Category: News

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector undertaking, under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to implement preventive measures against Covid-19 infections. ITDC wants to provide a safe, hygienic and healthy environment to guests and staff across its hotels and offices and is looking to lay down a relevant protocol in association with AIIMS. To take the initiative forward an advisory board will be formed consisting of representatives from AIIMS, ITDC or representatives from any other organisation to provide inputs on designing and developing the ... Read more

The Maldives President has sacked the country’s Tourism Minister Ali Waheed, after female employees in his office accused him of sexual offences, news agency Associated Press reported on Thursday. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had called for the resignation of Ali Waheed and then sacked him after he failed to step down on his own, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Hood said. Police confirmed receiving complaints of sexual misconduct by Waheed. An archipelago state in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is known for its luxury tourist resort islands.  The development has come at a time, when Maldives is preparing to reopen to international visitors ... Read more

Air India and Air India Express have confirmed that it will operate repatriation flights to the UAE to fetch stranded citizens from the country. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said that the repatriation flights will commence from July 12 and will go on till July 26. An agreement for the same has been signed between the civil aviation authorities of the two countries, putting an end to the long traumatic wait for hundreds of Indians, Khaleej Times has reported. Many are currently stranded in India since March when both the UAE and India closed their airspaces to curb the ... Read more

Uttarakhand has decided to allow tourists from other states provided they bring along a Covid-19 negative medical report taken not more than 72 hours before their arrival. The tourists will not be quarantined on their arrival in the state. However, till further orders, the Char Dham Yatra will remain closed for them as only residents of Uttarakhand are allowed to undertake this pilgrimage in a regulated manner. The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said, “We welcome tourists from other states to the Devbhoomi. We hope each tourist will bring the Covid-19 negative test report and enjoy the beautiful ... Read more

After lifting all travel restrictions, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) has introduced a new campaign Intezaar Aapka to attract tourists who would like to visit the state. The campaign is running currently on all social handles of the state tourism board. The campaign includes a series of communications about the destinations that are awaiting tourists.  Being under lockdown for more than 100 days now, travellers are eager and willing to come out of their houses with families, not far but for a short weekend getaway. Keeping such points in mind, the MPTB is promoting places of tourist interest such as Ujjain, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Bandhavgarh, ... Read more

The UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced steep cuts to value added tax (VAT) worth over £4 billion in an attempt to revive the struggling British tourism and hospitality sector. In his statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, the Chancellor said VAT will be slashed from 20% to 5% for a period of six months until January, giving every chance for the sector to bounce back. Sunak said he wanted to see pubs, restaurants, cafes and B&Bs “bustling again”, adding that the measures were “a plan to turn our national recovery into millions of stories of personal renewal.” ... Read more

Etihad Airways has partnered with Sitata, a Canadian travel risk management company, to launch an interactive travel map on etihad.com, the airline’s official website. Etihad Airways’ guests now have easy access to a comprehensive overview of the situation relating to COVID-19 at each destination in the airline’s network. The travel map uses advanced computer algorithms to detect new travel information globally, which is swiftly updated on its portal. The system also relies on announcements and updates published on official government websites and reputable media channels. The information is vetted by Sitata’s team of editors and continuously updated as and when new ... Read more

Niraamaya Wellness Retreats, known for its bespoke wellness offerings, has devised a set of ayurvedic treatments that are being offered to boost immunity. The Niraamaya Immunity Booster Package, the hospitality firm says, is designed to help strengthen you against the various afflictions in the world today. In Ayurveda, the objective of immunity-boosting is achieved through rasayana, vajikarana and ojovardhaka therapies. Rasayana and vajikarana medications enhance the immune system by using immuno-modulatory agents of herbal origin. The Ayurvedic concepts of Vyadhi Kshematwa, Ojas and Bala are the primary focus areas, Niraamaya stated in a press release. The therapeutic strategy of this ... Read more

Spain’s tourism industry has been in a difficult situation ever since the coronavirus crisis began, which led to a near global lockdown and travel restrictions. While travel is now permitted within the European Union and Schengen Area, it remains heavily restricted for citizens of countries outside the EU. The so-called “Golden Mile” between Puerto Banús and Marbella, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, has been left without its typical visitors this summer: tourists from the Middle East and Russia. The image of the Spanish port filled with yachts and glamorous foreigners is distinctly missing, El Pais has reported. Tourists from these countries ... Read more

The Tata group is the only bidder in the fray for national carrier Air India with just a month left for the final bidding date. The Tata group, which already has a footprint in the airlines business, has shown interest in acquiring Air India, which at one point of time was under the Tata umbrella, news agency IANS has reported. The other bidders will be known in due course as globally airlines are under severe stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant disruptions on air travel and tourism. The Tata group is likely to go ahead with the ... Read more

In an effort to help the ravaged tourism sector, India has decided to develop existing lighthouses across the country and turn them into travel destinations. The Ministry of Shipping has identified 194 lighthouses for the purpose. The ministry will also step up efforts to identify lighthouses which are more than 100 years old, news agency PTI has reported. A high-level meeting was called by Union Minister of Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya, to take stock of the preparations to develop these lighthouses. The move to develop the selected lighthouses will not only boost tourism in these areas but also provide people an ... Read more

The Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association of Gujarat (TAG) has submitted a memorandum to the state tourism minister, Jawahar Chawda, seeking relief measures through a tourism aid package. Rannotsav and the Statue of Unity attract tourists to Gujarat and travel agents who help bring in bookings should be incentivised, they said in their submission. Tourist-friendly infrastructure including stopovers with proper amenities should be developed along the key state highways and also highways leading to tourist destinations,” mentions the representation. In their letter, travel agents sought industry status for the travel and tourism sector and suggested several measures for reviving tourism in the ... Read more

The Karnataka government on Tuesday banned all tourism activities in the Kodagu district with immediate effect till further orders, in view of rising COVID-19 cases. An order issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Anis Kanmani Joy said that all resorts and homestays are to be closed for public and tourists till further orders. The order has asked owners of homestays or resorts not to take any new bookings and ordered to cancel the future bookings and refund the money back. However, it read that if someone is already staying in those resorts they can stay till their booking period is over, ... Read more

Dubai began welcoming back international travellers from Tuesday with safety measures such as temperature checks, mandatory masks, and COVID-19 testing in place. That Dubai is a tourist destination at all is largely thanks to its ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In 2019 alone, Dubai welcomed 16.7 million international guests, up from 15.9 million the year before, according to the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The top seven tourist-sending nations were India, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Oman, China, Russia, and the United States, says an Associated Press report. Those travellers also fuel Dubai’s vast restaurant, bar, ... Read more

Greece’s Tourism Ministry and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) have launched a new campaign that focuses on the restart of Greek tourism, promoting the country as a safe destination. Titled“Destination Greece Health First”, the campaign will promote the country to markets abroad. It includes a video that features distinctive images of Greece and informs potential travellers that the country has undertaken all the necessary health protocols to ensure safe carefree holidays to its visitors. The video also introduces potential visitors to the “Greece Health First” microsite, where they can find information on everything they need to know about the health ... Read more