Page 11 - Travel

Budget proposes 20% hike in TCS on overseas travel, remittances going out

The government on Wednesday proposed to hike the TCS rate to 20 per cent from 5 per cent currently on overseas tour packages and a liberalized remittance scheme for remittance of funds out of India. The Finance Bill, through the Budget 2023-24, amended Section 206C of the Income Tax Act levying a higher Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on overseas tour programme packages. Also, 20 per cent TCS will be applicable in cases where funds in excess of Rs 7 lakh are sent out of India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme of the RBI. The amendments will come into effect from July 1, 2023. Nangia Andersen India Partner Amit Agrawal said the increase in TCS rate to 20 per cent is a big surprise, especially with the comfortable forex position. "The increase in TCS rates to 20 per cent for overseas travel perhaps underscores the government's intention to restrict overseas travel spending by HNI's," Agarwal said. Agarwal said the step to increase TCS to 20 per cent for all remittances, other t

Passengers to face delays as 32 long-distance trains run late due to fog

Passengers are likely to face inconvenience as over 32 long-distance trains are running behind their schedule by up to seven hours or more due to fog and bad weather conditions on Saturday

Airlines worldwide keep capacity tight despite boom in Chinese demand

Bookings for outbound flights from China surged by 254% on Tuesday morning versus the same period the day prior, data shows

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to rebel-held Tigray capital

With planned daily flights to Mekele, the airline said it will increase the daily frequency depending on the demand on the route

Chinese govt to start issuing new passports as Covid-19 curbs ease

The Chinese government says it will start issuing new passports as it dismantles anti-virus travel barriers, setting up a potential flood of millions of tourists out of China for next month's Lunar New Year holiday. That raises the possibility of an influx of free-spending Chinese visitors to revenue-starved destinations in Asia and Europe in what usually is the country's busiest travel season. But it also presents a danger, as tourists might spread COVID-19 as infections surge in China. China stopped issuing passports at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 as part of the world's strictest anti-virus controls and tried to block students, businesspeople and other travellers from going abroad. Tourist travel into China was shut down. Businesspeople and others who were allowed in were quarantined for up to one week. Tuesday's announcement adds to abrupt changes that roll back a "zero-COVID" strategy that confined millions of families to their homes. It kept infection rates

This city booked most number of Uber services in 2022; Bengaluru is second

Chandigarh among top five cities in terms of fastest average speeds, according to 'How India Ubered in 2022'

Travellers in a fix over govt announcement of mandatory RT-PCR testing

The rule applies to passengers arriving from five nations and calls for quarantine of infected/symptomatic flyers; travellers fear list may soon include more countries

Beaches to mountains: Indians are heading out for their New Year vacation

A quite hill town, a bustling beach, or an international city: Indians are taking their pick to greet the New Year

Govt issues rules for random Covid testing of int'l arriving passengers

With random coronavirus testing of international arriving passengers set to start from Saturday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that airlines' crew members will have to bring such identified passengers to the testing facility at the airport. Against the backdrop of rising coronavirus cases in China and some other parts of the world, the government has decided to subject 2 per cent of the passengers arriving on international flights to random coronavirus test starting from Saturday morning. In a communication on Friday, the ministry said that airlines are required to direct their crew members to lead and bring identified 2 per cent of international arriving passengers to the testing facility at the airport. "The airport operators would create necessary infrastructure to facilitate random testing of international arriving passengers at their respective airports," the communication said. The communication has been sent to the aviation regulator DGCA and copies have been marke

Avoid public gatherings, international travel amid fresh Covid scare: IMA

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised people to avoid public gatherings such as wedding ceremonies, political or social meetings as well as international travel amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China. In an advisory issued on Thursday, the IMA also appealed to people to go for vaccination against the viral disease, including taking the precaution dose, and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour such as using masks at public places and following social-distancing norms. According to reports, around 5.37 lakh fresh cases of the infection were reported in a 24-hour period recently from countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, France and Brazil, the IMA said. "With the robust infrastructure in the public as well as the private sector, dedicated medical manpower, proactive leadership support from the government and availability of sufficient medicines and vaccines, India will be able to manage any eventualities as done in the past

Outward remittance under LSR dips 28% to $1.92 bn in Oct, shows RBI data

International travel contributed over $970 million or 50 per cent of $1.92 billion remitted by Indians in October 2022

Indians flocking both foreign and local getaways as travel recovers: Airbnb

The traveller is also expanding his travel horizons, looking to explore new getaways abroad

'Go all out': China prepares for Covid spread as holiday travel looms

To step up support for economy in 2023 amid pandemic pains

Number of Indians travelling abroad up 137%, still below pre-pandemic level

7.2 million, 40 per cent of the 18 million left the country for "residency" and another 7.1 million were tourists

Rajasthan govt implements new rural tourism scheme, promises jobs

Agriculture tourism units will be set up on farm land on areas ranging from 2,000 square metres to two hectares (one hectare is roughly 10,000 square metres)

Lanka to resume flights from Jaffna to India next week: Aviation ministry

Sri Lanka will resume flights from the northern Jaffna peninsula to Chennai by next week, a senior minister has said, a move that will help the cash-strapped country's tourism sector and provide a fillip to its beleaguered economy. The tourism sector is the main source of foreign exchange earnings for Sri Lanka. However, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 severely crippled the tourism sector and was one of the major reasons for Sri Lanka's economic travails. The island nation's earnings from international tourist arrivals for November touched USD 107.5 billion, with the cumulative tally in the first eleven months of the year notching up a whopping USD 1129.4 million, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. "The flights to India from Palaly will resume soon, most probably by December 12," Sri Lanka's Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament on Monday. Flights will be operational between Jaffna and Chennai, the minister said. "There are still some improvements t

E-Visa facility resumes again for UK nationals travelling to India

For the first time since March 2020, India is all set to resume the e-Visa facility for UK citizens travelling to India, the High Commissioner of India to the UK announced in a video message on Monday

Hotel biz to rise 23% in FY22 over pre-Covid period: CRISIL Ratings

The Indian hotel industry is likely to witness 23 per cent growth in revenue this fiscal over the pre-pandemic level, driven by a strong recovery in business travel and continued traction in leisure travel, according to a report. Higher average room rates (ARRs) and occupancy will help the hotel industry log a strong improvement in profitability to around 34 per cent this fiscal compared to 24 per cent in the pre-pandemic period (fiscal 2020), Crisil Ratings said in a report. Revenue, on its part, will increase 23 per cent over the pre-pandemic level, riding on a strong recovery in business travel and continued traction in leisure travel, it added. "Leisure travel had gained traction post the Delta wave last fiscal, while business travel has started picking up steadily after a much milder Omicron wave in January 2022. This has been fuelling demand in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and events) segment," Crisil Ratings Senior Director Mohit Makhija said. Crisil Ratings .

Removing vaccination mandate for incoming tourists correct move: Experts

With over 90% of population being vaccinated, it is okay at a policy level to relax the mandatory vaccination norm for entering India, they say

0 in '14 to 48 now: Demand rises for non-stop flights between India, Canada

There were no non-stop flights between the two countries in 2014. This has risen to 48 in 2022