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Snow-capped hills, adventure sports attract tourists to Himachal's Kufri

As Kufri received a spell of fresh snowfall, the snow-capped hills, snow trails and adventure sports are attracting tourists from different parts of the country to the hill station. The adventure ski and snow park in Kufri have emerged as favorite tourist destinations. Happy Chauhan, organiser of adventure sports in Kufri, told that tourists are enjoying snowboard, skiing and other adventure activities. "The snow-related activities are drawing the attention of tourists. we will have over 40 snow adventure activities here. In the future maybe in a year's time, we will have round the clock snow and ski adventure park. This will draw the attention of tourists as well as provide employment to over thousand of people," he said. Ritesh Shah, a tourist from Mumbai said that he has come to the hill station with a group of 35 people. "It is a very beautiful place. It is like small Europe in India. This place is beautiful and clean. It is a wonderful experience. Everyone should come here once in life." Dikashnat, a tourist from Haryana said, "This is for the first time I have enjoyed snow-related activities. I have learned skiing here. We are excited to know that this park will have more snow-related activities in days to come. I would like to come again and would recommend everyone to visit this place." Last December a memorandum of understanding was signed between the State Government and Nagsons developers to develop India's first indoor ski park at Kufri near Shimla. The project would boost tourism and adventure sports around the year in the Kufri area and also generate economic activities in Shimla and adjoining area besides increasing the stay of tourists. The total cost of the project coming up in 5.04 acres in Kufri is Rs 250 crores, which included indoor ski park, palatial mall, five-star hotels, amusement park, gaming zone and food court, shopping arcade and other amenities and would have a parking facility for more than 1000 vehicles. The project has been designed by Infinity Design Studio Mumbai and the project would be executed by Unlimited Snow, Netherlands makers of Ski Dubai and Ski Egypt. The project is expected to start in March 2021 and would become functional by April 2022.

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18 tourism projects launched in Kerala

Ramping up tourism facilities state-wide with an aim at boosting the sector, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kerala government on Sunday launched 18 projects, completed at a cost of INR 40.46 crore. The projects, inaugurated by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran through videoconferencing, include destination development of Kovalam Phase 1 -- Samudra Beach park area and Grove Beach area, Kovalam-- at a cost of INR 9.9 crore and beautification and interlocking of Mulavilakam Footpath at Kovalam at a cost of INR 52 lakh. In his address, the Minister said the domino effect of COVID-19 was reflected in the tourism sector and was expected to continue for some more time. But the government did not allow the pandemic to hamper the implementation of the tourism sector projects. "The state government has initiated a lot of special projects for revival of the sector, where around 15 lakh people are employed directly and indirectly. Last year, we got INR 45,000 crore overall income from the tourism sector, which was an all-time record," he said. The Minister said that with the inauguration of these 18 tourism projects in seven districts, the government has completed more than 100 projects in the last six months. Eighty per cent of the 300 tourism projects given administrative sanction after the government came to power have now been completed, he said. "No other government in the history of Kerala has implemented so many projects in the tourism sector," he added. Rani George, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Kerala, said that in the face of the most adverse circumstances, the tourism sector has shown the potential to overcome them all. "We have set an example for other states through our aggressive and multi-pronged strategy to defy all odds. The new projects will be a big boost to the locations in the seven districts," she added. Noting that renovation of MHP sites will make the visit to these spots more attractive, Tourism Director P Bala Kiran said the completed projects also contributed to the basic infrastructure development of the respective locations.

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Travelling to Mumbai now requires a negative COVID test report

The Maharashtra government has now imposed travel restrictions for travellers from five states - Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and the latest one, Kerala. According to official reports, Kerala now has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and Maharashtra has the second highest number. Hence, travellers from Kerala, and the other four states are now required to get a negative RT-PCR test done within 72 hours before departure. Irrespective of the airline you are flying, the test is compulsory. This is not just true for passengers flying into Maharashtra, but also for those taking the train. Railway passengers are required to get tested within 96 hours before travel. If in case you are not carrying a report with you, then you will be screened at the railway station. Furthermore, those passengers with COVID symptoms would also have to undergo an antigen test, and a positive result would get you admitted at a Covid Care Centre. The expenses of this treatment shall be borne by the passenger. According to an official, the restriction on travellers from Kerala has been imposed as a precautionary measure. Moreover, Mumbai now also has a mobile RT-PCR lab for COVID-19 testing, the results of which will be revealed in 24 hours. The cost of such a test is going to be INR 499. This mobile service has been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research, and Spice Health. India has a total of 137,536 cases as of now, with 8944 of them in a critical state. 202 new cases have been reported, and it is yet to be seen how well the vaccination drive is going to help people in the coming days.

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More and more tourists opting to visit Jammu and Kashmir for holidays

Tourist influx is gradually increasing at several tourist resorts in the Pahalgam area in Anantnag which was earlier affected during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, an officer from Pahalgam Development Authority, Shabir Ahmad said, "Since the onset of snowfall in the valley in the months of November and December last year, there has been a gradual increase in the number of tourists in the Kashmir valley. Talking about Pahalgam, there has been a gradual increase in tourism in the region for the last 10 days." "If the rush of tourists continues till February end in the valley, it can break the record of last three years. I hope that tourists continue to visit this beautiful valley of ours," Ahmad said. Many children opted to ride a pony to enjoy the scenic view of the valley. Several pony wallahs were offering rides to tourists just outside the resorts. Shayna Sharma, who felt excited to ride a pony told ANI, "I have come from Punjab to visit Kashmir valley. We are staying at a resort in Pahalgam. Many of my friends opt to travel abroad enjoy snowfall. But now, I request them to visit this Kashmir valley instead." "I and my family are staying at Royal Hillton resort in Pahalgam. Spending on international travel is too costly. Hence, we opted to visit this Kashmir valley. We like it," said Pooja Jain, another tourist. Apart from resorts, the hotel businesses too registered a huge influx in tourism. Manzoor Ahmad, a hotelier told ANI, "Many people have this notion that Pahalgam area is unsafe due to a few attacks. I want to assure them that this valley is completely safe. All the tourists are welcome here. In the past few days, we have registered a growth in our business due to the influx of tourists." The India Meteorological Department tweeted today, "Under the influence of a feeble Western Disturbance, isolated rainfall/snowfall likely over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgistan, Baltistan & Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on today, the 13th February and over Uttarakhand during 14-16 February 2021."

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India launches a new push for domestic travel to revive the tourism industry

The Indian government is offering travellers the chance to explore India and win a prize - if you can get to all 15 destinations by the end of 2022. This is part of an innovative new campaign called Dekho Apna Desh (‘See Your Country’), as India’s Prime Minister Modi looks to inspire and encourage more domestic tourism to help stimulate recovery from the pandemic. Due to travel restrictions, the scheme is only open for Indian residents at present, but when international travel reopens the opportunity will be available for international visitors too. The 15 destinations are: Kaziranga National Park, Mahabodhi Temple, Kumarakom, Mahabalipuram, Hampi, Humayun’s Tomb, Amer Fort, Colva, Somnath Temple, Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, Ajanta Ellora, Red Fort and Qutub Minar, Dholavira, Khajuraho, and Konark Sun Temple. How did the scheme start? Last year, Prime Minister Modi began the push to encourage domestic tourism as part of a wider plan to stimulate India’s economy. "I know people travel abroad for holidays, but can we think of visiting at least 15 tourist destinations across India before 2022," he said in a speech. At the start of this year, Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, promised to make Modi’s idea a reality, launching the wider pledge. "We will start a mass movement encouraging every Indian to visit more domestic destinations, this will boost up local as well as national economy," he said last month. While local travel is a more practical offering during a pandemic, it’s also, importantly, a more sustainable and affordable approach to tourism. The destinations have all been chosen to cover a wide geographical spread to show off India’s diversity and rich cultural, social and historical heritage. In addition, particular care has been taken to choose locations embedded within nature, allowing visitors to experience the outdoor sights safely, taking all the COVID precautions into account. Is it working? So far 142,368 citizens have joined the Dekho Apna Desh pledge, with almost three-quarters aged between 25-40. It seems to have been a resounding success so far, with many of the destinations already fully booked for the foreseeable future. India’s Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel has said that the country’s tourism industry is reviving faster than expected thanks to the Dekho Apna Desh initiative.

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Mauritius unveils Covid-19 vaccination programme as it plans to safely reopen borders to tourism

Mauritius is the first country in the world to classify staff who work in the tourism sector as front line to ensure they are fully protected when travel restrictions are lifted. The roll-out of the vaccination programme for tourism workers including hotel employees, Air Mauritius and Airports of Mauritius staff and other front line tourism staff. The chairman of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Agency (MTPA), Nilen Vencadasmy said: “Mauritius is looking forward to welcoming back visitors to our Indian Ocean paradise island safe in the knowledge that we are a luxury Covid secure destination. Mauritius is vaccinating front-line tourism staff as they are essential to the safe reopening of our borders. 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone within the tourism sector and we are working closely with operators, airlines, hotels and other stakeholders at home and internationally to ensure that we can reopen safely and securely in 2021.” With the vaccine now being distributed across the country to health care professionals and citizens with underlying health conditions which started last week, the government is prioritising the tourism sector to enable Mauritius to have a safe and secure reopening of the border for international visitors. The Government is monitoring the rollout of the vaccine and working with public health professionals, scientists and tourism stakeholders with a view to amending arrival protocols as soon as possible to welcome further international tourism arrivals. The first batch of 100,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, produced by the Serum Institute of India, arrived from Mumbai on 22 January and were a donation from the government of India. The first vaccination on the island was administered on 26 January 2021. Initially 50,000 people are being vaccinated with two doses throughout January and February 2021 with two weeks between the first dose and the second dose. Further vaccinations will be delivered from March onwards. Safely reopening borders to tourism In the years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mauritius welcomed up to 1.4 million visitors annually with tourism accounting for approximately 25% of GDP. Protecting the future of tourism and its citizens is at heart of the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With tourism front-line staff being prioritised for the vaccine, the government has confirmed that the 14-day quarantine period will remain in place whilst the initial batch of vaccines are administrated to give public health experts and scientists an opportunity to analyse the rollout. New arrival protocols will include requiring all international visitors to present valid Covid-19 vaccination certificates. Tourism investment Many operators in the Mauritius tourism industry have taken the opportunity to invest heavily during the period of international arrival restrictions, including the refurbishment of hotels and other tourism facilities. As a result, guests arriving in Mauritius later in 2021 will be able to experience even greater levels of luxury and service in a safe and secure environment. Due to Mauritius’ strong public health response to the pandemic, the Indian Ocean island nation has seen an increase in demand for people looking to relocate to the Covid-secure island for the long term. As a result of demand, Mauritius launched the Premium Visa that allows long-stay visitors to work remotely, retire or enjoy an extended holiday for 12 months with the option to renew. This long-term visa option will remain. The government of Mauritius is expected to announce requirements for all visitors to have valid vaccination certificates on arrival and will be outlining new arrival protocols based solely on public health and science.

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