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Rajasthan's Monuments Re-Open for Tourism

The Rajasthan government has announced that with restrictions being lifted under Lockdown 5.0, it will be reopening monuments under its archaeology and museum department for tourists, starting today. All monuments—except those in containment zones and curfew areas—will be open four days a week for two weeks. Hours will be staggered at first, but from the third week onwards, tourists will be able to visit the monuments daily. We were in conversation with Sreya Guha, Principal Secretary for Tourism, Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, to find out more. What brought about the decision to open the state up for tourism today? We decided to open up since most states are now easing lockdown norms, so we expect some movement of visitors to start. We felt opening up our attractions would also give a sense of “returning to normalcy.” What is opening for the public? We have reopened the monuments under the Archaeology Department and the museums. We have also opened up the biological parks and wildlife safaris. The tiger reserves will be opened after NTCA clearance. Are you expecting domestic tourism to pick up in a big way? The first movement we are expecting is very local. To celebrate the reopening, the monuments will have free admissions in the first week. Now that interstate travel has opened, we expect visitors from neighbouring states to also come, but it will be a gradual process. Our focus now will be domestic tourism. What are the protocols being followed and what precautions are being taken? We have sanitised and fumigated all our premises. We have SOPs in place. We are ensuring all hygiene and social-distancing norms are followed. How has the tourism suffered during this lockdown in terms of numbers and are there any additional schemes the state is introducing? We have taken a hit of 100% turn down in business compared to March 2019, as footfall has totally dried up. There are currently 90% cancellations for bookings for the next season. By industry estimates, revenue loss in hotels/restaurants and other travel services will be more than Rs 12-15 crore, and the loss of direct and indirect employment of over 10 lakh people is anticipated in next 3-4 months. There shall be loss in terms of GST to the state government estimated to be over Rs 2,000 crore, since the total contribution of tourism in the state GDP is around 22 to 25 per cent. We are working closely with the industry to prepare for the coming season and planning strategies so that we are able to recover in 2021. We have been sanctioned a Tourism Development Fund, which we are trying to utilise to promote tourism, and create new products that will be more attractive in a post-pandemic tourism scenario.

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Indian Railways starts 200 special trains from today

Indian Railways has started running a pair of 100 trains from Monday, after a gap of over two months due to coronavirus lockdown across India. Mahanagari Express, the first train among 200 special trains to start today, departed from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. States such as Maharashtra have had their reservations regarding the opening of passenger trains, but last minute arrangements were made to run the special trains from their respective source stations. These special trains are in addition to already operational 30 Rajdhani type trains, and Shramik trains, which are being used to ferry stranded migrant laborers. Ministry of Railways after consultation with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had announced the train services to be further partially restored with effect from June 1. New charting, boarding rules you should know 1) Passengers to reach station 90 minutes in advance 2) Along with Fully confirmed and RAC passengers, partially Waitlisted Ticket holders (if in single PNR there are confirmed and WL passengers both) also allowed. Not Allowed - Waitlisted passengers. 3) Passengers will be compulsorily screened and only those found asymptomatic will be allowed to board trains. All passengers must wear face covers/masks at the entry and during travel. 4) If during screening at the station a passenger has very high temperature/symptoms of Covid-19 etc., he shall not be allowed to travel despite having confirmed tickets. In such case full refund shall be provided to the passenger. 5) Maintaining social distance is a must all the time. 6) Use of Arogya Setu app mandatory. 7) First chart shall be prepared at least 4 hours before scheduled departure and second chart shall be prepared at least 2 hours (unlike present practice of 30 minutes) before scheduled departure. 8) No unreserved (UTS) tickets will be issued and no tickets will be issued onboard to any passenger during the journey. 9) If during screening at the station a passenger has very high temperature/symptoms of Covid-19 etc., he shall not be allowed to travel despite having confirmed tickets. In such case full refund shall be provided to passenger as under:- On PNR having single passenger. On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel and also all other passengers on the same PNR do not want to travel in that case full refund shall be granted for all passengers. On a party ticket if one passenger is found unfit to travel however other passengers on the PNR want to travel in that case full refund of fare shall be granted to passenger who was not allowed to travel. 10) There will be no unreserved coach in the train. Catering rules in railways No catering charges shall be included in the fare. Provision for pre paid meal booking, e-catering shall be disabled. However, IRCTC shall make provision for limited eatables and packaged drinking water on payment basis only in limited trains, having Pantry car attached. Passengers are encouraged to carry their own food and drinking water. All static catering and vending units (Multi Purpose stalls, Bookstalls, Misc./Chemist stalls etc) at Railway stations will remain open. In case of Food Plaza and Refreshments rooms etc, cooked items may be served as take away only with no sit-down eating arrangements in place Linen and Blanket in trains: No Linen, blankets and curtains shall be provided inside the train. Passengers are advised to carry their own linen for the travel. The temperature inside AC coaches shall be suitably regulated for this purpose. Here are a few facts about these special 200 trains 1) Over 1.45 lakh passengers will travel on 200 trains from Tuesday. 2) Around 26 lakhs passengers booked for Advance Reservation Period 01 to 30 June 2020. 3) Services in addition to Shramik Special trains and Special AC trains being run since 12th May. 4) Tickets can be bought online through IRCTC website or mobile app. Railways has also allowed booking of reservation tickets through the reservation counters, Common Service Centers and IRCTC ticketing agents. 5) First time in Indian Railways' history, the TTEs will be without their customary black coats and ties and will instead wear gloves, masks, PPEs and check tickets with magnifying glasses. 6) Indian Railways issued an appeal for people with comorbidity, pregnant women, children below age of 10 and those aged above 65 to avoid travel by rail 7) Travelers will also be provided with hand sanitizers at entry and exit points at station and in coaches 8) Zonal Railways have been instructed to ensure that there are separate entry and exit gates at Railway stations to the extent feasible so that there is no face to face movement of passengers.

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Sri Lanka to reopen some tourism in August with restrictions

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka plans to reopen its tourism sector on Aug. 1 by allowing only small groups of visitors to begin with, a tourism official said on Sunday. Kimali Fernando, chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, a government body, denied a report in the local Sunday Times that said the sector would re-open in mid-June. A limited number of small groups from around the world would be allowed to visit from August and stay in approved five-star hotels that have put strict safety measures in place, Fernando told Reuters. He confirmed that tourists will be required to carry a COVID-19-free certificate issued either by their governments or a reputed agency, as reported by the Sunday Times which quoted Sri Lanka’s Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi. Tourists would also need to wait on arrival at the airport for coronavirus testing. Fernando also confirmed that individual travellers will still not be allowed to enter the country. Sri Lanka reported another 20 cases of the virus on Saturday, taking the total number of cases so far to 1,613, including 10 deaths. The country attracted around 2 million tourists last year and the sector contributes around 11% to the nation’s gross domestic product. President Rajapaksa discussed the proposals at a meeting with representatives of the tourism industry this month, Fernando said. The main tourist season typically begins in around November. If the government approves the plan, Bandaranaike International Airport and Mattala International Airport, which have been closed under coronavirus restrictions, would partially reopen. Testing facilities would be set up at the airports and private hospitals are expected to provide assistance to tourists as part of the plans, Fernando said. Popular sites such as the Yala national park, Udawalawe, Arugam Bay, Trincomalee and selected beach areas would be among those open for tourists, whose temperatures would be monitored daily, he added.

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In Unlock 1, Uttarakhand to resume Char Dham yatra and tourism activities

The Uttarakhand government is planning to resume tourism and start the Char Dham Yatra in a limited manner after June 8 in an effort to boost the economy, Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said on Sunday. In its latest guidelines on Saturday, the Centre allowed religious places to open after June 8 along with free inter-state travel of people in a bid to gradually open up the country after lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “We will implement the Centre’s guidelines after analysis. The Centre under its new guidelines has allowed the religious places to open after June 8, which is a commendable step as it will enable us to open our major religious places including the highly revered Char Dham, which attract many devotees across the country,” Kaushik said. “The government is planning to start the Char Dham Yatra but in a limited manner, allowing only limited people amid the pandemic. We will also gradually resume the tourism activities in the same manner as both Char Dham Yatra and tourism are basically the backbone of our economy.” The Char Dham Yatra is a religious tour circuit that draws a large number of pilgrims. The Cabinet minister said that the government had earlier suggested the Centre to allow the resumption of both aforementioned activities in the state as they are vital to boost the economy of the state which had been severely affected by the pandemic. He said, “We suggested the same before the latest guidelines were issued. And now when they have provided some more relaxations, we are hopeful to soon resume them after proper evaluation.”

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Goa plans to bring back collector-approved travel pass system

Panaji: With Goa witnessing a huge influx of people in the last couple of days, the Pramod Sawant government is planning to go back to its previous system of issuing travel passes that require approval by authorities, in place of the self-generated e-passes introduced earlier this week, a minister has said. As those who enter the state have to undergo COVID-19 test, the arrival of people in large numbers is putting a strain on the medical infrastructure, he said. The issue was discussed during a meeting of the MLAs and office-bearers of the ruling BJP held at the residence of chief minister on Friday. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who took part in the meeting, told reporters that it was discussed that travel passes need to be reintroduced in place of the self-generated e-passes. “The state witnessed a huge inflow of people in the last few days. We need to cap the number of arrivals in the state. Once the travel pass system is introduced, the health authorities will know how many people are going to arrive on a particular day,” he said. As per the previous system, district collectors would issue travel passes to people if they wanted to enter the state. State BJP President Sadanand Tanavade, who also attended the meeting, said the state government might revert to the earlier practice in which people had to apply for the travel passes and get approval by the authorities. However, no decision to that effect has been taken yet, he said. “There is a tremendous inflow of people, due to which there is a stress on COVID-19 testing infrastructure in the state,” he said. The Goa cabinet had on Wednesday made it compulsory for everyone entering the state to either get themselves tested or carry COVID-19 negative certificate. On the same day, the chief minister had launched the self-generated e-pass system, in which those entering the state could apply online for e-pass without having to wait for the approval of authorities.

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Florida Officials Approve Walt Disney World Reopening Plan Starting July 11

Florida officials have approved plans for a phased reopening of Walt Disney World in Orlando starting on July 11, according to a memo from a state agency released on Friday. The successful reopening of its parks is a signal event for Disney and the rest of the world as governments and companies strategize how to move out of lockdown while the novel coranavirus is still a threat. The state also cleared Sea World Entertainment Inc to reopen on June 10, said Halsey Beshears, secretary of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, in a memo sent to officials in Orange County, Florida. When the Disney parks reopen, guests and employees will be required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks. The resort will suspend parades, fireworks displays and other activities that create crowds. Disney will encourage contactless payment systems and expand its existing mobile order systems in restaurants, it said on Wednesday. It plans to restrict the number of guests, who will be required to reserve their park passes ahead of time.

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