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Goa’s ‘Tourism Policy 2020’ notified

The State Government on Friday notified the ‘Goa Tourism Policy 2020’ with a focus on making the coastal State the most preferred destination around the year for high-spending tourists in India by 2024, and a world-class international tourism destination by 2030. The State cabinet had last month approved the Goa Tourism Policy for enabling the framework for implementation of the ‘Goa Tourism Master Plan’ over the next 25 years. The document has been prepared with the aim of having a planned and holistic development of the tourism sector in the State. As per the notification, the government has developed the Master Plan to harness the full potential of its tourism sector and to address existing challenges in a systematic manner. The vision of the policy is to make Goa the most preferred destination around the year for high-spending tourists in India by 2024, and a world-class international tourism destination by 2030. The other objectives are to develop and promote tourism infrastructure in an environmentally and ecologically sustainable manner through appropriate plans, programs and policies. “Create a more environmentally and socially sustainable tourism destination, where territorial development is more balanced between the coast and the hinterland; employment opportunities are enhanced for local Goans and growth opportunities are created for Small, Medium & Micro Enterprises,” the notification mentioned. It also focuses on to showcase the unique historic, ethnic, natural, cultural locations and attractions of Goa to provide a wholesome and memorable experience for tourists. “Make Goa one of the safest tourist destinations as per world-class standards,” the notification stated adding that the policy will help attract a healthy mix of domestic and international tourists on a sustainable basis. The policy aims to augment the capacity and quality of infrastructure facilities including accommodation, connectivity, power, water, wastewater treatment and other support infrastructure services. “Incorporate modern technology, wherever pertinent in the tourism value chain to enhance quality of the tourism product, through research and efficient utilisation of statistics,” it said. The policy also defines the role of Goa Tourism Board (GTB) headed by the Tourism Minister and having ten members including an environmental expert. The policy speaks about developing Human Resource Service Centres (HRSCs) to cater to the training and skill building requirement of the tourism sector.

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JKTDC to organise 'weekend events' to boost local tourism

In order to boost the local tourism, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) is organising weekend events on the banks of Jhelum. The cultural cum craft festival is going to be held in the Kongposh restaurant which was inaugurated here last week. Manager JKTDC, Tabassum Kamila said that this event is meant to create some local tourism activity in the city. Besides tourism this festival would also give a chance to the youth to showcase their talent. "The festival is particularly meant for youth and would act as a platform wherein they can exhibit their talent," she said. Besides this she also said, "this place would act as a cultural forum, where cultural people would be roped in for the entertainment of people." The art and craft which would exhibit in this fest would include candle making, calligraphy, pottery etc, Kamila added. According to her every weekend there would be some activity happening at the place. "Though there will be something happening almost every weekend but this week is meant for women, we have women exhibitors who will be showcasing their talent," Kamila said. In addition to it, a female cultural event is also going to be held where only female artists would perform. Kamila said that due to COVID19, tourism has got badly affected and coming up of events like these would amplify the tourism related activities. "People are sitting at their homes, children fear to go out that's why we came up with this idea so that people get a chance to rejoice themselves after a gap of months," she said. It's pertinent to mention that the J&K Tourism Development Corporation threw open the Kong Posh, restaurant on the banks of Jhelum at Zero Bridge, Rajbagh, last week. The restaurant was inaugurated by Advisor to Lt. Governor, Baseer A Khan. Kamila said that the restaurant shall act as an evening activity to the locals where they can relish traditional foods and catch glimpses of the local art besides it will also provide a platform for the artists to display their art.

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SpiceJet to start twice-weekly flights on Delhi-Ras Al Khaimah route from Nov 26

SpiceJet on Thursday said it will operate twice-weekly flights between Delhi and Ras Al Khaimah from November 26. The low-cost carrier will also start 12 new domestic flights in November, it said in a press release. "While the flight on the Delhi-Ras Al Khaimah route will be operational on Thursdays and Sundays, the flight on the return leg of Ras Al Khaimah-Delhi will operate on Fridays and Mondays," it said. The airline said Ras Al Khaimah will be its 12th international destination. Shilpa Bhatia, the chief commercial officer, SpiceJet, said, "Ras Al Khaimah is a very special addition for us and a strong hub from where we have actively operated 350 cargo and 195 repatriation charter flights in the last few months." "As one of the key and growing centres for trade and commerce, we see tremendous potential in this sector," she added. The 12 new domestic flights that the airline will start this month are on Jaipur-Surat, Chennai-Varanasi, Mumbai-Amritsar, Kolkata-Kochi, Mumbai-Adampur and Bengaluru-Jabalpur routes. The flight on the Mumbai-Adampur route comes under the central government's regional connectivity scheme Udan.

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Uttarakhand Tourism to host Nayar Valley Adventure Sports festival in Pauri

In order to highlight and promote Adventure Tourism potential of the state, Uttarakhand Tourism will host a four-day Nayar Valley Adventure Sports Festival in Pauri district between November 19 and 22. The department has scheduled various adventure shows, competitions, as part of the festival. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat will inaugurate the festival in the presence of the Tourism Minister of the State, Satpal Maharaj. The festival, in all probability, will become an annual feature to promote adventure tourism in the Himalayan state. The festival, according to Uttarakhand Tourism, will be organised with all the health and safety protocols under the direct supervision of the District Magistrate of Pauri, Dhiraj Singh Gabriyal. The festival will start with an aero show, followed by a national paragliding competition, mountain trail bike racing from Lansdowne to Pauri and kayaking by BSF teams. There will be other exciting competitions throughout the festival, Uttarakhand Tourism informed. “The festival aims to promote Adventure Tourism in the state. We envision that officials from other districts will come forward to organise such competitions in future. The Uttarakhand Tourism Department will always promote and publicise such events,” said Dilip Javalkar, Secretary-Tourism, Uttarakhand appreciating the initiative taken up by the District Collector of Pauri. Around 70 participants have so far registered for the national paragliding competition and 30 for the mountain trail biking race.Organisers are expecting more registrations from India and Nepal for these competitions in the coming days.

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Mumbai airport is offering free Wi-Fi and food to passengers waiting for their Coronavirus results

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has decided to provide free food and Wi-Fi for those arriving in the city and waiting for their RT-PCR test results. The CSMIA authorities on Tuesday released a statement, mentioning that RT-PCR test results take nearly eight hours to come, for which every passenger pays INR 3900. Eight hours is a long time, therefore passengers can order food from a special menu crafted for them. Hot food and cold beverages would be served all the time on request. Not only food but passengers can also opt for unlimited browsing for free till their results arrive. In September, Mumbai airport authorities had launched the RT-PCR test facility for the arriving passengers. According to records, more than 8000 people have taken the COVID-19 test till now, including 6910 men and 1090 women. CSMIA stated that among 8000, nearly 100 passengers have tested positive for the virus. Coronavirus current status in Mumbai On Wednesday, the capital city of Maharashtra, recorded 1069 new positive cases. Past two weeks were quite easy in Mumbai in terms of COVID-19 spread. But after witnessing a slowdown, the recent spike has been a matter of concern. The Diwali market rush is one of the prime reasons for the new numbers of positive cases, which has now taken the overall COVID-19 positive toll to 2.66 lakh in the state and the number of deaths recorded has reached to 10,503 (in Mumbai). On the other hand, the Bombay High Court has given a nod to two Jain Temples in Mumbai to open for devotees from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, but rejected 100 other Jain temples pleas. These temples are allowed to remain open for five days only after following government’s pandemic guidelines.

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India Gets Its First Glass Skywalk in Sikkim

The first skywalk of India is located at Pelling, Sikkim (Picture credit: drstrips4/instagram) If you’ve ever dreamed about strolling on a glass skywalk, then you don’t need to spend a bomb to visit a foreign country to do so as Sikkim, the land of Buddhism, snow, and lush greenery has introduced the first-ever glass skywalk in India. The oh-so-stunning skywalk is situated in Pelling by the sloping hills of the lower Himalayas. Also Read - Indians ‘Optimistic But Cautious' About Plans for 2021 It will give you a striking view of the 137-feet-tall Chenrezig Statue of Pelling, a calm composed posture of Buddha. Chenrezig is the fourth tallest statue in the northeastern state. Before you plan to visit, make sure you take care of their guidelines provided by the state government. 1. Only domestic tourists and foreign nationals residing in India would be allowed into the state in the first phase. 2. Tourists have been ‘advised’ to carry with them a certificate of COVID-negative test. The test should either be RT-PCR or Truenat test. The certificate must be obtained within 72 hours prior to the arrival in the state. 3. The state has made it compulsory for tourists to obtain a “Travel Card” by registering on the Sikkim Tourism Web Portal before travelling. This card must be on the tourists’ person at all times during their travel in Sikkim. 4. Tourists would have to ensure that their travel in Sikkim is pre-booked with the accommodations complying with health and safety guidelines, as well as travel agents or tour operators. 5. The SOP has advised people over 65 years of age, under 10 years of age and those suffering from comorbidities to avoid travel. If they have to travel, they should limit their movement, the SOPs state. 6. All tourists would be required to carry protective gear, including face masks, shields, gloves, thermometers and sanitisers at their own end. 7. Tourists must also refrain from going into containment zones while traveling. 8. The SOPs have further encouraged tourists to undertake digital transactions and limit the use of cash as far as possible. 9. Meanwhile, hotels and accommodation units have been directed to not reserve rooms for tourists not registered on the government web portal. Hotels located in containment zones would not be allowed to operate. 10. Accommodation units permitted to operate would have to prepare at least one room for emergency isolation purposes, in case of any suspected cases The skywalk has been built to provide an exquisite view of the gorgeous Chenrezig statue and the skywalk will lead you to golden prayer wheels on both sides and give you a panoramic view of mighty the Himalayas. It was inaugurated in 2018 and since then tourists got a chance to witness the stunning sight. The picturesque destination has many things to offer, here you can witness Teesta and Rangit rivers flowing near the skywalk. Reportedly, it is 3kms away from Pelling city. It opens from 8 am to 5 pm on all days. The entry ticket is priced at Those who wish to visit can seek entry after purchasing a ticket priced at INR 50.

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