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Flight services from Srinagar to Sharjah to start soon

To enhance the air connectivity from Jammu and Kashmir to UAE and other countries, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday made a big announcement and said efforts are being made to operate international flights from Srinagar to Sharjah so that international passengers can directly travel to Jammu & Kashmir. “We will try to operate international flights from Srinagar to Sharjah so that international passengers can directly travel to Jammu & Kashmir,” Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Srinagar. According to him, international flight operations are likely to resume at the Srinagar airport soon. He went on to say that the terminal at the Srinagar airport will be expanded from 25,000 square metre to 63,000 square metre. Giving further details of the plan, the Civil Aviation Minister said there will be an investment of Rs 1,500 crore at the Srinagar airport, while Rs 600 crore will be spent on the Jammu airport.

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Unlocking Travel Report 2021 by OYO: Jaipur, Goa most booked leisure destinations among Indians

Jaipur and Goa have emerged as the top booked leisure destinations as several states have eased COVID-19 related restrictions for travellers to boost the tourism and hospitality sector, as per a report. In India, Goa, Jaipur, Manali, Ooty and Mysore are the top-ranked leisure destinations among domestic travellers, according to Indian hospitality startup OYO’s Unlocking Travel Report 2021. Unlocking Travel Report 2021 is based on actual bookings on OYO platform during August – September 2021 and advance bookings from October 2021-January 2022, across different geographies. According to the report, most Indians are preferring long weekends for leisure destinations, as there was a spike in bookings during Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. For the upcoming long weekends of Dussehra and Guru Nanak Jayanti, the OYO data shows that travellers are opting for holidays across India’s leisure destinations – with Jaipur topping the list, followed by the beautiful beaches of Goa, it added. Meanwhile, the report also revealed that in the UK, there is a high preference for travel on short weekend breaks, followed by school holidays and business trips. In the UK, OYO’s booking trends for September reveal that the British are heading to London, followed by Bath, a well-being destination, mainly known for its beautiful ancient Roman Baths, it stated. As per advance booking trends in the UK, Christmas, New Year, Black Friday, and Boxing Day are the most sought-after long weekends for travel, it added. Meanwhile, in the US, big cities and coastlines dominate travel preferences for Americans as travel opens up across the country, the report said. Americans are heading to New York, Hawaii (3 islands), Las Vegas, Orlando and Key West, indicating that travellers have a strong preference for lively nightlife, amusement parks, entertainment hotspots and beaches, according to the report. Based on OYO’s advance booking data between October and December 2021, Americans are looking forward to travelling on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve long weekends. The report further stated that between August-September 2021, Europe saw strong signs of travel bounce back led by summer travel demand. It has observed that a majority of bookings are last-minute (that is within 15 days of arrival) across Europe, indicating the shift in consumer mindset, wherein consumers plan their travel closer to the date, largely depending on the factors surrounding the pandemic. Across Europe, the Baltic Sea Region in Germany, a popular vacation spot (also referred to as the German Riviera), was the most booked destination over the summer season. When it comes to Southeast Asia, with lockdowns partly relaxing in Indonesia, there’s a jump in small and medium enterprise (SME) and essential travel across business cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, among others, it noted. OYO has presence in over 35 countries, including India, the US and UK.

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Canada lifts ban on passenger flights from India. Check travel guidelines here

Canada has lifted a month-long ban on passenger flights from India. Earlier on Tuesday, Canada extended the restriction on all direct commercial and private passenger flights from India until September 26. “As of September 27, 2021, direct flights from India to Canada will resume," the Government of Canada said in a release. According to Transport Canada, once the restriction on direct flights expires, travellers eligible to enter Canada will be able to board direct flights from India to Canada. Indian passengers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the approved laboratory at the Delhi airport. The report should be taken not more than 18 hours before departure, it said. After the restriction on direct flights expires, passengers eligible to enter Canada and travelling on those flights will need to: - Obtain a pre-departure negative COVID-19 molecular test result from the Genestrings Laboratory, located above the metro station in the Airport Connect Building (ACB) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. - Perform this test within 18 hours before their scheduled departure - Present the test report with a QR code issued by this laboratory to the air operator before boarding Alternatively, travellers who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 can present a positive molecular test issued by a certified laboratory in India. The date of the collection must have been between 14 and 180 days before their scheduled departure to Canada. Airlines will refuse boarding to any traveller who’s unable to meet these requirements. Indirect flights Passengers who travel from India to Canada via an indirect route still need to provide a pre-departure negative COVID-19 molecular test result from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada. Keep in mind: Certain countries don’t allow entry or transit of passengers arriving from India or of passengers who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 COVID-19 testing for passengers in transit might not be available in all international airports or third countries if you test positive during transit, you may face local quarantine regulations or be returned to your point of departure. According to officials familiar with the development, Air Canada is expected to resume its flights from India on September 27 (Monday), while Air India will be resuming its flights to Canada from September 30.

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Travelling to Goa? Know these Covid rules before booking a hotel

As Goa opened up for tourism again after the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, state health minister Vishwajit Rane on Sunday said that hotels will allow only those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to stay. "My suggestion to everyone who is coming to Goa should be double vaccinated. That is the only way", Rane said on Saturday He further added that visitors to the state should ensure that they carry authentic double vaccination certificates. The state government had recently allowed the re-opening of one of Goa's biggest tourist draws, offshore and onshore casinos with 50 per cent capacity. Meanwhile, Goa's COVID-19 caseload went up by 65 and reached 1,76,021 on Saturday, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,299, an official said, The state's recovery count increased by 84 during the day to touch 1,71,776, leaving it with an active tally of 946, he said. With 5,376 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Goa went up to 13,29,457, he added. Goa's COVID-19 figures: Positive cases 1,76,021, new cases 65, death toll 3299, discharged 171776, active cases 946, samples tested till date 13,29,457. Further, India saw a single-day rise of 28,326 new coronavirus infections, taking the country's total tally of cases to 3,36,52,745, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll climbed to 4,46,918 with 260 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The active cases have increased to 3,03,476, comprising 0.90 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.77 per cent, the ministry said. An increase of 2,034 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.90 per cent. It has been less than 3 per cent for last 27 days.

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Hotel quarantine for Indians: Qatar offers relaxations

Doha: Qatar has begun to offer relaxations to Indians, who have taken both doses of Covishield vaccine, from the 10-day hotel quarantine norm. Permission is being given to end the quarantine if the Indians test negative for Covid on day two of the arrival in Qatar. However, Qatar has not made an official announcement in this regard. Those travelling to Qatar have to mandatorily book a hotel room for the 10-day quarantine. If the quarantine is ended, the remaining amount of the advance payment would be refunded.

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Andaman travel update: Fully vaccinated tourists do not need to carry PCR report

In a new travel guideline, the Andaman and Nicobar government has announced exemption of negative RT-PCR reports for fully vaccinated travellers who wish to visit the island destination. The new guideline will come into effect from September 25. Requirements to enter According to the latest SOPs, asymptomatic fully vaccinated with both doses of COVID-19 vaccine won’t have to carry their negative RT-PCR test report to enter Port Blair. Also, the passenger should have completed more than 15 days after the second dose of the vaccine. Such passengers will also be exempted from undergoing additional RT-PCR tests on arrival at the airport. An ID document proof along with the vaccination certificate will be required. If someone is found symptomatic on arrival at Port Blair, irrespective of their vaccination status, they’ll have to take the RT-PCR test at the airport. Others who are unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated and those with both doses not completed 15 days, will have to carry a negative RT-PCR report. An additional RT-PCR test on arrival will also take place at the airport. Being a popular holiday destination, a large number of tourists are travelling to the Andamans. The islands and all the other attractions are open to tourists now but all the COVID-19 protocols are being followed like social distancing and wearing of face masks all the time. As of now, the union territory has 17 COVID-19 cases.

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