine equivalent to those recognized by the European Union, exempting from quarantine after entering the territory of the Republic of Poland.” ????????Poland has recognized #Covishield as a vaccine equivalent to those recognized by the ????????European Union, exempting from quarantine after entering the territory of the Republic of Poland. The decision comes after a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that stated that two doses of Covishield and Pfizer are 90 percent effective and that it can prevent deaths from the Coronavirus’s new Delta variant. Sometime back, the United Kingdom had also approved Covishield as one of the accepted vaccines for travellers visiting the country with quarantine requirements. So those fully vaxxed with Covishield vaccine can now travel to the UK. Earlier the country had raised some concerns over India‘s CoWIN certificate, which made Indians vaccinated with Covishield to undergo a mandatory quarantine. In July, Belgium had approved Covishield for travel, and by September, nearly 18 European Union nations had accepted the vaccine including Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, and Bulgaria.

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First direct flight on Shillong – Dibrugarh launched under UDAN; 15 airports operational in Northeast now

Strengthening regional connectivity, IndiGo has launched direct flights between Shillong and Dibrugarh under RCS-UDAN scheme, effective October 26. Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the first direct flight on the route. With this flight, a total of 15 airports are now operational in the Northeast region of the country. On the occasion, he said that apart from promoting flight connectivity, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)’s focus is on developing the infrastructure capabilities along with helicopter services for the last mile delivery. “In 2014, only six airports were operational in Northeast which has now risen to 15 airports in 2021. Within a short span of seven years, we have achieved his ambitious target. I assure you that this is just the beginning, we are further committed to enhancing the interstate and intrastate connectivity of North-East region. Apart from promoting flight connectivity, our focus is on developing the infrastructure capabilities along with helicopter services for the last mile delivery. To ensure that we recently launched the helicopter policy to further promote Heli Services in Northeast. We want the bring the travellers from all over the country to the region,” the minister said. Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, people were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road and train to travel between Shillong and Dibrugarh. Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 75 mins. The addition of Shillong as a destination, is a part of IndiGo’s strategy to enhance domestic connectivity to Northeastern parts of the country, to fulfil demand from regional centres while enhancing accessibility. The airline will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft. On the launch, Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to commence direct connections between the capital of Meghalaya and industrial city of Assam under Regional Connectivity Scheme. These new domestic flights will strengthen regional connectivity and promote trade, commerce, as well as tourism through increased accessibility. The hillstation of Northeastern India, Shillong, is known for its natural beauty and indigenous cultures. Direct connections between the tea city of India, Dibrugarh to the capital city of Meghalaya, will cater to the regional travel demand. The introduction of these new routes will further bolster the airline’s domestic network, while augmenting inter and intra-regional accessibility. We are committed to providing an affordable, on-time, safe and hassle-free travel experience, onboard our lean clean flying machine.” IndiGo also operates flights between Shillong and four other cities including Silchar, Agartala, Imphal, and Kolkata. The airline connects Shillong to key cities in the country through its hub in Kolkata. Till date, 389 routes and 62 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalised under the UDAN scheme.

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International Travel: Bahrain Announces Relaxations For Fully Vaccinated Passengers Including Indians

International Flights Latest News Today: Here comes a wonderful news for air passengers who are planning to travel to Bahrain. Air India Expresses recently had issued an update for its passengers who are flying to the Gulf nation. As per the updates, the Arab nation has relaxed guidelines for passengers who have been fully vaccinated in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.Also Read - West Bengal Extends Covid Curbs Till Nov 30, Allows Theatres, Malls to Open At 70% Capacity | Full List Of Guidelines Here Giving further details, Air India Express said that the National Health Task Force of Bahrain has announced many relaxations for such passengers. As per the updates from the National Health Task Force, Bahrain, fully vaccinated passengers are those who have completed 2 weeks (14days) since the last dose of the vaccine. The latest guidelines stated that the fully vaccinated passengers in GCC countries are not required to carry a negative RT PCR test result and are not required to undergo the 10-days mandatory quarantine. They also don’t need the proof of accommodation/residence for flying to Bahrain. The fully vaccinated passengers in GCC countries only need to show evidence of vaccination through a certification or an official GCC mobile application. And the passengers who have been vaccinated in Bahrain, vaccination status has to be verified through the official mobile application viz. BeAware App. Notably, the negative pre-boarding RT PCR test result and proof of accommodation are NOT required ONLY if the BeAware App displays a ‘Green Shield’. However, if a YELLOW SHIELD is displayed, both a negative RT PCR pre-boarding and proof of accommodation are required. Guidelines for passengers vaccinated in India Air India Express issued another update for passengers who are vaccinated in India and traveling to Bahrain. The guidelines stated that the passengers vaccinated in India need to carry a negative COVID 19 RT PCR test certificate with a QR code displayed on it (for a test taken no more than 72 hours before the departure). At the same, the online version of the report has to be the same PDF Report, that the passenger presents at the counter. On the other hand, the passengers fully vaccinated in India and holding a Residence Permit of Bahrain have an option to upload their Indian vaccination certificate on the BeAware App, and get the Certificate vetted by the Ministry of Health, Bahrain and thereby obtaining a ‘GREEN SHIELD’ on the BeAware App. Moreover, the air passengers, who are fully vaccinated in India and are having a ‘GREEN SHIELD’ on the BeAware APP, a negative RT PCR test report pre-boarding and proof of accommodation is NOT required.

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Maldives records over 100,000 tourist arrivals in October

According to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), the country will this year cross the mark of a million tourist arrivals by the end of October. Over 100,000 tourists have visited the Maldives in the month of October, the state-owned PSM News citing data from the Ministry of Tourism said on Tuesday. Ministry data showed that 102,434 tourists visited the Maldives from October 1 to 24, a 599 per cent increase from the same period in 2020 but a 2 per cent decrease compared to 2019, reports Xinhua news agency. The Maldives has recorded a total of 973,269 tourist arrivals so far this year, or a daily average of 4,454. According to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), the country will this year cross the mark of a million tourist arriivals by the end of October. As per the report, the overall demand by RCI members from India. Besides, India and Russia were the biggest sources of tourist arrivals for the Maldives, accounting for 23 per cent and 19 per cent of all arrivals, respectively. They were followed by visitors from France, Kazakhstan, Spain, Ukraine, the UK and the US. The country's borders had been fully closed for three months last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic before they were reopened in July 2020. The borders were closed for South Asian tourists due to a surge of Covid-19 cases in May 2021, but were reopened on July 15. Tourism is the largest economic industry in the Maldives, as it plays an important role in earning foreign exchange revenues and employing thousands of citizens.

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