Hawaii drops its booster shot mandate for fully vaccinated tourists

 In a recent travel update, Hawaii has removed its requirement of vaccinated travellers to have a booster shot to visit as a part of its Safe Travels program. The announcement was made by the state's governor Ige on Tuesday.

The official statement released by Ige stated, "In making this decision, we considered declining COVID-19 case counts in Hawai'i, the continental U.S. and Europe. Hospitalizations have also dropped. In addition, we looked at Hawaiʻi's robust vaccination rates and the continued push by businesses and organizations to get their employees vaccinated and boosted for the safety of their families and the community".

Just a few weeks back, the governor had said that he would change the definition of "fully vaccinated" to include a booster shot and introduced the Safe Travels program in October 2020. The program allows fully vaccinated domestic travellers to skip quarantine by showing proof of a negative test before.

The island of Maui has also dropped that requirement and reversed course. To enter any restaurant or pub in Maui and Honolulu, travellers will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Hawaii’s Department of Health is working on criteria and conditions to allow the state to end Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program eventually. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said that Hawaii is hoping to end the program by the spring. He further said that they have learned one thing about the Coronavirus that it does sometimes throw one a curveball.

The Safe Travels program was to end after Hawaii had achieved a 70 percent vaccination rate but then the Delta variant happened and the plan was dropped.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3615/Hawaii-drops-its-booster-shot-mandate-for-fully-vaccinated-tourists

India Removes All Quarantine And Testing For Vaccinated Travelers

India has announced it will drop quarantine and testing on arrival for travelers. India’s Ministry of Health revised guidelines for international passengers entering India from February 14.

India reopened for tourism in 2021; however, the Omicron variant led to India placing a mandatory 7-day quarantine and testing on arrival for all international travelers. Subsequently, very few tourists have entered India since March 2020.

India’s New Entry Requirements
Traveling to India from February 14 will be far easier. The Indian government has dropped mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated tourists. Instead, they all ask tourists to monitor their health for symptoms for 14 days after entry. India has also scrapped the mandatory COVID-19 test on day 8.

However, all travelers should submit a factual self-declaration form on the online Suvidha portal before departure; this must include travelers’ last 14 days of travel and which countries they’ve visited within that period.

Travelers from specific countries have two options before departure:

Upload a negative RT-PCR test report conducting a maximum of 72 hours before departure
Upload proof of vaccination from COVID-19

Travelers from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada can use either of those two options alongside 78 other nations. The Indian government will randomly test 2% of all passengers on arrival. The airline will notify all travelers who require testing on arrival during the flight.

Unvaccinated travelers must:

Submit a factual self-declaration form on the online Suvidha portal before departure
Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report a maximum of 72 hours before departure
Amit Kishore, a travel industry veteran and founder of 2hub stated: “The removal of mandatory 7-day quarantine for arrivals is a big reprieve for the travel industry which, for two years, has been receiving one brutal blow after another during Covid,”

“It has been a particularly anguishing journey for the industry and it now waits for the resumption of regular international flights. This is perhaps the single most important thing required for the resumption of travel,”

“The announcement of regular international flights resuming should be made at the earliest as airlines also take time to deploy aircraft on routes that open up and people need time to book. That will go a long way in kick-starting the industry and improving overall business,” Kishore added.

The COVID-19 Situation In India
COVID-19 cases are rapidly decreasing in India. The current 7-day case average is 83,346. That’s a sharp decrease from 309,011 only 6 weeks ago. India has currently fully vaccinated 54.2% of its entire population.

The Current Internal Restrictions In India
As Omicron cases continue to decrease, Indian states are relaxing restrictions on night and weekend curfews and reopening educational facilities. However, some states may still require COVID-19 tests to enter. Travelers may experience random testing at restaurants, shopping malls, and airports.

The wearing of face masks is mandatory in all public places, regardless of vaccination status. India has also limited large gatherings, and the local authorities may penalize tourists for breaking the restrictions. All trains and metro services are running again.

All essential services—such as ATMs, groceries, and pharmacies—are open again without restrictions. Before traveling around India, because of the vastly differing restrictions between states, travelers should check the latest restrictions in those states.

Final Thoughts
India’s drop in travel restrictions continues the trend of Asian destinations reopening in early 2022.

After two years of closure, various Asian nations—such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Singapore—are reopening their borders for travelers (albeit with certain restrictions.)

This is great news for the travel industry, even if these nations are still behind Europe in terms of fully relaxing travel rules.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3618/India-Removes-All-Quarantine-And-Testing-For-Vaccinated-Travelers

India’s Atal Tunnel is now the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 ft!

 The 9.02 km Atal Tunnel at Rohtang has created a new record! Located at an altitude of more than 10000 ft, this tunnel connects Manali with Lahaul, and has been recognised as the world's longest single tube highway at this height by the World Book of Records, London.

Referring to this, a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) spokesperson stated that they have received a certificate from the World Book of Records stating the same. The Ministry of Defence also shared this message and added that Atal Tunnel has now been officially certified as the World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10000 Feet by the World Book of Records.

This iconic tunnel is an engineering marvel in the Himalayas, and has proved to be a game changer for Lahaul and Spiti district as it offers safe and all-weather connectivity to the remote regions, and eventually with the rest of India.

While the south portal of the tunnel is near Manali, standing at a height of 9840 ft, the north portal is at Sissu in the Lahaul valley, at a height of 10,171 ft. Apart from safe travel, the tunnel has reduced the distance between Manali and Keylong by 46 km, thereby saving more than two hours of travel time.

As per the reports, the tunnel has been built at a cost of INR 3200 crore, and is also the world’s first tunnel that offers 4G internet connectivity. You will find CCTV cameras at every 60 m in the tunnel, while surveillance is carried out through the control room. Then, there are emergency exit doors that have been installed at every 150 m in the tunnel

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3623/India-s-Atal-Tunnel-is-now-the-World-s-Longest-Highway-Tunnel-above-10-000-ft-

Air travel from Kolkata airport picks up as Covid cases fall

 Domestic air travel has started picking up once again as the receding third wave of Covid is prompting many to cast away fears of the disease.

Travel industry is hopeful that the number of international passengers will go up, too, following the health ministry’s announcement on Thursday easing restrictions for in-bound travellers.

The number of passengers and flights to and from Kolkata had taken a plunge during the third wave of infections.


With the number of daily new cases now going down rapidly, passenger footfall and flights have started going up again, said officials.

“In the last five days, we have seen a growth in the number of domestic passengers and flights,” C. Pattabhi, director of the Kolkata airport, said on Friday.

The daily passenger footfall at the airport has gone up from around 17,000 on an average to 30,000, said Pattabhi. The number of daily flights has gone up, too - from 160 to around 200 in the last five days.

“We are expecting a further growth in the passenger count after April, when the examinations are over, if there is no fresh surge in Covid cases,” Pattabhi said.

This newspaper reported in January that the daily passenger footfall at the airport had gone down from 50,000 to 25,000 during the third wave. It reduced further to 17,000 before picking up again.

However, the number of international passengers and flights is not going up, said officials.

Now, around 14 international flights are taking off from or landing at the Kolkata airport. The passenger count stands at a little more than 1,000.

“We are expecting the number of international passengers arriving in India to increase following the easing of travel norms,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman, east, Travel Agents Federation of India.

The health ministry on Thursday announced that a person arriving in India should monitor their health for 14 days. The new protocol will kick in on February 14.

The current rule for such travellers is to quarantine for seven days on arrival.

One tour operator in Thailand said he was organising a group tour of Thai nationals to India.

“We are organising a tour of the Buddhist circuit in May. A group of 80 people will be travelling to Kolkata and onwards to the Buddhist destinations,” said Gautam Gurbani, general manager, The Expedition Co. Ltd.

He said such trips would be organised every month before the outbreak of Covid-19. The pandemic has brought such tours to a halt.

“With the Indian government announcing relaxations in quarantine rules, people are again wanting to travel,” he said.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3622/Air-travel-from-Kolkata-airport-picks-up-as-Covid-cases-fall

Sri Lanka resumes visa on arrival facility for international tourists

 Travelling to Sri Lanka is all set to become hassle free for international travellers. As per the latest reports, the island nation has announced resumption of visa on arrival facility for international travellers entering the country.

Reports have it that the on-arrival Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) facility will now be available for Indian tourists, as well as those visiting from other countries. However, as of now, the said facility will not be available for passport holders of some countries, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Myanmar, Cameron, North Korea, and Nepal.

Referring to this, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) issued a notification stating that the on-arrival ETA at the port of entry to Sri Lanka will be put into effect immediately for tourists who are unable to obtain ETA by online mode due to time constraints while planning their travel to Sri Lanka within a very short period.

CAASL Chairman Upul Dharmadasa in the notification advised arriving tourists to get the online ETA wherever possible prior to their arrival in Sri Lanka. And if reports are to go by, India has emerged as a major tourist source market for the island nation post-pandemic, and has received record numbers of Indian visitors since its reopening. Reportedly, attractive offers on flight tickets and quarantine-free stay have lured tourists from India to visit the island nation for vacations and leisure travel.

As reported earlier, Sri Lanka had also made it clear that all tourists on arrival must hold a valid travel insurance policy, while the COVID-19 insurance coverage can be purchased online from www.portal.pionline.lk/covid insurance with coverage of a minimum of USD 50000 including cover for COVID-19 treatment. While the insurance coverage is not required to board an aircraft, upon landing in Sri Lanka, travellers will be required to purchase it prior to leaving the respective airports in Sri Lanka.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3617/Sri-Lanka-resumes-visa-on-arrival-facility-for-international-tourists

No more tests for fully vaccinated arrivals in UK

 From 4 am on Friday, the Boris Johnson government lifted all testing requirements for fully vaccinated international arrivals, spreading cheer in travel and tourism sectors ahead of half-term holidays, when a large number of Britons briefly travel abroad.

The major changes to the UK’s Covid-19 travel rules that came into force will make international journeys cheaper and easier for passengers, officials here said, adding that the relaxation is thanks to the success of the UK’s vaccine and booster rollout.

Eligible fully vaccinated travellers are, therefore, only required to fill out a simplified passenger locator form, confirming their vaccination status, travel history and contact details.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The UK has eased international travel measures for Covid-19 and now has one of the most free-flowing borders in the world – sending a clear message that we are open for business. As our travel sector rapidly recovers, and we accelerate towards a future where we want travel to remain open for good, these rule changes coming ahead of half term are good news for families, businesses and the travel sector”.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid added: “As we learn to live with Covid-19, we are taking a balanced approach to opening up international travel and removing all tests for people who have played their part and have been vaccinated. Thanks to the millions of people who have come forward for their Covid-19 jabs, we are one of the most boosted countries in Europe and are able to take these steps”.

Also, from Friday, arrivals who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure test in the 2 days before they depart for the UK and a PCR test on or before the end of day 2 after they arrive in the UK, as well as completing the passenger locator form.

These passengers will not need to self-isolate on arrival and will only need to do so if they test positive. Leading figures in the travel and tourism sectors welcomed the relaxation.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3616/No-more-tests-for-fully-vaccinated-arrivals-in-UK

Malaysia Edges Closer To Fully Reopening

 Malaysia—one of the last Asian nations that’s yet to reopen its borders—is preparing to reopen its borders in March. Malaysia’s coronavirus recovery panel has recommended a full reopening of its borders as early as March 1 without mandatory quarantine for travelers.

The reopening is part of a plan to speed up the nation’s economic recovery. Since March 2020, Malaysia has closed its borders for most reasons—including tourism. The news comes as Thailand, The Philippines, and Singapore waive quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated tourists.

Malaysia’s New Entry Requirements
Although the Malaysian government is yet to release a reopening date, reports suggest travelers will have to undergo screening before departure and on arrival.

Muhyiddin Yassin, a former chairperson of Malaysia’s National Recovery Council (NRC), said: “This means tourists can visit, investors can enter… It means AirAsia (AIRA.KL) can fly again, as an example,”

Malaysia reopened a Langkawi travel bubble last year, but entry requirements were strict. As a result, very few travelers bothered to visit Malaysia in 2021

The Current COVID-19 Situation In Malaysia
Malaysia has recorded record cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks. The current 7-day case average is 10,610. However, with that said, Malaysia has fully vaccinated 98% of its entire adult population; this is one of the highest vaccine take-ups in the world.

Currently, Malaysia has internal restrictions in place. A movement control order, whereby people can’t freely move around Malaysia, is currently in place.

However, some states have reduced restrictions as they move into the National COVID Recovery Plan.

Travelers must wear a face mask in airports and public transport. There is a social distancing mandate of 1 meter. To enter many facilities, they’ll take a test of your temperature before you enter; this includes shops, cinemas, tourist destinations, and cinemas.

What About Other Asian Nations?
It’s great to hear that Malaysia is planning to reopen its borders in March; however, what about other Asian nations?

Asia has typically pursued a strict zero-COVID policy at all costs throughout the continent.

But as many countries outside Asia learn to live with COVID-19—Asia is now opening for tourism.

Here are some travel options in 2022:

Vietnam

Vietnam is reopening for tourism by April 2021. The nation pursued an extremely stringent zero-COVID policy throughout 2020 and 2021. Still, the nation will reopen will the following requirements:

- Show proof of full vaccination—at least 14 days before entry—or Proof of recovery from Covid-19 within the previous 6 months
- Travelers must take a negative PCR test result at least 72 hours before departure
- Travel medical insurance with coverage of at least USD 50,000
- Separate requirements will apply for partially vaccinated individuals and children (news to follow)

Thailand

Thailand has restarted its Test & Go system. It allows travelers to skip quarantine requirements and enjoy Thailand if they meet the following requirements:

- Travelers need a scanned copy of their passport and visa
- Proof of fully vaccinated status, such as a vaccination certificate or proof of recovery
- Travel insurance with coverage worth USD 50,000
- Confirmation of fully paid SHA Extra+/AQ hotel reservations (Day 1 and Day 5 with RT-PCR tests and airport transfer). The hotel for Day 1 must be within five hours of the traveler’s port of arrival, and the second hotel can be anywhere in the country.

The Philippines

After two years of closure, The Philippines is reopening its borders to international visitors. Here are the new entry requirements:

- Travelers—regardless of their vaccination status—need evidence of a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before departure.
- Fully vaccinated travelers won’t need to undergo any quarantine measures
- Children under 18 don’t need proof of vaccination.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3609/Malaysia-Edges-Closer-To-Fully-Reopening

Food Tourism Market To Witness Excellent Growth | TU Elite, Greaves Travel, India Food Tour

 Latest survey on Global Food Tourism Market is conducted to provide hidden gems performance analysis of Food Tourism to better demonstrate competitive environment . The study is a mix of quantitative market stats and qualitative analytical information to uncover market size revenue breakdown by key business segments and end use applications.

The report bridges the historical data from 2015 to 2020 and forecasted till 2026*, the outbreak of latest scenario in Global Food Tourism market have made companies uncertain about their future outlook as the disturbance in value chain have made serious economic slump. Some are the key & emerging players that are part of coverage and profiled in the study are Classic Journeys, Abercrombie & Kent, ITC Travel Group, G Adventures, TU Elite, Greaves Travel, India Food Tour, The FTC4Lobe Group, The Travel Corporation, Topdeck Travel, TourRadar & Intrepid Travel.

If you are part of the Global Food Tourism industry or intend to be, then study would provide you comprehensive outlook. It is vital to keep your market knowledge up to date analysed by major players and high growth emerging players. If a different set of players need to be analysed as per geography or regional target then enquire us with your customized requirements.

Food Tourism Market: Competition Analysis
With drastic change in consumers behaviour, firms, brands and value stakeholder in Food Tourism are curious to understand the implications for their products and services. Some of key competitors or manufacturers included in the study are Classic Journeys, Abercrombie & Kent, ITC Travel Group, G Adventures, TU Elite, Greaves Travel, India Food Tour, The FTC4Lobe Group, The Travel Corporation, Topdeck Travel, TourRadar & Intrepid Travel

Market Analysis by Types: , Domestic Tourism & International Tourism

Market Analysis by Applications: Individual Tourism & Group Tourism

Food Tourism Quantitative Market Data

Market Data breakdown by major geographies, Type & Application/End-users
• Food Tourism Market Revenue & Growth Rate by Type [, Domestic Tourism & International Tourism] (2016-2026)
• Food Tourism Market Revenue & Growth Rate by Application [Individual Tourism & Group Tourism] (2016-2026)
• Food Tourism Market Revenue & Growth Rate by Each Region Specified (2016-2026)
• Food Tourism Market Volume & Growth Rate by Each Region Specified, Application & Type (2016-2026)
• Food Tourism Market Revenue Share & Y-O-Y Growth Rate by Players (2020)

Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the Food Tourism market report:
1. Why lots of Key players are not profiled in Study?
–> The market study is surveyed collecting data of various companies from Food Tourism industry, and the base for coverage is NAICS standards. However, the study is not limited to profile only few companies; connect with sales executive to get customized list. The standard version of research report is listed with players like Classic Journeys, Abercrombie & Kent, ITC Travel Group, G Adventures, TU Elite, Greaves Travel, India Food Tour, The FTC4Lobe Group, The Travel Corporation, Topdeck Travel, TourRadar & Intrepid Travel

2. Does Scope of Market Study allow further Segmentation?
—> Yes, for a deep dive analysis add-on segmentation is applicable in premium customized version of report to better derive market values. The standard version of this report covers segmentation by Application [Individual Tourism & Group Tourism], by Type [, Domestic Tourism & International Tourism] and by regions [North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific etc]

3. What value addition does Country landscape will provide?
—> In the premium version of report, two-level of regional segmentation allows user to have access to country level break-up of market Size by revenue and volume*
* Wherever applicable

HTF MI provides customized study specific to regional and country-level reports for the following areas.
• North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
• Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.
• Europe: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia.
• Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia etc.

Browse for Full Report at @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3664868-2021-2030-report-on-global-food-tourism-market
Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.

Reasons to Buy

Stay tuned with the latest and Food Tourism market research findings. Identify segments with hidden growth potential for investment in Food Tourism. Benchmark performance against key competitors
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Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high-quality data and analysis

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3610/Food-Tourism-Market-To-Witness-Excellent-Growth-TU-Elite-Greaves-Travel-India-Food-Tour

Air India Can Make India An ‘Aviation Hub'

 Air India has finally returned home to Tata! TATA is one of the most professional organizations, not only in India but all over the world. Air India’s coming back to TATA is a proud moment for every Indian and the future of Air India seems bright in their hands. We hope Air India is able to expand its route network further and India once again see the glorious days in the field of Civil Aviation that it once saw.

The whole tourism industry is very happy because Air India is our national carrier, our pride and our country’s national flag which goes round in the whole world. So, Air India coming back to a professional organization is a historical and welcome step for India as well as for the tourism industry.

Air India has traffic rights all over the world which were not being utilized properly. Air India being a member of Star Alliance can benefit from it which they had not being doing. For example, Air India has a codeshare agreement with Ethiopian Airlines and Air India can utilize this to serve whole of Africa, which will get them extra revenue. Similarly, Air India does not have any connection for South America so Air India can codeshare with any airline to connect the whole of South America and simultaneously tourism can be started from South America as well. This way India will become an aviation hub with this kind of development.

We hope Air India now does route rationalization, stop operating to non-profitable routes and open profitable routes. Hope the employees are motivated and reassured that all efficient and productive people will be retained even after the one-year interim period is over so that the morale of the work force is maintained, and efficient people do not start to look for jobs elsewhere.

Air India has a lot of experienced professionals, and they can convert the following departments into full-fledged profit centers: Air India Engineering, AI Charters, Air India Cargo and IT and Training Centre of Air India can be converted into full-fledged training institute.

Air India has been receiving a lot of complaints which are not even acknowledged therefore it is very important for Air India to have CRM with artificial intelligence so that all complaints are attended to and redressed. People will be expecting on-time performance from Air India now. I hope as a professional company Tata will look into these opportunities and take Air India to glorious heights.

There are 75 million people, directly or indirectly involved or connected with the Aviation & Tourism industry in this country. Unfortunately, due to Covid, 51 million people have either lost their jobs or in the verge of losing their jobs. With the covid cases on the decline I am sure the international scheduled flights will also start shortly maybe in the month of March.

If the scheduled international flights start soon and Air India along with the Ministry of Tourism start marketing internationally, both digitally & traditionally, a lot of jobs will be created, and millions of people will regain their lively hood. In 2019, we had earned US$30 billion s in foreign exchange from tourism and for the last two years there is no income in this industry. If we open tourism and aviation then I believe, US$50 billion foreign exchange will come from this industry only and our country’s economy will get back on a faster track.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3602/Air-India-Can-Make-India-An-Aviation-Hub-