India plans to unveil a new tourism policy soon, Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel announced in Rajya Sabha, saying the country has embarked on a journey to achieve the top ranking in the sector by 2024 despite challenges.
About a month ago, the Centre circulated a new proposed tourism policy among states for its finalisation. It focuses on developing medical, religious and other facets of tourism and offering new destinations other than the popular ones such as the Taj Mahal and the Qutub Minar.
Mar 13, 2021
India Tourism Reconnects with Key ASEAN Markets
Capitalising on the massive global vaccination drive against Covid-19, India Tourism, Singapore, is organising a series of webinars cum B2B sessions titled 'India Tourism Reconnect' in the ASEAN region. The meets aim to reconnect the Indian tourism industry with stakeholders in key markets and start preparing for resumption of business as and when it is announced.
The virtual meets kickstarted with a focus on the Philippines followed by those for Malaysia and Singapore as per following schedule:
India Tourism Reconnects with the Philippines- 11 March 2021
India Tourism Reconnects with Malaysia- 16 March 2021
India Tourism Reconnects with Singapore- 18 March 2021
Apart from the Ministry of Tourism and State Tourism Organisations, leading tour operators, luxury hotel chains, river cruise and luxury train operators are also participating in the B2B session of the virtual event.
Mar 09, 2021
All Helpline Numbers of Railways Merged into Single Number 139
In a major development, Indian Railway has integrated all railway helplines into single number 139 (Rail Madad Helpline) for grievance redressal and enquiry during the journey. As the new helpline number 139 will take over all the existing helpline numbers, it will be easy for the passengers to remember this number and connect with Railways for all their needs during the travel.
The Helpline 139 will be available in twelve languages. Passengers can opt for IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System), or directly connect to call-centre executive by pressing * (asterisk). There is no need of a smartphone to call on 139, thus, providing easy access to all mobile users.
AmaWaterways Introduces its Longest-ever River Cruise Itinerary
AmaWaterways has announced the longest-ever river cruise itinerary, the Seven River Journey Through Europe.
The journey is a 46-night experience curated by AmaWaterways' president and godfather of river cruising Rudi Schreiner.
The Seven River Journey Through Europe includes more than 130 complimentary excursions to choose from with all-new experiences and exclusive opportunities.
Guests set sail on four ships. The first sails on the Seine River round trip from Paris onboard the AmaLyra. The second part of the journey includes the Saone and Rhone rivers onboard the AmaKristina. Guests then sail the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers onboard the AmaPrima followed by the Danube River through Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania onboard the AmaVerde.
Mar 07, 2021
Madhya Pradesh Introduces the Night Safaris
The state of Madhya Pradesh has introduced the night safaris in the three national parks in Madhya Pradesh. This move by the state is a major boost for the state which is already known for its robust tourism industry.
With the introduction of night safaris in three national parks, wildlife enthusiasts can now experience the majestic animals at night. The three parks include the Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park and Pench National Park.
Usually, safaris are conducted during the day because tourists feel safer in the daylight. But because of day safaris, tourists miss out to witness nocturnal animals in their natural habitat. So, now the state hopes to organise the safaris in a controlled manner. Under the safaris, the routes will be decided by the state. They would ensure that, neither the animals nor the tourists get vulnerable to harm. The night safari can be booked on the Wildlife Safari Reservation portal. This portal is operated by forest department of the state.
World's First Space Hotel Expected to Open in 2027
Space construction company Orbital Assembly Corporation unveiled new details about its ambitious project of building a hotel above Earth's atmosphere. Gateway Foundation first came up with the concept in 2012 and the Californian company later established OAC to realise its dream of building the first commercial hotel in space. The company is planning to start building the hotel, Voyager Station, in the low Earth orbit in 2025 that could be operational as early as 2027.
The space hotel will be different from the International Space Station (ISS) since the giant wheel with 24 modules, connected by elevator shafts, will rotate to generate artificial gravity of a level found on the Moon's surface. It will also have 44 emergency return vehicles (ERVs) with automated flight controls for autonomous landing, according to the construction company.
Mar 06, 2021
Tourism Body Urges Goa Government to Allow Chartered Flights from Safe Places
A tourism body in Goa has urged state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to allow chartered flights in the state from safe destinations under an air bubble agreement to boost tourism.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), in a memorandum to the CM, said that various trade bodies have suggested forming travel bubbles with Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, other CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, the UK, Poland and Finland for these commercial flights.
This comes ahead of the state assembly's budget session, which is scheduled to be held between 24 March and 16 April.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation last week extended the suspension of international commercial passenger flight services till March 31.
Amid the suspension, special international flights have been allowed under the Vande Bharat Mission since May last year and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with select countries since July.