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Dusit International expands its operations to India

Thailand-based Dusit International announces its expansion into India with a plan to open at least two Dusit-branded hotels per year from 2021 onwards in Tier I and Tier II cities – such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – as well as key leisure destinations throughout the country. Alongside the signing of Dusit Princess Serviced Suites Kolkata, under a franchise agreement with the Jain Group, a Real Estate, Hospitality and Finance organisation based in Kolkata. Dusit is already in talks with other potential owners and is on course to conclude at least four more signings within the next 12 months. Following a strategy to focus on quality hotel products that help owners maximise the value of their assets, Dusit’s planned expansion includes exquisite palace conversions where the company aims to uniquely combine its distinctive brand of Thai-inspired gracious hospitality with local customs and traditions to create luxury hotel experiences that deliver sustainable value for the wider community. India is one of the top source markets for Dusit Hotels and Resorts worldwide, with Indian travellers second only to Chinese in terms of room nights generated in 2019. Domestic travellers also fondly remember the luxury Dusit Devarana in New Delhi, which operated from 2014 – 2017. As an Asian brand with more than 70 years of experience managing hotels and resorts throughout the region, and with a comprehensive guest loyalty programme that enriches every visit, Dusit’s service offering is well suited to the needs of discerning Indian travellers. India and Thailand share many similarities in terms of culture and traditions, and Dusit believes this not only makes its brands a popular choice for Indian guests and customers, but also an attractive proposition for Indian hotel owners seeking to work with a company that truly understands their needs while linking them with a large pool of engaged customers. With India’s fast-growing middle class expected to reach 583 million people – or 41 per cent of India’s projected population – by 2025, Dusit also sees huge potential for its high-end offerings in this burgeoning market. Alongside Dusit Princess and Dusit Devarana, this includes the upper-upscale Dusit Thani and upscale dusitD2 brands. Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, Dusit International said, “While COVID-19 has brought immense challenges for tourism and hospitality worldwide, we remain confident that our resilient industry can and will bounce back, and we expect India to be a key player in international and domestic tourism in the brighter days ahead. We are delighted and honoured that the Jain Group has selected our Dusit Princess brand for their property in Kolkata, and we now look forward to bringing more quality products to the market to generate long-term value for all our stakeholders.” Slated to open in Q2 2022 as part of Jain Group’s high-end residential development project, Dream One, Dusit Princess Serviced Suites Kolkata will occupy a prime location near the green expanse of Eco Park, only five minutes by car from both the city centre and the airport, and just one minute from Kalakshetra Metro Station. Comprising 42 three-bedroom units, the new property will provide an ideal base for both business and leisure travellers seeking extended stays. A swimming pool, an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, and a fitness and wellness centre will be among the recreational facilities. Banqueting and meeting facilities will also be available for small and midscale events. Shrayans Jain, Vice President, Jain Group commented, “In the new normal following COVID-19, Indian travellers will be increasingly seeking brands they can trust to deliver the high levels of safety, comfort and convenience they deserve. Dusit has more than seven decades of experience delivering exceptional guest and customer experiences in key destinations worldwide, and the company already has a strong reputation in India for the quality of its offerings. Our companies’ shared values to deliver quality in all aspects will ensure Dusit Princess Serviced Suites Kolkata is perfectly placed to exceed guest and customer expectations, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship with Dusit.” Dusit International’s property portfolio now comprises more than 300 properties operating under six brands across 13 countries. The company also has a strong background in hospitality education, operating internationally-accredited hospitality colleges in Thailand and the Philippines, as well as Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School in Bangkok, Thailand, in partnership with the renowned Paris-based institute.

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India may offer Covid testing for people flying out of the country too

NEW DELHI: People flying out of India will soon get the option of taking a Covid test so that those who are found free from the virus can have a hassle free experience on arrival as per the rules of the destination country. Work is on to have testing facilities for persons flying into India through its main hubs like Delhi and Mumbai. “The test is likely to be made available for those flying out of the country also for a seamless experience as per norms for those coming with a Covid negative test report in different countries,” said a senior aviation ministry official. The move comes after Hong Kong barred Air India flights till August-end after a number of passengers who flew in on a flight from Delhi earlier this month tested positive on arrival. Some countries like the UAE already require a Covid negative certificate from a recent test as a pre-condition for allowing passengers to fly in. And others like Germany test passengers coming from “high risk” (meaning higher incidence of corona) countries like India and the US for the flu. Having a negative report could increasingly mean less hassles for international flyers as countries seek to resume travel amid a pandemic that is likely to be around for about a couple of years. From September 1, Lufthansa Group passengers with a negative Covid-19 report from a test done within 48 hours of undertaking the journey can seek exemption from the mandatory rule of wearing masks on flights. Frankfurt is among the global hubs that has Covid testing facilities for both passengers flying in and out of Germany. “For several weeks, the company CENTOGENE has been offering convenient tests at Frankfurt Airport in cooperation with Lufthansa and Fraport. With this voluntary test taken at the airport right before your departure, you can avoid restrictions after landing at your destination. Private quarantine, for example, is required in many countries,” the Lufthansa website says. Collinson and Swissport have set up COVID-19 testing facility at London Heathrow Airport’s terminal 2 that enables arriving passengers to be tested upon landing. “It is hoped that with approval from the (UK) Government, people testing negative during the process will be allowed to exit quarantine early,” Collinson said in a statement. Collinson says airport-based COVID-19 testing is “embraced by more than 30 countries around the world, helping to get the travel industry back up and running while safeguarding public health. PCR Testing at the border has been extensively trialled internationally, in locations with very strong scientific oversight such as Germany, and found to be safe, and now rolled out in France, Iceland and Austria and at more than half the world’s busiest airports including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Tokyo Haneda and Dubai International.”

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Expect bulk of air traffic back by Diwali: Hardeep Singh Puri

Much of the pre-Covid domestic air passenger traffic could be restored by Diwali, Minister of State for Civil Aviation (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday. The Centre will allow more flights from locations such as Mumbai and Kolkata, which have had restricted operations so far, Puri said. “The figure (of domestic passengers) yesterday was 98,800, so we have already reached 33% of pre-Covid numbers. We are increasing domestic passengers at the rate of 5,000 a week. With Mumbai hopefully having Covid numbers under control, the graph stable and coming down, I’m hoping that after the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, we will open up Mumbai more; Bengaluru, Kolkata will be a little less sporadic. We will be looking to touch the 50% mark before too long,” Puri said at an online Idea Exchange event of The Indian Express. (A detailed transcript of the conversation will be published later.) By Diwali (November 14), “we should be getting a bulk of our civil aviation traffic back in form”, the Minister said. Operations are currently limited to 100 flights per day at Mumbai airport. Flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad have been restricted until August 31. Overall, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has allowed airlines to operate only up to 45% of their pre-Covid capacities. This cap was 35% when flights resumed on May 25. International flights, Puri said, will depend on the behaviour of the virus. “I cannot anticipate whether countries will allow people from India in, but we have gone ahead and made the best out of a very difficult situation, navigated through turbulence, and today we have air bubbles with the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany. I have announced 13 more,” he said. “In our case, we started with a mandatory 14-day quarantine — 7 days’ institutional and 7 days’ self quarantine. Now we have introduced an innovation, if you are carrying a certificate of an RT-PCR test done in the last 96 hours you can go through the green channel. We are opening up these things so that we move towards normalcy.” Aviation is among the sectors worst impacted by the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdowns all over the world. Consultancy firm CAPA India has projected losses of $4-4.5 billion for India’s airline industry in 2020-21 (April-March). However, Puri said that airlines could be saved by resuming operations as quickly as possible, and that the government was “navigating its way forward” on this. “Different airlines are in different financial positions. There are some which were under strain even prior to Covid. There are others that are a little more comfortable because they are tied to bigger business establishments,” he said. “My own firmly held view is that the saving of airlines, etc. will come by as quickly as possible resuming operations. We have taken many meetings, we are navigating our way forward.” Puri spoke about the controversy over the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport. Responding to a question on how the Centre would proceed now that the state had refused to cooperate, the Minister said that if the Kerala government was against privatisation, it should not have participated in the bidding process. “First they turned around and said they are against privatisation. If they’re against privatisation, they should not have participated in this. They are already running two privatised airports (Kochi and Kannur). Some people have suggested that there is angle of the person who has won the bid. That also does not seem to be right because that economic entity is running a port 20 kilometres from there. So, my short answer is that they have an experience in privatisation, they wanted to participate, they participated, they lost the bid and therefore, we have proceeded,” Puri said. In the tender process for the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport, Adani Enterprises outbid the Kerala state government entity KSIDC by 19.64%, which resulted in the state becoming ineligible to match the winning bid — an option that it could have exercised if its bid was within 10% of the winning bid.

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Guwahati gets India's longest ropeway across Brahmaputra

India's longest river ropeway of 1.82km connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati over the Brahmaputra river in Assam was inaugurated on Monday. It is expected to boost tourism in the region. The ropeway will cross the Urvashi island and the commuters will catch a glimpse of the Umananda Temple on Peacock Island, built by Ahom King Gadadhar Singha. Launching the ropeway service, Assam Health, Finance, and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that generally ropeway is built in the mountainous areas, but the Guwahati ropeway is the first ropeway in India over a river built at a cost of Rs 56.8 crore. The ropeway would cover the distance now in 8-9 minutes, which earlier used to take more than an hour, and further increased during the floods. Consisting of two cabins with each having a capacity of 32 passengers at a time, the ropeway, however, given the Covid-19 protocol, will for the time being only carry 15 people, said the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), which executed the project. The works for the ropeway project started in 2006 but was virtually abandoned after 2011. The service would benefit people, especially those living in northern regions of Guwahati, Assam's and northeast India's main commercial hub. "People living in the northern vicinity of Guwahati suffer a lot during the monsoon flood when the ferry services remain suspended on the Brahmaputra. Travel by road to reach the main city of Guwahati takes up too much time and cost during the flood," Sarma said. He said: "We had started the ropeway project in 2006 aiming to complete it by 2011. Some technical issues cropped up then. The Archaeological Survey of India had pointed out to introduce some new rules vis-A-vis ropeway construction. After necessary clearance, the work resumed. It had even reached the Gauhati High Court. "We resumed the work when I got the responsibility of GMDA in 2016 after becoming a minister in the BJP led ministry." GMDA officials said that the ropeway has been built as per state of art technology following relevant Indian and international standards. "The ropeway is a convenient and non-polluting means of transport, as well as a source of environmentally friendly tourism. "It is ecologically sustainable as it is run by electric power protecting the beauty of the area, while simultaneously providing passengers with a comfortable and speedy means of travel," an official statement said.

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Himachal Pradesh relaxes restrictions for tourists; e-passes to stay

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has eased the restrictions for tourists to revive the tourism industry, which is the backbone of the hill state’s economy. The tourism sector has come to a standstill ever since the coronavirus-induced lockdown was announced in March. In an attempt to revive the tourism sector, the state Cabinet on Monday relaxed the restrictions/guidelines on stay of tourists put in place to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the hill state. The Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur decided to ‘reduce the minimum stay of the tourists to two days from five days’, IANS reported. The existing norms in regard to Covid-19 negative reports/certificates, which are mandatory for the tourists to enter Himachal Pradesh, have also been relaxed. "Earlier, the Covid-19 negative report was not to be more than 72 hours old before the visits. Now, the time has been increased to 96 hours," Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said. "After reviewing the central government's latest guidelines, we have decided to streamline the issuance of Covid passes for movement to and fro the state. It will be hassle-free and issued within the time frame fixed by the Deputy Commissioners concerned," the minister. "No one can enter the state without an e-pass. All interstate movement will be monitored through the prevailing registration process. Any person keen to visit Himachal can enter his particulars on this software and he will get permission on priority," he added. Though hotels were allowed to operate after the Centre announced the Unlock 3 guidelines, but the tourism industry stakeholders maintained that the rules for tourists were very stringent. Himachal Pradesh today recorded 21 new COVID-19 cases pushing taking the total number of cases in the state to 5,022. As per the state's health department, there are 1,485 active cases, while 3,461 people have recovered from the deadly contagious disease. So far, 27 coronavirus patients have lost their lives "21 new COVID19 cases reported in Himachal Pradesh today. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 5,022 including 1,485 active cases, 3,461 recovered cases & 27 deaths so far," the health department stated.

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Indian Railways invites fresh tenders for 44 sets of Vande Bharat Trains

NEW DELHI : [India], Aug 23 (ANI): The Indian Railways on Sunday cancelled the tenders of 44 sets of Vande Bharat Trains and invited fresh tenders as per the revised public procurement in order to maintain complete transparency. As per the statement, earlier on Friday, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai had cancelled the older tender, which was floated on December 22, 2019, and opened on July 10, 2020. Reports had said that the decision to issue the new tenders was taken months after a Chinese joint venture company had emerged as the only foreign bidder for the global tender floated for manufacturing 44 rakes of the Vande Bharat Trains. "While evaluating the technical bids of the tenders, the Tender Committee had noticed that some of the details of the financial offers had been revealed in the first packet, which was not acceptable. The new guidelines of public procurement will be strictly followed and will prefer the 'Make in India' initiative. To maintain the complete transparency, the Committee has recommended to cancel the tender and invite fresh tenders" the statement added quoted Vinod Kumar, Chairman of the Railway Board (CRB). It further quoted the CRB saying, "The Railway is trying to manufacture this project as early as possible. But, due to some technical issues, this project has been delayed. In a fresh tenders timeline for manufacturing of Train Sets will be compressed," adding that there would be an increase in indigenous content from the present level of 50 per cent to a higher level as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. It further said that fresh tenders would be invited within a week and would have the provisions to manufacture Vande Bharat Train Set at all the three Production Units of Indian Railways, ICF, MCF & RCF," it added.

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