Reimbursement for international travel is not an absolute right, ruled the Madras High Court (HC) in connection with State Bank of India (SBI) officers’ claims. On June 24, Justice S M Subramaniam dismissed a writ petition from the All India State Bank Officers Federation in Chennai and the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation in New Delhi that contested several orders made in 2014 by the relevant authorities and ordered them to continue providing Leave Travel Concession (LTC) to cover international travel as they had done for bank officers before April 2014. In dismissing the case, the judge noted that it…
Author: Disha Ghosh
Indians and Malaysians are leading a tourist rush to Thailand after it relaxed entry rules, with total arrivals topping 2 million since the start of the year and providing a fillip to the Southeast Asian nation’s sluggish economy, reports Patpicha Tanakasempipat for Bloomberg. Foreign tourist arrivals totaled 2.03 million between January 1 and June 26, Deputy Government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said in a statement on Monday. Travellers from India, Malaysia, the UK, Singapore and the US topped the list, she said. Thailand’s tourism industry, which was nearly decimated during the pandemic, expects average monthly arrivals to surge to about 1.5…
The Patna High Court (HC) in Bihar on Tuesday directed the nodal officer of Civil Aviation Ministry to appear on July 5, along with the road map for the expeditious extension of Patna, Darbhanga and Gaya airports as well as for making few other airports or airstrips functional at Jogbani (Araria), Munger, Raxaul (East Champaran), Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S Kumar was hearing the PILs filed by Gaurav Singh and others, reports TOI. The petitioners claimed that out of INR 1216.9 crore sanctioned for the extension of the Patna airport, only…
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport has once again started trial of full-body scanners, after airports across the country missed the March 2022 deadline for deploying them, reports Jagriti Chandra for The Hindu. Full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which are hard to detect with the conventional door frame metal detector. Delhi International Airport Limited, which runs IGI Airport, said on Tuesday that it had installed a full-body scanner at the security check area at terminal 2, and the trials would be conducted on a real-time basis, i.e. passengers would have to pass through it during security check before moving…
With the rapid revival of business travel and corporates accelerating their digital transformation, Thomas Cook (India) Limited has launched FX-Now – a digital tool that empowers its corporate segment with convenient, customisable and contactless end-to-end foreign exchange services. Foreign exchange procedures require careful documentation and approvals – resulting in complex/cumbersome processes. In an initiative to simplify the process, yet maintain necessary checks and balances, Thomas Cook India’s FX-Now ushers in a digitised foreign exchange model that ensures speed, accuracy and seamless services for its on-the-go business travellers. Benefits for Business Travellers: • Simple, swift, convenient and contactless online process •…
Auli, a famous ski town in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, is being developed as an international winter sports destination, reports PTI. The incredible town attracts travellers from across the country and globe for its perfect skiing slopes. Considering its popularity, the government is planning to convert this place into a winter sports destination of global standards. SS Sandhu, Chief Secretary, Utttarakhand informed that a master plan is being developed to convert Auli into an international winter sports destination, and it is almost in its final stages. Though there are some issues in the implementation of the plan and land acquisition.…
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said the Kashmir Valley is witnessing an exponential increase in the tourism flow due to the successful campaigns to attract maximum tourists towards the region. According to statistics of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, March 2022 broke the 10-year tourist arrival record in Kashmir, signalling that the tourism industry is finally on the path to recovery, a statement said. As per the Union Tourism Ministry, around 1.42 lakh tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir during February alone, breaking the seven-year record. Remarkably, on April 4 this year, the Srinagar International Airport recorded busiest…
The government has drawn up a plan to augment the medical infrastructures of 17 cities, which see an inflow of a lot of overseas patients for treatment and wellness therapies, in a bid to boost medical travel as part of its ‘Heal in India’ initiative. Besides, the Health Ministry is working on easing medical visa norms and other requirements for patients and their companions from 44 countries identified based on the number of patients visiting India, and the quality and cost of medical treatment there, official sources told PTI. These are predominantly African, Latin American countries and also members of…
With Global Wellness Day being celebrated around the world on the 11th of June, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa went above and beyond to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, both physically and spiritually. Hideaway said “YES!” to wellness by filling the day with a fun-filled schedule of wellness-inspired activities for guests to get involved as little or as much as they like. In addition to that, the resort also offered a welcome surprise of a special discount available on all spa treatments, select diving center programmes, and motorized water sports activities. The event began with calming Sunrise Salutation…
Despite the current economic situation in Sri Lanka, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is upbeat about ensuing stability. Christian Pertl, Chief Commercial Officer, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in an interaction with TravelBiz Monitor spoke about the importance of the Indian market for the hotel group, and their marque project, Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort. Q. Given the current situation in Sri Lanka, how does Cinnamon view the opportunity in present and future? Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is the largest hotel group in Sri Lanka; we currently have 15 hotels amongst our various hotel brands. 11 of those hotels are in Sri Lanka…
