Category: News

The World Travel & Tourism Council India Initiative (WTTCII) has urged the Union government take a series of steps to help the tourism sector tide over the massive crisis brought about by the spread of the corona virus. The COVID-19, which is now a global pandemic, has already hit the hospitality and airline industry hard, with thousands of tourists cancelling their bookings. To start with, the council has requested the government to provide a GST (Good & Services Tax) holiday for all travel and tourism services for a period of two years. A moratorium on all interest and principal amounts ... Read more

The Delhi government has ordered three premium hotels in Aerocity area, near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to block 182 rooms for paid quarantine facilities for people flying in from abroad who are to be quarantined. These ‘Home Quarantine’ rooms would be for people who have been quarantined but are not satisfied with the quarantine facilities of hospitals and wish to be shifted to hotel rooms, according to The Indian Express. These people would have to pay the rent of these rooms. According to the orders of the Delhi government, the IBIS Hotel will have to set aside 92 ... Read more

All international airports in Sri Lanka will be closed for operation of inward international commercial passenger flights with effect from Thursday until March 25. The country’s civil aviation authority has said the decision was taken as per the instructions from Sri Lanka’s health authorities. The onslaught of the corona virus has hit Sri Lanka’s aviation industry hard, just like all countries globally. The statement will be reviewed by the Sri Lankan authorities at a later date.

ATTOI executive committee member & CEO of Tourdesigners, VG Jayachandran has urged the government to waive off road tax of tourist vehicles for a period of one year, besides providing interest free or low interest loans to tourism entrepreneurs to rebuild the business. The tourism sector has been hit badly by cancellation of bookings by tourists due to the onslaught of the corona virus pandemic. Several airlines have also cancelled flights to many countries. Jayachandran said a moratorium alone wasn’t sufficient. “It doesn’t mean even a waiver of interest during the period. In this situation, any financial institution will agree ... Read more

The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) has written to all the 12 Members of Parliament (MPs) from Kerala, requesting them to take up the woes of the tourism sector in Parliament or related committees. CKTI President EM Najeeb in his letter to the MPs said the tourism industry which has already been facing various challenges, has been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 epidemic. In this context CKTI has requested the Union finance minister and the tourism minister to advise banks to extend moratorium on the repayment of loans and interests from entrepreneurs in the tourism sector for at ... Read more

Star Air, a regional commuter airline, has started a direct flight services between Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Kishangarh (Ajmer – Rajasthan). Rajasthan is the seventh Indian state where Star Air is providing its flight services under the RCS-UDAN scheme. Interestingly, Indore and Kishangarh, which are almost 550 kilometres apart, had not been blessed with direct flight connectivity prior to Star Air’s launch. People had to spend more than 10 hours to cover this distance that too with much hassle and discomfort. But now they can cover this distance in just one hour. Kishangarh is famous for its world-class marbles. “Star ... Read more

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), which represents over 5 lakh restaurants in the country, has advised its restaurant members to shut down dine-in operations starting Wednesday across the country till March 31. “We have taken a decision to advise members to close all restaurants across India because we are endangering a lot of employees. We will never be able to survive the guilt if a fatality occurs at our end,” NRAI president Anurag Katriar said. Katriar however said the decision to shut down individual restaurants will remain voluntary and not mandatory. In a report released last year, the ... Read more

The Kerala Travel Mart Society has set up a help-desk as a novel measure to help tourists. Many of the tourists have been struggling to find accommodation, food and water due to the impact of the corona virus. Please find the details regarding the help-desk below.

The Department of Tourism has said that help desks set up to counter the corona virus menace have to be functional 24×7 and come to the rescue of tourists at all times. “The help desks should monitor all developments in this context and be vigilant enough to address any related issues,” the department stated on Wednesday. The new set of guidelines said that the help desks should be in constant touch with the volunteer committees that consist of the members of the various trade associations. “All assistance has to be extended to tourists who have no prior bookings but are ... Read more

Western Railway has decided to hike the cost of platform tickets by up to five times in various cities under its jurisdiction. This steep hike means that a platform ticket which used to cost Rs 10 will now cost Rs 50. The new ticket price will be effective at close to 250 stations in the five divisions under the Western Railway zone including Mumbai, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ratlam, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. In a statement, the Railways said platform tickets will be sold at the new rates to avoid crowding at platforms, in light of the spread of the corona virus. This ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has established a new institute called the Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies in Arunachal Pradesh to provide education in Buddhist philosophies. The institute will promote research in different aspects of Buddhism, preserve ancient Buddhist manuscripts, digitize ancient Buddhist texts preserved in the languages of Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese and other Asian languages. The Ministry has taken over the following three Institutions, which have been granted Deemed University Status by UGC – Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda (NNM), Bihar; Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), Sarnath, Varanasi and Central Institute of Buddhist Studies ... Read more

The impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on travel continues to change rapidly. As a result, many customers who have booked travel through online travel agencies have been experiencing difficulties either connecting with travel advisors or cancelling and changing plans directly on these sites. Companies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and CheapTickets are coordinating with their travel partners to process an unprecedented number of customer requests. As a result, they have taken steps to help travelers, including increasing the number of travel advisors available, improving existing self-service options and introducing new automated ways for travelers to take action. Here’s what you ... Read more

If you are currently in France, stepping out of your place of stay will become an inconvenient affair. Tourists and even French citizens will be required to fill out a form online each time they venture outside. For example, they may have to write “Stepping out to buy groceries” or “going to the park” every time they feel the need to go out. If that is not followed a fine of Euro 38 will follow. French president Emmanuel Macron has said that people would have to stay home as much as possible, unless they have to shop for food, go ... Read more

PHD Chamber and its knowledge partner Nielsen India has jointly released a report titled ‘Heritage Tourism in India and SDG 11.4: Stakeholders’ Perspective’. It was released at the International Heritage Tourism Conclave in Gwalior. The report gives a holistic view on heritage tourism across the world and in the country. The report provides ample scope and opportunities towards preservation of world’s cultural and natural heritage. While setting the theme of the Conclave, Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chairman – Tourism Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry said, “We need forum like this to brainstorm what steps can be taken to correct the ... Read more

Emerging tech summit to facilitate new business in the region SiGMA Group, the events company behind the Manila AIBC Summit, has announced the format for the event and what makes it stand out from the crowd. After three hugely successful AIBC Summits in Malta, Europe, the company has set its sights on the Asian market aiming to shape the future of emerging tech in the region and seed new opportunities for both local and Western companies. The inaugural Manila AIBC Summit will take place June 8th-9th 2020, bringing together key brands from the west and key players in the Asian ... Read more