Travelwithus

The tourism sector is bouncing back from the impact of COVID across the world. Data suggests that the industry will crawl back to the pre-Covid-19 levels in a few months. According to the IBEF data, by 2028, the Indian tourism and hospitality industry is projected to earn US$ 50.9 billion compared with 2018. This indicates a good sign for the industry. The sector’s confidence is also boosted by some special incentives from the government. Between 2020 and 2021, the pandemic caused job losses, loss of companies, and disruption of plans for many in the industry. Also, the industry witnessed a 60-80 percent decline in international tourism in 2020. In 2020, foreign tourist arrivals slump by 75.5% YoY to 2.68 million, and arrivals through e-Tourist Visa (Jan-Nov) lessened by 67.2% YoY to 0.84 million. Companies noticed that upper-middle-class and lower-middle groups are using more mobile technologies, leading to increased regional connectivity among people. This is the reason why many comp...

The Buddhist pilgrimage circuit in India is being revived proactively and Bodh Gaya is an integral part of it. In this pursuit, the place where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment will soon house his largest reclining statue, 100 feet long-30 feet high. Buddha International welfare Mission is making the idol. Lord Buddha will be seen in a sleeping posture in the statue. The construction of the statue started back in 2019. Sculptors from Bengal are being engaged in building the fiberglass statue. Bhante Aryapal Bhikshu, founder secretary of Buddha International Welfare mission informed ANI that the idol of Lord Buddha in Mahaparinirvana Mudra holds great importance for the Buddhist as he reached to his disciples in this posture. Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar also has an idol of Lord Buddha in this posture where he attained Mahaparinirvana, he said. Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage for Buddists. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is in Bodh Gaya district in the Indian ...

Kerala is preparing itself for hosting long-haul travellers with new ideas and products like caravan tourism, going beyond the existing bouquet of offerings like beaches and backwaters. The idea is to attract travellers and vacationers of all ages, tastes and from across the world to the ‘God’s own country’. “In a paradigm shift from one-stop location-specific approach, Kerala has firmly marked itself as a destination for extended holidays for all segments of visitors with a bouquet of diverse experiences stacked across the state like homestays, drive holidays, ‘Change of Air’ based wellness vacations and adventure tourism activities,” Kerala Tourism director V R Krishna Teja, said on Tuesday. The state has also launched a major initiative to open up the whole of the state for tourists in a sustainable manner without disturbing the ecology and cultural milieu of the destinations by partnering with the local communities and civic institutions. The state will market its products in di...

The Centre has decided to resume scheduled international flight services in India from March 27 after a two-year hiatus following a decline in coronavirus cases in the country, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Tuesday. Scheduled international flight services are suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating between India and 37 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, “After deliberation with stakeholders and keeping in view the decline in the COVID-19 caseload, we have decided to resume international travel from March 27 onwards.” Air bubble arrangements will also stand revoked thereafter, he said. “With this step, I am confident the sector will reach new heights,” Scindia said. Just 3,993 fresh coronavirus infections — the lowest in 662 days — were recorded in India on Tuesday, according to the Union health ministry. In ...

The South African Tourism on Monday said it is eyeing 64 per cent year-on-year growth in arrivals from India in 2022, capitalising on strong consumer demand in the country through various marketing initiatives including roadshows. India continues to be one of the top-three focus markets for South Africa, which has outlined a strategic road map to garner 64 per cent y-o-y increase in Indian visitors in 2022, the South African Tourism said in a statement. The South African Tourism is the tourism marketing arm of the South African government. India served as the eighth-largest international source market for South Africa and the country is expected to maintain its position in the top-10 this year as well, it said. Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune continue to be top Indian source markets to South Africa, it added. “We have spent the past two years hoping for and preparing for this exact moment — the return of travel. “As South African businesses land on Indian shores, we ar...

With the closure of Russian airspace for Canadian, US-based and European airlines, flights of some major destinations in these areas and India have become longer. The Russian airspace closure has caused passengers higher fares inconvenience and longer flight times. Air India flights have not been affected as it still continues to use the Russian airspace for its flights, from the western hemisphere. According to Flightradar24, the flight-tracking website shows flight time and routes from before and after the invasion of Ukraine that has triggered the West’s closure of airspaces to Russian aircraft. Also read: Russia Ukraine War News Live This article will be showcasing some screengrabs of the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, which include routes from Chicago-Delhi, Helsinki-Delhi, and Newark to Delhi. On March 1, the United Airlines flight from Newark to Delhi took 13 hours and 53 minutes to arrive in Delhi by avoiding the Russian airspace. Before entering the Indian subco...

Uttarakhand tourism has partnered with hospitality-focused Saas platform BookingJini to streamline reservation processes, property management, and daily activities of hotels and other accommodation providers. Tourism in Uttarakhand has mostly seen flat rates for decades, thus mandating a substantial change. BookingJini’s entry is likely to shake up the status quo and introduce prices based on demand and supply. The new practice could help hotels get the best payment for their services, increase valuation of the state’s hospitality sector, and boost tourism revenue. BookingJini will use its flagship Central Reservation Software, a unique price recommendation tool. Using a demand-supply algorithm, the software suggests the right pricing for services based on the tourist influx to help achieve more monetary value. The AI-driven chatbots will further help hotel businesses communicate with prospective guests, thus boosting trust and engagement. BookingJini has tied up with 120 propert...

Skyview By Empyrean, Patnitop, has become India’s first Sustainable Tourism Destination, as certified by the Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) for complying with the Union Ministry of Tourism’s sustainable and responsible tourism standards for travel destinations. It was also conferred ‘Champion’ status, accorded for scores of 90-plus for sustainable eco-friendly tourism practices. Located in Jammu & Kashmir, Skyview by Empyrean, Patnitop, was the first to introduce a holistic leisure and lifestyle destination in the Himalayas with an array of experiences, including gondola ride, luxury stays, shopping, and soft adventure activities. A 90-minute drive from the Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra, this getaway is spread over 22 acres and commenced operations three years ago. The Skyview Gondola is billed as the Gateway to Patnitop. It is India’s highest gondola in terms of ground clearance. Patnitop is a hilltop tourist destination situated in Udhampur district on the Jammu-...

Turkiye Tourism Gobeklitepe Temple: Turkiye’s nearly 12,000-year-old temple Gobeklitepe witnessed a footfall of record 5.67 lakh last year. The temple is among the most important settlements of the Neolithic Age across the world and has therefore, been an interesting tourist destination among local and international visitors ever since it was discovered. With the temple hosting 5,67,453 visitors in 2021, the UNESCO World Heritage Site broke its previous visitor records even in the middle of the pandemic. The Turkish government, in a statement, said that it is expecting this record to be broken in 2022. Also read | Museum of the Future inaugurated in Dubai: Conception, unique aspects, what to expect and things to keep in mind while visiting The temple site is important due to the fact that the findings it offered presented a lot of new knowledge about the Neolithic Age. Dating back to 9600 BCE, the temple site presented evidence that changed the way archaeologists and historians look...

The total number of air passengers in the world will reach the four-billion mark in 2024, exceeding the 2019 pre-Covid level by three per cent, global airlines body IATA said on Wednesday. In 2021, overall traveller numbers were 47 per cent of the pre-COVID level, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mentioned. “This is expected to improve to 83 per cent in 2022, 94 per cent in 2023, 103 per cent in 2024 and 111 per cent in 2025,” it added. IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh said the trajectory for the recovery in passenger numbers from COVID-19 was not changed by the Omicron variant. “People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies,” he noted. There is still a long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the evolution in passenger numbers gives good reason to be optimistic,” Walsh stated. IATA represents some 290 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic. from Travel & Tourism ...

The Telangana government has taken up a new project of development of the thirteenth-century Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple after it attained place in United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNSECO) list of World Heritage Sites. A detailed project report is being prepared to turn the Ramappa temple and complex into a spiritual tourism hub. The Union Tourism Ministry will be granting funds for the development of the temple under its ‘Prasad’ (Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation) scheme. A team led by the director-general of the tourism ministry G Kamala Vardhan Rao visited the temple at Palampet in Mulugu district to understand the state government’s proposal and share the central ministry’s inputs, the Indian express reported. The team inspected the site, verified the land, proposed interpretation centre, sound and laser show, boating services, development of lake and gardens etc. The state government has to follow inputs by the Union ministry to be ...

The auspicious festival of Maha Shivratri or “Great night of Shiva’ was celebrated with much fervour in all parts of India on March 1. The Madhya Pradesh government on the special occasion created a Guinness record by lighting 21 lakh lamps in the Ujjain city. The Grand event was held at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, ANI reported. The popular shrine houses twelve major Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The famous temple that attracts a huge number of devotees all-round the year makes Ujjain more commonly known as the city of Mahadev. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, praising the successful execution of the programme recalled the principle of ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’ espoused by Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. He further seeked Lord Shiva’s blessings for all the citizens of the state to be self-resilient and attain the dream of ‘Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh.’ He said that the state government is assertive that the 11 road projects that were recently inaugurated by Un...

The Delhi zoo reopened for visitors on Tuesday after remaining closed for around two months in view of a spike in coronavirus cases in the capital, officials said on Tuesday. The zoo was closed for the public on January 4 and the online ticket booking link on its website was disabled. An official said the link was reactivated last night and all 4,000 tickets were sold by 8:30 am when the zoo reopened. “The ticket counters outside the zoo have already been closed. So, people are requested to book tickets online only two to three days in advance to avoid any inconvenience,” he said. Only 4,000 visitors are allowed in the zoo in a day in two slots — 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm.The administration has directed all section supervisors to ensure strict compliance to Covid behaviour as the zoo reopens. Earlier, the zoo reopened for visitors on August 1, more than two months after it was shut due to a rise in the number of Covid cases during the second wave of the pandemic.Th...

Museum of the Future, Dubai: A few days ago, the Museum of the Future was inaugurated in Dubai. The building is an eye-grabber for its unique shape, and for the void that is included within it. The museum is elliptical, with an elliptical void inside it. Despite having no columns, the building has seven floors and is 77 metres high. While architect Shaun Killa designed the museum and was its architect, the creation of the museum has been undertaken by the Dubai Future Foundation. Soon after the inauguration of the museum on February 22, Financial Express Online’s Bulbul Dhawan spoke to architect Shaun Killa as well as Dubai Future Foundation CEO Khalfan Belhoul to know more about the Museum of the Future. Also read | Planning a trip to Dubai? Here are the Covid-related health guidelines you need to follow to and from the Emirati city Khalfan Belhoul said, “The idea of the museum is to be the headquarters of all future convenings and dialogues in the world that can be housed here in ...

Kerala Tourism to roll out aggressive promotional campaigns across the country, targeting diverse segments ranging from family holidayers to working professionals, from adventure-seeking backpackers to honeymooners. During the pandemic, the majority of the classified homestays and resorts in the state were either closed or empty. The reopening of tourism activities is expected to revive the languishing business of homestay entrepreneurs. The campaigns to ramp up the state’s tourism and hospitality industry will be based on a variety of themes such as ‘Long Stays, ‘Homestays’, ‘Drive Holidays’ and ‘Change of Air’ besides new products like ‘Caravan Holidays’. Tourism minister of the state, PA Mohamed Riyas said the pandemic had tapered off considerably across the globe, resulting in the lifting of travel restrictions. “This augurs well for Kerala’s tourism and hospitality industry. We are in a resurgent mode now. We believe the recently launched products will attract the traveller...

The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country has been extended “till further orders”, aviation regulator DGCA said on Monday. On January 19, the suspension was extended till February 28. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, following the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and around 45 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them. In a circular on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: “The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till further orders.” This restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned. Fights under air bubble arrangement will not be affected, the circular said. The DGCA had on November 26, 2021, announce...

Delhi Zoo: The zoo authorities announced today that National Zoological Park, Delhi will re-open from March 1 with an online ticket system. The zoo was shut on January 5 on a temporary basis due to the rising number of covid-19 cases. The portal for the ticket booking was disabled on January 4 itself. All the supervisors in the Delhi zoo have been asked to ensure strict Covid-19 compliance and that the covid appropriate behavior is being followed as the zoo is all set to reopen for visitors. The zoo was opened for visitors on August 1 last year (2021) but it was then shut for over two months due to Delta covid variant wave in the country. The facility was earlier shut for visitors in March 2020 when a pandemic hit the country. Then again, in January last year, it was closed due to the bird flu scare. On Wednesday, India witnessed 15,102 covid cases in a single day. The active cases in the country dipped below two lakh after 50 days, as per the data by the Health Ministry. The activ...

IndiGo on Thursday said it will start flights connecting Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh to five cities in southern India from March 27 onwards. “The airline will commence new exclusive flights between Kadapa-Chennai, Kadapa-Vijayawada, Kadapa-Bangalore, Kadapa-Vishakhapatnam, and new flights between Kadapa-Hyderabad,” the airline said in a release. Kadapa will be the 73rd city in the country to be connected with IndiGo flights, it noted. While flights on Kadapa-Chennai, Kadapa-Vijayawada and Kadapa-Hyderabad routes will start from March 27, services on Kadapa-Bangalore and Kadapa-Vishakhapatnam routes will begin from March 29. from Travel & Tourism – The Financial Express https://ift.tt/TaCxj3l

Portals of Badrinath temple are all set to reopen on May 8 after the winter break. The Uttarakhand administration is taking all the possible measures and carrying out extensive preparation to ensure the security of the route. Shweta Choubey, Superintendent of Police, Chamoli reached Badrinath to check the security measures, finer details of the yatra route for Badrinath temple. She checked all the sensitive spots and also planned for smooth conduct of the yatra, ANI reported. “Bajpur Chada, Chamoli Chada, Birhi Bend Chada, and Helang areas have been designated as one-way routes for Yatra”, Choubey said after returning from Badrinath. The potential danger spots identified at the route are Kshetrapal, Pagalnala, Gulabkoti, Helang, Marwari areas. Signboards will be put up accordingly at these places in order to warn people from taking those routes during the yatra, she added. Portals of Badrinath temple were closed in November last year for the winter break. The Himalayan temple, dedic...

Hospitality industry body FHRAI on Tuesday said it has submitted a representation to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking his intervention to avoid disruptions in flight movements at the Port Blair Airport. The Andaman & Nicobar Command has directed shutting down the only runway of Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair for four days a week from March to May 2022 for its re-carpeting work and a NOTAM has been issued in this regard. The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India’s (FHRAI) stated that the closure of the runway poses a serious threat to the hospitality and tourism industry in the Union Territory which has already suffered 75- 80 per cent revenue loss due to the pandemic. FHRAI has appealed to the Aviation Ministry to explore alternatives to carry out the work at the airport without shutting down operations. “Tourism is the backbone of Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ economy. Veer Savarkar International Airport is the o...