International air traffic to Greece rose further in October, at the end of the peak summer tourism season, civil aviation authority data showed on Monday. Arrivals more than doubled in that month to 1,683,723, from 741,932 a year earlier when COVID restrictions hurt international travel. Greece, where about a fifth of economic output comes from tourism, suffered its most severe air traffic slump on record in 2020, with arrivals down 75% from the previous year. With vaccination and testing for Covid-19 widely available, the country opened its borders to foreign travellers in May, hoping for a 50% rise from the…
Author: Prasenjit Chakraborty
Vietnam’s Ambassador to India, Pham Sanh Chau, has expressed hope that footfall of domestic and international tourists to Bihar’s Bodh Gaya will increase soon. The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reopened on August 27 after remaining closed since April this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing members of Bodh Gaya Temple Advisory Board (BTAB) , he said, “The Mahabodhi Temple is a matter of pride for the people of Bihar. Bodh Gaya is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centres in the world. We are quite sure that footfall of both domestic and international tourists will…
Austria has become the first European country to reimpose a complete national lockdown as COVID-19 soars. The decision comes amid rising cases throughout the nation, and it has been noticed a seven-day rate of more than 1000 infections per 100000 people. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said, “Too many among us have not shown enough solidarity. I ask you all to help. Take part, support these measures, let us try to reduce our social contacts for a maximum of 20 days so that the Christmas holidays are protected.” The country plans to become the first country in Europe to make vaccinations compulsory…
To update the Kolkata Travel trade about the gradual re-opening of Thailand for tourism from India, Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi supported by Royal Thai Consulate Kolkata, organized the Amazing Thailand Presentation & Networking Lunch at ITC Royal Bengal recently. Around 75 guests including travel agents, media and wedding planners attended the event. The session started with a welcome address by Kasemsan Thongsiri, Acting Consul General – Royal Thai Consulate, Kolkata, who spoke about the consulate matters focusing on their efforts and procedures to assist travel to Thailand for Indians. He also informed the trade about updated guidelines on…
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced to run a number of Special Trains in coordination with Central Railway to clear extra rush of passengers during Christmas and New Year 2022. According to an official release, the bookings for the trains will open from November 20, 2021. The special trains can be booked at all Passenger Reservation System (PRS) Counters and IRCTC Website. Train number 01596: The Madgaon Junction – Panvel Special will leave from Madgaon Junctuon at 16:00 hours. every Sunday from November 21, 2021, to January 2, 2022. The train will reach Panvel at 03:15 hours…
The Philippines has opened borders for tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said. Tourists are required to be fully immunized with vaccines approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration under an Emergency Use Authorization or the World Health Organization. “Allowing tourists from green countries or territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with low infection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts–increasing tourist arrivals and receipts among others. This move will likewise aid in bolstering consumer confidence, which is a large contributor to our gross domestic product or GDP…
According to a Bloomberg report, Vietnam’s commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City has ordered bars, spas and karaoke clubs to shut two days after allowing them to reopen to stem another Coronavirus surge as cases climbed anew. The city government reversed course because the Covid-19 outbreak “is still complicated with hidden risks,” according to a statement on the city’s website on November 19. Restrictions on the establishments were lifted on Nov. 16. The return of some curbs in Ho Chi Minh City comes as the government pushes to reopen factories across the country and bring back more than a…
Maharashtra will showcase its trillion-dollar economic vision and business attractiveness along with its cultural heritage in the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai from today. Maharashtra’s two-week participation (Nov 19 – Dec 2) will start with the inauguration of the state’s pavilion by Subhash Desai, Minister of Industries, Gov. of Maharashtra, who will be joined by Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Industries and Tourism and Dr Anbalagan CEO, MIDC and Nodal Officer, Dubai Expo, and others. Several investor meetings to encourage investment opportunities in the state and efforts to open a channel of collaboration with global investors will form…
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on November 18 said the government is evaluating the process for normalising international operations and asserted that it wants to return to normalcy while keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic situation in certain parts of the world. In a possible indication that overseas flight operations are unlikely to be fully normal in the near term, the minister said that people should not let down their guard. “I am all for regaining our space in the civil aviation arena in the world and making a hub in India and for more wide body aircraft. We will…
According to a report in TOI, Air India pilots have warned of “industrial action” that may lead to disruption of operations if their demands are not met before the airline’s impending handover to the new owners, Tata Group. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA, unions of erstwhile Indian Airlines’ pilots) has written to the management alleging that the employee-related issues were not being informed to the new owner like the continuance of Covid-time pay cut. “While other airlines have started rolling back their Covid pay cut, we are still burdened by this pay cut of 55%. Despite our repeated pleas…
