News

Goa resumes water sports and cruises; operators to follow SOPs

Adventure enthusiasts waiting to traverse the Goan waters have a reason to cheer now. According to reports, Goa’s state government has permitted water sports activities and river cruises. However, operators have been told to follow a set of rules strictly laid down by the government. - Boat occupancy cannot be more than 50 per cent of total capacity. - Seating should be done keeping in view physical distancing among the people. Seats that are supposed to be kept vacant should be well-marked. - It is mandatory to perform thermal screening for river cruises. Asymptomatic tourists shall be permitted to board the cruise. - Boats, life jackets and floating devices have to be sanitised at regular intervals, and social distancing to be observed. - Entry points to have hand sanitisers. All tourists must self-sanitise before entering the boat/cruise. Staggered entry and exit of tourists to be practiced to avoid overcrowding. - River cruises to function with smaller groups and staggered timings. - In case of water sports, operators are to accept bookings from only those tourists, who do not have a history of COVID-19 infection in the last 28 days. - Activity operators should ask for details related to age, medical history, COVID-19 tests done in the past, allergies etc. from tourists through a self-declaration form. - Operators to do online bookings with cashless transactions only.

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Tourism Dept begins renovation of Kashmir’s heritage places

Srinagar, Oct 19: In a bid to upgrade the tourism infrastructure in the Valley, the tourism department has started a process to renovate the heritage place including some historic Jamia Masjid in Old City area of Nowhatta, Raghunath temple in Habba Kadal, some Gurudwaras and churches here. Sources privy to the development told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that many of the heritage places including religious places are being renovated at present. They said the renovation work for heritage places has been started almost two months back and is going on at pace in the Valley. Reliable sources added that many of these under renovation places fall in smart city project. They added that the renovation work at many places has been started as per the public demand. “Many heritage as well as religious places including historic Jamia Masjid, Raghunath temple, Gurdwaras, Church and others,” sources said, adding that the renovation work will be completed at shortest possible time as per the directions given by the Tourism department. Talking to KNO, Tourism Director Nisar Ahmad Wani said the renovation work at many heritage places is currently going on. “Some of the works have been started as per public demand. The renovation work at all these places is aimed to upgrade the tourism infra in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. About Raghunath temple, he said the renovation work will be completed in this financial year only. “We are taking all possible steps to upgrade the infrastructure here,” he said. Pertinently, Raghunath Temple was constructed by the first Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh in the year 1835 and later his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh got it completed in the year 1860 During Dogra rule. He added Jamia Masjid, Gurudwaras, and Imam Badas are being repaired at present. “We are promoting the infra which is normally required by tourists are visitors, we are promoting their facilities,” he said—(KNO).

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All Tourist Spots In Mysuru, Mandya Open For Visitors

On Friday, a delegation of travel, tourism and hotel associations met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in city and had appealed him to reconsider the District Administration’s order on closure of tourism spots till Nov. 1. Responding to their plea, the CM had asked Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri to reconsider her decision. This morning, District Minister S.T. Somashekar announced revoking of the DC’s order and said important tourist destinations like Mysore Palace, Mysuru Zoo, Chamundi Hill, Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, Nanjangud’s Srikan-teshwaraswamy Temple in Mysuru district; and Brindavan Gardens, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary will also be thrown open to tourists during Dasara season. However, the State Government has urged the tourists to follow all COVID safety norms compulsorily.

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Kerala to implement Green Protocol for all tourism activities in Vembanad Lake

Recognising the damage unbridled tourism is leaving behind on most popular backwater destinations in Kerala, the state tourism will be implementing a Green Protocol at such places to make environmental conservation more sustainable. Inaugurating the third anniversary of the establishment of Responsible Tourism Mission (RT Mission) Kerala, Tourism Minister of Kerala, Kadakampally Surendran said that the state government is planning strong intervention to save the backwaters which has been exploited by the tourism industry as “goose laying golden eggs,” so far, threatening the very existence of these water bodies. The Tourism Minister said that all tourism activities happening at such ecologically fragile water bodies will be regulated by implementing Green Protocol. He said that implementation of projects like clean Vembanad lake and waste-free Ashtamudi will be given to RT Mission. The minister said that RT classification will be made mandatory for all accommodation units, houseboats in the state. The minister said that the establishment of the RT Mission Kerala was part of the vision of the State government to make tourism in the state democratic, responsible and sustainable. He said that Responsible tourism is not a publicity stunt but a mission to deliver benefits to the marginalised sections of the people in the society. Speaking on the occasion, P Bala Kiran, Director - Tourism, Kerala said that the RT Mission has been able to achieve its goals despite numerous hurdles on the way like the floods of 2018, the current global pandemic. He said that the activities of the RT Mission has been spread to all 14 districts now with more than 20,000 units. However, he said that what is missing is the linkages between the RT activities and the mainstream tourism industry. He urged the mainstream industry to help create more linkages with the RT Mission activities and more than 20,000 RT units spread across the state. Rupesh Kumar, state coordinator, RT Mission Kerala presented the report on the activities of the RT Mission on the occasion. He said that the mission had been able to take the activities from a handful of destinations to all the 14 districts in the last three years. He said that today there are 20,000 RT units active across the State with the benefits reaching at least a lakh people. More than 1200 hotels, 376 homestays, 800 houseboats and over 100 tour operators work closely with the RT Mission, he said. Kumar said that the Mission has been able to put together 140 RT tour packages for people to explore the village life experiences. Tourism industry leaders of the State Baby Mathew, President, KTM; EM Najeeb, President, CKTI, Abraham George, Tourism Advisory Board Member, Kerala, Anish Kumar, former President of ATTOI; and Sivaduttan, President, KeralaHATS spoke on the occasion and appreciated the efforts of RT Mission and assured to work together to build linkages between the mainstream industry and the RT Mission activities in the state.

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Dubai launches unique virtual working programme for overseas professionals

Dubai has launched a unique new programme that enables overseas remote working professionals to live in Dubai while continuing to serve their employers in their home country. The move offers remote workers – and their families – the opportunity to re-locate, on an annual basis, to one of the world’s leading tourism and business destinations. Remote workers can take advantage of emirate’s strong digital infrastructure, robust connectivity, safe and high-quality lifestyle, global networking opportunities and zero income tax for individuals. Dubai, and the UAE, have been recognised for setting a global model for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) awarded Dubai the Safe Travels Stamp in acknowledgement of its efforts to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and COVID-19 precautionary measures. The emirate also introduced the ‘Dubai Assured’ stamp to certify that establishments have implemented all public health protocols for the prevention and management of COVID-19. Furthermore, Dubai has an exceptional digital infrastructure, validated by its No. 1 global ranking in e-infrastructure in the latest Digital Quality of Life (DQL) survey. The new programme also provides an enhanced value proposition for start-ups, entrepreneurs and SMEs. Individuals can apply for the annual programme on https://www.visitdubai.com/en/sc7/travel-planning/travel-tools/work-remotely-in-dubai . The programme costs US$287 plus medical insurance with valid UAE coverage and processing fee per person. To qualify for the new programme, applicants need to have: - Passport with minimum 6 months validity - Health insurance with UAE coverage validity - Proof of Employment from current employer with a one-year contract validity, a minimum of US$5,000 per month salary, last month’s payslip and 3 preceding months’ bank statements - If the applicant is a company owner: proof of ownership of company for one year or more, with an average monthly income of US$5,000 per month, and 3 preceding months’ bank statements As one of the world’s top property destinations, Dubai offers a vast diversity of housing options and exceptional co-working spaces, with flexible packages. Dubai is the first major global destination to fully open up its MICE sector internationally, providing opportunities for networking events and face to face engagement, which are vital factors in accelerating the revival of key sectors.

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Now travel directly from Goa to London under air bubble agreement

Air India has started direct flight services between Goa and London on Sunday from the Goa International Airport. At the start, it will be a weekly service and from the month of November will be increased to bi-weekly service under the air bubble agreement according to the official Twitter handle of Goa Airport. "Important day for Goa International Airport. Today Air India starts its direct flight LHR-GOI-LHR, B787. Initially once a week then twice a week from November under Air Bubble. Goa connects to London directly now," the tweet by the handle read. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has entered into air bubble arrangements with multiple countries even though regular international flights remain banned owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile ,Vistara said on Thursday that it will increase the frequency of its Delhi-London flights from November 21. The airline will operate five flights a week on the Delhi-London route from November 21, instead of four a week being operated currently, and a daily service from December 1, Vistara said in a press release. Vistara is operating these flights as part of the bilateral air bubble arrangement formed between India and the UK. "The increase in frequency demonstrates our success on the Delhi-London route, its importance in our network, and the steady demand for a world-class, full-service carrier from India," said Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since July, India has established separate bilateral air bubbles with 17 countries, including the UK. In an air bubble agreement, airlines of both the countries can operate special passenger flights to each other's territories under certain restrictions.

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