News

International travel expected to rise in the coming months

After few countries have opened their borders for Indians, enquiries for travel to international destinations have seen an average increase of 80-85% in July as compared to June. Maldives, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Qatar, Turkey, Iceland, Costa Rica, Nepal, and France have opened travel for non-essential travel. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, cargo and special flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission and under bilateral air arrangements with selected countries since May last year. MakeMyTrip said that international travel is picking up slowly as countries have eased travel restrictions and quarantine regulations for Indian outbound travellers. According to the portal, Maldives and Russia currently rank high on the list of preferred leisure travel destinations. Switzerland and Qatar are the two countries that have made it mandatory for Indian travellers to be fully vaccinated. According to Swiss rules, children have to be quarantined, which is why fewer tourists are opting to travel to Switzerland. “We have seen a 35% jump in searches for international leisure packages for July as compared to the previous month. Overall, recovery within the international travel segment for essential as well as leisure travel is picking pace progressively. The scope and pace of recovery in international travel after the second wave is definitely higher as compared to the period post the first wave because of the global vaccination roll out,” said Vipul Prakash, chief operating officer, MakeMyTrip. Ixigo said it expects more countries to gradually lift restrictions in the coming months. “With India seeing an overall decline in the number of active Covid-19 cases, countries are evaluating and reconsidering their current travel restriction policies for Indian travellers. Recently the US state department has lowered its Covid-related travel advisory for India to ‘Level 3 – Reconsider Travel.’

Read more

Covid-19: Himachal Pradesh revises travel guidelines for flyers

Himachal Pradesh has revised its guidelines for tourists and travellers arriving to Shimla, Kulu, and Kangra districts, removing the mandatory requirement for a negative Covid-19 test. However, thermal screening will be done for all passengers arriving in the state. It has also removed the requirement for home or institutional quarantine for travellers. Travellers arriving to the state by air will not be required to register themselves on the government’s e-pass portal prior to commencing their journey. However, downloading the Centre’s Aarogya Setu mobile application has been made mandatory. The government will also monitor inter-state movement through registration on its e-pass software. This will enable the state government monitor travellers on compliance with quarantine requirements as well trace contacts in cases of positive Covid-19 cases. Travellers willing to enter the state will have to register their details on this software. Details of their arrival will then be shared with all stakeholders concerned. However, they will not be required to furnish a negative RT-PCR test report. The decision follows the government’s move to tighten Covid-19 guidelines for tourist and travellers to the state earlier this month that led to concern over a spike in cases. The Himachal Pradesh had announced a flurry of relaxations for travellers to the state at the end of June, including removing the mandatory requirement for e-passes and negative RT-PCR test reports, as Covid-19 cases started to show a downtrend. However, that decision quickly backfired as thousands of tourists thronged the state, especially Shimla, in first week of July. According to police estimates, around 27,000 vehicles entered the city in the first week of July. Most of these tourists had come looking for a quick weekend trip from neighbouring Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh. The influx of tourists had forced the government’s hand, which then tightened entry restrictions to the state.

Read more

Karnataka govt announces slew of projects to boost tourism in Hampi, Nandi Hills

With lockdown restrictions in Karnataka easing after the second COVID-19 wave, the government is undertaking projects across the state to boost tourism. As part of the plan to increase tourist traffic, monuments at the the World Heritage Site of Hampi are being illuminated at night, under the Hampi By Night initiative which is a guided tour of the famous monuments in the area. In another initiative, the tourism department has flagged off bus services to ferry visitors to the famous tourist spot of Nandi Hills, located about an hour from Bengaluru. Hampi by Night illuminates World Heritage Site The Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA), which is the agency executing the project, aims to open the Hampi by Night tours by August 15. Funded by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), the Rs 8 crore-project includes illumination of monuments in Hampi, accompanied with musical rendition of the importance of each sculpture in Kannada, English and Hindi. Twenty monuments, including Virupaksha temple, Narasimha temple, Gejjala Mantap and Kamal Mahal, are part of the project. Speaking to TNM, HWHAMA Commissioner In-charge Siddarameshawar Swami said that the project faced certain roadblocks due to the pandemic, however, final touches and technical runs are being conducted before commercial opening. “The confirmed date will be announced soon. We are figuring out details like entry fees, show capacity etc. This will go a long way in boosting tourist footfall after several months of dip because of lockdowns,” he said. He added that the ruins and the monuments will be enhanced with illumination and will be a unique experience every evening for tourists, the majority of whom are foreigners. Earlier, the monuments were illuminated only during the annual Hampi Utsav festival. Buses to ferry visitors to Nandi Hills Two private tempo traveller buses provided by the KSTDC have started services from a checkpost below the Nandi Hill to the parking lot and Mayura Hotel circle on top. This aims to ferry visitors who reach via own vehicles or public transport. The service will be charged at Rs 25 per person. “The bus service is being carried out smoothly as of now. If demand increases we plan to add about three extra buses as well,” KSTDC official Giriraja told TNM. Additionally, Tourism minister CP Yogeshwar had earlier approved a plan for installation of ropeways at Nandi Hills. This is reportedly a part of the state government's decision to promote a range of activities and projects at Nandi Hills including trails to five surrounding hills, eco-tourism, conservation of archaeological monuments, beautification, and infrastructure development.

Read more

As cases drop, Goa hotels reopen, occupancy to pick up in Aug

Good news for beach lovers! Hotels in Goa have reopened once again, after the state recorded a significant dip in the number of COVID positive cases. The positivity rate in the state has fallen below five percent, but the occupancy rate was pretty poor even after the government allowed entry to fully vaccinated business travellers without any negative report. According to the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), hotel occupancy will go up only after the government’s clearance on whether or not tourists are welcome to the state. TTAG president Nilesh Shah said, “Unless a positive message goes around, we will not see a steady flow of tourists. We may see some footfalls in August as there are a few public holidays, but there won’t be a heavy rush”. Mr. Shah hopes that the number of tourists will pick up in August and that travellers will be allowed entry on the basis of their vaccination certificates. For those who are not vaccinated, a Covid-negative report could be made mandatory or such travellers can get tested on arrival. Goa experienced a steady flow of tourists from October, and the growth was exponential in December-January. But in March, when the country was hit by the deadly second wave, the numbers of tourists began to fall significantly. Mr. Shah further said that though the tourist season picked up in November-December last year, not all hotels were operational and that only some 1400 had resumed business. Additionally, in the last 10 years, the number of small hotels has increased in the state but with no international tourists, these properties have no takers. Now, with COVID-19 cases going down, the hotel industry in Goa is keen that the government also allows international tourists by September-October.

Read more

International Flights: Air India Announces Flight Services to Doha Till Oct 2021

Part of Central government’s Vande Bharat Mission, India’s national carrier Air India has announced additional non-stop flights between Qatar and India from August 1 till October 29, 2021. According to the update available on Air India’s official website, 2 additional flights a week will be operated between India’s Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi And Doha in Qatar. “It will be the sole responsibility of the passengers to ensure his/her eligibility to enter the destination country. Air India will accept no liability in case boarding is denied due to not meeting the eligibility for travel,” said Air India on Twitter. Full flight schedule here: As per the flight schedule, Air India will operate Doha-Kochi flights on Tuesday and Thursday and Kochi-Doha flights will be on Wednesday and Friday. On the other side, the Doha-Hyderabad flights will be operated on Sunday and Wednesday and return flights will on same days. Moreover, Air India will operate Doha-Mumbai flights on Wednesday and Friday and From Mumbai to Doha, it showed direct flights on 5 days – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Flight tickets: As per the update from Air India, the starting fare for all three sectors is around Rs 9200 or QR450 one way. The airline said the ticket bookings are available on the airline’s website, booking offices, call centres, and authorised travel agents. It must be noted that the Air India is at present operating flights between Indian capital New Delhi, Amritsar, and Doha, Qatar. Delhi-Kathmandu flights: Apart from Qatar, Air India has also announced new flights between India and Nepal. Fly non-stop between Delhi and Kathmandu every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. Delhi-Male flights: Air India will also start flights from Delhi to Malé via Mumbai every Wednesday and Saturday, from July 28. Air India Express flights: Air India Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, will operate flights connecting Dammam, Saudi Arabia with Indian cities including Trichy, Hyderabad, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Mangalore.

Read more

Indian govt should restart scheduled international flights

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) wants India to restart scheduled international flights and end capacity and fare capping in domestic market as these distort competition and hurt consumers. The civil aviation ministry put in place a cap on capacity and fares following resumption of domestic air travel last May. Similarly scheduled international flights are still suspended by India and these have been replaced with air travel bubbles with over 25 countries. IATA which represents over 290 global airlines including four in India feels that these restrictive measures are no longer warranted. In an interaction with mediapersons on Tuesday, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said the Indian government should take data driven decisions and remove regulations which restrict capacity and access to allow aviation industry to recover quickly. "Politicians are quick to impose measures but slow to remove them," he remarked and added that it is time for India to reopen international travel. The Indian air travel bubbles were originally intended for repatriation of people stranded overseas and that system is no longer relevant as the environment now is different from last year, he said. Walsh also hopes the government will end capacity and fare capping in domestic market which has slowed down the growth. Indian airlines are allowed to fly only 65 per cent capacity but actual capacity deployed is only about 50-55 per cent at present. " Is it fair that Indian people suffer to protect weak airlines," he asked. According to aviation consultancy CAPA, total traffic at Indian airports fell by 66.3 per cent in FY2021 to 115 million passengers, a level last seen in FY2008. This comprised 105 million domestic airport passengers (equivalent to 52.5 million airline passengers, each of which are counted twice, once at the departure airport and once at the arrival airport), and just over 10 million international passengers. While domestic traffic declined by 61.8 per cent, the fall in international traffic was 84.8 per cent. Walsh believes that domestic and international air travel in India will be back to 2019 level only by 2024 due to reduction in fleet size and weak financial condition of carriers.

Read more