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Vaccination rate will assure international arrivals & boost tourism; AI divestment a big step

With India expected to cross the crucial 100-crore vaccination mark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has linked getting the Covid jabs to overall recovery and progress. "The fast pace of India's Covid vaccination will be a new chapter for tourism industry. Today (people from abroad) planning to come here for work or tourism know that a vast population of our country are vaccinated. This assurance is there for international arrivals," Modi said on Wednesday while inaugurating the Kushinagar International Airport. The PM also spoke for the first time on the successful divestment of Air India -- a task tried to be accomplished thrice in the last two decades. He described it as a "big step" that will steer Indian aviation to a new direction. "The regional connectivity scheme UDAN is going to complete four years. Over 900 routes have been cleared and more than 350 have started. In recent times, over 50 airports -- either greenfield or hitherto unused -- have been operationalised. India will have over 200 operational airports, heliports and seaports in the next three to four years," the PM said while adding that the country will see over 1,000 more aircraft in coming years. "We are witnessing that more middle class people are travelling by air now, thanks to the UDAN (ude desh ka aam nagrik) scheme. UP alone now has 8 airports that get regular flights and this number has risen to 9 with Kushinagar. Work is on at Greater Noida's Jewar. Ayodhya is going to get an international airport," Modi said. The PM said defence authorities have released significant tracts of airspace under their control for use by civilian flights, cutting distance and flying time for commercial flights with shorter direct routes being available on many sectors now. "Rail, road, aviation and waterways have to complement each other." He also spoke about eight flying training schools for pilots being allowed at five airports. Presently, a majority of budding pilots go abroad for training to fly commercial aircraft. Having world class flying schools in India will ensure this training becomes available in India to train the number of pilots the country will require given the pace of aviation growth here. "Our drone policy has ensured this technology is used in all spheres from agriculture to defence. This will change the lives of people. The Indian drone ecosystem will range from manufacturing to training manpower to use them," Modi said. The PM recently got the aviation ministry to junk a drone policy that chained drones on a plethora of approvals and clearances. Modi got it changed it to a very user friendly set of rules under a new policy. "It is a matter of pride that at a time when we are celebrating Amrit Mahotsav (75 years of independence), the growth in aviation symbolises the rate of our progress," he said.

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Delhi-Kushinagar direct flights 4 times a week from Nov 26, announces Scindia

Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday announced that the government will begin a direct flight between Delhi and Kushinagar. Scindia was addressing an event in Kushinagar where an international airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Union minister said that the Delhi-Kushinagar direct flight will begin from November 26 and operate four days a week. The initial flights will be operated by budget airlines SpiceJet. He further said that the airport will also have direct flights from Mumbai and Kolkata soon. Others present at the event included Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and several dignitaries. The airport was inaugurated with the first flight arriving from Sri Lanka, that included a delegation led by the island nation's minister Namal Rajapaksa, son of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, comprising around 100 senior Buddhist monks, four state ministers and other senior officials on the auspicious occasion of Vap Poya Day. The airport has been built at an estimated cost of ₹260 crore and the new terminal building is spread across 3,600 square metres. It has been developed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) in association with the Uttar Pradesh government. The Kushinagar International Airport is the ninth airport in Uttar Pradesh, located at one of the major Buddhist pilgrimage centres around the world where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana.

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Abu Dhabi’s warm welcome to Indian travellers! How to enjoy tourist attractions in the UAE capital through the Abu Dhabi Green Pass

Global travel is picking up again with Indian travellers! Clearly, the pent up demand for international travel knows no boundaries, which presents the curious aspect of a traveller’s ardent exploration and discovery of immersive experiences. Travelling abroad is gradually witnessing an uptick despite the pandemic. For Indian travellers, Abu Dhabi has always been one of the popular and safe leisure destinations. In the travel spectrum one looks at from Abu Dhabi’s viewpoint, India forms the second biggest international source market to Abu Dhabi, a fact that is validated by Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT – Abu Dhabi as he tells FinancialExpress.com: “We at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) are incredibly excited to now welcome all fully vaccinated tourists and residents travelling from India, with no quarantine measures.” He further adds, “Today, Abu Dhabi has been recognised as one of the safest cities in the world, as referenced by Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safest Cities Index 2021, which ranked Abu Dhabi as the ‘safest city in the Middle East and Africa’.” How Abu Dhabi beckons to Indian travellers In this exclusive interaction with FinancialExpress.com, Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi explains, “With safety and hygiene paving the new wave of travel, industry reports suggest that Indian travellers are optimistic and looking at short haul international destinations once travel resumes. Abu Dhabi has implemented world-class COVID-19 safety procedures, including the Go Safe certification for the tourism and hospitality sectors as well as an accelerated vaccination programme, which has seen a 90 percent vaccination rate in the UAE capital. These precautionary measures have enabled the emirate to protect its citizens, residents and visitors, and to maintain a very small number of positive cases throughout the pandemic, proving the success of our approach to public health and safety, which remains at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s agenda. “ Notably, Abu Dhabi has successfully managed to expand travel offerings in 2020 despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and the same continues in 2021. This is in line to see a rise in tourism activities for both business, and leisure travellers. Abu Dhabi’s simple process to enable tourist to verify international vaccination certificates In order to support seamless entry for Indian travellers, DCT Abu Dhabi has outlined a simple process to enable tourists to verify their international vaccination certificate or vaccination exemption document. Simply put, this will enable visitors to safely enjoy the diverse range of experiences and attractions in the UAE capital through the Abu Dhabi Green Pass. They can now register their home-country vaccination certificate or vaccine exemption via the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) Smart app or via the official government website, for prior verification, up to 48 hours before their travel date.

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Negative Covid test report must for all international passengers visiting India

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that a negative Covid-19 (RT-PCR) test report is mandatory for all international passengers visiting India. The test should be conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey, it said. The government has issued a document, listing all Covid-19 protocols for international travellers and for airlines. It includes the points of entry (airports, seaports and land border) for “risk profiling of passengers". Here are the new guidelines for those planning to travel: 1) i. All travellers should a. Submit self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) before the scheduled travel. b. Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report. This test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey. c. Each passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise. ii. They should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo home quarantine/ self-health monitoring, as warranted. iii. Continuing with the earlier approach, travellers from certain specified Countries (based on epidemiological situation of COVID-19 in those Countries) are identified for additional follow up. These include need for additional measures as detailed in para (xv) below. The listing of such specified Countries is a dynamic exercise based on evolving situation of COVID-19 across the world and will be made available on the websites of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, (mohfw.gov.in) and the link of the same will be available at website of Ministry of External Affairs and Air Suvidha Portal.

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Maldives Tourism Report 2021: Emerging as a Dream Vacation Destination for the International Tourists

Maldives will attract more than 2.5 million international tourists and will generate more than US$ 5 billion in revenues by 2027. "Maldives Tourism Market" offers the most up-to-date industry data on the actual market situation and future outlook for the Maldives tourism market. The report published by ResearchAndMarkets.com uses data and analysis to discuss future trends related to international tourists' arrivals, spending, the purpose of visits and main destination markets. The report provides a clear insight into current and future tourism developments in the region. Furthermore, this report uses country-focused analysis to explore tourist markets in the Maldives. A detailed country-wise analysis of the market is provided, covering a total of 14 nations. The research study limelight growth drivers and investigates market inhibitors of Maldives travel and tourism. The top 14 most visited countries included in this report are India, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, United States, Ukraine, Spain, Austria and Poland.

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6 New Flight Routes in North-East India Become Operational From Today

Good news for travellers, as now those travelling from Aizawl, Guwahati, and Shillong will have multiple options for onward connectivity to the rest of India. You ask how? Well, in Northeast India, flight operations will commence on six new routes from today that will connect Kolkata – Guwahati, Aizawl – Shillong, Guwahati – Aizawl, Shillong – Aizawl, Guwahati – Kolkata, and Aizawl – Guwahati. On Monday, while virtually flagging off these routes, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “Mizoram is the gateway to Northeast India. The city has an immense amount of importance for its tourism and economic sector. We are committed to giving wings to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of making it possible that every state’s uniqueness must be experienced by all citizens of the country. I assure you that MoS General VK Singh (Retd.) and I will personally visit Mizoram very soon.” The Benefits of This Initiative This initiative will in a way boost the aerial connectivity of the Northeast by connecting multiple states that were not earlier connected via flights. Moreover, for travel enthusiasts and tourists, this initiative will provide access to a smooth aerial connectivity across these states. Further Scindia said that the government has already started 60 airports, and 387 routes, out of which 100 routes are awarded in North East alone, and 50 are already operational. He said, “We have already started 60 airports, and 387 routes, out of which 100 routes are awarded in the Northeast alone, and 50 are already operational. Moreover, In 2014, only 6 airports were operational in the Northeast, now we have grown to 15 airports in a short span of 7 years. Therefore, this further highlights the due importance of the Northeastern states. In addition to this, under the KRISHI UDAN Yojna, we have identified 16 airports to enhance the export opportunities of the region establishing dual benefits of enhancement of cargo movements and exports.”

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