Author: Tourism News live

The Bullet Club and adventure travel go hand-in-hand. The Royal Enfield range of motorbikes have long served the inquisitive Indian traveller well, providing muscular support whether it’s a Himalayan expedition or North-Eastern sojourn. And after a lull thanks to the lockdown restrictions, Royal Enfield is back again. It has resumed operations at more than 90% of its retail network across India. As of today, more than 850 stores and 425 studio stores across India are operational for sales and service. While most of these stores are completely operational, the stores in certain cities are functioning partially or on alternate days as advised by local authority ... Read more

This guide by the British government will help you understand how to travel safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It provides guidance for walking, cycling, using private vehicles (for example cars and vans), and travelling by taxis and public transport (for example trains, buses, coaches and ferries). You should avoid using public transport where possible. Instead try to walk, cycle, or drive. If you do travel, thinking carefully about the times, routes and ways you travel will mean we will all have more space to stay safe. Is your journey necessary? To help keep yourself and your fellow passengers safe, ... Read more

Etihad Airways has launched new travel vouchers which are redeemable against future flights, and is currently offering a 50% cash bonus on purchases. The Etihad Travel Purchases can be purchased in increments of US$250 up to a maximum of US$65,000, and once bought are added to a Travel Bank for use by the customer. Note that you must be an Etihad guest member to purchase the vouchers. The current bonus is available for purchases made by June 24, and will see an extra 50% credit added to the Travel Bank – so a customer buying US$1,000 in vouchers will receive a total ... Read more

Dubai-headquartered travel-tech startup Hotel Data Cloud (HDC) has been officially selected for the ‘Healing Solutions for Tourism’ award by The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). HDC was selected for this recognition from among more than 1,000 other entrants from over 100 countries. The startup serves as a centralised global database for hotels to disseminate information including data and images to hundreds of stakeholders. Recently, it introduced a new initiative whereby hotels can communicate their health and safety measures by creating a profile on HDC and filling in the Covid-19 preparedness section. This will then be automatically shared and freely accessible by ... Read more

Jalesh Cruises, India’s first premium cruise liner has introduced ‘Future Pass’, designed to provide flexibility for its travellers. Travellers can book their cruise holiday now and be able to finalise their travel dates until August 31, 2021. In addition, if purchased before June 30, 2020, an exclusive discount of 25% can be availed on the Future Pass.  Amid the current sentiment towards travelling, this offer will help travellers restore their confidence to book at a later date as per their convenience. A study reveals that while many consumers have cancelled their trips, they have not lost their desire to travel. ... Read more

hartered flights from UAE to Kerala have become cheaper, with voluntary organisations like Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) securing nod to operate 70 of them. With this, around 1.25 lakh people from Gulf countries are likely to reach the state shortly. A total of 407 chartered flights are waiting for permission to fly to Kerala carrying NRIs stranded in these countries. The ticket rates in KMCC-chartered flights from UAE to Kozhikode have come down from AED 1250 (around Rs 25,000) earlier this month, to AED 990 (around Rs 20,000) for the flight operated on June 11, according to a report ... Read more

International passengers flying into Kerala can directly observe 14 days of home quarantine, without having to spend a week in institutional quarantine. Passengers who wish to stay separately can avail the government’s paid quarantine facilities, which will be arranged in a hotel or tourist home.  Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that those who are allowed home quarantine must arrange their own private vehicles or e-taxis. They should notify the police, the local self -government departments and the district collector of their arrival.  Previously, air passengers coming into Kerala had to mandatorily spend a week in institutional quarantine. Those who ... Read more

The Rajasthan government has announced that interstate movement will be regulated in view of an “unprecedented surge” in Covid-19 cases in the state. Under the new guidelines issued by the Home department, all persons going out of the state will need to obtain a pass for travel from the district collector and Superintendent of Police. If the permit is issued by a sub-divisional magistrate, Deputy SP or the local police station, then they have to inform the collector or SP. According to the order signed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Rajeeva Swarup, counters will be setup at airports, railway stations ... Read more

Home sharing platform Airbnb India has said it will focus on domestic tourism and local experiences to revive business. The company said that Indian hosts earned over ₹190 crore in 2018 using its platform and it will continue to focus on providing them support during these tough times. Amanpreet Bajaj, country manager, Airbnb India, said that people in India are looking for staycations and holidays within 300 kms of their location preferably at secluded locations. “Travellers want control over the place they are staying in and they do not wish to share it with others,” he said. Since the pandemic began, ... Read more

Hong Kong’s tourism industry is desperately urging the government to set-up “travel bubbles” with neighbouring regions as a lifeline, warning the hard-hit sector will need an extended period to recover from the near-total shutdown brought on by the pandemic. The creation of travel corridors between countries, which jointly agree to drop quarantine requirements, is something the Hong Kong government has suggested could take place with destinations that have done well in containing Covid-19. But it’s not clear when such a bubble might be formed between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland’s Guangdong province, South China Morning Post reported. A travel group, ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar series showcased Chhattisgarh, in an effort to highlight India’s rich diversity. The 30th session of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series held on June 9, was moderated by Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General , Ministry of Tourism.  P. Anbalagan, Secretary (Tourism & Culture), Government of Chhattisgarh, set the background for the session with his introductory remarks. The session was presented by Jaspreet Singh Bhatia, Founder, Icecubes Holidays, Jeet Singh Arya, Founder, Unexplored Bastar and Thommen Jose, author & blogger. Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh, came into being on November 1, 2000, ... Read more

In Chile’s port city of Valparaiso, people are perhaps facing more ups and downs than almost anywhere else, as the city’s funiculars have been turned off. With no tourists in town because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the city’s unique public transport system has ground to a halt. A lack of ticket sales to fund their operation has led officials to close these urban lifts, which typically whisk travellers and residents through the steep, hilly terrain of Valparaiso. This means residents are having to tackle the city’s unforgiving terrain on foot. The unique cable car funiculars are designed to make travel ... Read more

There is a saying that greater are the chances of Arabs learning Malayalam, than Malayalis learning Arabic, in the UAE. If there is one Indian state that has been able to pull its weight during lockdown, as far as the Gulf countries are concerned, it is Kerala. Sensing the strong demand, India has announced 44 more repatriation flights from the UAE to Kerala. These flights will operate from June 19 to 30. Population-wise and in terms of the number of stranded Indians registered to fly back home from the UAE, Malayalis outnumber Indian expats from other states. The readiness of ... Read more

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOT) has been hosting a series of virtual sales missions in the US and Canada during the entire time of quarantine in an effort to continue promoting the islands. BMOT brought together all of its international partners in the US and Canada for two days of virtual meetings hosted by Director General, Joy Jibrilu.   “While grappling with the effects of COVID-19, all travel was put on hold,” said Director General Jibrilu. “But we remain committed to providing our travel suppliers, travel agent communities, key meeting planners and destination wedding planners, flying ambassadors, boating community and all of ... Read more

An animal rights organisation has apprised the Union Tourism Ministry that humans can contract tuberculosis from elephants, glanders from horses, and camel pox and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome from camels. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has knocked on the doors of Minister of Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel urging him to ban the use of animals in tourist spots as it could lead to spread of zoonotic diseases and pose a threat to public health. In a letter to Patel, PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate drew attention to another imminent zoonotic threat and said, “We are letting ... Read more