News

Himachal to host Paragliding Pre-World Cup from 31 March

Himachal Pradesh would host Paragliding Pre-World Cup at Bir Billing in Kangra district from 31 March to 5 April in participants from 28 countries would participate. A meeting under the chairmanship of R D Dhiman, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Tourism and Civil Aviation was held last evening regarding organisation of Paragliding Pre-Word Cup at Bir- Billing. After the meeting, Dhiman said the Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA) had given their consent to organise the Paragliding Pre-World Cup. “The event would be organised from 31st March to 5th April 2020 at Bir-Billing in which around 100 participants from 28 different countries would compete,” he said. Dhiman said Bir-Billing is very famous for this adventurous sport and earlier world level event was organised in the year 2015 and it is one of the best paragliding site in the world. “For the safety and rescue of participants, the arrangement for helicopter has also been made. The event is being organised by the Department of Tourism and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali,” he added. Yunus, Director Tourism and Col Neeraj Rana, Director Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali were also present in the meeting.

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Amid Coronavirus outbreak, there are coronavirus-free destinations too, check them out

Coronavirus outbreak has become the talk of the century with the virus claiming thousands of lives and infecting millions of people till date. More than half of the countries on the world map are suffering from the Nobel Coronavirus outbreak, and it seems to be spreading further with days. People have locked themselves in their own houses and have stopped travelling outside their countries for safety reasons. However, in the middle of all the negative news that we have been reading and hearing about the situation, there are virus-free countries too. There are several destinations where (as of now) ‘no positive coronavirus cases have been reported yet’, though the situation can change any moment or second. Thus, a last-minute check is advised before you make any travel plans. If right measures and precautions are taken, travellers can plan their trip (though it’s advised to not undertake any non-essential travel) to the following destinations. In Europe: Islands of Santorini and Mykonos in Greece With Turkey confirming the first Coronavirus case today, there are only a handful of destinations left in Europe where the virus has not yet reached and it includes islands of Santorini and Mykonos in Greece. As per travel experts, if any of these islands are hit by the virus, the situation will be no less than a nightmare as the “market for the Mediterranean will basically collapse”. As of now, Italy, Spain and Germany have the highest recorded numbers of Coronavirus in Europe. In Africa: Cape Verde or Republic of Cabo Verde No case of the virus has been reported (yet) from the Republic of Cabo Verde, off the West African coast. The Coronavirus has not spread to these island regions. In Asia: Bali Though a few cases have been reported on the mainland of Indonesia, none has been reported from Bali and the destination remains Coronavirus-free as of now. In Southeast Asia: Laos and Myanmar Till now, Laos and Myanmar in South-East Asia have remained unaffected by the virus outbreak. Still, it is advised to exercise caution, given the destinations’ geographical closeness to countries such as China and South Korea where coronavirus is at its peak.

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Millennials are snapping up cheap flights despite the risks

In a time when coronavirus has decimated air travel, airlines are dropping prices and offering flexible ticket policies to some locations. The 20-somethings Kesslen spoke with said they want to capitalize on this for various reasons: to explore new destinations, enjoy a vacation, or see family. "I feel like if the coronavirus would get even more serious and like wipe out a large amount of people, I might as well be somewhere having fun," Ashley Henkel, who booked flights to Vancouver, New York City, and Portland, Oregon, for the summer told Kesslen. She had ruled out summer trips for cost reasons until coronavirus hit and made them cheaper, according to Kesslen. There is "no fun in staying at home and being all worried," she said. As of Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially declared coronavirus a pandemic. While those 60 and older are at greater risk of becoming ill with coronavirus than younger folks, that doesn't mean young people are completely immune to the virus - especially if they have underlying health conditions. Many millennials have taken to the internet to parody their generation's desire to travel in the time of an international crisis. Millennials seeing the coronavirus era as an opportunity to travel says a lot about their generation's lifestyle. They've come to define the experience economy, in which they prefer to spend their money on experiences like travel over material things. In fact, travel is one of the main forces motivating millennials to earn a paycheck. "Millennials are motivated to work in order to pay for basic necessities and to earn money to travel, more so than making money to pay off debt or save for retirement," Business Insider's Liz Knueven previously reported. It's partly why they're the generation driving the most growth in the travel industry. They take more vacation days than any other generation - 35 days a year - and are more willing to spend more on a vacation, according to a Travelport survey. While they're willing to spend more, they want their dollars to stretch as far as possible. Millennials want the most bang for their buck when spending, so they look for more budget-conscious options than their parents did when traveling. It's all about doing a lot and experiencing more. One way they try to keep costs down is by staying at more affordable places like Airbnbs or sharing rules. It also apparently means booking cheap flights, even if it could increase their risk of getting infected with the coronavirus.

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Coronavirus precaution: 10 ways to make sure you do not catch the disease

With coronavirus threatening to run riot in India, here's how you can keep yourself safe from the scourge. As of now, a vaccine has not been formulated for the novel coronavirus. In light of this fact, prevention appears to be the best cure available so far. Here are the measures you need to take to keep the virus at bay: 1) Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Maintain at least three feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing 2) Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 3) Stay home when you are sick. 4) Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue safely. 5) Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. 6) Wearing a mask is not necessary unless you are taking care of an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does recommend that t only infected people wear masks to prevent the spread of the virus. 7) Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. 8) If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water when hands are visibly dirty. 9) If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention immediately. 10) Keep in mind the travel advisory set out by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

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Kerala registers highest tourist footfall in 24 years

Recording the highest growth rate in domestic and total tourist arrivals in 24 years, Kerala attracted around 1.96 crore domestic and foreign visitors in 2019, registering a healthy growth of 17.2% as compared to the figures in the previous year. The total number of tourists was pegged at 1,95,74,004, of whom there were 1,83,84,233 domestic tourists and 11,89,771 visitors from abroad. In 2018, the number of tourists visiting Kerala was 1,67,01,068 (domestic tourists 1,56,04,661 and foreign tourists 10,96,407). The growth rate in the inflow of domestic tourists was 17.81% while for the foreign tourist arrivals, it was 8.52%. “We have bounced back with great vigour after suffering unprecedented floods and torrential rains for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. This is the highest growth rate since 1996. Our figures show that there was a very significant increase in the footfalls from May 2019 and it prevailed till the end of the year,” Kadakampally Surendran, tourism minister of the state said. Rani George, secretary of tourism in Kerala said the huge growth in tourist arrivals in the face of most adverse circumstances was achieved by an aggressive, multi-pronged strategy to woo back the visitors.

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Oyo witnesses 63% increase in women travellers

OYO Hotels & Homes witnessed a rising trend in women travelling from and to different corners of the country between the January 2019 – February 2020 time period. The company saw a 63% increase in bookings by women in 2019 vis-a-vis same time period in 2018. Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai emerged as the top five cities booked by women travellers in the 14-month time period. Interestingly, of the total bookings made by women travellers, 19.7% were solo and 80.3% constituted more than one guest. Women preferred booking their accommodation via the OYO app as app bookings were 102 times more than desktop bookings. Harshit Vyas, chief business officer in OYO Hotels & Homes in India said: “In the past few years, we have witnessed an increase in the number of women travellers in the country for both leisure as well as professional commitments. It is also interesting to see growth in bookings for Dehradun, Mysore and Lonavala showcasing the growing preference for exploring non-metro locations.”

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