News

Meghalaya To Develop Tourism Along Indo-Bangladesh Border

Sharing friendly borders with Bangladesh, Meghalaya is set to harness the potential of tourism along the border districts at East Khasi Hills. The state, known for the wettest place on earth- Mawsynram and the cleanest village-Mawlynnong, is looking to promote unexplored destinations in the district. Recently, Meghalaya Tourism in association with PHDCCI under the Border Tourism Webinar Series. Speaking during the virtual session, Vinod Zutshi, Former Union Tourism Secretary, said, “Border tourism has immense potential if promoted and marketed well as it gives an opportunity to see the neighboring countries without actually crossing the border. Campaigns like ‘Dekho Apna Aur Padosi Desh’ can be introduced to promote semi international travel. Ease of access to zero line; ensuring last mile connectivity; creating economic activities around border towns will be the key drivers for promoting border tourism in Meghalaya. There is a huge potential for promoting monsoon tourism in the state as Cherrapunji is known for being the wettest place on Earth. Emphasis should also be given on Festivals and the state government should create a mega Tourism Festival on the lines of Hornbill Festival in Nagaland.” Meghalaya Tourism is currently working on empowering the local community to develop homestays in the state. The destination will soon have an eco-resort in Shnongpdeng. Cyril V. D. Diengdoh, Director – Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, said, “Meghalaya in the last few years has witnessed huge growth in tourism. In 2018-19 we were 3rd in terms of footfall in North East after Assam and Sikkim. We welcome a huge number of foreign tourists, majority from Bangladesh. In 2019, our CM Conrad K Sangma, led a delegation of tourism to Bangladesh and signed Mou between tour operators of Meghalaya and Bangladesh, which we call mountain to Sea tourism. “The people in Meghalaya have understood the value of tourism and are all community driven. Under Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes we are creating infrastructure in the state of Meghalaya. We are developing an eco-resort in Shnongpdeng. The Garo Hills also borders with Bangladesh and we want to develop this region as well. We have some of the largest caving systems in Meghalaya, which can be developed for adventure tourism. Homestays are very important to experience the culture of the state.” Meghalaya has recently introduced a new mobile app and website to provide a seamless experience for travellers. The state is encouraging its stakeholders to register their products under this app to create a end-to-end solution. “Meghalaya tourism has come up with a new website and mobile app, which is a seamless app where tourists can directly book in a contactless way. We are creating an ecosystem where all stakeholders can be onboarded on this app and it will be a one stop shop. We came up with a restart tourism campaign last year. We want to maintain the sustainability as well in the region. We have been improving on the ease of doing business reforms. We have come up with a PPP Policy as well where tourism is a major part for developing infra,” Dienghoh, added. Apart from Border tourism, Meghalaya is also set to introduce adventure element in the state. The state is also known for the Living Root Bridges. Philip F. Tariang, Assistant Director, Tourism Department, Government of Meghalaya, “We have a friendly border with Bangladesh, and we have engaged with them in attracting tourists. Borders have always been a huge draw for tourists. In Meghalaya, Sohra area is a vantage point from where one can see Bangladesh. The Sohra area, Mawlynnong which is the cleanest village can be further developed for tourism. From the department we have worked on a master plan for Mawkdok- Sohra for experiential tourism and for village tourism. “Living Root Bridges are a very popular attraction. We are sending nomination of Kongthong village to UNWTO for best tourism village. Mawlynnong, Borhill, Umsyiem are other regions we are looking to develop. We want to develop adventure activities like Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Kayaking, Rafting in Shnongpdeng. Govt is setting up a resort in Sohra and the work has started. David Scott Trail, Nalphakram National Park, Garo Hills can be promoted for Trekking and Camping.”

Read more

Domestic flights to get costlier by around 12%

You will have to shell out more for domestic flights as domestic airfare has increased after a proposal by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. An order regarding the same has been issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), wherein the lower and upper cap for domestic airfare will see a minimum increase of about 12%. The order has come in the wake of rising demand for air travel as COVID cases decline in the country after the second COVID wave that hit the country in March. Previously, the Ministry had fixed ceilings for airfare on the basis of flight durations. As per the new orders, the revised minimum airfare for flights under 40 minutes would will hike from INR 2600 to INR 2900, with the upper ceiling fixed at a maximum of INR 8800. The decision has come after Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met representatives of different airlines on August 6. In addition, the Ministry has also increased operational capacity for airlines, and they can now operate at a maximum of 72.5% of their pre-pandemic capacity. The same was previously set at 65%.

Read more

Not more than 15k tourists allowed in Mussoorie this weekend, hoteliers fume

To prevent hordes of tourists coming to Mussoorie during the Independence Day weekend, the district administration of Dehradun announced on Friday that not more than 15,000 visitors will be allowed in a single day in the town. This has led to many hoteliers and shop owners in the Queen of Hills fuming at the decision. “Our economy is entirely dependent on tourism. Limiting the number of tourists is not a solution; instead, we should focus on upgrading our infrastructure,” said Sandeep Sahni, president of Uttarakhand Hotel Association. Echoing similar sentiments, Sanjay Aggarwal, secretary of the hotel association of Mussoorie, added, “All hotels are following safety protocols and risk of Covid is significantly reduced in this scenario. We do not agree with the decision of putting a cap on tourists. Moreover, turning away the tourists is going to cause inconvenience to them and give a bad name to the tourism sector in the state." Hoteliers also said that they would give a memorandum to the CM to reconsider this cap on the number of tourists. Notably, tourist activities had picked up momentum in the town since the last week of June after the second wave of Covid-19 had started to ebb. According to directions issued by Dehradun district magistrate R Rajesh Kumar, tourists need to register on the Smart City portal, carry a negative RT-PCR report and show advance hotel booking details to get entry to the hill town. Similar restrictions have been placed for tourists planning to visit Sahastradhara and Robber’s Cave in Dehradun. The entry of vehicles – including two-wheelers - of visitors has also been completely banned on Mussoorie’s Mall Road. The vehicle owners would be required to park their vehicles near Picture Palace or ahead of Library Chowk. Rajat Aggarwal, president of the traders’ association of the town, told TOI, “Limiting the number of tourists is against the policies and principles of tourism. It is also entirely against the interests of local businessmen who are dependent upon tourists for their livelihood.” Agriculture minister and government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal, when queried about the issue, said, “The government has already directed the district magistrates to take a call in their respective districts on Covid protocols. In various parameters, Uttarakhand has done well but at the same time, we need to remember that the Covid phase is not over yet. Therefore, the decision was taken for the safety of locals as well as the visitors.”

Read more

Weekend tourism gets boost in Udaipur

The weekend tourist rush is visible in Udaipur and all tourist destinations are crowded with tourists thronging the city. People associated with tourism are content to some extent but are feeling the pinch as foreign tourists are completely missing. A major part of the tourism revenue in Udaipur comes from the foreign tourists. Nevertheless, the hoteliers are happy as the domestic tourists are making up for the loss that was incurred by the industry during the lockdown. After different phases of unlock and relaxation in guidelines the tourists, mainly from adjoining Gujarat have made Udaipur their favourite destination. On weekends tourist spots are mostly crowded as tourists prefer driving down from Gujarat. The budget hotels are banking on domestic tourists while the premium hotels and event companies are still awaiting relaxation in wedding celebration rules so that destination weddings can be carried out freely. The monsoon season has played a major role in attracting tourists. Though the rain god has not been kind enough on Udaipur this season, the greenery surrounding Udaipur is a treat enough for the tourists. The parking problems and the smart city infrastructural work has irked the tourists. The traffic management during the weekends has emerged as a big challenge for the administration as streets of the Walled City are dug up and lack alternate routes. Tourists were seen flocking to Kumbhalgarh on Saturday after the Rajasthan government eased Covid restrictions recently. Dozens of cars were caught in a jam in the city. After the recent rains, tourists are heading to the greener city with a historical heritage.

Read more

Travelling to Sikkim? Govt relaxes travel curbs for vaccinated tourists

The Sikkim government has decided to relax the Covid-induced restrictions in the state, increasing the opening hours for commercial establishments. As per the latest orders, businesses can remain open till 8 pm, instead of the earlier deadline of 5 pm. Tourist vehicles and two-wheelers have also been exempted from the odd-even rationing scheme. In addition to this, tourists who have got their first dose of the vaccination have also been allowed to enter the state. However, private vehicles and taxis ferrying locals will have to comply with the odd-even regulation. The government has said that those who are willing to enter the state with a single-dose vaccination will have to produce a Covid-negative certificate of RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours, they said. Those who have taken both doses would not need to produce any test certificate. Those below 18 years will have to show Covid-negative certificate of RT-PCR test, officials said. The government also allowed casinos in hotels for in-house customers. Covid situation in state Sikkim's Covid-19 tally rose to 28,425 on Friday as 150 more people tested positive for the infection, as per the state health bulletin. South Sikkim registered the highest number of new cases at 81, followed by West Sikkim (36) and East Sikkim (33), it said. The Himalayan state now has 2,345 active cases, while 25,441 people have recovered from the disease, 360 patients have succumbed to the infection and 279 have migrated to other states so far. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stands at 90.4%, it said. Sikkim has thus far tested over 2.16 lakh samples for Covid-19, including 1,379 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said, adding that the positivity rate stands at 10.8%.

Read more

Madhya Pradesh announces plans to develop eco-tourism circuit in Singrauli

The Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) has announced its plans to develop an eco-tourism circuit in the Singrauli region of the state. With this interesting initiative, MP will be developing a new tourism circuit for mining, wildlife and cultural heritage. To work on it, MPSTDC has signed an MoU with Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) which will aid in developing facilities for eco-mine tourism and an eco-park. This will create new employment and business opportunities for the locals. Singrauli district is rich in natural beauty and has several interesting places to explore. MPSTDC Managing Director S Vishwanathan said that with this initiative Singrauli would create its own identity as a famous tourist hub in future. Places to visit in Singrauli Mada Caves: Singrauli is home to some interesting rock cut caves belonging to the 7th-8th century. Situated in Mada, these lesser-known caves are perfect for offbeat travellers. Some of the prominent caves here are Vivah Mada, Ganesh Mada and Shankar Mada, among others. Rose Garden: Situated at Jayant project township of Northern Coalfields, Rose Garden is another prominent tourist attraction in Singrauli. It is a perfect spot for meditation and yoga. Lake Park Vindhyanagar: The lake park is set in the township region of NTPC Vindhyanagar. This is a lovely spot where people can spend some family time. Tippa Jhariya: This is a beautiful picnic spot situated in the Jhingurdah project of Northern Coalfields limited.

Read more