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2.4 lakh tourists visit Kashmir valley till August

Over 2 lakh tourists, both domestic and international, visited Kashmir this year till August with the inflow of visitors gaining momentum in June. SRINAGAR: Over 2 lakh tourists, both domestic and international, visited Kashmir this year till August with the inflow of visitors gaining momentum in June. Similarly, over 29 lakh pilgrims visited Vaishno Devi shrine in the same period despite the pandemic. In tandem with the outbreak of second Covid wave in Jammu and Kashmir, the volume of tourist inflow had dropped in April after a rise from January to March. With easing of the restrictions and drop in Covid cases, the tourist inflow again picked up in June when 15524 tourists visited the Valley. In July, it went up to 48,858 and peaked to 49,719 — the highest this year so far — in August. Of the total 2,41,035 tourists who visited till August end, 796 were from abroad . There was also a rise in arrival of pilgrims to Vaishno Devi in Jammu region after the drop in May and June when 2,43,645 devotees visited the shrine as against the monthly average of 4 to 5 lakh pilgrims. After easing of Covid restrictions, about 10.21 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the temple in July and August. Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Deputy CEO Deepak Dubey said all SOPs are being strictly followed with a daily cap of 25,000 tourists are allowed entry in the cave shrine per day in view of Covid situation. With Europe remains out of bounds for the pandemic, many high-end tourists are visiting Kashmir as a result of which all five-star hotels are booked. Foreigners may be allowed visit soon- Amid a decline in Covid cases, India may soon reopen its doors for foreign tourists for the first time in one-and-a-half years, officials said. First five lakh foreign tourists will be issued visas free of cost, in an attempt to revive the tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors. Top Union Home Ministry officials are deliberating with all stakeholders on the expected date and modalities for opening up of the country for foreign tourists.

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Good news for tourists! Bali likely to welcome international travellers from October

The Indonesian government will reopen its resort island of Bali for international visitors from October amid a constant decline in the country`s number of new Covid-19 cases, a Minister said in Bali. In a statement on Friday (September 17), Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said that the country has just emerged from the peak of the second wave of the pandemic triggered by the Delta variant from July to August and has managed to reduce its positivity rate to less than 5 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported. The Covid-19 Task Force recorded the highest daily increase of cases at 56,757 in July 15, but the day-to-day rise dropped sharply to 3,835 on September 17. "If the number of cases continues to drop like this, we are confident to reopen Bali," Panjaitan told a virtual press conference. Indonesia will prioritise foreign tourists from countries with a controlled Covid-19 situation. Authorities will continue to monitor the progress of the pandemic handling every week to ensure that the conditions remain under control so that Bali is safe to reopen. Friday's announcement comes after the government on Monday announced its decision to lower the level of the four-tiered restrictions on public activities in Bali due to the Covid-19 decline.

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Goa to restart tourism activities from 20 September; casinos, nightclubs to open

In a bid to revive the tourism sector in Goa, the state task force has recommended the government to reopen all tourism activities from September 20, Monday. Casinos, spas and nightclubs can also be functional from Monday with 50 per cent capacity, provided people are fully vaccinated or produce a Covid-19 negative test report. The government will soon issue the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for this. Meanwhile, the task force will convene another meeting to evaluate the Covid-19 situation and decide on starting physical classes for students from Class 8 to 12. “The decision regarding reopening of schools will be taken after monitoring the situation. Physical classes for higher classes are likely to begin from October. The decision regarding reopening of school for primary classes will be taken after Diwali,” said Dr Shekhar Salkar, an official from the state government’s expert committee for Covid management. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the state will now play a crucial role in reviving tourism. He was speaking at a virtual interaction with Goa’s healthcare workers, doctors, citizens and government functionaries. “Goa will play a vital role in reviving the tourism sector. Think about it – hotel industry, taxi drivers, hawkers, shopkeepers – when they are all vaccinated, even tourists will come with a feeling of safety. Now, Goa is among the few international tourist destinations where people have received the protection of the vaccine. We all wish that in the coming tourism season, there should be the same tourism activity as before, that tourists from the country and abroad enjoy themselves here,” he said. “This will be possible only when we pay the same attention to corona safety measures as we did for vaccination. The infections have reduced but, even now, we cannot take this virus lightly. The more focus there is on safety and hygiene, the more number of tourists will arrive here,” Modi said in the virtual interaction attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Ministers of State Shripad Naik and Bharati Pawar, and ministers from the state cabinet, among others.

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A new eco-tourism site to grace the city of Lucknow

Lucknow is preparing to get a new eco tourism spot, a wetland that is situated behind the Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Stadium, also known as Ekana Stadium. The state forest department, alongside Lucknow Development Authority will work together to develop this area into an eco forest. An official notification will be made next week regarding the project, which is set across 37 acres of land, for about 47 km. It is being reported that a wide variety of bird species live here, some of which are listed under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The development of this new eco tourism spot has been a special project for Alok Kumar, who is the Secretary to the Chief Minister. He said, “The growing importance of urban forestry is what drove the CM to give a thought to the request made by the naturalists’ group. In the years to come, the place will give a new identity to the character of Lucknow,” said Kumar. The Ekana Wetland, as it is called, is home to some rare migratory birds that come here every winter. Other common animal species found here are bee-eaters, kingfishers, parakeets, ducks, golden jackal, and butterflies, among others. The city is all set to get a new oasis for its residents to visit, while giving official refuge to the species of birds and animals found here. The Ekana Wetland could be the new tourist hotspot in the city.

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Indian Air Force to conduct air show over Dal Lake

Come September 26, and the Indian Air Force (IAF) is going to have an air show over the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar. The event is part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav that marks the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. Dal Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the country, which is just the perfect place for an air show. According to Colonel Enron Musavi, Defence Ministry spokesman, "Air Force Station, Srinagar, will conduct an air show at Dal Lake in Srinagar on September 26. The event being organised in collaboration with the J&K government will be flagged off by Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre.” The spectacular show is going to be held amidst a crowd of more than 3000 college and school students. The idea is to influence the young minds, and motivate them to join the Air Force, and the aviation sector. Other than this, promoting tourism in the valley is yet another reason to host such an air show over the Dal Lake. Various IAF aircrafts will participate in the flypast, and spectators will also be able to see paramotor flying and the famed sky diving team of Akash Ganga in action. According to Misavi, the display team is going to perform here after a gap of 14 years. The Symphony orchestra of the IAF will perform at the event, which will also consist of a photo exhibition depicting the history of IAF. There will also be stalls put up at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre where students can get to learn about the achievements of the Indian Air Force, besides understanding employment opportunities, eligibility criteria, and recruitment rules.

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Uttarakhand’s Hemkund Sahib yatra to start from 18 September

The annual pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib, the revered shrine of Sikhs, would start from September 18. Referring to this, the Uttarakhand government has specifically noted that not more than 1000 devotees would be allowed to visit the shrine in a day. Reports have it that the Hemkund Sahib Management Trust has also laid out COVID-19 safety guidelines for the devotees. Referring to this, Narenderjit Singh Bindra, the vice-chairman of the Trust, stated that people suffering from health ailments like heart issues and asthma will not be allowed to take the yatra. Also, he urged people above 60 years and those below 10 years to not undertake the pilgrimage. Further, bathing in the kund (temple pool) will not be allowed at this point of time. The order also asks devotees to wear a face mask and make sure that they sanitise their hands frequently during the yatra. Pilgrims travelling from other states will be required to register themselves on the Smart City portal. And all pilgrims, except those who have completed 15 days after taking the second vaccine dose, will have to provide a negative RT-PCR test report that is not older than 72 hours of their arrival, to enter the shrine. Further, the pilgrims travelling to Hemkund Sahib will be required to register themselves at the Rishikesh Gurdwara Trust office.

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