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Christmas surprise: Paragliding to resume on Karnataka's Nandi Hills from December 24

BENGALURU: A popular historical fortress that is home to a number of temples, monuments and shrines, Nandi Hills may soon become a paragliding hub. The closest hill station to Bengaluru, Nandi Hills is an ideal place for the people of the city to unwind in the beauty of nature, although people have been experiencing heavy traffic jams on the way to the hills, specially on weekends. Some even compared it with the bottleneck traffic snarls of Silk Board. To change this image, the tourism and horticulture department wants to start recreational activities, including paragliding. The destination is also sought after by bird watching groups, as it is home to many endemic bird species and is also an ideal habitat for migratory birds. The tourism, horticulture, police and other related agencies have given permission to a private company to conduct paragliding from Nandi Hills for three months, starting December 24. While some conservationists and officials from Karnataka forest department have expressed apprehension as it would have an impact on the migratory birds and could also lead to man- animal conflict, they demand extra caution. "After a very long time, paragliding is being organised at Nandi Hills. This year, to promote tourism, permission was given to three companies, but none of them could take off because of delay in getting clearance from other agencies. This time again, permission has been given and hopefully it will take off," said Rajendra Kumar Kataria, Principal Secretary of Horticulture department. Bangalore Aviation and Sports Enterprise (Base) Proprietor, Kumara Swamy, who is organising paragliding, said that it could not be organised till now as they didn’t have clearance from the international airport management. "Now, approval from DGCA and all government agencies has been procured. Paragliding will start from the fort area belonging to the horticulture department," he added. Chikkaballapur Deputy Commissioner R Latha said permission has been given only till this month end and they will consider for the next three months later. Arsalan, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Chikkaballapur said, "Earlier, people would seek permission for paragliding in Bramhagiri and Skandagiri, stating that Nandi Hills is not suitable. But when permissions were denied, they would settle for Nandi Hills. People are not allowed to enter forest areas or disurb wildlife."

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Budget 2021 Expectations: Amendment in Constitution, 4 policy changes key for Tourism sector to become Atmanirbhar

Union Budget 2021-22 Expectations for Travel and Tourism: The never-seen-before Coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow on the “Travel and Tourism industry” and taken a toll on the Indian economy. As domestic and international travel plans are shrouded under a veil of uncertainty, a new-normal model is required for the revival of the tourism sector. The Indian tourism market needs the convergence of industry and the government. The Indian tourism market needs to use this opportunity to cater to the domestic needs of the population and create and advertise domestic tourist destinations to help increase tourist footfall, industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has said in its recommendations ahead of the Union Budget 2021. It has recommended the following steps: 1. Fixed Costs are required to be charged only for the period (pre and post-Covid pandemic) when the hotels were and are functional and operational. Currently, hotels are charged with Commercial Tariff (Highest Tariff Bracket) and Industrial Duty (Highest Duty Bracket). Therefore, fixed costs should be waived off for the period of lockdown. This includes Heat, Light, Power (HLP), gas etc. Post lockdown, for the sustenance of business, it is suggested to reduce the HLP rates by 50 per cent, the CII said in its recommendations ahead of Budget 2021. 2. A deferment for twelve months of all statutory dues at the state government level like the excise fees, levies, taxes, power and water charges, deferred renewals periods for all permits, licenses, bank guarantees & security deposits across the tourism, travel, hospitality and aviation industry. 3. Utility Payment: Ahead of Union Budget 2021, CII has recommended exemption towards paying the electricity duty, 50 per cent reduction in connected load charges, reduced rates on gas and water charge, and utilities can charge on residential unit rates and not commercial pricing to save on operational costs for the establishment 4. Auto-renewal of license fees – Several licenses and permits that are going to expire during the lockdown period, and as these will not get renewed in time, a blanket exemption for 6 months is required or auto-renewal of licenses for the next one year. A policy change regarding registration of lease document of hotels and restaurants with land revenue department is required, CII said. CII also proposed registration fees of 1 per cent of the overall lease amount payable annually from the existing 10 per cent- and one-time relation of any penalty or arrears to the hotels or restaurants whose lease agreement is unregistered till date. This would encourage most leased hotels/restaurants to register their lease deed and ensure compliance, the CII’s recommendations ahead of Budget 2021 stated. 5. Tourism to be brought under the Concurrent List Ahead of the Budget 2021, the CII has recommended that the Tourism industry should be brought under the “concurrent list” by amending Schedule VII of the Constitution. This will help elevate the sector to a priority one on the national agenda. Its introduction will alleviate the problems of the overlapping of administration and regulation of this sector that is hampering the ease of doing business. Tourism would benefit by being placed under the concurrent list to create a more enabling and cohesive approach in formulating policy measures. It would be ideal for each state to remove certain regulatory and licensing requirements that are currently in place to ease the cost and process of doing business. Thus, a more defined approach will be adhered to for the tourism sector, which would be driven by the unique needs of each state. Therefore, including tourism in the Concurrent List will enable the Centre and States to effectively legislate and demarcate clear roles for the Centre and states/Union Territories (UTs)

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Rajgir in Bihar now has a 200-ft glass bridge, set to open on New Year

In a bid to boost tourism in the state, Bihar has built an interesting 200 ft glass bridge which will be inaugurated next year in Rajgir, Nalanda district. Set amid five hills, the bridge will offer adventure seekers the much-needed thrill. With this glass bridge, the state is hoping to increase the footfall of both domestic and international visitors. The pictures of Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who visited the bridge for inspection, have gone viral recently. The bridge in Bihar is built in line with China’s Hangzhou glass bridge. This 85 ft long and 6 ft wide bridge will be able to accommodate 40 visitors at a time. As per the authorities, the bridge will be opened to tourists on New Year. More about Rajgir, Nalanda Nalanda district in Bihar is one of the prime tourist hotspots in the state. The destination is historically and culturally rich and is home to the ancient Nalanda University, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university of Nalanda shot to fame during ancient times, and attained a legendary status for its contribution to education. Set around 95 km from Patna, the capital city of Bihar, the city is visited by a number of travellers from across the globe. When it comes to tourist attractions, the destination is building a jungle safari to entice tourists and this glass bridge will be a part of the nature safari. The government has given 500 acres of the historical Budh Marg to develop the skywalk. While the safari will take tourists inside the dense forests of Rajgir, the ropeway will also have around 18 glass covered cabins. Every cabin will have a capacity for eight tourists and will cover a distance of 750 m in five minutes. In addition to these activities, tourists can also enjoy other adventure sports like air cycling. The government is also building some other interesting spots such as a butterfly park and Ayurveda. For accommodation purposes, there will be cottages. Rajgir in Nalanda is already renowned for its historic attractions including the Son Bhandar caves, Brahmakund and Vishwa Shanti Stupa; this new skywalk will now add more to its attraction. The first skywalk in India was developed in Sikkim’s Pelling, nestled amidst the Himalayas. The glass skywalk is 7200 ft above sea level and is one of the prime tourist attractions in the region. On the international level, China holds the record of building the world’s longest glass bridge as of now.

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Jewar Airport officially named as Noida International Airport

The upcoming Jewar Airport will be officially named as Noida International Airport. Located at Jewar in Greater Noida, the contract to construct and operate this airport has been given to the Zurich Airport International AG (ZAIA) by the Uttar Pradesh government. According to the TOI, the state government has also shared the official logo of Noida International Airport which is a symbol depicting a Sarus Crane, the state birds of Uttar Pradesh, flying in the air. As per an official statement issued by the state government, the airport logo reiterates the vision of Noida International Airport to be the leading airport in India in terms of quality, technology, efficiency and an ideal example of sustainable infrastructure and operations, offering a praiseworthy experience to all customer groups. The airport will be built in the next four years in the first phase. Reportedly, it will have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers every year in the beginning. There will be two runways at the airport to begin with, but three more will be added to it in the later phases of development. The government has allocated about INR 30000 crore for the construction of Noida International Airport.

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SpiceJet seaplane flights between Statue of Unity and Sabarmati riverfront to restart from Dec 27

New Delhi: SpiceJet on Friday (December 18) announced that they will restart its seaplane flight services between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad from December 27. In its statement, SpiceJet said: "SpiceShuttle, the fully-owned subsidiary of SpiceJet, will resume its seaplane operations between Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront and Kevadia's Statue of Unity from December 27, 2020 with two daily flights on the route." "Bookings of the seaplane service for the passengers will open from December 20, 2020," the airline added. This comes days after the seaplane service between the Statue of Unity at Kevadia and Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad were suspended for 15 days because of mandatory plane maintenance. Since the maintenance facility was still under construction in Ahmedabad, the aircraft had to be sent to SpiceJet's lessor's facility at the Maldives. The seaplane service in Ahmedabad is operated by SpiceJet's subsidiary Spice Shuttle under the UDAN scheme. The seaplane takes around 40 minutes to cover a distance of around 200 kms between the two destinations. Floating jetties and water aerodrome buildings have been built at the riverfront and at pond-3 near Sardar Sarovar Dam (near the statue) to enable passengers to board and alight from the plane.

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Andhra Pradesh gifts Restart package to the tourism industry

The Andhra Pradesh government has sanctioned a restart package to the tourism sector. Under this, the state government has granted a restart package to the tune of INR 198.5 crore with interest subvention to assist tourism establishments to restart their operations and support their wage liabilities and fixed expenses. The state government noted that stakeholders of the tourism and hospitality industry are under severe stress following the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown followed by apprehensions around travel. This halt in tourism activities in the state has caused severe financial strain to all the stakeholders (hoteliers, restaurants, tour operators, travel agents, adventure sports operators, water sports operators). As per estimates, there are about 900 hotels, 350 MICE & function halls, 160 service providers and 2500 standalone restaurants in the state. With business coming to a grinding halt, these establishments have not been able to pay salaries to their workers, as a result of which more than 30 per cent of workers have lost their jobs. Speaking to ETTravelWorld, K Vijay Mohan, President of the Tours and Travels Association of Andhra Pradesh (TTAP), says, “On behalf of the Tours and Travels Association of Andhra we would like to thank our chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; special chief secretary (tourism and culture) Rajat Bhargava and managing director, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), Pravin Kumar, for considering the bailout request of the tourism and hospitality stakeholders who are suffering a s result of Covid-19.” The state government in a circular noted, “During the consultations with tourism industry stakeholders, they submitted their difficulties and losses suffered by them and requested for certain incentives on electrical charges, discounts in interest on loans, SGST reimbursement, Property Tax, extension of licenses, support for working capital, support for salaries of employees and Provident Fund.” The Restart package is not only expected to provide much-needed support to the stakeholders, but it will also help to boost the tourism sector. The state government has said that the department of tourism shall facilitate all tourism establishments in the state in obtaining these loans.

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