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India Travel Security Top of Mind for Government

The Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. M. R. Synrem, said today while highlighting the importance of India’s G20 Presidency that the India travel and tourism sector is providing an unparalleled opportunity to highlight India’s tourism offerings and success stories on the global stage. Speaking on the initiatives of the government, Mr. Synrem said that the Ministry is developing platforms for personalization and traveler engagement. “Today, digital technology allows us to collect and analyze data to create [a] personalized experience. The Ministry will soon introduce several new initiatives with the existing helpline number “1363” to address safety and security concerns of … travelers. We are working towards digitalization in the travel and tourism industry,” he noted. This service is available 365 days in a year with its multilingual help desk. The objective of this helpline is to provide information relating to travel and tourism in India to the domestic and international tourists. The helpline also advises callers during times of distress, if any, while travelling in India and alerts the concerned authorities, if required. This is a unique endeavor by the Government of India which gives foreign tourists a sense of safety and security during their travel in India. Addressing FICCI’s 5th Digital Travel, Hospitality & Innovation Summit 2023, Mr. Synrem stated that the Ministry of Tourism is working on key identified priority areas with major focus on digitalization. “The National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI) is one of the initiatives of the ministry towards Atmanirbhar Bharat using technology to empower our businesses. NIDHI is not just a database but poised to become a major gateway to opportunities in the hospitality industry,” he stated, adding, “The Tourism Track meetings under the G20 focused on key areas like sustainable development, digitalization, and promotion of inclusive growth.” A 24/7 toll-free Tourist Helpline number 1-800-11-1363 or on a Short Code: of 1363 is supported in several languages, including English, Hindi, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Chinese), Portuguese, and Russian.

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Rover Pragyan takes a walk on moon: 'Made in India, made for moon'

Rover Pragyan has ramped down from Vikram lander and has taken a walk on the moon, the Isro tweeted in the first development of Chandrayaan 3 after the successful and historic soft launch on the south pole of the moon. "Made in India, Made for the Moon, The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon!" Isro tweeted. After the successful landing at 6.04pm on Wednesday, Chandrayaan 3 waited for the lunar dust to settle down. The process of Pragyan rover -- which was attached to the belly of Vikram lander -- rolling out started and it came out. The first picture of Pragyan coming out of Vikram has been shared by Pawan K Goenka, the chairman of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre. Will Chandrayaan 3 return to earth? What will Vikram, Pragyan do after 14 days? Chandrayaan 3 moon landing: What happened in last 12 hours At 6.04pm, Chandrayaan 3 soft-landed on the south pole of the moon. It chose a flat region on the lunar surface for the landing. It sent a photo of the landing site captured by the landing imager camera. The communication link was established between Chandrayaan 3 lander and MOX-ISTRAC Bengaluru. The lander took some photos of the landing during the descent which it sent to earth. Then the process of rover Pragyan rolling out of the lander started.The first photo of the rover rolling out of Vikram was sent to earth.Now, Pragyan ramped down and took a walk. What is Pragyan rover? What will it do on the moon now? Pragyan rover will now carry out a series of experiments on the lunar surface for the next 14 days and send those data to the lander. It weighs 26kg and has two payloads. One will analyse the chemical composition of the lunar surface, another will determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the landing site.

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Biden to travel to India next month for G20 summit

President Biden will travel to India early next month to attend the annual Group of 20 (G20) summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. Sullivan confirmed Biden would visit India from Sept. 7-10 for the summit, which is being held in New Delhi. Sullivan said the president would attend various bilateral meetings with other world leaders, but he did not disclose which leaders specifically. In a separate statement, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden and other world leaders would cover a range of topics, including combating climate change, the global economy, the war in Ukraine and efforts to fight poverty. In addition to Biden’s trip to India, Vice President Harris will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, from Sept. 4-7 to attend the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit with leaders from the Indo-Pacific. Republican says threat to McCarthy’s Speakership ‘inevitable’ if he doesn’t meet conservative demands Texas’ floating barrier to stop migrants draws recurring concerns from Mexico, US official says Biden attended the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cambodia in 2022 and met with ASEAN leaders last May at a U.S. gathering. The president’s trip to India will mark his latest round of engagement with the country. He hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit in June, rolling out the red carpet despite concerns about India’s human rights record under Modi. Taken together, the president and vice president’s travels next month are the latest example of the Biden administration seeking to increase cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific as a counterbalance to regional heavyweight China.

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Uber rolls out 'Group Rides' feature in India for economical travel

Uber on August 22 launched a new feature in India called 'Group Rides' that enables users to share trips with up to three other people when travelling to a common destination. Users can invite friends along for the ride by posting the details of their Uber trip via messaging apps. These friends or companions can add their own pickup locations once they join the trip, and those locations will be updated in the ride route. Additionally, this feature intends to reduce traffic on the roads and minimise the dependency on individual vehicles while travelling in a group with friends, coworkers, or family members, Uber said in its press release. Nitish Bhushan, Director of Central Operations at Uber India, commenting on the launch of the new feature, said they are into continuous innovation to enhance customer experience and provide affordable and hassle-free travel for users, and added that this feature offers customers the chance to save more money. “We are always innovating for our customers and looking at ways to make travel more affordable and seamless. With Group Rides we are offering customers the option to save more while they are riding with people they know. Not only do riders save money and arrive at the common destination together, they also do the good deed of reducing vehicles on the road by getting more butts in fewer cars,” he noted.

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China Temporarily Eases Visa Regulations For Indians

China has eased its visa regulations temporarily for citizens of India applying for business (M), tourism (L), short-term family visits (Q2) to Chinese citizens, transit (G), and crew (C) visas. The Chinese Embassy in India has issued a statement highlighting these changes. According to the Embassy, eligible applicants seeking single or double-entry visas for business, tourism, short-term family visits, transit, and crew purposes will no longer have to provide biometric data (fingerprints) until December 31. These changes will remain in effect until the end of 2023. Some exemptions were already present, including for individuals below 14 or above 70 years old, those who have recently undergone fingerprint collection by the Chinese Embassy, and those whose fingerprints are deemed “uncollectable.” The price of a Chinese visa for Indian travellers ranges between INR 3,800 to INR 7,800. This depends on the type of visa and its validity period. Direct communication channels have also been established to help Indian nationals.

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Tourism India Alliance launched, to connect 5 lakh travel agents across 300 cities in India

The Tourism India Alliance (TIA) is a group initiative of seasoned industry professionals who have come together with the objective of bringing a substantial portion of Indian travel agents from the unorganised sector into the alliance. The association was recently launched at a gathering of industry stalwarts and stakeholders at the Park Hotel in Delhi. The TIA vision, commitment, and promise is to connect approximately three to five lakh travel agents in 300 smaller towns of India under one umbrella. TIA strives to provide education and share knowledge that empowers and builds a network that supports and passionately advocates the growth of the travel Industry. Reinforcing the ethos behind the formation of TIA, Jagdeep Bhagat, one of the founder members stated, “Associations must be run not merely in the interests of their founders and office bearers, but equally in those of their members, of the stakeholders of their industry, of the industry itself and finally of the country as a whole.” In its collaborative endeavour, TIA invites industry stakeholders to be a part of something truly special so that every corner of the country is represented. TIA is a unique association, where knowledge is a driving force, where connections flourish, and where every member’s voice is heard.

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