News

Tourism Ministry to explore scope of travel insurance to boost travellers' confidence

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has reported to have started preliminary consultation with the insurance sector players and the Ministry of Finance about the possibilities of introducing a travel Insurance to boost the confidence of international visitors. This was informed by Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General - Tourism while speaking at a webinar organised by the Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). Brar said that the government is considering different international models like that of the Singapore government in this regard so that at least a structure can be put in place. Reassuring the travel and tourism trade audience at the webinar about the various steps under consideration of the government to revive the tourism sector in the country, Brar said that there have been “no dearth of interest, inclination or ideas” in the different stakeholders at the government and the private sector and only a confident industry can infuse confidence and trust in the consumers as travel restarts internationally. Commenting on the industry’s demand for a Task Force between Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, she said that there is an Inter Ministerial Committee in place which has seized many of the issues being flagged by the Tourism industry already. While international inbound travel has its own significance as it brings foreign exchange to the country and therefore high value compared to domestic, Brar said that the travel industry should not lose sight of the domestic potential and channelise it through professional services and innovative packages. As the vaccine against the pandemic is in sight and travel revival is not far away, she said that the Tourism Ministry is currently finalising content to send out as digital campaigns, through all possible channels, demonstrating the welcoming message and safety and security measures being put in place for visitors. These campaigns will be rolled out in the next couple of weeks time, she added. Nakul Anand, Chairman, FAITH while setting the agenda of the meeting urged for a Task Force between Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Civil Aviation to sort out various issues on a real time basis that crop up hindering the revival of travel and tourism in the country post-pandemic.

Read more

In a first, Lahaul to remain open for tourists in winter too

The snow-bound Lahaul valley will remain open for visitors in winter season for the first time ever. After holding a meeting with the Lahaul administration officials, HP tribal development minister Ram Lal Markanda said there would be no restriction on tourist inflow to the valley in clear weather. Outsiders, for the first time, would get to experience the winters of this tribal belt, which used get cut off from the rest of the world after snowfall, he added. The road to the valley would kept clear of snow and tourism infrastructure would be developed on war footing, the minister said. “Tourist footfall in the valley has increased suddenly after opening of the Atal tunnel. There will be no restriction on movement of tourists if weather is clear. We shall organise skiing, winter carnival and other events to attract more tourists this season. Meanwhile, we need to develop our infrastructure to meet the growing demand,” Markanda said. He said a ‘yatri niwas’ at Sissu, adequate parking at Keylong, large bus stand, parking and cafeteria at Trilokinath would be built soon. Parking spaces, dustbins, waste management facilities, viewpoints, parks, tourism activities centers, exploration of new destinations and organising cultural events for tourists were in the offing. Markanda said Lahaul had received Rs 65 crore under the tribal sub-plan which would be spent on its development. The Lahaul-Spiti district, known as cold deserts of Himachal, gets very heavy snowfall from November to March. The area is coldest in the state with minimum temperature at some places plunging below minus 25. Visiting Lahaul in winter season was impossible till Atal tunnel connected Lahaul with Manali. Nearly one lakh tourists have already visited the valley in just two months. These days tourists are not being allowed beyond Sissu due to surge in the Covid-19 cases. Most areas near tunnel had been made containment zones. The restriction is expected to be lifted soon.

Read more

Jharkhand ready with a new tourism policy to create local jobs

The state tourism department has drafted a new tourism policy aimed at encouraging private investments to boost tourist circuits and generate local jobs locally after concluding that the one framed by the former government of Raghubar Das in 2015 had failed to achieve similar objectives. “The draft of the New Tourism Policy 2020 is ready and has received an in-principle nod from chief minister Hemant Soren,” an official of the department said on Friday, adding that work on it had begun soon after the Hemant Soren government took office in December last year. Referring to some of the salient features of the policy that is yet to be put in the public domain, the official said, “The policy has the provision of providing 30 per cent subsidy, or Rs 10 crore _ whichever is lesser _ on capital investment of a private party. If the investment is made in a tribal area, then there’s an additional 5 per cent subsidy.” He noted that the 2015 tourism policy failed to bring any private investment and whatever projects were rolled out in Jharkhand during the time were done with government funds. “Private players were roped in to develop projects on an outsourcing basis. This model can’t be sustainable unless investments are encouraged to take place in this sector for building parks, amusement options, hotels and so on. The new policy aims to be forward-looking, wooing investors to create all-round facilities for tourists,” said the official who has been involved in drafting the new policy. The 2020 policy also aims to create employment opportunities for an estimated 75,000 to one lakh people. As per statistics available with the tourism department, around 3.5 crore tourists had visited Jharkhand in 2018-19 of which around 1.50 lakh were foreign arrivals. Figures of 2019-20 are yet to be released. “The tourism and hospitality sector is the biggest job-creator, besides contributing to state earnings. One of the provisions of the new policy is to set up a tourism security force (TSF) that will act as facilitators for incoming tourists, take care of their well-being and double up as guides,” he said. The state tourism sector has been divided into 12 parts for specific interventions and plans. These include religious tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, rural tourism, craft tourism, adventure tourism, weekend getaway, film tourism, water sports, recreation tourism, wellness tourism and mine tourism. “Also, there is a plan to geo-tag every tourist point, document the place and put it out along with available facilities on a single-window platform so that it can act as a ready reckoner for visitors. It will also help the government keep a track of every incoming visitor, their movement and their well-being from safety and security point of view,” he said. State tourism director A. Dodde said the new policy would be tabled in the cabinet soon. “We presented the new policy before the chief minister and chief secretary on Thursday and received an in-principal go-ahead,” he said.

Read more

Vaccine for Covid-19 will be ready in a few weeks: PM Modi

Addressing an all-party meeting through video conferencing, where he briefed them about the status of the development of the Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed hope that the vaccine to fight coronavirus is all set to hit the market in a few weeks time. “Experts believe that the coronavirus vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks,” PM Modi said in the all-party meeting, raising hope among Indians to enter another stage of fighting the pandemic in the New Year. The Prime Minister said that the vaccine is expected to be ready in the next few weeks and the exercise will begin as the government gets a go-ahead from the scientists. The frontline health workers will be administered the vaccine In the first phase. PM Modi said that around 8 vaccines are under different stages of trial in the world and 3 of them are in India currently. He said that the country has the adequate experience in vaccination programmes and the required healthcare network. A special software has also been developed for vaccine stock and real-time information. As far as the pricing of the vaccine is concerned, PM Modi said that the pricing will be decided in consultation with the states. The representatives of political parties attending the meeting demanded that the vaccine should be made available, free of cost, to all the people.

Read more

South Korea woos tourists from Chennai

In a bid to woo more tourists from Chennai, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) is hosting a meeting with top travel agencies in the city on Wednesday. Hong-yup Lee, the Deputy Consul General of Republic of Korea in Chennai, will be leading the talks for registering the issues faced by travel companies in arranging tours to the country. It is learnt that the diplomat would explain to representatives of travel companies about the tourist attractions in South Korea. A consulate spokesperson said that representatives from FCM, Thomas Cook, Peekay Travel, Udaan Travel, Travigo Travel and Yatra will be taking part in the meeting. The deputy consul general said, “Many Indians prefer travelling to Europe. But we believe that a visit to South Korea will change their minds. Now is the time for both the consulate and travel agencies to start a campaign to explore tourism relations between South Korea and South India.”

Read more

Travel agents receive enquiries from Indians keen on going to UK to get COVID-19 vaccine

Travel agents have started receiving enquiries from Indians who want to travel to the UK as soon as possible to get the COVID-19 vaccine that was approved on Wednesday by the British government. One travel agent is planning to launch a three-night package for the Indians who want to get the benefit of the mass vaccination drive in the UK that is likely to begin as early as next week. The UK on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 after “rigorous” analysis by its independent regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). A Mumbai-based travel agent told the PTI that some people on Wednesday raised queries on “how and when and if” they can travel to the UK to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “I have told them it is too early to say (whether Indians can get vaccine in UK). Anyway, the first in line to the get the vaccine would be the elderly and health workers in the UK who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus,” the agent added. Nishant Pitti, Co-founder and CEO, EaseMyTrip.com said while this is an offbeat season for travel to London, after Wednesday’s announcement about the Pfizer vaccine he has already received queries from some Indians who have got UK visas and can afford to go to London. He said his company was waiting for clarity from the UK government on whether there would be compulsory quarantine requirements for travellers who want to get vaccinated and whether Indian passport holders are eligible for vaccination there or not. Pitti said his company is planning to launch a three-night package for those interested in travelling to the UK for the purpose of vaccination only. “We are dealing with an airline to offer fixed price seats. We already have deals with London hotels. And we are planning to do some deal with a hospital over there so that we can generate a package for that,” he explained. The recent UK government rules state that from December 15, every international arrival in the UK would have to remain in self isolation for five days and then get the RT-PCR test done on the sixth day. The passenger can leave isolation on the sixth day if found COVID-negative in the test. On Wednesday, a Bengaluru-based travel company said Indians are asking if a short trip, without quarantine, to the UK to get the Pfizer vaccine was possible. However, Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) told PTI that people are right now “waiting and watching” as they want to know what the vaccine is going to be like. “Though the government has said there would be no side effects of the vaccine, people want to watch all this before getting the shot,” Mayal noted.

Read more