Author: Tourism News live

Telangana is planning to construct a memorial tourism site at former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s village exhibiting his life and struggles. Rao’s native village is Vangara in Warangal.  State tourism minister V Srinivas Goud visited Vangara and revealed the plan for the development of the village as a tourism spot. He said, “The village would be recognised globally to mark the centenary celebrations of late Narasimha Rao.” To continue educating and inspiring the country and its younger generations of  Rao’s personality, the building where he lived will be developed into a museum which will have a photo gallery exhibiting ... Read more

Indians travelling home from UAE no longer need to register with the local consulate, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said in a statement. The registration was required for those traveling on the repatriation flights introduced from May under the Vande Bharat Mission. But “since a number of flights are operational by both UAE and Indian carriers along with flights operated by Air India/Air India Express from Dubai/Sharjah, tickets for which are available online, the process of registration at the website of the Indian Consulate, has been abolished with immediate effect,” the statement said. UAE was among the first ... Read more

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has reviewed the various activities for promoting adventure tourism in India, in the wake of the Covid situation. The Indian government is keen on promoting adventure tourism in the country. Representatives of the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, National Institute of Water Sports, Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Adventure Tour Operators Association of India participated in the meeting.  During the meeting, Patel was briefed that during 2019-20, the National Institute of Water Sports ( NIWS) held 192 water sports training courses for around four thousand trainees. Patel said ... Read more

Recovery in China’s domestic tourism sector is picking up pace thanks to the summer holiday travel rush, CGTN has reported. Shanghai students are back on campus and the World Expo Museum is finally getting a break. In July and August, the museum welcomed 60,000 tourists, a big jump from previous months. Tourists still need to book in advance to visit, but that hasn’t stopped them from coming. And most of the visitors are young local students, the CGTN report said. “We saw an obvious increase. In July and August, we were seeing 1,500 or 1,800 every day, 15 or 20 ... Read more

Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), the national promotion body designed to support the growth of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry, will host its biggest virtual travel trade event in October. Titled “Travel Business Azerbaijan Online” (TBA 2020), the event will be held on October 14, 2020. The online event will bring together local and international tourism professionals, in order to forge partnerships and profitable business deals, Azerbaijan Tourism Board said in a statement. The event aims to bring together 300 buyers from China and South-East Asia, Russia and CIS countries, India and South Asia, Europe, and GCC countries to establish direct communication while also ... Read more

Marriott International has curated a selection of handpicked staycation offers across their hotels in India. Guests can book now and indulge in a peaceful getaway until December 31, 2020.  Ensuring maximum flexibility and savings, guest packages will be tailor made, to each unique holiday need and preference. These staycations come with the added benefits of a complimentary pick up and drop, room upgrade on check-in and free stay for kids. That’s not all, select hotels will also let guests indulge in special evenings curated by our chefs or avail of in-room movie experiences, topped with snacks and beverages. Marriott Bonvoy ... Read more

The tourism industry in Goa is banking on drive-in visitors after the mandatory COVID-19 test for domestic travellers at state borders, railway stations and the airport here was lifted as part of easing of lockdown restrictions. Goa Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Nikhil Desai said, initially, the sector will have to depend on drive-in tourists as there is very little response to flights and trains, PTI has reported. ‘Since borders are now open and tourists are allowed to enter Goa without COVID-19 testing, those from neighbouring states are expected to drive into the state in their own vehicles,’ he said. ... Read more

Sri Lanka will implement a short-term action plan to revive the country’s tourism industry which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said on Monday. He said the government will allocate nearly $1 million over the next four months to revive tourism and the short-term action plan was being finalized, reports Xinhua news agency. Under the plan, 12 new tourist attraction sites identified in several districts would be developed while community tourist villages would also be developed, IANS said in a report. Ranatunga said the action plan will also be taken to modernize the Negombo, ... Read more

Companies in about half-a-dozen sectors, including hospitality, aviation, travel and tourism, are likely to seek the benefit of one-time loan restructuring which will kick in from September, bankers have said. There may not be a rush for restructuring from corporates as only those sectors which are having cash flow problems are likely to go in for loan recast to avoid the tag of ‘restructured account’, a PTI report said quoting bankers. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) are already covered under the ongoing restructuring scheme which was tweaked earlier this month to cover those impacted by COVID-19 crisis, PTI said. ... Read more

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to extend the debt moratorium for the country’s crisis-hit tourism sector by another six months. A debt moratorium on capital and interest for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector which was initiated in April 2019 in the wake of the Easter attacks and expected to expire on September 30, has been extended until March 31 2021, Xinhua news agency quoted the CBSL as saying. The CBSL requested licensed commercial banks and licensed specialized banks to provide moratoriums following representations made by the Ministry of Tourism and in light of the ongoing effects of the pandemic on tourism-related businesses, ... Read more

Fernando de Noronha, a tropical island off Brazil known as one of the world’s most coveted travel destinations, said it is reopening to visitors, who have already had COVID-19. The island, part of a pristine volcanic archipelago that limits tourism to several hundred arrivals per day, closed five months ago to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, AFP has reported. Officials said in a post on the island’s Instagram account that it would begin reopening in phases from September 1, with strict health controls to “guarantee everyone’s protection.” “In this first phase, only tourists who have already had COVID-19 ... Read more

picture credit – Taylor Burk Photography Canada is extending travel restrictions on incoming foreign travellers for another month as coronavirus continues to pose a threat to public safety, CIC News has reported. Travel restrictions are now being extended until September 30. This is the third time Canada is extending travel restrictions that were originally put in place from March 18 until June 30. The federal government has been reviewing the coronavirus situation month-by-month and adjusting travel policies accordingly. In addition, the mandatory quarantine order that was in effect since March has also been extended. Exempt travellers will have to carry out ... Read more

The direct air connectivity between Kochi and Europe, a long-cherished demand of the NRIs and business community, came true on Friday with Air India commencing services in the London-Kochi sector. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) welcomed the AI 1186 aircraft with a water salute as a mark of gratitude, according to a PTI report. In a statement, CIAL said as part of promoting direct connectivity to Europe, it has decided to waive the entire landing fee of airlines operating direct European services to Kochi. The decision will give instant advantage to the national carrier as it schedules direct London-Kochi flight ... Read more

India has revised the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for domestic and international travel, allowing airlines to serve pre-packed meals and beverages on board domestic flights. On international flights, carriers can now serve hot meals and alcohol. The crew, however, will have to wear a fresh set of gloves after serving each meal and beverage to the passengers, a note from Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said. Airlines on domestic routes were not allowed to provide any refreshments, ever since the pandemic started. For international services, carriers were only permitted ‘minimum catering,’ with pre-packaged food placed on seats before boarding. Government ... Read more

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Company (MTDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tata Group-backed Indian Hotels Company to hand over 54.4 hectare of land in Konkan’s Sindhudurg district on a 90-year lease for setting up of a five-star tourist centre. The company is expected to invest Rs 100 crore in the first phase to build the tourist centre in the Shiroda Velagar village. The centre, which is likely to be completed in three years, would attract domestic and international tourists and generate employment and boost the economy of Sindhudurg. The signing of the MoU comes a month ... Read more