News

Bali Announces July Reopening for Tourism

If Bali is on your travel itinerary, you may be able to visit later this summer. With more COVID-19 vaccinations comes increased public health. It also means that travel is an option again. More countries are easing their entry restrictions for international tourists. Bali, one of Indonesia's most popular tourist destinations, may soon begin to welcome international tourists once again. At this time, Indonesia's borders remain closed, and only domestic travel is allowed. The country has struggled to reopen to international tourists in the past due to high COVID-19 rates. But recently, the country's president, Joko Widodo, announced plans for a partial reopening of borders. Bali, Batam, and Bintan are the regions that would be the first locations to reopen. And in preparation for this, the country is working to carry out a targeted vaccination program, which includes prioritizing tourism workers. The government is also implementing health and safety protocols to help domestic and global tourists feel safe. The Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability certification program has been initiated throughout the country's tourism sector. These protocols include physical distancing, regular disinfectant procedures, and temperature checks at venues. No updated entry rules have been outlined While the plan is for Bali to reopen in the coming weeks, no exact timeline has been given. The only plan at this point is a July target date. Also, no updated entry rules or restrictions have been outlined yet, which is unfortunate. Other destinations have outlined entry rules to help travelers understand who can and can't visit. This can help tourists better plan for the steps they'll need to take depending on whether they're vaccinated or unvaccinated. If you're hoping to head to Bali or want to travel somewhere else within Indonesia, you'll want to stay updated on the news. It's likely that in the coming weeks, more announcements will be made.

Read more

UAE extends suspension of flights from India till July 6

UAE has once again extended suspension of flights from India till July 6. Indian carrier Air India Express (AIE) recently announced this development. The AIE while sharing a travel update for passengers to the United Arab Emirates, stated, “General Authority of Civil Aviation, UAE, has suspended all inbound passenger movement to the UAE from India, (excluding UAE nationals) till 6th July, 2021.” The airline has also announced that passengers who have already booked tickets, can opt for the rescheduling option. Referring to this, it tweeted, “Passengers who booked to fly with us during this period can reschedule their tickets for travel at a future date.” However, the major UAE carriers, i.e, Etihad and Emirates, have not made any such announcement yet. Earlier, the UAE announced suspension of flights from India on April 24 in the wake of COVID-19 situation. The restrictions were extended periodically. Meanwhile, the UAE also stopped entry of all travellers from India, and also stopped entry of those who had been in India any time in the 14 days prior to their arrival in the UAE. The only exceptions that it made were for diplomats, UAE nationals, and those holding UAE golden visas. Dubai’s Emirates Airline on May 30 announced that suspension of flights from India had been extended further till June 30. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways also announced in a similar manner that passengers from India to the UAE will be restricted till June 30. So those who have been looking forward to traveling to the UAE, will now have to wait a bit longer. Earlier, the UAE announced suspension of flights from India on April 24 in the wake of COVID-19 situation. The restrictions were extended periodically. Meanwhile, the UAE also stopped entry of all travellers from India, and also stopped entry of those who had been in India any time in the 14 days prior to their arrival in the UAE. The only exceptions that it made were for diplomats, UAE nationals, and those holding UAE golden visas. Dubai’s Emirates Airline on May 30 announced that suspension of flights from India had been extended further till June 30. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways also announced in a similar manner that passengers from India to the UAE will be restricted till June 30. So those who have been looking forward to traveling to the UAE, will now have to wait a bit longer.

Read more

Several Indian Railways train services to be restored from this month

Restoration of IRCTC Train Services: Travelling on Indian Railways to get easier now! Those who were waiting to book their train tickets will be glad to know that more trains are ready to resume services from this month. For the convenience of railway passengers, Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways has recently decided to restore several special trains that were cancelled due to a surge in Covid cases. However, passengers are advised to maintain all Covid-related guidelines and protocols during their journey. According to Northern Railways, the following train services are being restored by the zonal railway from the dates shown against each train: Train Number 02433 to start from Chennai Central on 18 June 2021 Train Number 02434 to start from H.Nizamuddin on 16 June 2021 Train Number 02055 to start from New Delhi on 15 June 2021 Train Number 02056 to start from Dehradun on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02057 to start from New Delhi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02058 to start from Una Himachal on 15 June 2021 Train Number 02402 to start from Dehradun on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02401 to start from Kota on 15 June 2021 Train Number 02414 to start from H.Nizamuddin on 18 June 2021 Train Number 02413 to start from Madgaon on 20 June 2021 Train Number 02040 to start from New Delhi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02039 to start from Kathgodam on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02264 to start from H.Nizamuddin on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02263 to start from Pune on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04609 to start from Rishikesh on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04610 to start from Katra on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02455 to start from Delhi Sarai Rohilla on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02456 to start from Bikaner on15 June 2021 Train Number 04021 to start from Delhi Sarai Rohilla on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04022 to start from Jaipur on 16 June 2021 Train Number 04554 to start from Daulatpur Chowk on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04553 to start from Delhi on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04525 to start from Ambala on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04526 to start from Sriganganagar on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04053 to start from New Delhi on 17 June 2021 Train Number 04054 to start from Amritsar on 17 June 2021 Train Number 02445 to start from New Delhi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 02446 to start from Katra on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04307 to start from Prayag Ghat on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04308 to start from Bareilly on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04211 to start from Agra Cantt on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04212 to start from New Delhi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04215 to start from Prayag Ghat on 15 June 2021 Train Number 04216 to start from Lucknow on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04315 to start from Bareilly on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04316 to start from New Delhi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04235 to start from Varanasi on 14 June 2021 Train Number 04236 to start from Bareilly on 15 June 2021

Read more

CHATT to boost domestic tourism; first travel and hospitality tech collaboration

Big boost for domestic tourism! Yes, today’s story is about an exciting collaboration in India’s travel and hospitality industry! And it’s called CHATT! A first of its kind travel and hospitality-tech collaboration has paved the way for the launch of CHATT! Curious to know what CHATT means? India’s small hotels and travel operators, as well as few leading players of the travel industry such as Airbnb, EaseMyTrip, OYO and Yatra have now come together to enable a new industry association – Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and Tourism Industry (CHATT) with an objective to empower the voices of small operators among the travel and hospitality tech players. CHATT launch a ‘landmark decision’ to put ‘India on global map’ Addressing the virtual digital launch of CHATT, Prahlad Singh Patel, Tourism Minister lauded the founding members of CHATT for coming together to put India on the global map. Hailing CHATT’s formation and terming it as a ‘landmark decision’ to boost India’s domestic tourism while supporting small hotel partners, home owners and agents, Prahlad Patel expressed optimism in these words, “The Tourism Ministry is continuously making efforts to make data related to homestays and hotels on NIDHI, its unified portal, to benefit tourists and now CHATT will also play a crucial role in it.” Citing that the consolidated efforts of CHATT will be highly beneficial for MSMEs hotel, homeowners and partners, Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh welcomed the new industry association. Notably, the new industry association comprises of biz leaders and startup founders including Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager, Airbnb -India, Nishant Pitti, Co-Founder & CEO – EaseMyTrip.com, Rohit Kapoor, CEO-OYO India & Southeast Asia, and Dhruv Shringi, Co-Founder and CEO, Yatra.com. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the tourism and hospitality industry, following which several challenges loomed ahead for the new age entrepreneurs building their travel businesses in India and striving to go beyond the tier 1 cities. An emerging need to collaborate with key stakeholders became the need of the hour. Tacking continuing challenges and stepping up with thought leadership and advocacy for the industry has emerged as the need of the hour, one that the COVID-19 crisis presents as a unique opportunity to revive the travel and hospitality industry. CHATT: Purpose, significance, benefits CHATT aims to boost and promote domestic tourism, besides leading the digital transformation of tourism related biz and operating models, engaging via advocacy programmes, and positioning itself to be a thought leader that also imparts educational training and beneficial programs to all its industry segments. For CHATT members, the key benefits include: Access to all CHATT resources and its benefits, alongwith participation for year round programs, signature biz events, access to its travel-tech ecosystem, as well as access to key experts and regional leads among others. Prahlad Patel, Tourism Minister, also stated during its virtual launch that the efforts will benefit homeowners, SMEs, MSME hotels, partners among others. industry.” Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, Government of India also conveyed that the founding members of CHATT are working tirelessly to ‘revolutionize’ and change the tourism industry by integrating tech, reaching out to small and medium entrepreneurs while addressing the prevailing gaps. Terming CHATT”s efforts as being highly ‘inclusive’, Singh further said that it will present greater economic impact once the impact of the second wave begins to subside. Following this, CHATT’s founding members conveyed optimism about ‘filling the missing pieces of tech, innovation in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry’ while ‘promoting interests of small enterprises’ and ‘leveraging digital initiatives.’ Highlighting that Airbnb, EaseMyTrip, OYO and Yatra have continuously supported the Government’s vision to revive the economy, CHATT founding members shared their aim of coming together to safeguard the interests of small hotel, home and travel partners so as to become ‘their voice’. For travellers reading this, this may just be the beginning of a timely initiative that can finally put India on the global map and boost the country’s domestic tourism on war footing.

Read more

France To Start Welcoming Vaccinated Foreign Tourists

A stroll in Pablo Picasso's footsteps in Montmartre; breathing in the scents of Provence; a humbling walk along D-Day beaches: These and all of France's other attractions will once again become easily accessible to most foreign tourists from Wednesday — if they are vaccinated. France is putting itself back on the menu as a destination for international tourists as of Wednesday for those who have had coronavirus jabs. The government announced last Friday that it is removing the need for coronavirus tests for vaccinated Europeans. It also is allowing vaccinated tourists from most of the rest of the world, including the United States, much of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North and central America to also come back, provided they have a negative test. The relaxed rules will offer a well-needed boost for France's tourism sector. "An extraordinary ray of sunshine", is how French hotelier Serge Cachan describes the reopening. All of his 17 hotels on Paris Right Bank have by now reopened. Reservations are running on average at thirty percent occupied compared to 2019. But the country is just reopening and Cachan believes it will only get better. Tourism to France will still not be possible from countries wrestling with virus surges and worrisome variants. This "red list" for the moment has 16 countries, including India, South Africa and Brazil. Outside of Europe, most of the rest of the world is classed as "orange" in the new travel rulebook released Friday by the French government. Vaccinated visitors from "orange" countries — including the United States and Britain — will no longer need to quarantine on arrival and will no longer have to justify the reasons for their trip to France. They will, however, still be asked for a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours or a negative antigenic test of no more than 48 hours. Unvaccinated children will be allowed in with vaccinated adults, but will have to show a negative test from age 11. European visitors and those from seven countries classed as "green" — Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand and Singapore — will no longer need to undergo testing if they're vaccinated.

Read more

IndiGo expects domestic travel recovery by Oct-Dec

Air travel in India had started to recover from the impact of the pandemic in early 2021. February was the best-performing month for IndiGo since the pandemic hit, with passenger numbers rising to as high as 180,000 a day. But since March a second, more deadly wave of infections has hit airlines and forced them to raise funds and cut costs. In a "best case scenario", IndiGo expects to return to the February 2021 levels by the third quarter (October-December) of the current fiscal year, CEO Ronojoy Dutta said on an analyst call. Dutta also expects that any meaningful recovery in international travel will now be pushed to the fiscal fourth quarter - January to March 2022. Interglobe Aviation Ltd, which runs IndiGo, reported its fifth straight quarterly loss on Saturday and has plans to raise up to 30 INR billion (USD 412 million) to strengthen its balance sheet. It also plans to raise an additional USD 618 million of liquidity during the year through credit from banks and sale and leaseback of aircraft, CFO Jiten Chopra told analysts. The company's cash burn increased to USD 2.6 million a day in the March quarter from around USD 2 million a day in the December quarter. It expects this to rise further in the June quarter, Chopra said, without giving details. The group's fiscal year runs from April to March. CEO Dutta said that while the carrier expects revenues to be impacted in April and May due to travel disruptions amid lockdowns, the airline has started to see a steady pick up in passenger numbers and expects an improving revenue trend for the rest of the year. "We are hopeful that with the reducing trend in COVID cases and increased pace of vaccinations, passenger confidence and airline traffic will gain further momentum," he said.

Read more