Category: India

Indian Railways will introduce the first set of 12 private trains in 2023, followed by 45 more in the following fiscal. According to an initial timeline drawn by the Railways, all 151 private trains will be introduced by the end of financial year 2026-27. Proposals have been invited from companies to run these modern passenger trains on 109 pairs of routes across the country. The project would entail an investment of about Rs 30,000 crore. The request for qualification (RFQ), floated on July 8, is likely to be finalised by November. The financial bids will be open by March 2021 and selection ... Read more

IndiGo, India’s largest private airlines, has decided to lay off 10% of its workforce due to the economic crisis induced by COVID-19 pandemic, its chief executive officer Ronojoy Dutta said on Monday.  “It is for the first time in the history of IndiGo that we have undertaken such a painful measure,” Dutta said in a statement. “From where things stand currently, it is impossible for our company to fly through this economic storm without making some sacrifices, in order to sustain our business operations,” Dutta said. “Therefore, after carefully assessing and reviewing all possible scenarios, it is clear that we ... Read more

The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) has constructed a museum near Barkul, on the banks of the Chilika lake, to showcase the marine diversity of Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon. The project has been executed under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) at an investment of around Rs 50 lakh. Chief Executive of CDA Susanta Nanda said around 80 commercially important varieties of prawns, crabs and fish will be on display in the fish-shaped museum. “A total of 330 species of fish and 12 species of prawns of  Chilika sustain the ... Read more

One of India’s pioneering tour guides, V Balaram, passed away today morning due to cardiac arrest. He was 52-years-old. Balaram was a key driving force in popularising the Kerala Tourism brand in its initial days when very few guides could present a holistic view of Kerala and its culture. Balaram was a well-known German speaking guide, whose professionalism was instrumental in promoting Kerala as a destination of choice in source markets such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Armed with immense knowledge of various international cultures besides supreme command of Kerala’s tourism delights, he was associated with Tour India, one of ... Read more

Radisson Hotel Group South Asia has announced its partnership with table reservation and food discovery platform EazyDiner to strengthen its food and beverage capabilities in the region. The collaboration will serve all 94 operating hotels of the group’s portfolio in India and will include table booking and home delivery services, Radisson Hotel Group South Asia said in a statement. “We are excited to roll out our association with EazyDiner to usher in a new era of restaurant dining and safe food deliveries with participation across our network,” Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia, MD and VP Operations Zubin Saxena said. “This partnership ... Read more

From today, Air India will open all its offices with full staff strength and normal shift hours. No special COVID-19 roster has been prepared. An order issued by the airline stated that all its offices will function in full strength from July 20 and no separate roster will be made for functioning under Covid-19 situation. Those not attending office will either have to apply for leave or will be marked absent, the notice said. The ‘work from home’ option will be granted only to pregnant women and with other medical conditions. Staff staying in containment zones can also apply for ... Read more

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

The Gujarat government has announced that Saurashtra will soon have a tourism circuit involving its beaches, religious tourism and wild life travel centred around its lions. Chief minister Vijay Rupani has decided to invest Rs 126.96 crore for the same. “The Gujarat government is mulling developing a tourist circuit involving pilgrimages, beaches in Saurashtra and the pride of Gujarat, the lions of the Gir forest. This would include the Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple and Girnar Hills, historical places like Uparkot Fort, beaches of Somnath and lion sighting in Gir Lion Sanctuary in Saurashtra,” Rupani said. He further said that the government is firm ... 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

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has charged tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar for allowing COVID-19 positive tourists into Goa. A press statement issued by GPCC general secretary Amarnath Panjikar said tourists have been allowed entry into the state illegally.  “The tourism minister is solely responsible for COVID-19 positive tourists coming to Goa with bogus addresses,” Panjikar said. “The irresponsible act of the tourism minister to open the doors of Goa has now resulted in additional pressure being put on the health workers as well as the police force in tracing these COVID-19 infected tourists,” he alleged. He stated that many ... 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