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Over 7,500 Indians visited Maldives in November

The air bubble arrangement between India and Maldives seems to be working quite well for the latter and for its key revenue generator, Maldives Tourism. The number of Indian visitors to the island nation has shown a continuous growth of over 400% in the consecutive months of October and November 2020. As per the visitor figures put out by Maldives Immigration, 7,610 Indians visited the country in November compared to just 1,396 in October, registering a 445% month on month growth. Indians are the second largest nationality after Russians who visited the South Asian nation which is known for exclusive hi-end island resorts. 8,581 Russians visited Maldives last month. While only 31 Indian tourists visited Maldives in July 2020, the number has kept on growing over the subsequent months with the air bubble arrangement.

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Tourism ministry to launch campaign aimed at foreign tourists

To build confidence among foreign tourists planning to visit India, the ministry of tourism is working on a campaign to be promoted across television and digital platforms. The campaign will highlight the safety measures, better airports and road networks that connect various tourist spots as international borders open up and inbound tourism resumes. "With better weather conditions and covid vaccine on the horizon, we are expecting a strong bounceback in international tourism to India in 2021," said tourism ministry's additional director general, Rupinder Brar. Brar was speaking at a webinar organized by Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH). Noting that inbound tourism brings foreign exchange and high-value tourists, Brar said the ministry is also looking at offering attractively-priced covid-19 insurance policies to foreign tourists. To be sure, 10.93 million foreign tourists visited India in 2019 registering a 3.5% growth over previous year. The international tourist arrival grew at the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.31% in the last five years. However, the coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc, severely impacting the foreign exchange earnings (FEEs) through tourism in India, which declined by 64% and stood at ₹5,833 crore in March as compared to ₹16,214 crore in March 2019. Overall, FEEs during the period January to March 2020 stood at ₹44,203 crore as compared to ₹52,378 crore over the same period last year. While domestic tourism has shown first signs of recovery, Brar stressed the importance of building tourist confidence as international travel opens up gradually. ".... in all the content that is being developing at this time we will be addressing the apprehension around how does India opens up for international tourists. We need to send out a visual message to tourists abroad about what happens when they land on an Indian airport. This message will be put out across television and digital as travel opens up for the international travellers in the next few weeks," she added. Brar said that there's a huge opportunity in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE tourism), heritage, wellness and medical tourism attracting the world to India. Taking key measures can be a game changer for the country. Dipak Deva, managing director at destination management firm Travel Corporation India (TCI), said that the inbound business is estimated to start returning from October 2021 with normalcy levels being restored only by 2022. Guests will keep factors such as veracity of virus spread and death toll in mind while picking international holiday destinations. "Fortunately, the covid mortality rate is low in India. I think the government must highlight that the country is well equipped to deal with any medical emergencies that foreign tourists might face in their communication. Guests will also check whether people in the hospitality industry (hotel staff, drivers and guides) have been vaccinated in the destination country," he said. Deva, who also co-chairs the FICCI Tourism Committee, said that he expects the revival of inbound tourism to take its time beginning with international tourists arrivals from nearby countries and later from countries which makes India a long-haul destination. "There will also be an intense competition among international tourism boards to lure tourists to their respective countries. Therefore, we must have the right message targeted at key countries that bring large tourists to India. My estimation is 33% of the business that happened in 2019 will come back in 2021," he added. Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which represents more than 1,600 operators for inbound tourists, said that the industry needs proactive steps right now from the government. "Government needs to come up with a road map which includes announcing dates for opening of visa, measures for assuring tourists about India being safe to travel and announcing standard operating procedure (SOP) for tourists planning to visit India in 2021. Steps like lifting restriction on visitors to famous monuments such as Taj Mahal is also crucial," said Pronab Sarkar, president, IATO. Easy provision for e-ticketing at these monuments will help tour operators arrange group visits once the travel sector opens up further, he said.

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Tourists can look forward to a fresh spell of rain and snow in upper Himachal between Dec 8 to 12

Brace up for a fresh spell of snowfall and rain if you are planning to visit the upper mountains of Himachal Pradesh or are already vacationing there. According to the latest weather reports, Himachal is expected to receive rain and snowfall starting from December 8 to 12. While, the middle mountains could receive rain and snowfall, the lower mountains are expected to get rain and a thunderstorm in these five days barring on December 10. Reportedly, Himachal’s Meteorological office is expecting rain and snowfall in the region irrespective of dry weather conditions and a slight increase in the minimum temperatures. The reason behind such prediction is a fresh Western disturbance due to a cyclonic circulation hovering over the region and another fresh Western disturbance may possibly hit north-west India from December 11. As per the weather office, the minimum temperatures ranged between one to four degrees above normal. The coldest region in the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was Keylong with minus 3.4 degree Celsius and Kalpa was freezing at 1 degree Celsius. Meanwhile, the day temperatures in Himachal saw a steady rise with Una being the hottest destination at 28 degree Celsius. The temperatures in popular tourist destinations like Manali, Kufri and Dalhousie were 4.2 degree Celsius, 5.8 degree Celsius and 6.9 degree Celsius, respectively. Shimla’s temperatures dipped further to reach 8.6 degree Celsius, as per the statement given to a leading daily by the Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Manmohan Singh.

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Meghalaya to allow tourists from December 21

With Christmas around the corner, Meghalaya is bracing to open its doors to visitors as usual, albeit in a more structured manner keeping in mind the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. An upbeat chief minister Conrad K Sangma announced reopening of tourism for visitors from outside the state from December 21. However, registration and abiding with the prescribed health protocols is an absolute must, the CM tweeted. “To ensure the safety of everyone, registration has been mandatory through the meghtourism app,” he said. The mobile application available on Google Play store must be downloaded and one can register or a registered tour operator can assist visitors in completing the formalities, including a mandatory upload of photo ID. As per the standard operation procedures (SOPs) laid down by Meghalaya Tourism, visitors should provide a complete itinerary of their proposed visit and share details of confirmed bookings in hotels, guest houses, home stays for at least the first two nights. Those staying with families or friends must share their host/s’ full address and contact details and a complete itinerary is mandatory to generate the e-invite. After the generation of e-invite, the same should be presented at the entry point along with a Covid-19 negative certificate. “We are reopening for tourism and have issued SOPs for the same keeping in mind the prevailing Covid-19 scenario so as to ensure that everyone is protected within the prescribed guidelines,” tourism director CVD Diengdoh said. The state tourism department has also opened a communication channel for interested visitors who can address their queries and doubts through WhatsApp number 8132011037 from 10 am to 8 pm on all working days, said the department.

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Maldives tourism revives over holiday season

Tourism in the Maldives, which reopened its borders in mid-July after a near four-month lockdown, is picking up with a surge in arrivals expected for the festive season. “The year-end arrivals are looking good and some of this credit should go to the Maldivian authorities for aggressive destination marketing,” an industry official said. Beating 22 other countries to bag the highly coveted World’s Leading Destination award at last month’s World Travel Awards – the most prestigious awards in the tourism industry – has also helped to boost the Maldives’ reputation as a tourist destination, said Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) managing director Thoyyib Mohamed. “We have been continuing destination marketing even during the lockdown. Last month, we launched a global media campaign and currently have 47 other marketing activities with B2B and B2C campaigns,” he said, adding that source markets including Russia, Ukraine, the UK, India and the US were doing well. He said the Maldives saw 35,759 arrivals last month and is on track to reaching its target of 100,000 arrivals from mid-July to year-end by December 15. Meanwhile, the total arrivals for the year is expected to be a little over 500,000 arrivals, a steep decline compared to pre-Covid figures but commendable given the restrictions on outbound travel in many source markets. Abdulla Ghiyas, deputy managing director at Inner Maldives Holiday, said many airlines were returning to the Maldives, in part due to the island nation being one of the few Asian countries with borders open to leisure travellers. “We are seeing many expatriates from the Middle East also visiting the Maldives,” he said, adding that based on the upward trajectory, next year’s target has been revised to one million from 600,000. The number of Covid-19 infections detected in the island nation has also reduced since borders were reopened on July 15, and were mostly confined to the capital Male – far away from the remote resorts, added Ghiyas, who is also the former president of Maldives Association for Travel Agents & Tour Operators. Meanwhile, 10 resorts have acquired their own Covid testing machines and are awaiting Health Ministry clearance, a facility until now only offered by Soneva resorts in the Maldives. Another industry official from a DMO, who declined to be named, said the surge in visitor arrivals has surprised many sector players. “(Demand in forward bookings) is really looking good and we expect occupancy of 60-65 per cent during the festive season, as compared to 70-75 per cent in the past few years,” he said, noting however that prices have been marked down by 30-50 per cent to attract visitors. Still, he added: “Even if prices are low, the cash injection with growing arrival numbers is vital to sustain the resorts.”

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Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior, Orchha in UNESCO world heritage cities list

The historical fort cities of Gwalior and Orchha in Madhya Pradesh have been included in the list of UNESCOs world heritage cities under its urban landscape city programme, according to the state government. An official of the government’s public relations department on Monday said tourism experts have termed the inclusion as a major achievement for the state. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an agency of the United Nations, aims at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture. “After getting included in the heritage city list, the face of Gwalior and Orchha will totally change and UNESCO along with the state tourism department will make a master plan for the beautification of the two places, the official said. A UNESCO team will visit the state next year and after having a look at the heritage properties will prepare a master plan for their development and conservation, he said. “ The project will prove to be an example for South Asia. Under the plan UNESCO will suggest best measures and resources for the development of these places under the Historic Urban Landscape recommendations, the official said. Gwalior was established in 9th century and ruled by Gurjar Pratihar Rajvansh, Tomar, Baghel Kachvaho and Scindias. The memorabilia left by them is found in abundance in memorials, forts and palaces in the area. Gwalior is known for its palaces and temples, including the intricately carved Sas Bahu Ka Mandir temple. The Gwalior Fort occupies a sandstone plateau overlooking the city and is accessed via a winding road lined with sacred Jain statues. Within the forts high walls is the 15th-century Gujari Mahal Palace, now an archaeological museum. Orchha is is popular for its temples and palaces and was the capital of the Bundela kingdom in the 16th century. The famous spots in the town are Raj Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Ramraja Temple, Rai Praveen Mahal, and Laxminarayan Mandir, the official said. After inclusion in the World Heritage City list, chemical treatment of historic spots like Mansingh Palace, Gujri Mahal and Sahastrabahu Temple will be done so that art inscribed on them will become more visible, the official said. Guards will be posted at these places to welcome tourists as per the Indian traditions, he said.

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