News

Ganga river rafting begins in Rishikesh

After a long break due to the lockdown implemented to control the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, river rafting in Rishikesh has resumed for the public. The news has been confirmed by the Uttarakhand Tourism on social media. River rafting or white water rafting in Rishikesh is the most popular adventure activity, and lures several tourists from far and wide. The thrill of rafting on the turbulent rapids of Ganga river is enjoyed throughout the year except during the peak monsoon and winter season. Rishikesh is the rafting hub where several rafting operators are based to serve the tourists. There are three popular rafting points in Rishikesh for a day’s tour, Brahmapuri to Ram Jhula (8 km), Shivpuri to Lakshman Jhula (16 km) and Marine Drive to Lakshman Jhula (26 km). The difficulty levels of the rafting adventure increases depending on the distance. Generally, rafting is done during the day and tourists relax at sundown by the riverside at small camps and bonfires set up by the operators. They are also served meals and drinks along with the camp stay. It is not mandatory for people opting for rafting activity to know swimming, though it is welcomed as a plus point.

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Char Dham travel guidelines—Covid-negative certificate not essential

In a latest development in Uttarakhand travel rules, the state government has announced that tourists are not required to carry a COVID-19 negative certificate anymore to visit the Char Dham sites. The Char Dham shrines were opened up sometime ago for Uttarakhand residents, and also for visitors outside the state. The new guidelines for visiting the holy sites are now to be followed henceforth. According to the Chief Executive Office of Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, Ravinath Raman, visitors are instead required to register on the board’s official website . This is so that they can get their e-pass that will allow them to visit the Char Dham shrines. It is being reported that the pilgrims would go through thermal scanning before entering the shrines, and a COVID-19 test will be conducted if they record high body temperature. The cost of the test will have to be borne by the pilgrims; moreover, they will only enter the shrine if the test result comes back as negative. The guidelines also suggest that certain groups of people are advised against the yatra, including infants, people above the age of 65, pregnant ladies, and those below 10 years of age. The guidelines also warn interested visitors, who are asymptomatic not to visit the shrine and not to apply for an e-pass as well. Also, those who are going to the shrine with the help of heli services do not have to apply for an e-pass. All their formalities will be completed by the helicopter company. Most importantly, you are not permitted to touch the idols during your visit.

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Kolkata: Hop on the stunning 90-min cruise ride on Hooghly river

Very soon, tourists visiting Kolkata will be able enjoy a 90-min cruise journey on the Hooghly river. Reportedly, the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) will be launching this programme on the Hooghly river alongside Kolkata’s heritage landmarks. As per the reports, the said trip will start from October 1, and the trip will start and end at the Millenium Park jetty. Another interesting thing about this journey is that one will have to shell out only INR 39 to be a part of this journey. It will be one of the must-try experiences in Kolkata if you want to enjoy the surreal views of Howrah Bridge. Referring to this, WBTC Managing Director Rajanvir Singh Kapur stated that the idea is to make heritage river cruise experience affordable and popular among the youth. Reports state that colourful art will be adorning the vessel, whereas traditional Bengali music will be played in the background. The Hooghly cruise will be sailing from 4 PM to 6 PM (Monday to Friday), and from 12 PM to 2 PM and 4 PM to 6 PM on (Saturday and Sunday), which will be cruising along the popular heritage lanes of Kolkata. An official in the know-how added that tourists will be able to see Mayer Ghat where the wife of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to visit daily. Also, from the cruise, visitors will be able to pay homage at Nimtala Ghat where several legendary icons, including Acharaya Prafulla Chandra Ray, Rabindra Nath Tagore, and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose have been cremated. Special arrangements will be arranged for educational tours. Visitors can check out the cruise café on board, and also create memories by clicking at the selfie booth. Further, a free tour guide will also be available to facilitate guests identify the key attractions along the way and learn about the history associated with them. However, since this cruise is being launched amid the Coronavirus pandemic, safety protocols will be in place, and people will be required to maintain social distancing. Also, a maximum of 150 people will be allowed at a time on board.

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Ministry of Tourism organises Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series on Rural Tourism

New Delhi: The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “Rural Tourism: From Previous Niche to Future Norm”on 26th September 2020 focused on the villages, people, farming, culture and the idea of sustainability, responsibility and community living. While millions of ‘White Collar’ workers lost their jobs or took a steep cut in salaries due to near-total collapse of urban industries, another few million of ‘Blue Collar’ workers who built our cities & urban industries are back to their villages after their arduous journeys, with the real possibility of most of them creating an alternative eco-system in rural India. The city-slicker who is tired of consumerism is now looking for a traditional grandpa’s village to fix their nature deficit & emotional deficit, while some are looking for a hip & cool glocal village. This new & upcoming genre of tourism is permeating into the segment of elderly for nostalgic reasons, and into the segment of millennials for exotic reasons. While we all understand that long-haul travel is going to hault for a while, so this webinar took us through the beautiful villages of India virtually to witness the paradigm shift in the space of tourism, through Rural Tourism. Presented by Shri Roopesh Rai, Founder, Green People, The Goat Village & Bakri Chhap. He shared his experience that happenedthree months post Kedarnath catastrophe – changing his life forever. Some of Roopesh’s initiatives include The Goat Village (rural & sustainable tourism), Bakri Swayamwar (gene pool improvisation of livestock by social engineering), and Bakri Chhap (a brand representing marginalised Himalayan farmers). The Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series is presented in technical partnership with National e Governance Department, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Sessions of Webinar are now available on the https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzIbBmMvtvH7d6Zo_ZEHDA/featured and also on all social media Handles of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

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Amit Shah launches Destination North East-2020 to promote region’s tourism, culture and business

Coinciding with World Tourism Day, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated Destination North East 2020, a four-day festival to promote and showcase the region’s tourism, culture, heritage and business. The inauguration took place through video conferencing and was attended by Union minister for development of north east region (DONER) Jitendra Singh and the chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim. “I have been to several places within the country and abroad and visited many tourist destinations. But I don’t think I have seen such natural beauty in any place except northeast,” Shah said. Destination Northeast is an annual festival organised by the DONER ministry with the objective of showcasing and celebrating the region to other parts of the country in order to strengthen national integration. The theme for this year’s event is ‘The Emerging Delightful Destinations’ and will be a virtual event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The festival held earlier at Varanasi, Chandigarh and Delhi had attracted lots of visitors and educated people in those places about the northeast. I hope the next festival is held at my constituency Gandhinagar in Gujarat,” Shah said. Stressing on the need for peace in the once strife-torn region in order to promote tourism and investment, the Union home minister said since 2014 steps taken by the Centre have helped replace violence with development. “Importantly, people in the region have preserved and promoted their rich and diverse languages, traditions and culture beautifully despite a lot of challenges. I am sure with the initiatives taken by our government, the region will become one of the most sought after tourist destinations in coming years,” he added. Calling the region a prized ornament, Shah said that without the Northeast’s culture assimilating with the rest of India, the country’s culture can never be called complete. Shah mentioned the Centre’s Act East Policy, which aims to open the Northeast region for trade and tourism with South East Asia and listed the initiatives taken in the past six years for development and connectivity in the region. “At the time of the country’s independence the northeast contributed nearly 20% of India’s GDP, but it gradually declined over the years. Our efforts are to ensure that it reaches those levels again,” he said.

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Unlock 5.0 Guidelines: More Relaxations Likely as Cinema, Tourism Sector Look to Make Recovery

With the fourth stage of lockdown drawing to an end, the Union Home Ministry will soon be announcing a slew of relaxations for October. Earlier, in a key development, the MHA had allowed metro trains to resume services. The ministry had also said that more curbs would be eased in the coming days and activities would slowly be permitted in areas outside the containment zones. As industries look to make gains during the festival season, more relaxations are expected under Unlock 5.0 which will come into effect from October 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last week, asked states to reassess if lockdowns of one or two days are effective in containing Covid-19 and told them to press on with full strength in opening economic activities while fighting the virus. Against this backdrop, industries and sectors are batting for more easing of restrictions. Previously, the Ministry of home affairs (MHA) had permitted public places like restaurants, malls and salons to resume operations. Under the Unlock 5.0 guidelines, more activities are expected to be allowed from October with social distancing norms in place. However, despite repeated requests by the Multiplex Association of India, the MHA has allowed only open-air theatres to be opened, from September 21. Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Saturday that cinema halls and open-air theatres will be allowed to operate in West Bengal from October 1 with a limited number of participants. Meanwhile, the embattled tourism sector recently saw marginal recovery with the reopening of tourist spots, including Taj Mahal. The Odisha government announced on Sunday, that it would reopen all tourist centres from October. The state's tourism minister JP Panigrahi said his department had drawn out a master plan to promote several destinations in a bid to attract tourists. Under the Unlock 5.0 guidelines, more tourist sites and places are expected to be open for people. A decision on resumption of normal classes in schools and colleges was taken and students from Classes 9-12 were asked to attend schools from September 21 on a voluntary basis. The system is likely to continue during the next month. However, Hindustan Times, citing sources aware of the developments, reported that primary classes would stay shut for some more weeks. Universities and colleges have already commenced their admission examinations and the new academic year may start through the online mode.

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