But, return of international visitor spend yet to recover The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reveals a significant recovery of India’s Travel & Tourism sector, with domestic tourism playing a pivotal role. The data shows that whilst domestic tourism is driving the recovery of the sector in India, international travel spend remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, the sector’s contribution to India’s GDP reached just over INR 19.13TN in 2023 – almost 10% ahead of 2019 levels. Employment in Travel & Tourism grew by 10% to reach just under 43MN, 8% more than in 2019. Domestic visitor spending was 15% ahead of 2019, reaching INR 14.64TN however international visitor sp...
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Kashmir is attracting record tourists after the easing of pandemic restrictions and some improvement in the security situation, bolstering local businesses. Tourist arrivals are set to touch a ten-year high this year after more than 340,000 tourists have come since January, local tour operators and government officials said, despite restrictions on foreign tourists and some recent incidents of violence. Tourism plunged in Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration stripped the region of its special status and autonomy in 2019, and later as the COVID-19 pandemic cut domestic and foreign tourist inflows. Tourists ride "Shikaras" or boats in the waters of Dal Lake during sunset in Srinagar, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Danish Ismail "We are seeing the highest-ever tour...
Read MoreAs 2021 plagued by COVID-19 comes to a close, the domestic tourism sector in the West Bengal is seeing a boom after hitting the nadir during the last nearly two years owing to the pandemic but the increase in the incidence of Omicron has forced tour operators to keep their fingers crossed on international travel, leading tour operators here said. In the state capital Kolkata, tourism has got a filip after its famed Durga Puja was included in UNESCO's list of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity' and is expected to attract more foreign and domestic tourists, they said. The village tourism sector operating in the eastern Himalayas and destinations in the north east was hit during the pandemic and many of those involved in it went back to their family agricultural activities, ...
Read MoreThe annual UNWTO Executive Training Programme returned to focus on harnessing the power of domestic tourism to drive recovery and growth in destinations across Asia and the Pacific. Now in its 15th year, the Training Programme once again served as the leading platform for the region’s tourism leaders to network and develop strategies for guiding the sector forward. The event brought together representatives of 25 countries, with six (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Nepal) joining hosts the Maldives to attend the training sessions in person. High-level political welcome The Minister of Tourism of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, officially opened the Training Session, welcoming delegates taking part in person and online. Further highlighting the host c...
Read MoreWhen U.S. celebrity chef David Burke opened his second restaurant in Riyadh earlier in August, hudreds of Saudi men and women packed the venue to enjoy his dishes and fruity "mocktails" to a DJ's mix of Arabic and Western pop. While Saudis usually escape the desert country over the summer when temperatures can reach over 50 degrees Celsius, the coronavirus pandemic has seen them flock to restaurants and cafes in the open-air mall The Zone, bolstering Saudi Arabia's consumer sector. Saudi women sit at David Burke's restaurant, in The Zone restaurant complex, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Noura, 21, a Saudi hostess at one such upscale restaurant said she has been booking up tables weeks in advance. "Before, that would have been impossible in August...
Read MoreThe introduction of European COVID passes that will enable foreigners to freely travel to the Czech Republic again is crucial for domestic tourism as many firms and business people in this branch have no chance to survive without them, experts agreed in a debate on these certificates. It is important that particular EU member states launch the certificates in time and apply them in as much uniform way as possible, they also said. Some time back, the European Parliament (EP) definitively approved the introduction of COVID-19 passes or the certificates on COVID vaccination, testing or the recent infection, officially called the Digital Green Certificate, to be issued free of charge to facilitate travelling abroad as of early July. FILE PHOTO: A clock showing the time at noon is pic...
Read MoreInterMiles Consumer Sentiment Index reveals people are craving to break away from monotony In times of current pandemic things are changing very fast and even when we are going for vaccination at rapid pace, increase in numbers of active infections over the last fortnight has caught everyone by surprise. But it has been quite a long past 12 months and people are eager to break free. They are craving for travel. We have already passed the first quarter of the calendar year and time for traditional summer vacations is very close. Therefore—although in uncertain terms—but it is time to see what people expected of a new year. A survey has revealed the travel wishes of the travellers. InterMiles, a leading loyalty and rewards programme, has published results of their second travel...
Read MoreAs restrictions on travel begin to ease globally, destinations around the world are focusing on growing domestic tourism, with many offering incentives to encourage people to explore their own countries. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with domestic tourism set to return faster than international travel, this represents an opportunity for both developed and developing countries to recover from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the importance of domestic tourism, the United Nations specialized agency has released the third of its Tourism and COVID-19 Briefing Notes, -Understanding Domestic Tourism and Seizing its Opportunities.- UNWTO data shows that in 2018, around 9 billion domestic tourism trips were made worldwide – six ti...
Read MorePassengers flying to Goa must adhere to new quarantine guidelines in the wake of quarantine, said Airports Authority of India on Wednesday. As per the new directives, all arriving passengers shall be required to go for 14 days of home quarantine or they can opt for 14 days of paid institutional quarantine. Institutional quarantine is mandatory for symptomatic passengers till test result is available. However, passengers shall be exempted from home quarantine in below cases: Passenger is able to produce a COVID-19 negative certificate issued by an ICMR-recognized lab, not older than 48 hours prior to the arrival in Goa.Passenger opts for swab test upon arrivals at a cost of ₹2000 and agrees to remain in paid institutional/home quarantine till the time test result is available. ...
Read MoreKerala will work in tandem with Tourism Boards of other states to revitalize domestic tourism that has suffered a huge beating from the COVID-19 pandemic and would promote Ayurveda, eco-tourism and adventure tourism in a major way to get the tourism sector back on its feet. “Kerala Tourism will work together with other state tourism departments so that a tourist travelling from one state to another has a hassle-free experience. We expect to welcome guests in the next one or two months,” Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said. Kerala expect to welcome tourists in next couple of months The minister was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day Tourism E-Conclave, ‘Travel & Hospitality: What’s Next?’, which concluded on Thursday. “We are starting off by revivi...
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