Indians appreciate vacations with loved ones more now as compared to pre-pandemic days and one-third of them have already made travel plans to celebrate Valentine's Day together, according to a global consumer survey by hospitality technology platform OYO. Nearly 62 per cent of Indian respondents were looking to treat their loved ones to a quick getaway to a nearby destination, as per OYO's global Valentine's Day consumer index 'Let Love In With Travel 2022'.
Monday, February 14, 2022
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Raffles the Palm Dubai
Raffles the Palm Dubai is offering some extravagant surprises for couples this Valentine’s Day.
Matagi, known for its unique Itameshi cuisine, has a spectacular eight-course Valentine’s Day dinner to try, for example.
The dinner is Dihram850 per person, with a serene ambience perfect for the occasion.
DJ Hilde will set the mood with romantic tunes all throughout the night.
As a parting gift, guests will be treated to petit fours at the end of their meal.
The relaxed jazz lounge Sold will be hosting a three-course meal, prepared by the expert team of chefs, paired with a bottle of the finest bubbly, red or white grapes for Dhs599 per couple.
Couples can also opt for a beverage package that includes a choice of selected sparkling, red or white grapes bottles.
Looking for an outstanding afternoon tea?
Head to the Blüthner Hall Afternoon Tea for mesmerizing interiors and delicious bites.
The soft drinks package is Dhs220 per person, or you can get a glass of bubbly and canapé for Dhs350 per person, complete with chocolate-dipped berries.
Plenty on offer, then, ahead of the big day!
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Mahindra Holidays, India’s first Hospitality Company to sign both RE100 and EP100
MUMBAI - Sustainability has always been an important part of the culture at Club Mahindra, the flagship brand of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited. As the Indian Hospitality Industry shifts its focus to becoming more sustainable, companies across the nation have been taking numerous measures in this regard. Club Mahindra has shown its commitment to the cause ever since its inception and has demonstrated it yet again by being India’s first hospitality company that has signed both RE100 (Renewable Energy) and EP100 (Energy Productivity).
Mahindra Holidays has committed to become carbon neutral by 2040 and is the first hospitality company in the country to have signed both RE100 (Renewable Energy) and EP100 (Energy Productivity), led by The Climate Group — setting targets to run on 100% renewable energy by 2050 and to double its energy productivity by 2030. It has also committed to the EP 100
cooling challenge for which it monitors the efficiency of air conditioning systems and implements energy efficient solutions.
Another noteworthy initiative that the company is a part of, is the Science Based Target Initiative, which requires it to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to limit global temperature rise to below two degrees Celsius.
Commenting on the countless efforts of the company Miguel Munoz, Chief Resort Officer, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited, shared “Ever since the inception of the company, we have aimed to uplift the people and the environment that our resorts are associated with, and we will continue to do so. It is a matter of pride to share that we were the first Hospitality Company that has Signed Both RE100 (Renewable Energy) and EP100 (Energy Productivity), a demonstration of our unwavering commitment to sustainability. The importance of sustainable tourism has increased a great deal in the past 2 years, with the COVID-19 putting the priorities of mankind into perspective. We at Mahindra Holidays recognize that this is the need of the hour, and we remain deeply committed to the cause.”
To meet these targets, the brand has incorporated a host of sustainable practices at its resorts in the areas of solar installations, energy saving, water conservation, waste recycling and biodiversity.
Energy Conservation
In the year 2020-21, Club Mahindra’s focus continued to be on installation of solar power and hot water generators. Solar power is streaming in at seven of its resorts with 22 million kWh generated during the year; another five resorts will be added in 2021-22. Outdoor solar lights were installed in landscaped areas. Other energy saving initiatives have been systematically implemented at resorts as a part of its 26-point programme, including the replacing of diesel boilers with heat pump for hot water generation in 10 resorts resulting in 67% less diesel consumption as compared to last year; and installation of inverter ACs and energy saving BLDC fans.
Water Conservation
With respect to water conservation, six MHRIL resorts were ‘water positive’ at the end of 2020-21. The utilisation of rainwater increased considerably in 2020-21 and similar actions will be implemented in another 19 resorts by 2024. Water consumption has reduced by 156 million litres compared to last year, and 55% of total water consumed by the resorts was recycled in
2020-21.
Waste Management
Waste recycling is an extremely vital component of sustainability. In this regard, the company embarked on the ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ (ZWL) programme last year with its Virajpet resort becoming India’s first ZWL resort. Three more resorts at Munnar, Madikeri and Varca were certified as ZWL resorts in 2020-21.
Promotion of Biodiversity & Environment Preservation
Promoting the biodiversity of our beautiful nation is another critical element of sustainable tourism, and Mahindra Holidays has organic gardens at several of its resorts: Kanha, Munnar, Corbett, Poovar, Manali, Cherai, Dharamshala, Thekkady, Kandaghat and Mahabaleshwar to promote the same. It also has butterfly gardens at Puducherry and Ashtamudi. During the year, biodiversity assessments were carried out at Virajpet and Madikeri.
The most critical factor of sustainability is the preservation of the environment. 46,960 trees were planted in 2020-21 as a part of ‘Mahindra Hariyali’ — a tree plantation initiative of the Mahindra Group — taking the total trees planted to 470,286 since the beginning of the project in 2010- 11. Under its ‘Jal Jivan’ campaign — a major initiative for water conservation and provision of safe drinking water — the company carries out projects for rejuvenation of water bodies, rainwater harvesting, water access, chlorination, and installation of RO water purifiers. In 2020-21, it installed rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in 10 schools in Udaipur district
which will benefit 2,120 students.
Promoting Local Communities
With respect to promoting the local communities that the brand has resorts in, MHRIL sponsored the education of 4,226 girls through the ‘Nanhi Kali’ project of KC Mahindra Education Trust, which provides academic and material support to underprivileged girls. Through project ‘Udaan’, it initiated a skill development and livelihood programme for 125 youth and 75 women; and supported three digital job fairs to help blue and grey collar workers find livelihood opportunities which achieved registration from 1,837 candidates and 194 businesses.
Healthcare and Sanitation
Healthcare and sanitation are critical concerns in a populous country like India, where a large percentage of people lack access to one or both these very basic human rights. To combat this, Mahindra Holidays installed a water treatment plant for drinking water near Lonavala, Maharashtra, benefitting 100 families. In addition to that, the company installed household sanitation units to 30 families in Raigad district of Maharashtra and also started an initiative to raise awareness and practical hands-on sessions on how to handle sudd
Spain issues major travel rule update as Covid restrictions scrapped for teenagers
Spain has today issued a major new update to its travel rules following controversy over its vaccination requirements targeting teenagers.
Previously, Spain had required teens to show proof of having received a full course of vaccination - causing chaos for UK holidaymakers as many children had not yet been invited for both doses of the jab.
Following the rule change, Spain’s Minister for Trade, Industry and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said: “As one of the world’s favourite tourism destinations, we are committed to making travel to Spain a safe and easy experience for our visitors, especially for families travelling with children.
"From February 14 2022, UK children and teenagers aged between 12 and 17 (inclusive) can present a negative NAAT test (PCR or similar), taken within 72 hours of arrival to Spain, as an alternative to presenting a COVID certificate with proof of having been fully vaccinated."
Children under the age of 12 are not required to show evidence of a Covid test or of having been vaccinated.
"We hope that with these changes, many families will choose Spain to enjoy safe and memorable holidays together.”
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Coming This Spring
Disneyland Resort announced the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival would return to the theme park between March 4 and April 26.
The limited-time event at the Disney California Adventure Park will highlight the diverse foods and flavors of the Golden State, with a distinct Disney twist. A lineup of visiting and Disney chefs will share personal stories and cooking tips in culinary demonstrations, tasting seminars and signature events.
A dozen Festival Marketplaces throughout the park will serve small plates and beverages inspired by California-grown ingredients like avocados, citrus, strawberries, peppers and artisanal cheeses.
Many dining locations and outdoor carts at Disney California Adventure will offer festival-inspired fare, with plant-based, allergy-friendly, gluten-friendly and kid-friendly dishes available.
Adult Disneyland visitors will have the opportunity to discover wines, spirits and craft beers curated from across the Golden State at locations such as Paradise Beer Garden and Cocktails at Sonoma Terrace.
For the best value on their tasty “tour” of California, guests can purchase the Sip and Savor Pass, which includes eight entitlement tabs redeemable for select food and nonalcoholic beverages at Festival Marketplaces and tasting-size portions at participating dining locations.
On Saturdays and Sundays at the Hollywood Backlot Stage, guests of all ages can watch culinary demonstrations from a diverse mix of chefs, who will prepare their favorite dishes while sharing insider cooking tips.
Indian Railways to Resume Cooked Food Service on All Trains From February 14
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Friday decided to resume cooked meals on all trains by February 14 after the service was stopped last year owing to Covid-19 restrictions. As of January, cooked food services was restored in 80% of trains. Ready-to-eat meals, however, will also continue to be served on demand.
Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent unprecedented lockdown, e-catering services were suspended on March 22, 2020. In August last year, IRCTC started ready-to-eat meal service. Cooked food services were restored in 80% of trains in January, 2022.
IRCTC had started e-catering service in the year 2014 whereby passengers could order an array of food of their choice from reputed brands as well as popular regional and local delicacies on phone or online while travelling on trains and get the same delivered to their seats at the railway station. During the pre-COVID period, IRCTC had started clocking 20,000 e-catering orders per day.
HERE’S HOW ONE CAN PLACE A FOOD ORDER THROUGH IRCTC’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
Step 1 : Go to IRCTC’s eCatering official website https://www.ecatering.irctc.co.in/
Step 2 : Enter your ten-digit PNR number and click on the arrow to proceed further
Step 3 : Select the food from the list of cafes, outlets and quick service restaurants available there.
Step 4 : Place the order and select the payment mode. Either, you can choose to pay online or cash on delivery.
Step 5 : Once the order is placed, the food will be delivered to your seat/berth.
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.
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
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.
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.
Friday, February 11, 2022
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.
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