Category: News

Sharjah-based Air Arabia has announced that it will operate new repatriation flights from four cities in India to Sharjah carrying UAE nationals back home. The special flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Sharjah International Airport took off on Monday, while special flights from Cochin and Hyderabad to Sharjah International Airport will take off on April 22. The airline said, “Air Arabia remains committed to bring stranded citizens back home as well as supporting requests to operate repatriation flights and is working closely with UAE authorities in this regard. The airline announced earlier that it is operating a mix of repatriation ... Read more

With job losses an imminent reality in the travel and tourism sector, the Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT) is rallying behind the employees, trying to protect their interests. In an interview, APT President Hari KC says employers in the sector should not lay-off employees in the first four months at least, and instead retain them even if at a lower pay, ensuring their day to day survival. The immediate task is to identify the most impacted employees and help them in their careers, he says. Excerpts: Q: The Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT) has been doing a great ... Read more

The Ayurveda Promotion Society (APS) is devising a plan to fight the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the travel and tourism industry. In an online meeting convened on Saturday, APS members discussed the importance of surviving the crisis first before launching into top gear. While most members talked about the importance of marketing campaigns revolving around how ayurveda can build immunity, some felt that the concept should not be overstated. Dr D Ramanathan, President, Ayurveda Medicine Manufactures Association of India (AMMOI), said the Indian government is seeing a growth of 20% this year in the ayurveda industry ... Read more

Film tourism is the new way to market a destination. Just like farm tourism, dental tourism, medical tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism, the concept of film tourism is another fragment of travel. When a viewer gets induced to visit a particular location after seeing it in a movie, it is termed as ‘Film Tourism’. India has probably the largest number of film producers in the world and we also a have some of the finest bunch of actors of all time, who have fans all over the world. I am also working as a production manager, being a ... Read more

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has written to Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal and Tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel urging the government to take various steps to protect the travel industry. In his letter IATO President Pronab Sarkar said, “We hope that the tourism industry which is the most affected sector due to Covid -19, will get considerable relief from the government both for survival and revival.” As result of the pandemic, the travel & hospitality industry in India is in dire straits today. There are nil revenues and almost all tourism businesses are running out of ... Read more

In the third meeting of the committee, UNWTO has urged members to increase pressure on world leaders to rethink tax policies and employment policies relating to tourism and to help make sure businesses survive to help drive wider recovery efforts. This call to action comes as decision makers come under mounting pressure to take concrete steps to help combat COVID-19. Drawing up financial and economic responses has been the central focus of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank this week, while the European Commission has been enhancing political cooperation within the European Union. The ... Read more

Persatuan Agensi Pelacongan Malaysia (MATA) has urged the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to waive all fees for the benefit of its members. Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, travel restrictions have been imposed throughout the world. Major events have been cancelled and thousands of business are at halt. The financial impact to our members from the COVID-19 can be cushioned by waiving the following: a) IATA to waive 2021 membership fees b) IATA to waive 2020 monthly fees (January – December 2020) c) To extend 2019 audited account submission to December 2020 This move ... Read more

Kerala Tourism should find a solution to improve Munnar’s fortunes by constituting a new body with the involvement of local authorities and industry. If Munnar and nearby areas can be further beautified with a proper vision for the future, it will be a game changer not only for Munnar tourism but also for whole of Kerala Tourism, says Shankar R Nair, general manager, Blanket Resorts, Munnar. In an interview, he says lack of awareness among guests about the places to visit in Munnar along with the activities available, is a concern. If we can do some detailed planning on these ... Read more

Airlines will have to refund the entire fare, without imposing cancellation charges, to those who booked tickets during the first lockdown from March 25 to April 14 for travel between March 25 and May 3, the civil aviation ministry said on Thursday. The ministry has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to ensure airlines comply with its directive. “Grievances were received from air travellers regarding refund for flights cancelled because of the nationwide lockdown to combat COVID19. Advisories have been issued regarding refund for both domestic & international tickets booked for the flights suspended due to lockdown,” civil aviation ... Read more

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) on Wednesday said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has informed all airlines to revert back within 24 hours with solutions to refund the various amounts due. MoCA said solutions have to be found to refund agents’ money in float account as advance and provide refunds as cash to agents for the benefit of their customers/passengers. MoCA has asked the airlines to cooperate or else they will have no option but to issue a directive on the same, TAAI said. The ministry will get into a call with airlines to ensure the ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has assisted the repatriation of 268 tourists, most of them British, who were not able to return home due to the ban on international flights. The tourists have left for London on a British Airways flight, chartered by the British High Commission in India. The deputy high commissioner of Britain in Bengaluru was personally present at Kochi to oversee the repatriation, Kerala Tourism secretary Rani George said in a note. Joint director of Kerala Tourism Raj Kumar and his team in Kochi, and deputy director Biju and his team in Thiruvananthapuram provided the ground support for the repatriation. ... Read more

United Airlines on Wednesday said that it has cut its flight schedule by 90% for the month of May and expects similar cuts for June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier said that travel demand is now essentially at zero showing no sign of improving in the near term. United disclosed its outlook in a memo to employees that it publicly released. The memo was from Chief Executive Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby. United said it flew less than 200,000 people in the first two weeks of April, a 97% drop from the more than 6 ... Read more

Indian carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet have said that the money paid by customers – for air travel before May 3 – will be kept under a credit shell. IndiGo said it is in the process of issuing the credit shell for customers, and this can be used within one year from the date of issue. SpiceJet said since flight operations have been suspended till May 3, bookings will automatically be cancelled and the amount will be kept under credit shell, which can be used to make a fresh booking for travel till February 28.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has said that the Covid crisis has presented the country with a fine opportunity to establish itself as a ayurvedic, yoga and heritage destination. In a webinar conducted to discuss the current situation in the industry, the various stakeholders said that domestic tourism will help the recovery process. The industry will take 3-6 months to recover and segments like MICE tourism will not be allowed to function before July/August. Outbound tourism will not start soon and maybe subject to stringent visa norms. This may take up to nine months. TAAI is lobbying with ... Read more

The Union Tourism Ministry has launched a new webinar series called ”Dekho Apna Desh” to provide in-depth information on several destinations and the expanse of the culture and heritage of India. The first webinar touched upon the long history of Delhi. It was titled “City of Cities — Delhi”s Personal Diary”, the ministry said. The webinar will be available in the public domain soon. The official links of the Ministry’s social media handles, IncredibleIndia on Instagram and Facebook, will feature the webinars. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel said, “The series of webinars will be an on-going ... Read more