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Rajasthan govt brainstorms with tourism stakeholders

Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh on Monday said that these are unprecedented times and all need to work together to rejuvenate the tourism sector in the desert state. He was speaking at the Rajasthan Revival Summit here. The meeting witnessed multifarious suggestions on reviving tourism in Rajasthan in these times of global pandemic and post-corona. At the meeting, he brainstormed with various tourism stakeholders. Rajsamand BJP MP, Diya Kumari who is also a member of the Parliament Consultative Committee on Tourism was present. The minister said all parties have to work together. The minister said that an aggressive marketing campaign will be undertaken to project Rajasthan as the preferred tourist destination for domestic tourists. He said new circuits will have to be worked on focusing on spiritual, wildlife and adventure tourism. The Palace on Wheels which had 98 per cent foreign travellers will also focus on the domestic tours. The itinerary will also be changed accordingly. Singh also suggested that the website of the Department needs to be revamped and social media be made more innovative and creative. He also informed that a committee on the health and hygiene issues has been formed within the Department. They will focus on the various health guidelines informed by the Health department to be followed. On a suggestion made by internationally acclaimed Kalbeliya dancer, Gulabo, the Minister replied that craftspersons and folk performers need to be looked after during these times and a package will be organised for them as well. Diya Kumari said that the fixed prices for electricity need to be reconsidered in these trying times. The industrial rates should be levied. She said that the Tourism Department needs to undertake a proactive advertising campaign in the leading newspapers and channels. She also urged that the Palace on Wheels should tie up with private museums and monuments. This will give them a boost as well. She also emphasised on a proper health guideline to be given for the visiting tourist after the lockdown is lifted. Representative of Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR), Randhir Vikram Singh said that there should be a toll-free number for the tourists so that they can get immediate information about the state. He also emphasised that film shooting was another potential area in which the government needed to support waiving the fee and making the required permissions for shooting easier. He said a Domestic Tourism Mart should be immediately planned in Jaipur with familiarisation tours of the travel agents organised all over the state. Other suggestions discussed pertained to the GST rates for hotels, reduction of GST rates, and improvement in hygiene. Also a part of the meeting were heritage hoteliers, General Managers of leading luxury hotel chains, and conservationists, among others.

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Macau takes destination training online for Indian travel partners

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) India is taking the travel downtime to train Indian travel partners in Macau’s tourism products, using online platforms such as WhatsApp. Destination videos, presentations, voice notes and brief text messages will be sent out on live online platforms as well as text and voice messaging platforms like WhatsApp to Indian travel agents. The content will include updated information on the city’s tourism offerings and points of appeal as an outbound destination. Arzan Khambatta, head, MGTO India, said in a press statement that the country lockdown as a result of the pandemic has presented MGTO India a chance to “educate and connect with our travel trade partners virtually”, especially with travel agents it wasn’t able to reach out to earlier. He said MGTO India is able to cater to a wider base of travel agents across India with this exercise. Khambatta shared that he expects the travel industry to recover in a few months’ time. “When the travel bands are lifted, we want to make sure agents are equipped with accurate information about Macau and can promote (the city) to discerning Indian travellers,” he said. MGTO is also set to roll out a Macau Specialised Online Training Program for travel trade partners in India, complete with accreditation. Through completing and passing the modules in the specialist programme, agents in India can be certified as Macau Specialised Agents.

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Sikkim, The Only COVID-19-Free State In India, Bans Tourists Till October

We are in lockdown, and everyone is dreaming of a vacation. Some of us have already decided on the destination, and have the itinerary ready as well. However, if you had plans to visit the beautiful Lachung valley or soak in the beauty of Gurudongmar lake this year, you now need to reschedule. Yes, the Government of Sikkim has banned tourist entries and sealed its borders till October 2020. For the uninitiated, Sikkim is the only COVID-19-free Indian state. The state has not reported a single positive case so far and to prevent the virus from entering the beautiful Himalayan state which is also known as the ‘Traveller’s Paradise’ the Government has banned all tourist entries. With a population of 6.58 lakh, Sikkim was the first to enforce lockdown on March 17. Talking about the precautionary measure, Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad told India Today TV, “Sikkim will be closed for all tourist activities till October. We have to take this decision in the interest of our seven lakh people. We have also retained all migrant workers and we are providing them with food and also paying them every day. We know we will need their help immediately after the lockdown is lifted (sic).” However, with the peak tourist season coming up, the ban on tourism is sure to affect the state’s economy. S.D. Dhakal, principal secretary to Chief Minister Tamang said, “We did not think of the economic losses. Protecting Sikkim was the top priority of the chief minister. If people survive, we can think of tourism again (sic).” This year’s Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has also been cancelled. In fact, the CM had also released a deadline to all tourists asking them to leave the state by March 17. Many students from Sikkim who were studying in China were all back in January itself. The students were kept under quarantine, tested negative and then allowed to leave for their respective homes. Governor Prasad said, “Following that, we closed our border and did not allow anyone in. Even the statewide lockdown was given a go-ahead from March 17, which was before the Janata Curfew (sic).” Even though we are still unsure about the lockdown extension, private airlines have already started selling tickets post-May 16. To ensure your safety, we suggest you travel only when it’s absolutely necessary.

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Goa taxi trade demands Rs 12 thousand per month compensation

Taxi associations in Goa have demanded compensation for loss of income due to the lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Sunday. He said a representative of North and South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners' Association met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant this week. "As it is, the tourist season was poor. Even before we could recover, the coronavirus outbreak hit our industry very hard. The government should give us compensation as the traditional taxi sector is the backbone of the state's tourism industry," said Laxman Korgaonkar, who represented both the associations before the chief minister. As per the memorandum submitted to the CM, the associations have demanded Rs 12,000 per month for each taxi operator, and temporary waiver of bank EMIs on vehicle loans as well as insurance premium payment.

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Italy beaches getting 'anti-coronavirus' ready in bid to save holiday season from pandemic

Hundreds of millions of tourists flock Italy every year, enjoying the Alps or the country's coastline. However, as summer approaches amid Covid-19 restrictions, it seems unlikely they will be able to enjoy the Bel Paese as they normally would. Italy has already lifted some lockdown measures, and will do so further from May 4. How social-distancing rules will affect the upcoming holiday season however remains unclear. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the tourism sector very hard. Countries like Croatia, whose economy is hugely reliant on tourism, have recently come up with ingenious ideas to keep tourism flows alive next summer, such as "tourist corridors". Italy's private-beach owners are preparing too, and have started getting "anti-coronavirus-ready" by applying social-distancing measures to their resorts. In Porto Cesareo, a small seaside town nicknamed "the Caribbean" of Italy's southeastern region of Puglia, a private beach is setting up umbrellas and deckchairs with a safety distance of 1.5 metres as well as installing ropes to mark out the space between holidaymakers. "We can come safely to the sea, we have rules imposed on us, and we have imposed them on ourselves. And we can abide by them, which is why we have tested this distance between umbrellas.", Fabrizio Marzano, the owner of seaside resort Bacino Grande, says. "The little ropes we see are simply to give an idea of the space, of what it could be, to respect the safety of all the people who go to the beach, for all the tourists." But social-distancing rules are not just a matter of space. They involve customer service too, as Mr Marzano says. "For example, there can be no queues at the bar, as this would mean that people would be too close to each other. And so we will have to give the customer who wants a sandwich, a pizza, a Coca-Cola, the possibility to bring it to them to their beach umbrella." Last month, Italy's tourism and culture minister Dario Franceschini announced "important" measures to prop up the tourism sector amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Measures include financial support for tourism seasonal workers and tax relief for several business activities (including guided tours, bathhouses, restaurants, theme parks, libraries, fairs, cultural and artistic events and many others), as well as "refund" vouchers for hotels that suffered booking cancellations. Furthermore, the tourism ministry is planning to "revamp" Italy's image in the world with a new marketing campaign.

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Don't reopen tourism too quickly, German foreign minister warns

German Foreign Minister Maas called for the development of common criteria for a return to freedom of travel. His warning followed Austria's announcement that it would open its borders to German and Czech travelers. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has warned against reopening European tourism destinations too quickly, saying that Europe should agree on a shared path back to freedom of travel. "A European race to see who will allow tourism travel first will lead to unacceptable risks," Maas told the weekly Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "We have already experienced what an infection cluster in a popular holiday destination can do to the home countries of the tourists," said Maas, citing the high infection rate at the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl, where hundreds of tourists are believed to have been infected with coronavirus in the early months of the outbreak. Instead, Europe needs a set of common criteria for a way back to freedom of travel, "as quickly as possible, but as responsibly as necessary," Maas said. The foreign minister's warning followed an announcement made by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz that the country would begin a gradual opening of the border for travelers from the Czech Republic and Germany. Austria also ended coronavirus quarantines this week at three of the country's major ski resorts, lifting the restrictions days before they were due to expire. "We must not let the hard-won successes of the last few weeks be ruined," said Maas. Otherwise, the travel restrictions would have to be extended even longer, he added. Summer vacation — maybe Meanwhile, Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner is promoting summer vacations in the countryside. There are "many small holiday apartments that can offer farm holidays with your own living space," she told Funke Media Group. "There is also room for sufficient social distancing in many country inns with large outdoor areas." She said she could imagine that these areas could be part of holiday planning, if distance and hygiene rules were strictly observed, she said. However, she added that planning must be done with care. The possibility of vacationing in large hotels, where hundreds of guests meet at the breakfast buffet, is hard to imagine, she said.

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