Travelwithus

Enquiries for overseas travel destinations have picked up after the government announced that scheduled commercial international flights will resume from March 27. With more capacity getting added into the system, there will also be a dip in international air fares, which is expected to give a further fillip to travel. To be sure, the travel industry is hoping for a good season ahead, as search queries have spiked and increasing number of travellers are looking for long haul destinations like Australia, US and the UK. Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO, ixigo told FE that travel search queries from India for instance, Australian cities like Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney have jumped 15-20% this month. “We are seeing a trend of travellers now eager to book long-haul destinations, fuelled by international borders reopening and relaxation of rules across the globe,” he said. Data patterns sourced from MakeMyTrip show that 96% of the searches are for the coming summer holiday seas...

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...