News

Roadways slashes fare on super deluxe buses on Delhi-Jaipur route

Jaipur: Rajasthan roadways has slashed fares of its super deluxe bus service on Delhi- Jaipur route from Rs 900 to Rs 700. The new fare will be effective from November 23 to December 31. Roadways CMD Rajeshwar Singh said the decision was taken on Thursday to make the roadways buses more competitive in comparison to private operators on this route. The super luxury bus service on the Delhi-Jaipur route has been a popular option with the public. But with the launch of daily double-decker train services between Delhi and Jaipur in the morning and evening and shifting of the deluxe depot in Delhi from Bikaner House had hit its business. Besides, the service had been facing stiff competition from private buses which charge much less fare. Singh said, “The decision was taken on an experimental basis. He said if the step helps to attract travellers to roadways buses and increase its revenue, we will continue with the decision.” He said the decision was taken in the light of the upcoming marriage season and for candidates appearing for various competitive exams. Singh said the roadways now runs about 2,800 buses and soon 280 contract buses will also join the fleet. He said the situation is fast returning to pre-Covid level. Pre-Covid we used to earn a revenue of around Rs 5 crore and now the revenue has reached around Rs 4.25 crore and passenger load is also returning to normal. Electric buses Singh said the proposed electric deluxe bus service on Delhi -Jaipur route is expected to commence from April next year. He said according to the plan, 48 buses will be launched on this route in phases. He said charging stations will be set up in various places and a detailed plan was being worked out.

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Maharashtra brings out new initiatives for tourism sector

The tourism sector which is still reeling under the stress caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, witnessed a sense of relief in Maharashtra where the government came out with different policies to uplift the sector in the state. Tourism is one of the fastest-growing and largest employment generators in the state. To continue with the same trend, when the governments across states and the central government are busy tackling the COVID-19 situation, the Maharashtra government went a step ahead and continued to support the other sectors with policies that were long-awaited. State tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray in an urge to uplift the urban and rural tourism in Maharashtra has come out with different initiatives like Caravan services, Agro-tourism, industry status, and reducing the license requirement for setting up a new establishment. With all these initiatives the government has aimed to create a balance between urban and rural development. This in turn will help promote the rural economy by promoting entrepreneurship and employment in the rural areas. The reduction in-licenses from 70 to 10 to open a business was aimed towards bringing ease of doing business and reducing the time to set up a new establishment under the tourism sector. To keep up with the changing trends, MTDC in association with Motohom (Moving hotels on Wheels) has launched the caravan services. The initiative is primarily focused on those who like to spend their holidays outdoors and independently. This will allow people to explore the wilderness that Maharashtra has to offer. The agro-tourism policy of Maharashtra will invigorate the rural sector and agricultural practitioners with a steady source of an alternative income and alternative employment through tourism like farm stays, local cuisines, and cultural aspects. Though the agro-tourism policy has been across multiple countries already, Maharashtra has taken a lead in India to implement such a policy. Individual farmers, agriculture cooperative societies, agriculture research centers, agriculture universities, or farmer companies can set up agro-tourism centers. The Tourism Department will certify these centers after which they can be eligible for loans and other tax benefits. The requirements to register under the policy include owning an area of two to five acres with residential arrangements and facilities for meal supply. The much-awaited industry status provided for the tourism sector will ensure a reduction in operational cost which can in turn act as one of the best support provided by the government during these times. In the first phase of developments, the industry status will provide a rebate in the property taxes, electricity charges as well as water charges. The tourism sector contributes nearly 10 per cent to the GSDP of Maharashtra and is one of the biggest employment generators for the state. The move of the state government will ensure the hospitality sector sails out smoothly from the rough patch that it currently is in.

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Plans to boost tourism with Varanasi’s Dev Diwali festival

After the grand Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is drawing plans to make Varanasi’s famous Dev Diwali a spectacular show. The annual festival, which draws visitors from around the country and abroad, is celebrated in the holy city on Kartik Poornima, about a fortnight after Deepawali. This year’s celebration, on November 30, will see Varanasi’s 84 ghats being illuminated with 1.5 million diyas. Last year, a million diyas had adorned the ghats on the occasion. Since assuming power in 2017, the Adityanath government has been organising an elaborate deepotsav on Diwali in Ayodhya. In 2017, a record of sorts was created by lighting 165,000 diyas at the city’s Ram Ki Paidi—a series of ghats on the banks of the Saryu river. In 2018, 300,000 diyas were lit for the deepotsav and around 551,000 lamps the year after. This year, 589,000 diyas were lit for the deepotsav. Additionally, the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was also illuminated with diyas. The Adityanath government also organised a laser show during the Ayodhya deepotsav on November 13. Now, a similar event is being planned in Varanasi to showcase the city and its two biggest mascots—Lord Shiva and the Ganga river. Avinash Mishra, joint director of the state tourism department, says that apart from illuminating the ghats of Varanasi on Dev Diwali, plans are afoot to hold cultural programmes on 20-25 ghats. Tourists have the option of taking boat rides on the Ganga to get a broad view of the show along the ghats. However, given the pandemic, social distancing norms will be observed during the Ganga aarti held on the banks of the river every evening. Approximately 300,000 tourists visit Varanasi every year for Dev Diwali. This year, the tourism department is expecting a 15 per cent rise in the footfalls. Gokul Sharma, president of the Varanasi Hotels Association, says hotels are already receiving enquiries and bookings.

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Goa’s new tourism policy to focus on diverse tourist interests

The Goa Tourism Policy 2020 has been framed to offer a uniquely Goan experience to the visitors by presenting a versatile concoction of historic, natural, ethnic, cultural locations and attractions. The new tourism policy has been made to rebrand and remarket Goa, by giving a comprehensive travel experience to tourists with cheaper, reliable, fast and comfortable transport facilities. According to the reports, the new Tourism Policy will shift focus from the popular beaches in Goa to the ignored wilds and eco-tourism. The plan is to remarket Goa to get attention from different tourist groups by way of different cultural, heritage, eco-tourism, nature, coastal and other attractions. By rolling out this initiative, Goa tourism aims to make the state as the most preferred destination by the year 2024. It is expected that Goa Tourism Policy 2020 will be the backbone of all crucial decisions for planning, development and marketing. By opening new tourist spots and adding them to the tourism map, it will also create scope for more employment opportunities for the natives of Goa. Meanwhile, Goa is looking forward to low-key Christmas celebrations this year as the Chief Arch Bishop has asked the locals to keep it subtle due to the ongoing pandemic. However, no official guidelines or notice has been issued to the tourists yet. In other news from Goa, jellyfish swarms have been causing trouble to beachgoers in the state with about 90 cases of jellyfish stings reported recently. Goa Tourism, on its social media, published a helpful post on the same.

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France expresses interest to explore collaboration opportunities in Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir

France expresses interest to explore collaboration opportunities in Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir. This was conveyed by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain when he called on Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh here on Friday, an official statement said. Singh also discussed with him various potential projects in the northeastern states. The ambassador conveyed to the Union minister the desire of the government of France to explore the avenues and opportunities of collaboration in different sectors in the northeastern states as well as tourism and other potentials in Jammu and Kashmir, the statement said. Lenain recalled the fond memories of his visit to Kashmir valley early this year as part of a group of ambassadors. The minister spelt out different sectors in which, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, collaborative initiatives had been undertaken in the Northeast. In this regard, he referred to the Centre of Excellence Citrus Fruit Park set up in Mizoram with Israeli collaboration and the collaboration of Japan in some of the infrastructure projects. As for the Northeast, Singh said, there were vast areas of unexplored potential which were waiting to be explored. These, he said, include tourism, handicraft, handloom as well as food and fruit sectors. The minister said that the prime minister has not only given special emphasis to the development of the northeastern region but also reoriented "Look East Policy" into “Act-East” policy and taken a number of steps to increase engagement with the countries across the eastern borders. In this regard, he also mentioned the Indo-Bangladesh agreement on the exchange of enclaves, which was finalised with the personal intervention of the prime minister and also his initiative to amend 100-year-old Indian Forest Act to promote bamboo products and their trade, the statement said.

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International Travel: Air India Issues Fresh Directives For UAE-India Travel

Planning a trip? Before you sit down to make your itinerary read on. India’s national carrier Air India in its latest advisory to travel agents has released new directives regarding pre-flight registration of passengers travelling from UAE to India. The airlines have also asked the ticket validity of tourists from India to UAE. As per Khaleej Times, an Air India official shared that passengers are now required to fill out their details on the Air Suvidha portal or the New Delhi airport portal, wherever applicable. Pre-registration documents also include health declaration forms and other formalities of the state the passenger is travelling to prescribes. The official further told the portal that this procedure is followed in order to avoid crowding at the check-in counters ahead of their departure or arrival in India. The official recommended that all passengers must go through the requirements set by the state they wish to travel to well in advance of their departure. Meanwhile, Indians who are planning to visit Dubai on visit or tourist visa or have a desire to obtain a visa on arrival can travel, if they have a valid return ticket. Note that passengers should have a valid return ticket and not a single/conjunction ticket. If you are travelling to, from, and through Dubai then keep these guidelines handy. -Tourists must take two COVID‑19 PCR tests: one before departure with a validity of 96 hours from the date of the test, and a second test upon arrival in Dubai. – The certificate must be for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Other test certificates including antibody tests and home testing kits are not accepted in Dubai. – You must bring an official, printed certificate in English or Arabic to check-in – SMS and digital certificates are not accepted. – Children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability are exempt from this test.

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