Category: Round Up

GoAir has introduced ‘Quarantine Packages’ for passengers arriving in different cities in India from overseas or within India to ensure the passengers get quarantined easily at the selected hotels. Passengers can choose from a range of hotels including budget or high-end hotels in Kochi, Kannur, Bengaluru, Delhi or Ahmedabad. Passengers can now avail of hotel quarantine package starting at Rs 1,400 (approx. US$19) per person per night to INR 5,900 (approx. US$79) per person per night and that too from their station of origin. Customers can book the holiday package by visiting the airline’s official website. Commenting on the launch, ... Read more

Over the past month, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was able to hold virtual meetings of its five regional commissions to share responses to the challenge of COVID-19 and their plans for the restart of tourism in the wake of the pandemic. The annual series of meetings got underway with the regional commission for Africa, followed by meetings of the regional commissions for the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and finally the Middle East region. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “The meetings of the UNWTO regional commissions have shown the universal determination to restart tourism, and to do so ... Read more

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has said that despite India being the land of the Buddha, not many Buddhist pilgrims visit the country. Hence corrective measures need to be taken to address this issue, he said. Despite India being endowed with rich Buddhist heritage, it attracts a very small percentage of Buddhist pilgrims, Patel said, while inaugurating a webinar on “Cross Border Tourism”. Emphasising the point that it was important for all to ascertain the reasons for India receiving only a fraction of global Buddhists as tourists, Patel said corrective measures will be taken accordingly. The Minister talked about the ... Read more

Visiting the Himalayas has to be the pinnacle of tourism in India, for its sheer magical and unique feel. It’s almost an out-of-body experience. The Ministry of Tourism titled recently conducted a webinar on ‘Trekking in the Himalayas: Magical Experiences’ highlighting the potential of tourism in the Indian Himalayan mountain. In the Indian Himalayas, one can see the pristine natural environment, snow-covered thick pine forests and numerous hidden surprises that can enthral and captivate trekkers from all over the world and across age groups and fitness levels. Exploring the myriad trails, engaging with the friendly local villagers and taking in ... Read more

Air India on Friday said its financial situation is very challenging due to the coronavirus pandemic and its leave-without-pay (LWP) scheme for employees is a “win-win” situation for them as well as the management. The national carrier, in a press statement, said the scheme primarily enables employees to proceed on LWP “on voluntary basis”. The airline had issued an internal order earlier this week asking its departmental heads and regional directors to identify employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory LWP for up to five years. “Air India is in a ... Read more

The Madras High Court has directed Oyo Hotels & Homes to respond to a breach of contract case filed by Hotel Sakthi Park before its next hearing on August 12. The hotel, which is located 100 km south of Chennai, had filed a case against Oyo in the Madras High Court on July 10 for non-payment of minimum guarantee. The case was filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The hotel is now seeking relief and is requesting for a compensation of Rs 75 lakh from Oyo Hotels & Homes. The company was in a contract with Oyo ... Read more

ITC Hotels has announced a tie-up with food aggregator Zomato to deliver dishes from its restaurants to those craving a taste of Dal Bukhara and other ITC specialities. ‘Gourmet Couch by ITC Hotels’ is the chain’s most recent culinary offering that encompasses exclusively curated menus from ITC Hotels’ signature brands, delivered to the guest’s residence under stringent safety protocol.  Anil Chadha, COO, ITC Hotels said, “ITC Hotels has always showcased the finest culinary traditions through its globally acclaimed signature brands. However, in a world where change is the order of the day, it has been our endeavour to ensure our patrons ... Read more

In an effort to restrict the spread of the coronavirus during travel, the Indian Railways has rolled out a prototype of what it calls the first ‘Post COVID Coach’. The new railway coach is designed to reduce the odds of someone getting infected by the virus  during a train journey, by adding hands-free amenities to reduce surface contact.  It has been designed at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab. “Sustaining the ruthless fight against Covid-19, Indian Railways’ production unit, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, has developed a Post Covid Coach to fight Covid 19. This post Covid coach has design ... Read more

Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that bilateral air bubbles will be the way forward in resuming international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “I think the answer is bilateral air bubbles – which will carry a number of people but under defined conditions – as countries continue to impose entry restrictions including India,” Puri said at a press conference. Puri said Air France will operate 28 flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to Paris from July 18 till August 1, while United Air will operate 18 flights from Delhi, Mumbai to Newark till July 31. Scheduled international ... Read more

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy has said that the administration is contemplating reopening the Union Territory for tourists from August 1. He said that he would write to the Union Tourism Minister to ease the lockdown and open up tourism, to revive the economy. “The Puducherry administration managed to contain the spread of COIVID 19 due to the coordinated efforts of all sections of people. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the Union Territory is 65% and the death 1.5% of the total number of cases,” he said. The Tourism Ministry should facilitate foreign and domestic tourists to visit Puducherry so ... Read more

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has conducted India Luxury Virtual Connect (ILVC), India’s first ever virtual roadshow designed exclusively for leading travel partners across key metro cities to touch base with the Thai private sector. The first ever India Luxury Virtual Connect (ILVC) conducted on July 15 -16, witnessed participation from 28 Thai luxury sellers along with 130 travel agents across south-west India and another 130 agents from the north-east. ILVC was conceptualized and executed by BRANDit, the official representative firm of TAT’s Mumbai office. The ILVC interface, developed by Travel Gyan, is a virtual platform for leading travel partners ... Read more

Many leading companies in the travel and tourism industries were ranked high on the Disability Equality Index’s (DEI) list for their level of disability workplace inclusion. According to the DEI’s ‘Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion list’, major brands in the aviation, cruise, hotel and theme park industries all scored a perfect 100 in this year’s rankings. Airlines such as American, Delta, Southwest and United all finished at the top of the list, while Royal Caribbean International was the only cruise line to reach a perfect score, Travel Pulse reported. As for the hospitality industry, Choice Hotels International and Marriott International both ... Read more

Air India has decided to allow its Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) to recommend that a non-performing staff member be compulsorily sent on leave without pay for a period of up to five years. Employees will be assessed by a board in the following categories: Suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy. Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal can now send employees on leave without pay “for six months or for a period of two years extendable ... Read more

More than one lakh employees in Kerala’s travel and tourism sector have lost their jobs during this pandemic, says Sheik Ismail, vice-president of Concord Exotic Voyages. Many of them have turned to selling fish and vegetables to survive. He says though the industry has many associations and leaders, they have failed to raise funds for their needy colleagues. Some of them are selfish and request things for their own benefit and not for the entire industry, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: Kerala’s travel and tourism sector has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. The state is hugely dependent ... Read more

Johnnie Walker, the whisky which traces its roots back 200 years, will soon be available in paper bottles. Diageo, the drinks giant that owns the brand, said it plans to run a trial of the new environmentally-friendly packaging from next year. The brand, popular with travellers the world over, is sold in glass bottles, but the firm is now looking for ways of using less plastic across its products, according to a report by the BBC. Whisky tours are very popular with tourists who visit Scotland and Diageo is playing a role. The Johnnie Walker Princes Street attraction is the ... Read more