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IRCTC’s ‘Padharo Rajasthan’ tour to begin from Nov 18

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has swung back into action with several tours in the coming months. The corporation had halted all train tour operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and has revamped its SOPs and is ready with tours for train travel enthusiasts. The first in this series is the 4 nights/5 Days Padharo Rajasthan Tour which will start from Delhi on November 18, 2020 and cover Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. The Deluxe Tourist Train which was launched by IRCTC in 2018 has a host of features including two fine dining restaurants, a modern kitchen, shower cubicles in coaches, sensor based washroom functions, foot massager. The fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation viz. First AC and 2nd AC. For enhanced security, IRCTC has also deployed private Security Guards on the train. The 04 Nights/ 05 Days trip will cover the sand dunes at Sam in Thar desert, Gadisar lake, Jaisalmer fort, Jain temples, Royal Havelis, War museum etc at Jaisalmer and Mehrangarh fort, Jaswant Thada, Ummaid Bhawan palace museum, Maa Chamunda temple & Mandore garden at Jodhpur. To ensure the safety measures post Covid-19 in the new normal in this deluxe tourist train, provision for booking is limited to around 120 tourists against the total capacity of 156 tourists. Besides this, IRCTC will also provide a safety kit to all tourists, containing face masks, hand gloves, sanitizer and also a face shield. Regular temperature check of tourists, train sanitisation at halt stations and other precautions will be done.

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Govt relaxes travel guidelines; overseas Indians, foreigners can now visit India

In a big relief to Indians living abroad, all OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO ( Persons of Indian Origin) card-holders and other foreign nationals who want to visit India for any purpose, except on a tourist visa, have been permitted to enter the country. A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement said on Thursday that anyone who wishes to visit India by air or water routes through authorised airports and seaport immigration check posts will be allowed do so, except for tourist visas. The latest decision will enable foreign nationals to come to India for various purposes such as business, conferences, employment, studies, research, medical purposes etc. "In view of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India had taken a series of steps to curtail the inward and outward movement of international passengers since February, 2020," an MHA statement said, adding that it has decided to make a graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions. Under this relaxation, the government will restore all existing visas (except electronic visa, tourist visa and medical visa) with immediate effect. Foreign nationals who want to visit India for medical treatment can also apply for a medical visa, including for medical attendants, the home ministry statement added. People coming in via various travel arrangements will be allowed travel to the country but they'll have to follow all MHA guidelines. "This includes flights operated under Vande Bharat Mission, Air Transport Bubble arrangements or by any non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. All such travelers will, however have to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding quarantine and other health/COVID-19 matters," the government statement said. The Centre said if validity of such visas has expired, fresh visas of appropriate categories can be obtained from Indian mission or posts concerned. Notably, the ban on international flights to or from India had been extended till October 30 earlier. However, the international scheduled flights on selected routes were being allowed. The government had suspended scheduled international and domestic flights in India since March 23. After two months of long hiatus, domestic flights resumed operations on May 25 but international flights have continued to remain suspended. However, air passengers can still travel abroad or can come to India via air bubble arrangement.

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Goa’s tourism sees boom in the time of Covid! Vistara to operate more flights; Check routes, dates

Vistara airline currently operates 10x weekly flights between Goa and Mumbai and 9x weekly flights between Goa and Delhi. Citing positive, encouraging demand and response, Vistara will be operating 11x weekly flights from October 25. Goa has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in India not just for desi travelers but also for globetrotters. The coastal state witnesses a sizeable number of foreign tourists including those from Russia and Britain, during the winter season. This year Coronavirus pandemic cast a shadow on the tourism sector. However, there is a silver lining that people are beginning to visit their favorite destinations. Vistara has said that it will operate more flights on Delhi-Goa and Mumbai-Goa routes. The Vistara has revealed that the airline was planning to operate two more weekly flights between Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and Goa International Airport (GOI) and one weekly flight on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) and Goa Airport, as per PTI report

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IndiGo celebrating Durga Puja at six airports

IndiGo on Thursday said it is celebrating Durga Puja through Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at six airports from October 21 to 27. These six stations are Kolkata, Silchar, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Agartala and Jorhat, IndiGo said in a press release. “In addition, special Bengali food menu has been introduced as part of 6E tiffin, which will be available exclusively on flights from Kolkata for travel dates between on October 21 to 27 October,” the airline said. The carrier said this celebration is part of its “India by IndiGo” campaign that promotes diverse Indian culture. “The (Oct 21-Oct 27) festivities will include Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at the airport, while the staff will be dressed in traditional Puja clothes and boarding gate and inflight announcements will be made in Bengali,” the airline said.

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Uttarakhand proposes INR 424cr for beautification of Badrinath temple & surrounds

A budget of INR 424 crore has been proposed for the Badrinath master plan for beautification and upgradation of facilities around the Himalayan temple. Sharing the information at a meeting with locals to discuss the master plan on Tuesday, Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar said the proposed budget awaits the PMO's approval. The master plan has been prepared under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in such a way that the spiritual character of the temple township is retained while giving it a general facelift and upgradation of facilities meant for pilgrims around the shrine, he said. Jawalkar discussed the master plan with teerth purohits and traders of the area and tried to address their doubts. To be implemented in three phases, the master plan includes beautification of the Shesh Netra and Badrish lakes near the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the first, expansion and renovation of temple premises and nearby areas in the second and construction of an "Astha Path" from Shesh Netra lake to the temple in the third, Jawalkar said. The official also offered prayers at the temple and inspected areas not far from it including Narayan Parvat, Brahma Kapal, Taptkund and Bamani village.

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Lufthansa to operate 10 weekly flights in India, Air India will operate 7 in Germany

India-Germany air travel stalemate comes to a ‘fair’ resolution as German carrier Lufthansa has now agreed to operate 10 weekly flights in India against 20 flights that it was operating till October beginning. Air India, on the other hand, was operating only three to four flights in Germany leading to a disparity in the number of flights which contradicts the air bubble agreement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said earlier. Now it has been decided that the German carrier will fly 10 flights — four to and from Delhi, three to and from Mumbai and other three to and from Bengaluru. Out of Air India’s seven flights a week, five will be to and from Delhi and two to and from Bengaluru. Owing to the disparity in numbers, India, Germany air bubble — an agreement between two countries to allow their airlines to operate both-way travels — stood suspended. All flights between the two countries were cancelled till October 20. On October 16, Air India announced its resumption of Germany flights beginning from October 26. It also said that the schedule will continue till March 28, 2021. Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said earlier that foreign carriers won’t be allowed if that comes in way of Indian carriers. Reports said Germany was not ready to increase the number of Air India flights as it was apprehensive of importing Covid-19 cases from India. India-Germany air travel stalemate comes to a ‘fair’ resolution as German carrier Lufthansa has now agreed to operate 10 weekly flights in India against 20 flights that it was operating till October beginning. Air India, on the other hand, was operating only three to four flights in Germany leading to a disparity in the number of flights which contradicts the air bubble agreement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said earlier. Now it has been decided that the German carrier will fly 10 flights — four to and from Delhi, three to and from Mumbai and other three to and from Bengaluru. Out of Air India’s seven flights a week, five will be to and from Delhi and two to and from Bengaluru. Also Read: International flights: India-Germany flights to start from October 26 after brief suspension of air bubble Owing to the disparity in numbers, India, Germany air bubble — an agreement between two countries to allow their airlines to operate both-way travels — stood suspended. All flights between the two countries were cancelled till October 20. On October 16, Air India announced its resumption of Germany flights beginning from October 26. It also said that the schedule will continue till March 28, 2021. Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said earlier that foreign carriers won’t be allowed if that comes in way of Indian carriers. Reports said Germany was not ready to increase the number of Air India flights as it was apprehensive of importing Covid-19 cases from India. With Lufthansa flying 10 per week and Air India seven, the parity remains but the ministry had said earlier that it was not insisting on total parity. Even near-parity will do, Hardeep Singh Puri had said.

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