News

COVID-19 update: Tourists in Goa to be photographed and fined if found without masks

In the latest COVID-19 update, Goan government has decided to photograph and fine tourists who are found roaming in the city without masks. Recently, several tourists in Goa have been noticed without masks and arguing with the authorities unnecessarily. Panaji Mayor Uday Madkaikar made the crucial announcement on Monday and said that police will now find such tourists, photograph them, and impose a fine to teach a lesson. There have been reports that tourists, when asked to wear masks, become abusive towards Panaji Municipal Corporation officials. Madkaikar said, "In view of these unnecessary tussles, police will now accompany our municipality officials during drives to enforce the use of face masks in public. Photos of tourists who do not follow the rule will also be taken before they are directed to pay fines." He further said that they don’t want to harass people, but there are some tourists who create a ruckus during enforcement drives and that it is a pan-India SOP. "People should visit Goa, but they should not take the state's people for granted. The objective of wearing masks is to keep everyone safe from coronavirus," Madkaikar said. It was only last week that the government announced a doubling of the fine for not wearing masks to INR 200. Of late, Goa has been flooded with tourists (since the borders reopened). People have been pouring in from all over the country, which has resulted in unmanageable crowds at some of the most prominent attractions in the beach state.

Read more

Odisha Gears UP To Promote Five Eco -Tourism Destinations

Odisha is ready to promote Eco Retreat in five unique locations – Konark, Hirakud, Bhitarkanika, Daringbadi and Satkosia, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Tourism Minister of state said while addressing the the ‘Odisha Tourism Virtual Roadshow – 2020’ held for the Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg-Bhilai tourism fraternity. Aimed at the timely revival of the tourism and hospitality sector post-COVID-19, Odisha is extensively marketing its flagship campaigns, Odisha By Road complemented by the highly acclaimed Eco Retreat Odisha glamping festival, which is set to begin on 8 December 2020, upto 28 February 2021, he added. Panigrahi said that the Eco Retreats will offer tourists an opportunity to discover Odisha’s diverse tourism offerings, in style. “Chhattisgarh and Odisha are cultural siblings, with deep-rooted commonalities. Despite this, we have our own unique offerings to exhibit to explorers. Together, our states can make this region the most sought-after winter destination for Indians, looking forward to a getaway after reeling under the pandemic for eight months,” he said. He also assured the full support of Odisha tourism for the revival of domestic tourism between the states. Vishal Kumar Dev, Commissioner – cum – Secretary, Tourism Department and Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha said, “Odisha’s excellent road connectivity enables enjoyable road trips throughout the state. We have designed two exciting road itineraries starting from Chhattisgarh, including key destinations such as Hirakud and Debrigarh Sanctuary in one leg and Nrusinghnath and Satkosia Tiger Reserve in the other.” Providing a glimpse of the upcoming Eco Retreat Odisha, Dev said, “Eco Retreat Hirakud, Satkosia and Daringbadi are easily accessible by road, within 450 km. Worldclass amenities for camping in luxury tents are complemented by experiences ranging from jungle trails to water sports, camp-fires to boat rides, cycling tours to adrenaline pumping games, and lip smacking food. All this comes with Odisha’s stamp of tourist safety assurance, backed by its stellar record in COVID management. The synergised application of SOPs and technology for added safety will secure tourists’ experience at every Eco Retreat.” To enable concrete measures for the holistic revival of the tourism and hospitality sector, Government of Odisha is planning a series of concurrent legislative and policy measures which will help harmonising investor interests and tourist wellbeing, while offering a conducive environment for the growth of niche tourism offerings such as houseboat and cruise tourism, caravan and camping tourism, arts & crafts tourism and a lot more, Dev added. Anbalagan P, Secretary, Tourism, Government of Chhattisgarh, said, “Chhattisgarh is focusing on domestic tourism and the state is looking forward to the joint MoU on regional cooperation with Odisha Tourism to restart the tourism exchange between the two states with all safety protocols and guidelines in place. Tourism has the potential to revive the economy which has been impacted by the pandemic.” Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director & Addl Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha, highlighted the steps taken by Odisha to train the local stakeholders on safety protocols and assured that all the necessary precautions are in place. “A dedicated online portal will update tourists about the safety of the destination to boost their confidence to travel. Odisha is one state with varied experiences like spiritual & heritage tourism, coastland & wetland tourism, eco-tourism, wildlife tourism, handicrafts tourism, ethnic tourism and fairs & festivals,” he added.

Read more

Travel from Tirupati to Tirumala Hills on electric buses soon

In an aim to maintain the Tirumala Hills as a 'zero carbon emission zone', the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation will soon introduce electric buses for visiting pilgrims from Tirupati to the Tirumala Hills, where the famous temple of Lord Venkateswara is located. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) that manages the hill shrine took a decision to introduce electric buses in the place of those operated by diesel, TTD Board Chairman YV Subba Reddy said. Initially, about 100 to 150 buses would be pressed into service by the APSRTC, he said. Reddy said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had also given a go-ahead to the request made by TTD in the introduction of electric buses on the hills. The TTD Board also resolved that, after a gap of several decades, gold gilding would be spread over the Maha Dwarams (the huge doors at the main entrance), sacred Balipeetam (Altar) and Dwajasthambham (holy flag mast) at the ancient hill shrine, the Chairman said. The board also decided to keep open the holy 'Vaikunta Dwarams' for ten days from the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi day instead of the normal two days, he said. The board is also planning to reintroduce the free mass marriages scheme meant for the poor, the TTD Chairman added.

Read more

Covid-19: Mumbai airport gears up to transport, manage vaccine

With various pharmaceutical companies working out ways to procure Covid-19 vaccine, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is set to deploy a dedicated task force to facilitate advance planning and collaboration between the airport and all the stakeholders (airline customers, supply chain partners, regulatory and governmental bodies, vaccine distributors). Along with stringent security arrangements, the task force is set to manage the required temperature, reduce dwell time with prior special approvals from regulators. It will also create a cold chain for vaccine movement from the manufacturing facility to the end distributor. Mumbai airport will also see a round-the-clock customer service cell dedicated to Covid-19 vaccine export-import (EXIM) consignments in order to address customer queries, pre-alerts and status updates. CSMIA spokesperson said in addition to the existing infrastructure and developments at the airport, flexible slots for ad hoc charter operations will also play an important role in seamless facilitation of storage and transportation of the vaccine. As the country’s largest airport gateway for pharmaceutical EXIM movements, the existing infrastructure at CSMIA offers a continuous temperature controlled movement and processing of pharmaceutical goods through the airport, which will be vital for the storage and transportation of the vaccine. CSMIA spokesperson said the airport has state-of-the-art facilities, such as Asia’s largest temperature controlled export pharmaceutical excellence centre with an annual handling capacity of 350,000 tonnes. “Spread over an area of 4,000sqm, this facility has a total of 140 unit load device (ULD) storage positions and 50 power outlets for charging active containers. Additionally, the airport will also host six dedicated truck docks for round the clock cargo acceptance and quick turnaround of trucks, two release gates for ULD exit, two X-ray machines, six cold chambers offering 2-8 degrees storage for 12 main deck ULD’s, CCTV surveillance and electronically monitored temperature management system with alarm alerts and power backup,” said the spokesperson.

Read more

Huge rush of tourists as Manali road reopens

As the Manali-Solang valley road has been restored to traffic, a large number of tourists thronged here to enjoy snow activities today. The valley, just 8 km ahead from Manali towards the Atal Tunnel, is a key tourist destination in Kullu district, where people can enjoy skiing, paragliding, horse riding and other activities. A large numbers of tourist vehicles were today seen going towards the Solang valley from Manali. There is considerable snow deposited on the ground in the Solang valley which is attracting the tourists. Paragliding and skiing service providers are elated as the tourist influx to the valley has increased after the snowfall. They are expecting good business in the coming days. Rajesh Agarwal and his wife Puja , who are from Delhi, said, “It was an amazing experience to enjoy paragliding and skiing activities in the Solang valley. We were keen to visit the Atal Tunnel, but could not do so due to restrictions imposed by the Kullu district administration.” Majority of tourists visiting Manali said the state government should equip Kullu-Manali with better health facilities in the wake of the pandemic to provide better medical care to the tourists visiting the area. Surender Kumar, president, Paragliding Service Providers’ Association, Solang valley, said, “After snowfall, we are getting good business in the Solang valley. The tourists visiting here prefer to enjoy paragliding, skiing and horse riding. We are providing short -flight paragliding service for recreation of tourists.” The Kullu district administration has restricted movement of tourists towards the Atal Tunnel beyond the Solang valley for the next few days, in the view of public safety. The road is unfit for the movement of vehicles towards the tunnel from the Solang valley because at shadow places there is considerable snow deposited in the area, which makes journey on this route risky.

Read more

Ladakh rolls out first tourism incentive policy

Ladakh has rolled out its first tourism incentive policy with focus on ensuring equitable and sustainable development of all regions in the Union Territory, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. Commissioner Secretary Tourism and Culture Rigzin Samphel has laid special emphasis on the new Capital Outright Investment Subsidy which aspires to promote a concept of small and beautiful fixed assets in Ladakh based on local tradition and architecture, the spokesperson said. As per the Department of Tourism, there is an urgent need to give emphasis on promotion of tourism assets in remote and virgin tourist destinations of Ladakh. "Any investment made in such assets should be of a value which will have low gestation period. Therefore, instead of large hotels and guest houses, the incentive policy aims at the overarching principal of small and sustainable tourism assets," the spokesperson said. He said the upper limit of the Capital Outright Investment Subsidy has been increased by 33 per cent from the previous Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. "The government will grant 30 per cent Capital Outright Investment Subsidy on the fixed assets for new tourism units. This subsidy will also be available for expansion of the existing units but will be restricted to investments made on the extension of the unit only," he said. However, the spokesperson said subsidy on both accounts would be restricted to an upper ceiling of Rs 40 lakh for buildings using traditional building materials such as Gyapak and local stones and Rs 25 lakh for others. The spokesman said another highlight of the incentive scheme is the "Ladakh Tangible Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund" and as per the policy, Ladakh has a rich collection of historic and heritage sites such as forts and old heritage buildings spread all across the districts of Leh and Kargil. He said a committee constituted by the department would identify and make a list of such properties. "The committee shall also certify the buildings as protected historic building and monuments," the spokesperson said, adding only the listed sites would qualify for the work of restoration and conservation. In case of the site being a private property, the ownership would be certified by the revenue department (tehsildar), he said. The spokesperson said the project proposal with restoration plan and design would be provided by qualified experts to be empanelled or nominated by the Department of Tourism. "All works of restoration or conservation would be carried out under the supervision of the Department of Tourism and Culture, Union Territory of Ladakh," he said. The spokesperson said the tourism incentive policy has a scheme to "Support for Adventure or Recreation Tourism" and a subsidy up to 20 per cent of the cost of various types of identified equipments. "The subsidy up to 20 per cent of the cost of the equipments will be subject to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh as a one-time measure which would be available for establishment of equipment stores duly registered with the Tourism Department provided the said equipment is used for hiring out or providing service at the rates approved by the Tourism Department to the tourists interested in adventure sports," the spokesperson said. He said an investor interested in opening a shop for hiring out equipments related to adventure tourism, at the rates duly approved by the Tourism Director to the interested tourists will be eligible for subsidy on the equipments of standard specification required for such activities. One of the other highlights of the incentive scheme is the "Training of Personnel in Tourism Industry" which has been introduced to assist entrepreneurs in upgrading the skills of the personnel engaged by them in running their tourism units and travel agencies registered by the Tourism Department, he said. The training is to be conducted with the prior approval of the Director of Tourism, Ladakh and the expenditure on the training of managers and other executives shall be reimbursed to the extent of 50 per cent of the actual cost or Rs 50,000 whichever is less, he said, adding that reimbursement of the cost incurred on training, in all cases, would be payable after the successful completion of the training. Regarding the implementing agency for disbursement of subsidy, the spokesperson said a committee headed by Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Ladakh would scrutinise the cases recommended by the Director of Tourism.

Read more