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Gujarat: Statue of Unity to welcome visitors from October 17

The Statue of Unity in Gujarat is all set to welcome visitors from October 17, i.e., on the first day of Navratri. Reportedly, the Gujarat state government will be reopening the site in Narmada district, with strict precautionary measures in place. Located in Kevadia, the Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue and was closed down in March following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown. As per the order issued by the government, only 2500 tourists will be permitted to visit this spot every day, of these only 500 will be permitted to go up to the viewing gallery. This measure will be in place to ensure adequate social distancing and that the spread of the virus is prevented. As per reports, there will be five fixed slots of two hours each for entry every day. Further, only 500 visitors will be allowed to enter in each slot, of which only 100 would be allowed to go to the viewing gallery that is located at 193 m. One will be allowed entry in specific slots as per the ticket bought by them. While the first slot would start at 8 AM, the last slot has been fixed at 4 PM. Those planning to visit this spot will need tickets, which will be available in two-hour slots from the authorised ticketing website www.soutickets.in. Do note that no tickets will be issued manually, i.e., from the ticket windows at the site. Further, all basic COVID protocols like hand sanitising, wearing masks, and maintaining physical distancing will have to be followed by the visitors. The special hop-on hop-off buses will be available to facilitate the travel of visitors. Also, the authorities have already opened the Children’s Nutrition Park and Jungle Safari from October 10, which the visitors can opt to visit when here.

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Social distancing from gorillas—Uganda to welcome tourists with some quirky, some serious guidelines

Uganda is set to welcome international tourists, and all the gorgeous national parks in the country are reopened to visitors. All that’s required is a negative COVID-19 PCR test report (taken within 72 hours of entering the country). For those planning to visit the national parks, there is an important thing to remember one must keep in mind which is physical distancing, not only from humans but also from chimpanzees and gorillas in the parks. National park authorities in the country have advised adventure seekers and gorilla trackers to maintain a 32 ft distance from the primates and 6.5 ft from other visitors in the park. Apparently, Uganda is known to be a natural habitat for more than half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. These animals are extremely dear to the country and are highly protected. Thus, the administration doesn’t want to risk animal’s safety at any cost. Uganda is renowned for its beautiful national parks such as the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to list a few. Tourism Uganda has advised travellers from other nations to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure so that there’s enough time for COVID-19 screenings. Moreover, Coronavirus negative results are required at both the times, arrival and departure. Other than these rules, wearing a face mask is mandatory at all times in the airport and while exploring the country’s national parks. The park admin in their advisory has asked visitors to bring two N95, surgical, or double-layer cloth masks with filters if they want to explore the parks. Temperature checks will also take place at the entrances. Anyone with symptoms will be immediately transferred to an isolation center.

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Thailand plans quarantine travel for foreign tourists

  • Oct 14,2020
  • AA

Thailand is planning to allow short-term tourists to travel to designated areas in some provinces during their 14-day coronavirus quarantine period, an official said on Tuesday. However, residents of the provinces must approve the new Alternative State Quarantine scheme before it can be introduced, said Thares Krassanairawiwong, head of the health service support department. Provinces that are ready to reopen must also make sure that routes for foreign visitors will not be used by local residents, he said. “Foreign visitors must accept travel routes set by the provinces. Most importantly, they must come from countries with low risk of COVID-19 and no local infections in the last three months,” he explained. Tourists must stay in home quarantine for 14 days before leaving for Thailand and test negative for COVID-19 three days before departure. “They have to book flights and accommodation through travel agents only. Hotels where they stay must be hotels with SHA [Safety and Health Administration] standards,” Thares added. Tourists will be required to use tracking devices and be accompanied by representatives of COVID-19 response agencies at all times. The official said the new quarantine scheme was part of efforts to boost tourism and help stimulate the economy of Thailand, where 3,643 virus cases, including 3,457 recoveries and 59 deaths, have been reported to date. Many provinces have shown an interest in the plan, including Chon Buri, Buri Ram, Rayong, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Surat Thani. Thares said that eligible provinces must have adequate public health systems and hospitals with the capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. According to him, some 2,000 hospital rooms and 13,000 hotel rooms are available for foreign visitors on leisure and business trips. “We are confident that international travelers will be able to visit Thailand from Oct. 15 onwards. We are ready to reopen,” he said.

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India-Mexico Discuss Ways to Enhance Tourism

To strengthen trade ties, India and Mexico will explore ways to promote tourism and enhance people to people contact. This was decided at the fifth meeting of the India-Mexico Bilateral High-Level Group on Trade, Investment and Cooperation (BHLG) held earlier this month, an official communique said on Tuesday. “Both sides discussed a number of bilateral ongoing and outstanding issues, ranging from ‘Audio-visual Co-production, Bilateral Investment Treaty’, market access for agricultural products, a cooperation framework on ‘Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) & Technical Barriers to Trade’ (TBT) measures between the two countries, co-operation in the ‘Intellectual Property Rights’, and exploring ways to promote tourism and people-to-people contact between India and Mexico,” the communique said. “They also agreed to expand and diversify the bilateral trade relationship to tap the potential of the complementarities between India and Mexico through enhanced cooperation in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, healthcare, agro-products, fisheries, food processing, and aerospace industry, etc.” (IANS).

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Kashmir tourism takes baby steps to normalcy as visitors return

The tide is finally turning for Kashmir’s beleaguered tourism industry, a key contributor to the Union Territory's economy, which has witnessed a 13-month hiatus due to the double whammy of the revocation of special status last year followed by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. International competition The silver lining has come with the UT winning the bid to host the 50th annual Skal International Asia Area (SIAA) Congress in 2021 during the annual general meeting recently against four other cities. Skål International is a an organisation of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. The Congress is likely to be held between April 8 and 11 next year at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). “Kashmir has witnessed the darkest phase in the tourism sector ever. The August 5 decision last year kept tourists away due to the official bar for many, many months. The COVID-19 pandemic only prolonged the grim period, witnessing highest ever job losses of around 75,000 in the sector. The SIAA Congress has come as a good omen,” Nasir Shah, secretary of Skal Club of Srinagar, told The Hindu. Group tours return With the pandemic situation improving, domestic tourists have also started planning their visits to Kashmir. In the last week of September, the Kashmir Valley hosted the biggest group of 70 doctors from Delhi in 13 months at the Royal Hilton hotel. “We can't stop the cycle of life. A group of doctors decided to come to Kashmir to bring positivity in our team, after spending months inside their homes from March. We chose Pahalgam for being the country’s best hill station,” said Dr Archana, a doctor who was part of the group, said. According to official figures, the Kashmir Valley has a total of 40,753 hotel rooms in around 1,500 hotels. “The occupancy has been around 1% in the last one year,” an official said. Welcome at Gulmarg Buoyed by the growing tourist footfalls, the J&K Cable Car Corporation on Saturday restarted Asia’s highest cable car, Gondola, in north Kashmir’s ski attraction Gulmarg. “The second phase of the Gulmarg Gondola from Kongdoori to Apharwat opened for commercial operation October 10. It will be operational only on weekends for the time being. But the operation of Gondola for the first phase, from Gulmarg to Kongdoori, will continue to remain functional on a daily basis,” an official spokesman of the Cable Car Corporation said. The Corporation has put in place COVID-19 protocols and standard operating procedures after boarding and deboarding of passengers.

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Delhi: Ram Leela events and Durga Puja pandals allowed, but with restrictions

Delhi government has issued a formal order, allowing hosting of Ram Leela and setting up Durga Puja pandals in the national capital. However, as per the orders, no rallies, food stalls, exhibitions or processions will be allowed inside or outside any pandal or venue until October 31. As per the government’s order, permission to host any event will be granted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) or by the District Magistrate only after full inspection of the area is carried out. Further, in closed spaces, events can be hosted with only 50 per cent capacity, i.e., the number should not exceed 200 people. Also, in case of the outdoor events, the number of people allowed will be strictly based on the social distancing norms. Organisers will have to ensure that no one is allowed entry without masks, and separate gates for entry and exit are in place. As per the orders, every event organiser will have to make a video recording of their event, on the similar lines of a sample video that the district magistrates will be sharing with them. The event organisers will then send the recordings of the event to the administration, after which a certificate will be issued stating that Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) of the Delhi Government and Government of India and the have not been violated. The DCPs and district magistrates will be signing the certificate to be given to the event being allowed in every district and send it to the Chief Secretary and state the status of the guidelines. A nodal officer will be appointed by the District Magistrate for every Durga Puja pandal or Ramlila. Another nodal officer will be appointed by the DCP of the said area. Both these officers will be entrusted to ensure strict guidelines issued by the government are adhered in those areas.

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