GOVERNMENT

Odisha allocates INR 1,500 cr to make religious destinations ready post-COVID

News Desk

While the state government for the development of religious tourist destinations had sanctioned INR 200 and 350 crores in 2019 and 2020 respectively, this year encompassing all religious projects, the Government of Odisha has sanctioned a budget of INR 1,500 crores to make religious destinations ready post-COVID, informed Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Government of Odisha. He was speaking at the Second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave organized by FICCI recently. "While the sector reels under the effects of COVID-19, we have been doing the background work needed to elevate the state's tourist destinations. Puri is the first city in the country to boast of direct tap drinking water. We are now trying to replicate the same in other tourist destinations as well," added Panigrahi. The minister says that even though international travel has

Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi

Minister of Tourism Odisha taken a backseat, domestic travel and tourism is slowly on the rise. The projects that Odisha is taking up currently will help the tourism sector in a positive way. He further says that Odisha Government is endeavouring to make the sector future-proof while improving the livelihood of local communities. “We have drafted the Odisha Tourism Development Facilitation and Regulation Bill that will empower the Government to register service providers, regulate activities in tourist areas, facilitate bonafide investment proposals and ensure tourist safety against malpractices," concludes Panigrahi.

Uttarakhand extends monetary assistance for tourism sector Goa seeks restart of foreign arrivals from safe countries

News Desk

Satpal Maharaj, Cabinet Minister for Tourism, Pilgrimage & Religious Fairs, Culture, Government of Uttarakhand said the state has extended various fiscal and monetary assistance to the tourism sector and has taken several steps to aid the sector. A package of INR 200 crore has been arranged for COVIDaffected service providers like adventure tour operators, and river guides, among others. He was speaking at the Second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave organised by FICCI,recently. Whule addressing the gathering he further informed that various policies have been undertaken by the state to help the sector revive.

"Among the various policies and subsidies that the state has undertaken, Uttarakhand offers policies to attract and support the film industry to shoot in Uttarakhand. Additionally, we

Satpal Maharaj

Minister for Tourism Govt of India

have provided a subsidy of INR 10 lakhs in hilly terrains and INR 7.5 lakhs in plains under the Deendayal Homestay Yojana. 3,400 homestays have been registered so far under this scheme," he said. Further, speaking of the latest trends in tourism, Maharaj said that people are also now looking forward to staycations and workations. "Under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Yojana, we have started online registrations. We have also developed various circuits to boost local travel," he said. News Desk

Goa’s tourism stakeholders have called on the Union and state governments to reopen the state’s tourism industry to foreign arrivals, especially from those countries that have welcomed people from India over the last year and a half. A delegation of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), a body of tourism industry business leaders, and the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry called on Goa chief minister to impress upon him to restart foreign arrivals, something that is seen as crucial for the state’s small and medium hotel industry to survive. To encourage tourists to travel, the TTAG has suggested a special charter tourist package visa to be worked out which can be issued manually by the local embassies or temporary landing permits can be issued on arrival to tourists, as done in the past. According to industry estimates, the tourism sector employs over 40 million skilled and trained manpower and generates approximately US $29 billion foreign exchange per annum for the country. The industry is facing severe financial constraints and even a limited reopening of the industry would go a long way in improving the health of the industry, the stakeholders said. They have sought that the Goa government should now announce a conditional reopening of the state for foreign tourists, subject to the Coronavirus situation being under control in order that they can plan for the upcoming season.

No new foreign tourists have set foot in Goa since March last year after the country shut its borders to leisure travel and stopped issuing tourist visas. Prior to the pandemic, the state witnessed close to 90-lakh tourists including around 9-lakh foreigners.

Kerala accelerates Covid-19 vaccination drive for tourism hubs

News Desk

Kerala has accelerated its total Covid-19 vaccination campaign to turn all tourism destinations completely risk-free for visitors, with Vythiri in upland Wayanad district becoming the first holiday hub to cover the entire population including tourism sector stakeholders under the initiative.

Rolled out on mission-mode to keep the whole of Kerala ready to receive visitors when the pandemic recedes, the inoculation drive has picked up momentum in all destinations including hill stations, backwater hubs, sea-side holiday spots and heritage and cultural tourism centres in the length and breadth of the state. A verdant eco-tourism hotspot located 700 metres above sea level and 60 kms from Kozhikode, Vythiri had its entire population, including all tourism service providers, vaccinated during an intensive inoculation drive held from July 13-17. Wayanad, sharing borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, is a major tourist haven in South India, known for its stunning scenic appeal and

News Desk congenial ambience. “In the post-pandemic phase visitors will be looking for safe and hospitable places to spend time. The Government considers it as vitally important to administer Covid-19 vaccine to the entire stakeholders in all the destinations across the state”, said Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas. “The vaccination campaign is picking up well as it is being conducted on a mission mode. Along with the Tourism Department, the industry bodies and employee forums and local communities are actively involved for its success,” said Dr V Venu IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala.

“This initiative will certainly position Kerala as a risk-free place to visit in the postpandemic phase. Enhancing the visitor confidence in places they choose to travel will be a key factor in the future,” said V R Krishna Teja IAS, Director Tourism.

The campaign is being rolled out to the entire service providers connected with the travel and hospitality industry including employees of hotels, resorts and home-stays, tour guides, taxi and auto rickshaw drivers and traders in tourism centres.

Major centres to be covered by the initiative include Alappuzha, Munnar, Fort Kochi, Kovalam, Kumarakom, and Varkala, lying in the length and breadth of the state.

manner. Wellness is the topmost agenda for us in Madhya Pradesh," he added.

Madhya Pradesh set to receive domestic travellers with ‘No restriction’

As the country has gone through the second wave of Covid-19 and moving towards normalcy by following the Covid-19 norms and guidelines to avoid the expected third wave, Madhya Pradesh has opened its boarders to receive domestic travellers with ‘No restrictions’. However, the travellers are advised to wear mask and maintain social distancing as a safety measure and to stop further spread of the pandemic. It was informed by Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Principal Secretary Tourism, Culture and Public Relations and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Board while Addressing the virtual plenary session of the 'Second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave: Resilience & The Road to Recovery' organized by FICCI recently. He further explains that “The COVID situation is very much under control due to the ongoing successful vaccination drive in the state. Tourist destinations like Khajuraho, Amarkantak and Panchamarhi are fully vaccinated, and 30 other destinations have been shortlisted for complete vaccination by end of this month.” “Our frontline workers are being vaccinated on priority. The past month has been very successful for the hospitality sector in Madhya Pradesh, and we need to now focus on destinationbased tourism. We are trying to develop destinations in a holistic

Sheo Shekhar Shukla

Principal Secretary MPTDB