News

Goa routes dominate domestic flight bookings in Christmas, shows data

Metro-to-metro routes occupied top six places in last Christmas. This year, routes to Goa dominated the ranking. This indicates the pent-up demand for travel translated into bookings. Bagdogra and Kochi are the other favoured leisure destinations this year (though Kochi did not feature in Top 10 routes). Customers continue to book closer to travel date due to uncertainty over travel restrictions imposed by states. Advance booking share greater than four weeks has dropped from 52 per cent last year to 24 per cent this year. Average fares are around 9 per cent lower than last year in Christmas week. Overall flight bookings have risen 5 per cent on a month-on-month basis, but are still 40-45 per cent of last year sales.

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Hoteliers elated as tourists rush to Manali

Hoteliers of Kullu-Manali were elated as room occupancy in hotels surged up to 80 per cent for Christmas. A large number of tourists thronged Manali today to celebrate the Christmas festivities. Hoteliers were complaining of lack of business as there was a sharp decline in arrival of tourists in Kullu-Manali since March after Covid-19 outbreak. But with the opening of Atal tunnel for traffic on the Manali-Leh national highway, the influx of tourists has increased. Earlier, room occupancy in Kullu-Manali hotels was merely 30 per cent. Many tourists had cancelled their hotel room bookings after the imposition of night curfew by the state government in Kullu district. The hoteliers were apprehensive that their business would take a big hit at Christmas. Budhi Prakash Thakur, a hotelier in Manali town, said, “I am delighted that room occupancy is 100 per cent in my hotel and I am expecting good business even on the New Year as well. The Covid-19 had hit the tourism industry hard since March. The state government should lift the night curfew completely. It should intensify police patrolling during night hours to check offenders if there is any mass gatherings.” Anup Thakur, president of Hoteliers’ Association Kullu-Manali, told The Tribune, “The influx of tourists for Christmas is beyond expectations here in Kullu-Manali today. The average room occupancy in hotels of Kullu-Manali has gone up to 80 per cent, while in many hotels it is 100 per cent”. “To avoid spread of Covid-19 infection, the hoteliers of Kullu-Manali have decided to avoid mass gathering at a single place and asked the visitors to follow the directions strictly as devised by the government”, he added. He said that there is adequate snow at Solang valley and Sissu near Atal tunnel towards Lahaul valley and tourists can have a nice time. On the other hand, tourists who arrived here in Manali for the Christmas celebration, were a little bit disappointed. They were expecting white Christmas which was not the case. A couple hailing from Delhi Manish Singh and his wife said that they were expecting white Christmas here in Manali but the weather remained dry.

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Munnar witnesses heavy tourist inflow

After a hiatus, Munnar is witnessing heavy tourist inflow with most hotels and resorts booked to capacity. The Christmas/ New Year season, aided by a drop in mercury level, is attracting tourists. An official at the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in Munnar says there is a spurt in tourist inflow from December 20. Normally, Munnar witnesses a high turnout from December 20 to January 5. Most hotels and resorts have been fully booked from December 25 to 27. The number of daytime tourists is also on the rise. These are positive trends indicative of normalisation of tourism activities at the hill station, he says. “The number of vehicles parked on roadsides from Kanthallur to Munnar points to the revival of tourism,” says Tijo a local resident. Resort managers say tourists from outside the State have also started coming to Munnar. As many as 1,491 people visited the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the main tourism destination and the natural habitat of Nilgiri Tahr on Thursday. Job J. Neriyamparambil, ENP range officer, says more tourists are expected in the coming days. The day temperature is near 10 degrees Celsius in Munnar while it remains at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius at Marayur and Kanthallur, the main centres of farm tourism.

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Kerala CM announces 27 new tourism projects worth INR 310 cr

The Kerala government will take up 27 new tourism projects as part of the second 100-day Action Plan. The government has earmarked INR 310 cr for the new projects that form a part of the second 100-day initiative announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. CM Vijayan has announced a total of 646 new projects worth INR 4,300 cr in different sectors of the state. The 66 tourism projects, as a part of the first 100-day action plan, concluded on December 9. Announcing the new action plan, CM VIjayan said that the tourism dept will focus on post-Covid marketing now. Kerala had launched many ambitious tourism projects in the first 100-day programme. Some of the noteworthy projects include the Alappuzha Heritage Project, Malamel Para Tourism Project at Kollam beach, Solar-powered miniature train service at Veli Tourism Village,Green Tourism Complex at Pala and Cruise Boat Terminals at Malnad-Malabar River cruise. As part of the new 100-day programme, the government will set up rest centres at 100 locations. The details of the new tourism development projects are yet to be known.

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Himachal to organise craft fair similar to Surajkund

Surajkund Craft Fair. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the state government has identified 95 bighas of land on the Kalka Shimla National Highway for the same. He directed the officers to ensure speedy clearance of various approvals so that work could be started. To add to the state’s tourist attractions, the sound and light show in the Town Hall at the Mall in Shimla is also scheduled to be completed by March, 2021, providing a glimpse into the culture, tradition and lesser-known places of the state. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said that this would be an added attraction for the tourists visiting the state. To facilitate tourism in the state, Thakur also hoped that the Shimla Heliport, coming up at a cost of INR 12.13 crore, would be completed by March next. While presiding over the 10th meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board, Thakur directed officials to accord top priority to tourism projects nearing completion. The chief minister said that the Dharamshala to Mcleodganj ropeway, being constructed at a cost of INR 150 crore, would be completed by June 2021. He said that once it starts functioning, the state would get an annual fee of INR 1 crore from this project. He also expressed displeasure over the delay in Adi Himani to Chamunda ji ropeway in Kangra district and Bhuntar to Bijli Mahadev ropeway which was coming up in Kullu district for which concession agreement was signed and survey completed. He said that concession agreement and pre-feasibility report have been finalised regarding Sri Anandpur Sahib to Shri Naina Devi Ji ropeway, coming up at a cost of INR 200 crore. Work on the convention centre at Kiarighat in Solan district under the Himalayan Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme was also nearing completion, with the centre scheduled to come up by March next year. He said that work had also been started on development of Maa Hateshwari Temple at Hatkoti in Shimla district which would be completed by December next year. The tourism secretary, Devesh Kumar, assured the Chief Minister that all the tourism projects being implemented in the state would be completed within the stipulated time period.

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Winter carnival begins at Skyview Patnitop

Skyview Patnitop by Empyrean, Jammu’s latest adventure and lifestyle destination, is hosting a Winter Carnival for people who want to venture out after being in the confines of home for large parts of the year. The 12-day Winter Carnival will go on till January 3 with a lot of opportunities for fun and adventure with all the health and safety protocols in place. Skyview Patnitop’s Lower Terminal located in the scenic Sanget Valley in the foothills of Patnitop will feature carnival games, caricature artist, magician and a smorgasbord of live music and dance, art exhibition and global street food, rides on the state of the art gondola/ ropeway soaring above the valley and pine forests will transport visitors to the top in just 10 minutes. For foodies, the Winter Carnival will offer a variety of lip smacking street food at Sanget valley , daily grills at the Barbeque restaurant in Patnitop from 6 pm to 10 pm and gala dinners on December 25h and 31st. Skyview Patnitop by Empyrean has emerged as a leading promoter of responsible, mountain adventure and lifestyle tourism in UT Jammu & Kashmir thanks to its unique offerings, location, and hospitality. “The upcoming Winter Carnival is an initiative to promote Patnitop in Jammu as a new holiday destination for new age travellers in India. We, at Skyview Patnitop, are looking forward to welcoming the new year with our valued guests and making the Winter Carnival a grand success,” said Syed Junaid Altaf, Managing Director, Empyrean Skyview Projects Private Limited. Skyview Patnitop has also announced attractive stay packages.

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