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Airlines now allowed to operate 70% of pre-Covid capacity

Airlines have now been allowed to operate 70 per cent of pre-Covid domestic flight levels from November 11, 2020, a rise of 10 per cent from the existing 60 per cent capacity. A circular from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), signed by Satyendra Kumar Mishra, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, reads, “After review of the current status of Scheduled Domestic Operations viz-a-viz passenger demands for air travel in terms of purpose specified in the initial order Order No. 01/2020 dated 21.05.2020, condition laid down in para 2 of the order dated 21.05.2020 as modified vide Order No. 06/2020 dated 02.09.2020, is modified as under: 60 per cent capacity may be read as 70 per cent capacity.” Soon after the announcement, Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri had also tweeted, “Domestic operations re-commenced with 30K passengers on 25 May and have reached 2.06 lakhs on 8 Nov 2020. MoCA is now allowing domestic carriers to increase their operations from existing 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the pre-Covid approved capacity.” Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had hinted at an increase in the number of flights, just a week after Puri had announced that the capacity for domestic flights would be capped at 60 per cent till February 24, 2021, and had tweeted, “ With festival season around the corner, the passenger traffic is expected to go up and as the passenger traffic increases, the upper cap on domestic civil aviation operations would be revised to 70-75 per cent of pre-Covid capacity.”

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Indians preferring beach destinations & inter-state road trips for Diwali: OYO

As India gradually unlocks, more and more people are now ready to step out and explore domestic destinations, and thereby, turning the new normal into a way of life - while ensuring personal safety and hygiene. According to OYO Hotels & Homes, after staying homebound for months on end, this Diwali, Indians prefer inter-state road trips and beach destinations. According to OYO’s Diwali booking trends, Jaipur, Kerala, Goa, Visakhapatnam, and Varanasi top the charts as the most popular leisure destinations among travellers. The data further highlights Jaipur to be the most popular choice among travellers across North India, with an influx of tourists from nearby cities like Delhi NCR and Lucknow. Across South India, travellers from Chennai and Bengaluru are heading out on road trips to Kochi in Kerala. Goa, on the other hand, is attracting travellers from across the country. The majority of bookings are from Pune, followed by Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Commenting on this trend, Harshit Vyas, SVP & COO - Franchise Business, OYO India & South Asia, said, “The festive season combined with gradual unlocks has resulted in a surge in leisure travel since September 2020. As states open up their borders to welcome tourists, OYO and the entire hospitality industry, continue to offer safe experiences that lead to rising consumer confidence among travellers. As per our Diwali booking trends, with social distancing becoming a way of life and people opting for safer travel options, road trips are here to stay, therefore, leading to an increase in inter-state travel during Diwali and the upcoming holiday season this year. We expect leisure destinations to continue gaining momentum in the coming months with rising consumer optimism for travel. We would also like to express our gratitude towards our asset partners and all employees who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we stand ready to welcome travellers safely once again.” As per the overall travel trends across India, between April 2020 and September 2020, observe an uptick in bookings across business destinations including Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata. On the other hand, among leisure cities, OYO’s booking data also highlights that some cities like Shimla, Manali, Munnar, Ooty and Gangtok that didn’t enjoy high demand compared to other tourist hotspots during pre-COVID days are now increasingly showing positive signs of rising bookings since September 2020. In Shimla, OYO observed a whopping 280% month-on-month growth in bookings for September 2020. Additionally, according to OYO’s recent consumer survey, while there’s a surge in demand for leisure travel across the country, 80% of users are searching for sanitised stays, while 46% of users seek regulation related information while planning their next travel.

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Uttarakhand gets India’s longest motorable suspension bridge over Tehri Lake

The longest motorable suspension bridge in India is now open for the public in Uttarakhand. Located over the Tehri Lake, the 725 m long Dobra-Chanti suspension bridge has taken 14 years to reach its completion at the cost of INR 2.95 crores. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat shared a tweet to announce the inauguration ceremony on November 8, which was also attended by cabinet ministers Subodh Uniyal, Dhan Singh Rawat and others The Dobra-Chanti suspension bridge will be the connecting link between Tehri Garhwal district headquarters and Pratap Nagar. It will also reduce travel time between Tehri and Pratap Nagar from 5 hours to only 1.5 hours. Rawat was quoted by a leading newspaper as saying that the inauguration of the bridge was a historic moment for Uttarakhand. The bridge will also open new pathways for development. It will be providing electricity and water both for irrigation. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also said that Tehri Lake is an important tourist destination from the point of adventure activities. People visit the lake site to pursue activities like zorbing, boating, water skiing, banana boat ride, paragliding etc. Now that the bridge is ready, the site is expected to attract a lot of tourists.

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Maharashtra and Airbnb join hands to start homestays at Elephanta Island

The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a collaboration with Airbnb, the American community-driven hospitality company, to start homestay facilities at Elephanta Island, located 10-km off Mumbai’s coast and home to 6th-century cave temples listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) along with Airbnb has identified several places around Shetbunder village on the island where as potential homestay locations. The villagers will be trained by Airbnb to provide quality home service to rent-seeking tourists. Maharashtra’s tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal said, “We have decided to take our partnership with Airbnb ahead by working on more projects. Elephanta Caves is the latest one where MTDC along with Airbnb will launch homestay facilities at 35 places in the coming days.” However, the project may take a few more months to start because the island itself received permanent supply of electric power only in February this year and most houses are undergoing renovation. Furthermore, boat services to Elephanta Island will be suspended due to the monsoon. MTDC and Airbnb have also jointly launched a training programme that aims to drive economic growth within local communities by helping micro-entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector grow their business. “We are also aiming to create a homestay ecosystem at Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Palghar by creating at least one hospitality micro-entrepreneur in each village. Our target is to create and nurture 1,500 such tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs in the next one year,” said VK Gautam, principal secretary, tourism department. Meanwhile, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) has granted five-star certification to the MTDC-run scuba diving centre situated at Tarkarli, Sindhudurg district. Scuba diving centres of some 180 countries are accredited with PADI.

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Sabarimala Temple: Health insurance and COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory

Kerala's Sabarimala Temple is all set to start its two-month long annual Mandala-Makaravilakku season from November 16. Thus, the Kerala state government has now issued a health advisory to ensure that pilgrims adhere to strict regulations while trekking to the hill shrine to contain the spread of the deadly virus. A health insurance card, COVID-19 negative certificate, and registration on the virtual portal has been made mandatory for undertaking this pilgrimage. Reportedly, religious congregations have turned out to be the hotbeds of virus transmission in various parts of the country as well as across the globe. It's a major reason why the state government is taking all precautions to ensure safety of pilgrims, who visit the state during this pilgrimage season. As per the reports, pilgrims who want to visit Sabarimala, will now be required to register themselves with the Kerala State police on the virtual queue portal. As per the latest development, only 1000 pilgrims per day on weekdays and 2000 pilgrims during weekends will be allowed to register on the said portal. The permission will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only those who get the clearance for visiting the temple will be allowed to take the pilgrimage. Also, pilgrims will have to upload COVID negative certificate that has been obtained 48 hours before registration. For registration, one can visit the http://sabarimaonline.org site. It has been announced that all pilgrims will be required to undergo the antigen test at the entry points of the well-known pilgrim town. Pilgrims will have to bear the cost of the test. Senior citizens above 60 years, children below 10 years, and those with comorbidities will not be allowed to visit the temple. Further, pilgrims are required to carry the Ayushman Bharat Card with them. Also, bathing at River Pampa and Ghee Abhishek on the hill shrine are strictly prohibited. Pilgrims will be allowed to the temple town via Erumeli and Vadaserikara routes. Night halts at Pampa, Ganapathi Kovil, and Sannidhanam will not be allowed.

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Srinagar: Efforts underway to make 2021 Tulip show a grand affair

The famous tulip garden in Srinagar is gearing up to surprise its visitors during the upcoming tulip show in 2021. As per the plan, 1.5 million Tulip bulbs of 62 varieties will be planted during the said show in the tulip garden. The same was recently announced by the Floriculture department. Reportedly, 5.3 lakh Tulip bulbs will be imported out of the total number. Further, the garden will also be planted with 20000 Daffodils and 60000 Hyacinths. The information has been revealed by Floriculture Director Farooq Ahmad Rather during a meeting that was chaired by Commissioner/Secretary Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, (FG&P) Department, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad. Earlier this year, Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, was in full bloom with more than 1.3 million Tulip bulbs. However, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent nation-wide lockdown, the garden saw no visitors to appreciate its beauty. Yet, this has not dampened the spirit of the organisers. They are once again geared up for the 2021 flower show. A meeting was recently held in this regard, aimed at taking a preview of maintenance, commercial floriculture, development of existing gardens and parks, heritage Mughal gardens and development of theme gardens in various districts of Kashmir division. All aspects, with respect to the development of the region, have been taken up in the same meeting. Further, as per the reports, six Mughal gardens have been included in UNESCOs tentative list of heritage sites; thus, priority work is being formulated in consultation with the Archives and Archaeology department.

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