Category: VoxPop

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin when asked about resuming international air travel – “It’s too hard to tell at this point. Domestic travel will be a better option. For business people who do need to travel, there will be travel on a limited basis. We want people to travel safely and be able to visit places.”

Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI), MD & CEO, Anirban Chakraborty – “We welcome RBI’s stance to support the economy amidst these trying and uncertain times of the deadly Covid 19 pandemic. The announcement brings much needed immediate relief to the borrowers across sectors. We further expect additional special relief packages to be provided to the sectors worst affected such as aviation, tourism to name a few. With the government’s decision of a 21-day lock-down combined with timely measures undertaken by the Finance Ministry, we expect to tide over the current situation.”

Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Ayog – “Sectors like aviation, travel and tourism have got badly impacted by the corona virus outbreak. These sectors have a multiplier effect on jobs. We can expect a package for these job creating sectors”.

Ali Waheed, Tourism Minister of the Maldives – “We have to be positive to prevail, and we prevail”

Sejoe Jose, Chairman, IATO (Kerala Chapter) – “We have asked the Centre for subsidies to pay salaries to employees in the travel and tourism sector, especially to those earning less than Rs 25,000. The banks should provide moratorium to loans provided and dates for payment of GST and taxes should be given an extension of 90 days. A 50% refund of TDS paid should be considered to bring down the cash flow problem. The state should prepare a master plan along with industry players to set a short term and long term plan for the growth of the tourism sector. ... Read more

Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) President EM Najeeb “We are ready to give all support to any government decision to fight the COVID-19 menace. Even if they want to use all resorts and hotels as care centres in the state for quarantine measures, we will only be glad to do so.”

While Kerala is bouncing back from the havoc caused by the recent heavy rain and devastating flood, discussions are on regarding the rebuilding of Kerala with a new vision, than just mend the damages. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, has put forth the concept of a ‘Nava Kerala’ (New Kerala), while re-constructing the state and invited opinions and suggestions from people from all walks of life. E M Najeeb, President of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry and Senior Vice President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), has shared his views on rebuilding Kerala, with Tourism News Live. Being ... Read more

The future of Kerala Tourism depends on how successfully it can penetrate into the emerging source markets in North East Asia including China, Japan and Korea, said United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Asia/Pacific regional director Xu Jing. Though Kerala Tourism has a strong presence in the Middle East and European markets, little is known about this piece of land in  Asian countries. “The major challenge is to diversify your source markets, and when you do that it’s not just about making a policy shift but also a product shift,” said Jing. He also said that its unbelievable why Kerala is ... Read more

Kerala Tourism is all set to introduce a new brand ambassador, says P Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism at ITB Berlin exclusively to Tourism News Live. “A new campaign will be launched in the coming months with a new brand ambassador to promote Kerala to the globetrotters across the world,” he said. The department had earlier announced that it has plans to rope in a celebrity artiste or a sports person, and not a global face. At present, most number of travellers are visiting the central and south Kerala. The Kerala Tourism department is planning to promote the unexplored Northern ... Read more

When you are heading up the dense forests and slippery boulders of Agasthyakoodam, you need to be very careful as it is a difficult climb. What would a trekker keep in mind while climbing the steep Agasthyarkoodam? Here’s some expert advice from Viswanath of Summiters India, who has climbed the peak more than 10 times!

Assam has something special for the ‘green’-lovers. With an abundance of scenic grandeur, mesmerising grasslands, seemingly endless paddy fields, the blue mountains, the gorgeous tea estates and a wealth of rarest and near-extinct species of wildlife, Assam welcomes the nature-lover in you with all its grandeur. If you don’t mind spending some valuable time with golden langurs, hoolock gibbonstigers, leopards, swap deer, dolphins and a flock of resident and migratory birds, then visiting some of the national parks in Assam will give you the best experiences. It is better to start your trail with one of the oldest national parks ... Read more