News

Air India to operate new flights to Singapore, Moscow and Brisbane from March 26 onwards

Indian state carrier Air India has announced new flights to international destinations around the globe including Singapore, Brisbane and Moscow starting a week from today. The airline will operate flights between India and Singapore from March 28 to October 30, 2021, on Bengaluru-Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Singapore, and Delhi-Singapore sectors. The flight on the Bengaluru-Singapore route via Chennai will be operational every Wednesday. Flights on the Mumbai-Singapore route will be operated on Monday and Friday, and on Thursday and Sunday for the Delhi-Singapore route. On March 26, 2021, the airline will operate a flight between Delhi and Brisbane. Bookings can be done through the airline’s website, booking offices, and call centres. “Limited seats are being offered due to quarantine restrictions by Australian Authorities,” Air India said in an official tweet. The flag carrier of India has also announced direct flights between Goa and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo – AS Pushkin international airport from April 14 to October 28, 2021.

Read more

Disneyland to reopen its gates on April 30 with safety protocols in place

Walt Disney Co. plans to reopen its two California theme parks on April 30 after they were dark for more than a year, a key step in the entertainment giant’s recovery from the pandemic. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which closed their gates on March 14 last year, are among the last of the company’s properties to welcome back customers. While Disney’s Paris resort is still shuttered, the four theme parks in Florida have been open since July. Hotels in California start reopening on April 29, the company said Wednesday. Disney has laid off 32,000 employees over the past year, most of them in the theme-park unit. The business, one of the company’s most profitable historically, has been crawling back slowly, with social-distancing precautions limiting attendance to about 35% of capacity in Florida. Initially, attendance at the California parks will be restricted to state residents who book advance reservations. The company plans bring back more than 10,000 furloughed employees for the Disneyland reopening. “We’re thrilled with the response we’re seeing from our guests in terms of future reservations,” Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek said Wednesday on Bloomberg TV. The bookings raise his “confidence that we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic.” Prolonged Closings Prolonged closings in California became a contentious issue between park operators and Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who kept the properties shuttered long after those in other states reopened. Owners, local officials and related businesses have been lobbying to reopen for months, arguing theme parks haven’t been a significant source of Covid-19 outbreaks. Chapek said he thought some changes brought about by the pandemic may last, such as the reservation systems for park attendance. Protocols such as mask wearing will likely be in place through the end of the year, the Burbank, California-based company said in February. Chapek’s optimism about this year has been echoed by others in the destination-based entertainment industry. “People are really craving not only getting out, but craving creative experiences,” said Ali Rubinstein, co-CEO of Meow Wolf, which operates art installations in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Las Vegas. “The future, and especially this summer, bodes very well for the industry as a whole.” Disney will be watching movie theater attendance closely over the coming weeks to decide whether to stick with the May 7 release date for “Black Widow,” a highly anticipated new Marvel superhero film. Disney has delayed many pictures and has made some available for purchase at home at the same time they were released in theaters, including “Raya and the Last Dragon” this month. “We’ll make the call, likely at the last minute, whether it’s ‘Black Widow’ or any other title,” Chapek said. Movies, Sports He also responded to a question about the reception of the company’s film “Nomadland” in China, where authorities are wrestling with comments director Chloe Zhao made about the country. “We’re really, really proud of ‘Nomadland’ and all of our Academy Award nominees this year,” he said. “As governments across the world enable us to go and take our films there on various platforms, we’ll be there for them.” Disney has been in talks with the National Football League to extends its rights to “Monday Night Football.” A crucial aspect of the company’s discussion with all leagues has been to gain online rights for its ESPN+ service, while obtaining terms that benefit Disney investors and keep traditional TV viewers happy. “We want to make sure any deals we do with sports entities going forward not only envision the ability for us to toggle at will towards our direct-to-consumer platforms, like ESPN+, but also operate creatively for our shareholders,” Chapek said. “We will practice a hybrid model going forward.” Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, is the company’s original resort. It was the second-most-visited theme park in the world in 2019, behind Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. That year, 18.7 million people went to Disneyland and 9.86 million to neighboring California Adventure, according to data from the Themed Entertainment Association and the consultancy Aecom. The company’s cruise ships, part of its parks and experiences division, remain in the dock. The company expects to receive guidance on restarting operations from federal authorities later this year.

Read more

58,000 and counting: Kashmir fully sold out as tourism witnesses dream start in 2021

Come Spring, Kashmir is fully sold out with hotels booked to the brim. An official of the tourism department said they are preparing for bumper spring and summer seasons in Kashmir. “Travel agents are receiving satisfactory queries from tour operators across the country. The bookings have surged since December. Hotels are 100% booked till April,” he said. Post unlock, Kashmir has been one of the most sought-after destinations for backpackers. Data reveals that tourism arrivals surged by 30 percent in the first quarter of 2021. As per the figures, more than 58,000 tourists visited the valley during the last three months surpassing the figure recorded during the same time last year. Figures reveal that 13237 tourists including 89 foreigners visited the valley in December last year with most of them arriving to celebrate Christmas and New Year. Around 19102 tourists including 60 foreigners visited Kashmir in January this year. In January last year, 4863 tourists had visited the valley. February further saw a surge with footfall reaching 26064 including 154 foreigners. A total of 8182 tourists had visited the valley in February last year. The last two years have been a loss-making period for the valley tourism sector given two back-to-back lockdowns. Post unlock, domestic leisure travel has witnessed 30 percent growth for Quarter 1 (January-March) across the country. Kashmir has been at the top of tourists’ bucket list apart from Shimla, Rajasthan, Munnar, Coorg, Kannur and Andaman. An official from the tourism department said they are expecting 10 lakh arrivals this year. “We have decided to promote every season by holding multiple festivals. Since the spring has arrived, cultural programmes and shows will begin to enthrall tourists,” he said. The tourism sector contributes about 15 percent to the GDP of Jammu and Kashmir. The tourism sector generates over Rs 300 crore revenue and provides employment to about 5 lakh people in the valley.

Read more

Bali may reopen to tourists in June under Indonesia's travel corridor program

Foreign tourists may be able to visit Bali again as soon as June under a travel corridor program to help revive the economy, according to Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno. The travel corridor arrangement will be offered to countries that are deemed successful in their vaccination program, able to contain the spread of the coronavirus and could offer reciprocal benefits, Uno said in a statement. Ubud, Sanur and Nusa Dua are major holiday spots in Bali included in a pilot project to begin receiving foreign travelers in mid-June or July, under strict health protocols, said Uno. As many as 2 million Bali residents will have to be vaccinated before the pilot project can start. Southeast Asia’s largest economy has started to ease restrictions to spur household spending after gross domestic product shrank last year for the first time in two decades due to the pandemic that has so far infected more than 1.4 million Indonesians in the past year and killed almost 39,000 people in the country. The government may allow a chartered flight to bring in overseas travellers under the pilot project, which will be closely monitored and evaluated every two weeks, said Uno

Read more

After Covid hiatus, domestic cruise sector to restart by May

The New York-based Sant Chatwal Group is the latest entrant in India’s cruise industry as it unveils plans to start cruises between Goa, Mumbai, Lakshwadeep and Sri Lanka under the Cordelia Cruises brand, formerly Jalesh cruises. Cordelia Cruises has announced that it plans to start sailing from May onwards. Resumption in the domestic cruise sector will not only boost tourism but will also provide employment opportunities for those who were earlier employed on MV Karnika, the vessel operated by Jalesh Cruises. “Karnika has been scrapped, but Cordelia Cruises has replaced Jalesh and they have taken over the operations,” said Parixit Pai Fondekar, the managing director of Kamaxi Overseas Consultants. “Though the ship Karnika has been scrapped, Cordelia have brought in a new ship from Royal Caribbean. Bookings have opened up and they are planning to start sailing from the month of May.” Cordelia Cruises has purchased the cruise vessel Empress of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International. The novel coronavirus pandemic wrecked havoc in the global economy with the cruise industry being just one of the many victims. However, sources pointed out that India had just begun to test the waters when the pandemic dealt a knock-out punch to both the firms that started cruises between Goa and Mumbai — Jalesh Cruises and Angriya Cruises. At present Angriya Cruises is operating as a mid-sea floatel for sailors off Sri Lanka, performing the role of a safe sea bubble for crew embarking and disembarking ships. In a statement, Angriya Cruises said that it hopes to resume operations by mid-2021. Cordelia Cruises has already contacted Goan seafarers in preparation for the planned cruises in May. A mail seeking Cordelia Cruises’ inputs went unanswered. “As we speak, we are getting the crew geared up, getting their documentation in place and all their paperwork ready in order to join for the May sailing season. All the staff that was working on Jalesh will move to Cordelia and the news is that they have bought a second sister ship and that will join shortly,” said Fondekar, who runs a firm to recruit crew for cruise lines.

Read more

U’khand tourism dept signs Rs 12 Crore MoU with SJVNL for redevelopment of Badrinath

The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) for the redevelopment work of Badrinath region. Rs 12 Crore would be sanctioned for the development of Badrinath in phase one under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme of SJVNL. Dilip Jawlkar, secretary of the tourism department, presented the detailed plan for the redevelopment of Badrinath in front of representatives of the SJVNL earlier in January this year. “Badrinath is one of the four major pilgrimages of India located between Mount Nar and Narayan and is the most revered religious destination of devotees. The increasing footfall in the region has made it necessary to develop Badrinath as a Smart Spiritual Hill Town. We are thankful to SJVNL for taking a step forward for the same,” Jawalkar said.

Read more