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Uttarakhand takes the 'adventure route' to revive tourism industry post-Covid

In order to cope with a lull in the tourism sector with drying up of international tourist arrivals and lean domestic tourist numbers, Uttarakhand, which draws a large chunk of its revenue from the hospitality industry, is now banking on ‘adventure’ to bring things on track. While other Himalayan regions like J&K and Himachal Pradesh — also known for adventure sports activities — are still in the process of opening up tourism in a full-fledged way, Uttarakhand has already organised three national-level adventure sports festivals (in Pauri, Almora and Nainital) post the lockdown since September and is all set to host a national skiing championship in Auli next month. Also, in past four months, almost 60,000 people have done river rafting in the state (in Rishikesh) while over 6,200 taken part in paragliding at various spots near Bhimtal, Bageshwar, and Kotbagh, which experts say is a sizeable number, since November-January is considered ‘off-season’. In a bid to revive the adventure tourism activities, the state government has also set up a separate wing in Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB). The ‘adventure’ wing of the UTDB is being led by Colonel Ashwin Pundir, who holds the post of Addition Chief Executive Officer (ACEO), Adventure Sports. Meanwhile, retired group captain RK Singh has joined the wing as Air Sports Specialist. Also, Anuj Singh and Ranveer Singh Negi have been appointed as water sports specialist and land sports specialist respectively. Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj, who is in favour of exploring every possible way of adventure activities in the state, pointed out that adventure tourism has a major contribution in the overall tourism industry of the state. “We are confident that looking for more and more adventure activities will benefit the state tourism industry. This particular section of the tourism industry is attracting every age group these days and as we already have holistic and spiritual tourism options available in ample, our focus is to look out for maximum potential in adventure tourism,” added Maharaj. Vinayak Kaul, secretary, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), while talking to TOI maintained that the steps taken by Uttarakhand for the revival of tourism are remarkable. “If we go by the figures presented by the government, 60,000 people have participated in river rafting in the last few months in Uttarakhand. This is a remarkable number given the cold conditions. On the other hand, we are hardly getting to hear any new activity being planned in other Himalayan states — popular for adventure tourism — to attract tourists,” added Kaul.

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Maldives breaks record again welcoming over 5,100 tourists on a single day

The Maldives welcomed another record-breaking number of over 5,100 tourist arrivals on a single day. The Ministry of Tourism revealed that on 21st February 2021, the island nation witnessed over 5,100 tourist arrivals. The previously held record was observed on 14th February 2021, in which the Maldives observed a total of 4,856 tourist arrivals. The statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism reveals that a total of 147,744 tourists arrived in the Maldives between 1st February and 17th February. India and Russia are the leading source markets. Recent statistics reveal that India overtook Russia as the leading source market in the past few weeks. 32,970 tourists and 32,019 tourists arrived from India and Russia respectively. The third top source market for the Maldives is currently Ukraine. Maldives reopened the borders on 15th July 2020 with stringent safety measures. All visitors arriving in the Maldives are granted a 30-day free on-arrival visa with a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility within the country. While tourists are not required to quarantine or test on arrival, they are required to complete an online health declaration form within 24 prior to departure and produce a negative PCR test conducted at least 96 hours prior to their departure. Maldives is gaining recognition in the efforts to make the island nation a safe destination for travelers. The country received the “Safe Travels Stamp” by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in recognition of the efforts to implement enhanced health and safety measures, in line with the WTTC global Safe Travels protocols. Additionally, Velana International Airport received the ACI Airport Health Accreditation for consistent measures, which are in line with ACI’s standards in the “new normal” during the pandemic. Velana International Airport is the second airport in the Asia Pacific Region to receive the Health Accreditation. The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with Allied Insurance, has also introduced the first COVID-19 Travel Insurance in Maldives. This policy covers charges for services including isolation costs, medical treatment and transportation costs to isolation/medical facilities and consists of two plans; “Allied Inbound” and “Allied Inbound Plus.” The package covers 7 or more days and can be purchased before arriving in Maldives through the Allied Insurance website. More information can also be acquired through the toll free hotline 1600.

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Ayodhya to get a major makeover with river-front development, other special features

The Yogi Adityanath-led government Monday presented Rs 5,50,270.78 crore budget for 2021-22 in the State Assembly. With the Assembly election a year away, the budget includes new schemes of Rs 27,598 crore. In the state Budget, Rs 101 crore has been allotted for the construction of Maryada Purushottam Shriram Airport in Ayodhya. A total of Rs 2,000 crore have been allotted for the construction of airports at Jewar, Chitrakoot and Sonbhadra. Rs 1,107 crore allotted for the construction of Purvanchal Expressway, Rs 1492 crore for Bundelkhand Expressway, Rs 750 crore for Gorakhpur Expressway, 2000 crore for development of Jewar expressway, 7200 crores for Ganga Expressway. Rs 100 crore package for Bundelkhand, Rs 5,000 crores for PM Rural Road scheme have been allocated. Rs 597 crore has been allotted for Kanpur metro and Rs 100 crore for Gorakhpur and Varanasi metro. Note that the construction of Maryada Purushottam Shriram Airport is not the only development that is coming up in Ayodhya. Ayodhya is set to get a major makeover in the coming years. UP government's mega Ayodhya development plan includes setting up of a 1,200-acre new “model future city” based on Vedic city planning principles, as per the bid document floated by the government last year. The new greenfield city will be developed keeping religious and tourism aspects in mind. The rejuvenation plan of Ayodhya would be to develop it as a holy city for Hindus as the Vatican is for Catholics. “Planning principles, urban forms, buildings and landscape should follow Vedic Ramayana and Vedic architecture,” said the tender floated for selection of a consultant to prepare the vision, implementation strategy and integrated infrastructure plan for Ayodhya. Delhi-based CP Kukreja Architects, Canada-based Lea Associates and L&T – are selected to chalk out a master blueprint for Ayodhya. These firms were asked to create a blueprint of town planning, transport, traffic, infrastructure, finance, economy, heritage, tourism, urban design and renewable resources, said Vishal Singh, vice-chairman of the Ayodhya Development Authority earlier. The plans outlined by C P Kukreja Architects along with LEA Associates South Asia and L&T present an integrated infrastructure plan. “City of Ayodhya has deep significance and sentiments attached with it. We intend to transform Ayodhya into a world class city amplifying its historic and religious values while preserving the tranquillity and spirituality aspect,” Dikshu C Kukreja, managing principal of the architecture firm, was quoted in a TOI report saying. As per the national daily report, the detailed plan for the city, including the existing one covering 875 sq km and the proposed greenfield city, is to be ready in the next six months but its vision and certain features have been identified. The plan aims at leveraging tourism as an engine of growth in a city that has become congested over the years. Kukreja told the publicatipn that the master plan of Ayodhya will have a huge focus on retaining the heritage of the city and the plan will be developed around this concept. “We will see how the city can become the hub of traditional healthcare facilities, Vedic education and other cultural activities,” Kukreja further added. As per the initial plan, the city will not have regular zoning. The planners refer to case studies of best “experiential” international cities such as Vatican City and Venice, and Indian examples such as Amritsar, Varanasi, Madurai and Tirupati. The publication further quoted Kukreja saying that there will be a huge focus on heritage assets of the city, which will include retrofitting and redevelopment of the core city area and temple influence zone. There will be special attention to the Shri Ram Mandir area of 108 acres for seamless integration. The plan will repostedly also include curating tourism experience for heritage and other areas of interest such as public places and events, riverfront development of Saryu river and water sports and three developing Parikrama Margs (5,14,84 kosi) with adequate facilities. As per the tender document, the development plan will be prepared for 30 years with focus on retaining the heritage of the core city, development of the riverfront and parikrama margs for pilgrims and infrastructure augmentation besides facilities for recreational activities. The construction of Ram Mandir is likely to be completed in 2023. “The aim of this exercise is to prepare a neighbourhood plan/ detailed spatial plan for developing a greenfield integrated township of 1,200 acres, as part of proposed development of new Ayodhya, to develop as a model future city taking into account the best international practices for development, implementation, maintenance and management,” the tender document said.

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Darjeeling to host the second phase of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav

The second phase of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (Independent Charge), Prahlad Singh Patel on February 22, 2021 at Raj Bhawan in Darjeeling. The three-day festival on till February 24 will have the Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar, joining during the closing ceremony. The three-day event in Darjeeling will begin with a choreographic presentation by Odissi Vision and Movement Centre, followed by recitals by Dona Ganguly (Odissi), Michael (Saxophone), Shayne Hyrapiet (Band). On the second day, there will be a Rabindra Sangeet recital by Sounak Chattopadhyay, a creative dance recital by Sapphire Dance troupe, the North eastern band of Daniel Engti and Kamran and the Boyz Band. Last day will begin with Bail songs by Anuttam Baul, followed by Kathak Ballet by Sanskriti Sreyaskar and a dance drama. On all days local artistes will be given an opportunity to perform on the RSM stage. There will be 20 crafts stalls from all over the country showcasing genuine hand-crafted products. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is the flagship festival of the culture ministry and has been organised since 2015 with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres. Ten editions of RSM have been held till date since November, 2015 in various states and cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Tawang, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tehri and Madhya Pradesh. The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2021 will cover a profusion of folk-art forms and it would offer the chance to experience the best in established and emerging virtuosity. The event in Darjeeling will enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people of diverse cultures, thereby securing stronger unity and integrity of India.

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Air India to Commence Delhi-Moscow Int'l Flight Services from Feb 27

Air India has announced that it will be operating direct flights between Delhi and Moscow from February 27 to March 28, 2021. The flights will be to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo A.S. Pushkin Airport and the bookings for the same can be done through the Air India website, booking offices, call centres and authorised travel agents. Recently, Russian carrier Aeroflot announced that it will be commencing twice-a-week flight services between Delhi and Moscow from February 14, under the air bubble agreement between the two countries. Aeroflot has deployed its 293-seater Airbus 333 aircraft in a three-class configuration — business, premium economy and economy — to operate these services, a release said on Thursday. The flights will depart every Monday and Saturday from Delhi to Moscow, it added. Prior to the suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger flights from and to India on March 23 last year, the Russian airline was operating two daily services between the capital cities of the two countries. Visa for all categories (including student visa) for the Indian citizens and persons who have a residence permit of Russia has resumed and all passengers will be allowed to enter Russia via air checkpoints, it said. However, travellers must present a certificate of a negative COVID PCR before boarding the international flight. The test must be not more than 72 hours before their time of arrival to Russia, it added. Also, the Russian citizens arriving in the Russian Federation on international flights must fill in a special form on the Unified Public Services Portal before their departure, the release added.

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New travel rules for international arrivals from today: 10 points

With India witnessing a surge in the active coronavirus caseload over the past few days, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued new rules for international arrivals in India. The rules will come into effect from 11:59 pm on 22 February and will be in force till further orders. Here are the guidelines for international arrivals which will be effective from today. Planning for travel 1) All international travellers will have to submit a self-declaration form (SDF) for Covid on the online Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled travel. 2) Travellers will also have to upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report on the online portal of New Delhi airport with a declaration form stating the authenticity of the report. 3) The test must be conducted 72 hours prior to the journey. 4) Only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board after the thermal screening. 5) Arrival in India without negative report to be allowed only for those travelling in the exigency of death in the family. 6) To seek such exemption travellers shall apply to the online portal at least 72 hours before boarding. 7) These rules shall also apply to international travellers arriving through seaports/land ports but an online registration policy cannot be availed by them. 8) International travellers arriving from/transiting through the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa (during the past 14 days) will have to be segregated by the airline in-flight. 9) Self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival will be mandatory for all travellers arriving from/transiting through flights originating in the United Kingdom, Europe or the Middle East. 10) Such travellers will give their samples to the designated area before exiting the airport. If the test report is negative, they will be advised to self-monitor their health for 14 days. If the test report is positive, they will undergo treatment as per standard health protocol. Before boarding 1) Dos and dont's to be provided along with a ticket to travellers by the airlines/agencies concerned. 2) Boarding to be allowed to those passengers who have filled in the self-declaration form online and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report. 3) Only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board the flight after the thermal screening. 4) All passengers to be advised to download the Aarogya Setu app 5) Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection to ensure at the airports. 6) During boarding all physical distancing to be ensured.

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