Here’s your weekly dose of travel updates!
Check out the latest news and updates about the travel and tourism industry from around the world.
1. Saudi Arabia is offering a 96-hour free visa to Indian citizens
Enhancing travel opportunities between India and Saudi Arabia, Saudi Tourism Authority, Alhasan Aldabbagh announced that Saudi Arabia is offering a 96-hour stopover Saudi Arabia Visa to Indian travellers. He also said, “India is a priority market for Saudi Arabia. Last year alone, we welcomed 1.5 million visitors from India, presenting a remarkable 50 per cent growth. Looking ahead, our objective is to attract 7.5 million visitors from India to Saudi Arabia as part of our vision for 2030.”
Holding a validity of 3 months, the 96 hours (4 days) Saudi Arabia Visa will facilitate such as Umrah, visits to the Prophet’s mosque, or participation in tourism events.
2. Travelling from Ahmedabad? Indigo and Vistara unveil new flight routes from Ahmedabad
With an aim to boost air travel from Ahmedabad, Indigo and Vistara Airlines are introducing new flights from Ahmedabad. Passengers will soon be able to book Ahmedabad flight tickets to and from Aurangabad, Rajkot, Bangalore, etc. almost daily. While Indigo Airlines will serve the Ahmedabad- Aurangabad route daily and the Ahmedabad – Rajkot route daily (except Wednesdays), Vistara will serve the Ahmedabad – Bangalore route from 15th March with two daily flights.
3. Etihad Airways eases India – UAE Air Travel with 4 new Weekly Flights to Jaipur
UAE’s Etihad Airways has unveiled its summer expansion plans to two new destinations: Antalya (three weekly flights starting June 15) and Jaipur (four weekly flights starting June 16) in a bid to boost Abu Dhabi’s stance as a global travel hub. The newly inaugurated Terminal A at Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi will benefit the passengers with sophisticated amenities and customer-focused services. Thiruvananthapuram is another destination to improve connectivity in India with 10 weekly flights.
4. Explore Vantara: Anant Ambani’s personal 3000-acre animal shelter in Jamnagar
Recently, Mukesh Ambani’s (Chairman of Reliance Industries) son, Anant Ambani launched his ambitious wildlife preservation project, the world’s largest zoo and rehabilitation centre- Vantara. Spanning 3,000 acres in Jamnagar, Gujarat, this zoo cum rehabilitation centre will provide a natural and nurturing environment for wildlife conservation along with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, hospitals, research centres, and academic institutions.
5. Qatar Airways looking to relocate operations to Goa’s Manohar International Airport from Dabolim Airport
Effective June 20, Qatar Airways is shifting its operations to the new Manohar International Airport (GOX) in North Goa from the current Dabolim Airport (GOI) in South Goa. However, the schedule and carriers for daily flights will remain the same. The newly built GOX airport is ready to greet visitors with state-of-the-art infrastructure, proximity to best hotels in Goa, improved public transportation and an overall enhanced passenger experience; other prominent airlines serving the GOX are Indigo and Oman Air. This change will also facilitate the high demand for all-inclusive Goa Tour Packages.
6. IndiGo announces Flights on 6 new Domestic Routes, looking to ease summer plans in India
To cater to India’s growing domestic air travel needs, especially for the upcoming summer season, Indigo has announced flights to 6 new domestic routes across India. Starting March 31, 2024, the airline will be operating Ahmedabad-Rajkot, Ahmedabad-Aurangabad, Bhopal-Lucknow, Indore-Varanasi, Kolkata-Srinagar and Kolkata-Jammu, etc. These new connections will further improve connectivity to other domestic and international destinations.
Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, said, “We are pleased to announce new routes to our forthcoming summer schedule, in response to the surging demand for travel. As the vacation season approaches, we endeavour to offer even more options to explore new destinations within India by IndiGo. We are confident that these routes will not only enhance access & travel experiences but also bolster economic ties across various states. IndiGo will continue to deliver on its promise of affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience across an unparalleled network.”
7. International recognition and applause! Saudi Arabia welcomes over 100 million tourists in 2023
UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council have lauded Saudi Arabia for its remarkable achievement of welcoming over 100 million tourists in 2023. This reward has also positioned Saudi Arabia to be an emerging global tourism powerhouse. For Saudi, tourism is said to be a significant contributor to the national economy. In 2023 domestic and international tourist spending stood at 250 billion riyals making up 4% of GDP and 7% of non-oil GDP.
H.E. Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb, commented: “This announcement demonstrates the scale of our transformation since the National Tourism Strategy was launched five years ago. Tourism is a key pillar in the nation’s economic transformation under Vision 2030, creating jobs and revenue for the Kingdom.” They have now set a target of welcoming 150 million tourists by 2030.
8. India’s New Delhi tops the list of Most Affordable Travel Destinations in 2024
Most of the avid travellers out there are always looking to budget travel. Popular website Wethrift has assessed data on direct flights, affordability of public transport, price of a meal, cost of accommodation, passenger footfall, cost of tourist attractions, etc. to pull out a list of the 15 most affordable travel destinations in 2024.
- New Delhi, India
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Cairo, Egypt
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Hurghada, Egypt
- Bali, Indonesia
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Phuket, Thailand
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Madrid, Spain
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Doha, Qatar
- Barcelona, Spain
- Cancun, Mexico
9. International Yoga Festival 2024: Celebrate the Power of Yoga in Rishikesh from March 8-14
Rishikesh’s Parmarth Niketan Ashram is all set to celebrate the very famous International Yoga Festival from 8th March to 14th March. The 70-hour experience combines traditional Indian practices with global yoga traditions across various disciplines. Participants will also have a chance to enjoy Aashram stay, cultural events like Ganga Aarti and spiritual discourses like attending Satsangs and learning from Yogacharyas.
The month of March is quite inviting for visitors for it is pleasant to practise Yoga or just explore the spiritual tranquillity of the city which can be best done with our affordable Rishikesh Tour Packages.
10. Plan a trip to India’s 6 best spring destinations, from tulips of Kashmir to cherry blossoms in Bangalore
The spring season in India, from February to April, is the best time of the year to explore the natural serenity of India. Hindustan Times recommends these 6 best spring destinations in India:
- Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers trek for its special spring bloom of blue poppy, yellow saxaul, red spider lily and more.
- Experience the annual Kashmir Tulip Festival, a sea of 1.5 million tulips of 48 varieties, with all-inclusive Kashmir Tour Packages.
- Walk along a carpet of red and pink flowers in Yumthang’s Rhododendron-lined valley in Sikkim
- The Dha-Hanu village in Ladakh’s Apricot Blossom Festival is a traditional feast.
- Experience the ‘first flush’ of tea picking in Darjeeling from April to June.
- A tabebuia of pink flowers, the cherry blossoms of Bangalore are the city’s own definition of spring.
11. Mount Everest: Nepal to pursue climbers to carry a tracking e-chip while climbing
Before Mount Everest’s 2024 season, the tourism department has announced that all climbers must rent and use tracking e-chips on their Everest climbing journey. Climbers can rent the chips for $10- $15 and it will be returned upon descent. Nepal Tourism’s Director, Rakesh Gurung, said, “Reputed companies were already using them but now it’s been mandatory for all climbers. It will cut down search and rescue time in the event of an accident.”
12. ITB Berlin 2024: Medical and health tourism takes main stage, Oman to take centre stage as host country
The ITB Berlin 2024 festival, to be held from 5th March to 7th March, one of the world’s largest travel and tourism trade expo, will have the host country – Oman taking centre stage as the official host country. Other than unveiling different facets of Oman’s tourism plans, topics like medical and health tourism will be under the spotlight. Berlin is all set to welcome visitors to the festival as well as tourists with a Schengen Visa and affordable Germany Tour Packages.
13. India’s new Airline Fly91 to soon start its services across India
Thrissur native, Manjo Chacko and former Kingfisher Airlines official’s new company ‘Fly91’ is all set to acquire its flying permit. The airline will be a part of the Udaan project, which will connect all the small cities and towns of India via air. Carriers with a capacity of 72-78 seats, connectivity to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and feasible travel time and affordability are the USPs that will make Fly91 relevant in the Indian market.
14. Indian Business Travel Industry aiming to reach $38.2 billion in 2024
The recently hosted inaugural Corporate Travel Summit discussed the latest trends and insights of business travel in India. The summit highlighted that India’s business travel industry is expected to grow and reach $38.2 billion in the year 2024. Sunny Sodhi, Managing Director of FCM Travel India said, ” India is the 9th largest travel market in the world for business travel spending. It is the 4th largest market for the Asia Pacific region, representing 5.7% of business travel spending in the region.” Other notable points of the summit included that the business travel industry will return to the pre-pandemic level by 2025, putting technology and sustainability at the forefront and overall a promising market for India’s growth.
15. AirAsia to expand wings in India with 6 new Indian cities on its route map by year-end
Another popular airline, AirAsia is looking to expand its base to 6 new Indian cities by the end of 2024. Kesavan Sivanandam, Chief Airports Officer, AirAsia Group announced, “Jaipur will be added on April 21, Visakhapatnam on April 26 and Ahmedabad on May 1, followed by Patna, Aurangabad and Calicut.” Apart from the existing 14 Indian cities, expansion in these Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India will be a crucial investment for the airline.
With so much to see and experience in the world, who wouldn’t be excited to travel? Head over to Akbartravels.com and find solutions to all your worries related to visa applications, flight tickets, and hotel bookings. What else? We have the best budget holiday packages available to make your holiday truly peaceful.
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