IndiGo has partnered with International Air Transport Association (IATA) to become first Indian airline to launch a pilot for IATA Travel Pass to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. IATA Travel Pass is a mobile app that helps travellers to store and manage their verified certifications for COVID-19 tests or vaccines. It is more secure and efficient than current paper processes used to manage health requirements. This is important given the potentially enormous scale of testing or vaccine verifications that will need to be securely managed.…
Author: Prasenjit Chakraborty
Etihad Airways has expanded IATA Travel Pass on flights between Abu Dhabi and seven destinations across its network as it continues to implement digital solutions to simplify the travel experience in the wake of the pandemic. IATA Travel Pass is available for guests on all Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, New York and Singapore and offers the convenience of a one-stop platform for managing COVID-19 documentation. Commenting on this, Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The feedback from the IATA Travel Pass trial has been positive, with Etihad’s guests appreciating…
Understanding the importance of sustainability, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has embarked on ‘Feel Good’ Campaign 2021 to promote sustainable tourism offerings. .The ‘Feel Good’ initiative illustrates the various sustainable tourism offerings across the country, while providing guidelines on how to still visit the natural landscapes, urban attractions, and historical sites that Germany is popular for. According to the press release, almost 58 per cent of Indian consumers are aware of the various implications currently impacting the environment, with interest in information on health and the environment are high on their agenda and making sustainable trips to the cities…
Lakshadweep will soon have three premium Maldives-style water villas. As per the reports, the three premium projects will come up at Kadmat, Minicoy, and Suheli islands. Around INR 800 crore will be used in this ambitious project, and the administration has already floated global tenders recently. Reportedly, three premium water villa projects have been identified in Minicoy (150 keys, and project to cost around INR 319 crore), Suheli ( 110 keys, and project to cost around INR 247 crore), and Kadmat (110 keys, and INR 240 crore to be used in the project) islands, based on comprehensive location suitability analysis,…
The Arslantepe Mound, a 8000-year old archaeological mound was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites positioning Turkey as a destination with a record number of recognition for its cultural heritage sites. The announcement was done during the recently held Extended 44th UNESCO World Heritage Committee online session in Fuzhou, China. According to a statement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, Arslantepe Mound had been on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List since 2014, and it is one of Turkey’s “earliest religious and civil sites.” “The archaeological site of Arslantepe is located on Southeastern Turkey…
The sudden enforcement of new COVID-19 guidelines, requiring a negative RTPCR report, by the Karnataka government resulted in confusion at the inter-State check posts particularly along the border with Maharashtra with long lines of vehicles piling up. The revised guidelines were issued in the wake of a surge in cases in neighbouring States. The new guidelines announced on July 30 night, mandate that travellers to the State carry a fresh RTPCR negative report unlike the earlier system when a vaccination certificate was an option. As per the new rules, only certificates not older than 72 hours are valid entry documents.…
The Delhi zoo was reopened to the public yesterday, three and a half months after it was temporarily shut due to a surge in coronavirus cases during the second wave. The facility had earlier remained closed for over a year due to the pandemic and bird flu and was reopened on April 1. “The zoo opens today. Rain could not deter the spirit and enthusiasm of the people, especially the young ones. We are trying our best to make their visit worthwhile,” Zoo Director Ramesh Pandey said. The zoo will operate in two shifts — from 8 am to noon,…
Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet will launch 16 new flights from this month. Accordingly, they will add Bhavnagar in Gujarat to its domestic network. Bhavnagar will now be connected to Delhi, Mumbai and Surat with direct flights starting August 20. Besides, the budget carrier will also launch 10 more flights that will connect Gwalior with Jaipur, Kishangarh (Ajmer) with Mumbai, Belagavi with Delhi and Vishakhapatnam with Bengaluru, and add an additional frequency to the Delhi-Jammu sector. According to Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Commercial Officer, SpiceJet, “Strengthening regional connectivity between metros and underserved cities is at the heart of SpiceJet’s mission and vision…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged the Indian government to remove COVID-19 related restrictions on airlines in the country. The body of 290 global airlines wants India to resume operation of international flights along with an end to capacity restrictions and fare capping for domestic airlines. The operation of international flights was suspended in India following the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the country has established air travel bubbles with over 25 countries. The restrictions on capacity and fares were imposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation over a year ago in May, when flight services first…
Tourism industry welcomes ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s plans to launch ultra-low cost airline Akasa Air. Describing Jhunjhunwala’s decision as very positive sign, Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI (Travel Agents Federation of India), said, “Jhunjhunwala is a savvy investor and if he’s bullish on the Indian aviation scenario, that’s good news! We need more competition since that’s good for the consumer. It’s also true that we need better connectivity – many destinations remain under-serviced while the airlines focus on the metro routes.” Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India), said that Akasa Air being a ultra-low cost airline would definitely encourage more…
