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Daily Delhi-Kolkata Direct Flights Allowed Now Instead Of 3 Days A Week

Kolkata: Direct flights between Delhi and Kolkata will now be taking off daily instead of three days a week, the West Bengal government announced today easing restrictions. Earlier, flights between the two metros were functional only three days a week as a precautionary measure against coronavirus and to restrict movement from cities where cases were high in number. Bengal had banned direct flights to and from Delhi and five other COVID-19 hotspots across the country on July 4. From September 1, direct flights were allowed on three days a week for the six metros. The other days, passengers had to take connecting flights to reach their destination. However, for the other five cities, which include Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Nashik, flights will be allowed to and from Kolkata only on selective days of the week. Earlier, on hard lockdown days, no flights were allowed to take off or land at the Kolkata airport. Schedules for flights and hard lockdown days were announced periodically by the government. Delhi recorded 1,984 cases on Sunday while Bengal registered over 2,500 cases. Delhi's total case count is over 6 lakhs while Bengal follows suit at 5.2 lakh infections.

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New Year may give travel industry a long-awaited boost

NEW DELHI: There’s a bright spark in the winter chill for the travel and tourism industry. After months of negative and stagnant growth in tourism figures, travel aggregator Goibibo’s latest survey shows things are beginning to look up in December with 35% respondents to its recent survey saying they are headed for a vacation to usher in the New Year. About 60% of the respondents who said they will travel during the winter holidays also said they will spend the year-end vacationing in the hills or by the beach, while over 70% picked family, spouse or their partner to holiday with. The upward trend in leisure travel has also been reflected in the assessment done by RateGain, a travel and hospitality software company for the travel industry. The company’s deep dive into room bookings between Weeks 50 and 52 of the current year show that while bookings were at a negative 22% in Week 50, and fell further to a (-)55% in Week 51, bookings have finally inched up with a 3% increase in the last week of the year. While Alleppey registered a 67% increase in room nights being booked over the last week, Bharatpur in Rajasthan saw a whopping 160% jump in bookings over the last week. Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip Limited, which includes MMT, goibibo and redBus, Rajesh Magow, said, “Pent-up wanderlust is real...Bookings for the winter festive holiday season on goibibo indicate an increase in travel to domestic leisure destinations, including Goa.” Magow added that the upward trend is expected to continue as the mass vaccination drive against coronavirus picks up pace

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Maharashtra hotels record a surge in bookings

A surge in hotel bookings has been recorded in many tourist destinations across Maharashtra, seen as a silver lining to a bleak year for hospitality. Maharashtra has been one of the worst-hit states by COVID-19 with Mumbai recording a massive high number of COVID positive cases ever since the pandemic spread. The hospitality industry in the city as well the whole state has been badly-hit, and the current surge is seen as a respite to the flailing industry. The numbers are backed by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), with its officials stating that hotel bookings are picking pace at all its popular resorts. Some of the main destinations that are seeing a surge are Ganpatipule, Mahabaleshwar, Karla, Matheran and around. It has been reported that MTDC-run properties at these destinations are all booked for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. MDTC General Manager Dinesh Kamble told TOI that, “Our resorts at most locations in the state are fully booked for Christmas and New Year. Bookings began picking up from November and currently online slots are full for many MTDC hotels during the long Christmas weekend. Even resorts are cent per cent booked over the weekends." Another fact that has come to the fore is that hotels in cities are yet to see a surge; the current trend signals that tourists are choosing to vacation in offbeat locations, including rural areas, since a number of cities have been hotspots for the COVID virus previously.

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Kerala: Tourist spots gradually returning to normal after a hiatus

Tourism is gradually returning back to normal in Kerala. It also witnessed a lull in the tourism after it remained closed for tourists for a few months in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, followed by travel restrictions across the country. Not only in Kerala, situation across the country is also improving slightly as people are people are longing travel and step out of their houses. Likewise, tour operators are of the view that the worst is, hopefully, almost over. Looking at the trends, it has been witnessed that hotels and resorts announcing big discounts and special packages to lure domestic tourists, as since foreigners are passé now. Also, all hopes are pinned on the vaccine which would likely improve the situation further. In Kerala, famous beach destination like Kovalam, which is situated around 16 km away from the capital, fishermen have started to clear the beaches by removing their catamarans to make way for tourists to sunbath. And as backwaters, beaches, and hill stations are open now for visitors, it is expected that the region will see a growth in the number of visitors in the coming months. As per the Tourism Ministry, Kerala witnessed a footfall of 1.96 crore tourists last year, and the revenue generated was INR 45010 crore. This year, the state was looking for 8 to 10 per cent hike in tourist footfall, when the COVID pandemic struck, and the rest is history. As per the reports, tourism accounts for roughly 40 per cent of the state’s revenue, which suffered a big jolt this year due to the virus. Hospitality is a robust sector, and once travellers start their trips again in full confidence, bouncing back will be faster and quicker. As of now, it has been witnessed that tourism in this region is gradually making moves, and it need to be seen, in what pace it grows once all travel restrictions across the country are lifted.

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Atlantis, The Palm gets accreditation for post-pandemic hotel safety standards

Atlantis, The Palm has been announced as one of only 30 hotels across the globe to earn the Sharecare VERIFIED® health security certification by meeting more than 360 global health security standards. Described as the “Michelin Guide equivalent for post-pandemic hotel safety standards,” Sharecare and the Forbes Travel Guide partnered on the Sharecare Health Security to evaluate and confirm individual hotel’s cleaning regimen. With travellers today looking for health and safety standards that go beyond the realms of “hygiene theatre,” full transparency and an ongoing commitment to their wellbeing are key. Atlantis, The Palm is one of the first worldwide to achieve this status by sharing an extensive and consistent approach to health and safety. Representing the iconic destination’s ongoing dedication to restore confidence with guests and travel planners in the age of Covid-19 and beyond, Atlantis, The Palm has signed up to health security software that requires leaders to verify their property’s health protocols on a regular basis in more than 360 standards. The software includes an artificial intelligence chatbot which walks leaders through a verification process that includes cleaning standards, procedures and products, social distancing measures, ventilation and air-handling equipment, and health safety communication with employees and guests. The facility assessment also covers health and hygiene protocols, physical distancing, and compliance and accountability to give guests the peace of mind that the resort is adhering to global best practices for their safety and comfort. “In the new normal, wellbeing is going to be at the forefront,” said Sharecare CEO Jeff Arnold. “The next layer is this new expectation that’s being shaped: Where I stay, work, and play – is it safe?” “In light of the pandemic – and with the wellbeing of our guests and colleagues always our number one priority – it has been Atlantis, The Palm’s prerogative to re-define and elevate safety and hygiene protocols. Being the first hotel in the Middle East, and one of the first worldwide to receive the Sharecare verification seal of approval, is testament to our commitment to making each and every one of our guests feel safe and secure, and we will continue to evolve to meet revised health and safety challenges and expectations,” said Marius Van Deventer, Director, Health & Safety, Atlantis Dubai.

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Flights on Leh-Jammu route resume operations

Flight operations between Leh and Jammu, capital cities of union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, have resumed after remaining suspended for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Friday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had suspended domestic passenger flights across the country in March this year to restrict travel and check the spread of the virus. Paying heed to a request by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), MoCA resumed Air India flight operations between Leh and Jammu sectors from Thursday, the officials said. The flights will operate every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, they said. The resumption of flights between Leh and Jammu will also be beneficial for a number of students and patients, they added. During winter months, Leh-Srinagar and Leh-Manali roads are closed due to heavy snowfall and people of Ladakh rely solely on flights to travel to other parts of the country.

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