Category: India

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 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

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

picture credit : Manish Chopdekar The Goa government has withdrawn the need for transit permits for people to visit the state. However, the requirement for Covid-19 tests either prior to departure, upon arrival and home quarantine will continue for the visitors. No travel permit is now required to enter Goa, but a modified health protocol now requires travellers to carry a negative test report secured 48-hours prior to entering the state. The new instructions follow orders from the Union home ministry which said there shall be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods and that no ... Read more

The Covid-19 pandemic has snatched away the livelihoods of 90% of those employed in the tourism sector, Karnataka Tourism minister CT Ravi said on Thursday. The minister estimated that 28-30 lakh people have lost jobs over the last five months in the industry. They include tourist operators, taxi drivers, hotels, tourist guides and those owning petty shops among others. “These are temporary job losses. Once the industry recovers, they will be able tosecure their jobs back,” he assured. However, the rate of revival in the tourism sector was slow, he observed. “While Jungle Lodges have seen some improvement, KSTDC and ... Read more

Reopening of restaurants and hotels in the national capital would be a welcome step towards reviving tourism and hospitality activities, Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel has said. While taking stock of the preparedness of the Hotel Ashok run by India Tourism Development Corporation under the Ministry of Tourism, he said the decision to reopen hotels was a highly welcome step. The re-opening by ITDC comes after an order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) permitting hotels to operate in Delhi from August 24. “Opening of the two biggest segments of the tourism industry — ... Read more

As global tourist destinations open slowly amid the domestic recovery in the gradual unlock phase, things may get better during the upcoming festive season and the tourism sector can return to some normalcy by the end of the year, online travel major MakeMyTrip said on Tuesday. The Indian tourism industry has been severely hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Vipul Prakash, Chief Operating Officer, MakeMyTrip, the industry is expecting to gain its momentum during the upcoming festive season, IANS says in a report. “We have seen improvements with the opening of major markets like Europe, Dubai and Maldives, ... Read more

Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India (ATTOI) has received ‘Safe Travels Stamp” from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to follow international norms for ‘safe, secure and seamless’ journeys and stays in the post-COVID world. ATTOI will follow the norms under a ‘Safe Travels Stamp’ curated by London-headquartered WTTC, the global body for the sector, said Mr C S Vinod, President of the ATTOI which promotes tourism in various sectors and strengthens business relationships. The stamp, designed to usher in the new normal and build trust in travellers to travel again, will permit travellers to recognise those governments and ... Read more

The Kerala Tourism Department is trying to promote regional tourism through its new initiative called ‘Keralam Kanam’ or ‘Let’s see Kerala’, in which the people of the state are encouraged to visit the backwaters, beaches, hill stations and houseboats to get over the stress caused by the pandemic. The official launch of the online project www.malayaliyatra.com will be done by Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on August 26 (Wednesday) at 12.30 pm via a video conference. With the COVID-19 devastating the tourism industry, the Kerala Tourism Department is trying its best to recapture the past glory of the industry. It is hoped ... Read more

Himachal Pradesh’s hotel industry has requested the government to relax stringent conditions imposed amid the pandemic. In a representation to the government, the Tourism Industry Stakeholders’ Association said tourists were facing difficulties due to a lack of clarity on the part of the implementing authorities. The hoteliers met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj and the Chief Secretary recently and highlighted the issues faced by them. “Tourists are unwilling to visit Himachal. They have to procure a negative Covid test report for every member of the family. Most of them do not want to prolong the ... Read more

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has requested India’s Tourism Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs to seek an immediate revision of the negative travel advisory issued by the United States. The USA has issued a travel advisory, rated Level 4 for India. On a scale of 1-4 this is the highest level of risk rating, carrying with it the advice of ‘do not travel’. The level four advisory advises the US citizens not to travel to India due to COVID-19. The previously highlighted concerns that are mentioned include terrorism and crimes against women. FAITH ... Read more

The tourism industry of Kerala is largely supportive yet not even 50% of the industry partners are associating with the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission activities, says Rupesh Kumar, the State’s Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinator. We hope by implementing the RT Classification system, industry partners will automatically cooperate with the Mission since RT Classification is a promotional tool in the international tourism market. Our activities have created a new face for Kerala Tourism in the national and international tourism market and RT has become a kind of tagline for Kerala Tourism, he says. Excerpts from an interview: Q: In what way has ... Read more

The Indian Railways is working on a much-awaited project to connect the Char Dham sites in Uttarakhand through a 327-km-long railway line, ANI has reported. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, taking to Twitter, announced that the Indian Railways is going to make the Char Dham Yatra easy for crores of devotees. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railways is going to make the Char Dham Yatra easy for crores of devotees. Devotees will be able to travel by rail to visit Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath situated in the holy plains of Uttarakhand,” Goyal tweeted. The railway line will ... Read more

Covid-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented crisis in the tourism ecosystem, however the crisis presents an opportunity to rethink the tourism ecosystem for a more sustainable and resilient future. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, has said that the pandemic  opened new opportunities for development getting all the stakeholders together to fight against this situation. “We have been able to open all the monuments, hotels and soon we will be able to open the banquet halls in half capacity. We have been able to revive the air travel to a certain extent and we will continue ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) for ensuring women empowerment in the tourism industry. Through this initiative FLO & TAAI would lay emphasis on personal and hospitality skills, a more flexible work balance and greater options for entrepreneurship with significantly lower capital. Speaking on the occasion Prahlad Singh Patel said that, “Women in our country are excelling in different fields. We have the best of women doctors, pilots, scientists and businesswomen. Women have also excelled in various adventure related activities and sports ... Read more