Page 9 - Travel

IRCTC, DMRC join hands to introduce 'One India-One Ticket' initiative

Passengers travelling by train or air will soon be able to "reserve tickets" in advance in Delhi Metro for their forward journey as the IRCTC and DMRC have joined hands to introduce the 'One India-One Ticket' initiative, officials said on Monday. However, the timeline for the rollout of the project has not been announced yet, a senior official of the DMRC said, adding the move seeks to provide seamless and hassle-free travel for commuters across different modes of transport. "In a significant leap towards enhancing the convenience and ease of travel for passengers, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have forged a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)," the DMRC said in a statement. "This ground-breaking collaboration aims to introduce QR code-based ticketing for DMRC services through the IRCTC portal, as part of the revolutionary 'One India-One Ticket Initiative'," it said. Under this innovative partnership,

Union govt refuses to interfere in exorbitant airfares for travel to Kerala

The Union government has refused to intervene in the issue of exorbitant airfares for travel to Kerala during the upcoming Onam season stating that dynamic pricing is in place and travellers have to book in advance. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Office said in a release on Saturday that the Centre has refused to intervene in the issue. Vijayan had on July 5 sought the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in the matter, saying the exorbitant prices would impact numerous Keralites residing both in India and West Asia who are eagerly planning to return home for Onam festivities. In a letter to the chief minister, Scindia informed him that the aviation companies have the authority to decide the airfares, the release said. "There is only an increase of 9.77 per cent during the festival season. Since only the dynamic pricing system is in place, the only option is to book tickets in advance," the release said, quoting the letter from the Union minister. Steep

Most employees of BEST's private bus operators rejoin post strike in Mumbai

Most employees of private operators of BEST, Mumbai's civic transport body, re-joined duty by Wednesday evening, a day after their weeklong strike was called off, a senior official said. Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) spokesperson Sunil Vaidya told PTI that 100 per cent wet leased buses were operated with the drivers of private bus operators in the evening. In the morning, however, many contractual staffers were yet to return to duty, he said. At 10 am, the public transporter operated 97.5 per cent of the 3,040 buses in its fleet including the wet-leased ones and BEST-owned buses, Vaidya said. "However, 100 percent wet leased buses were operated with the drivers of private bus operators on Wednesday evening," he said. A BEST official said that some employees of the private bus operators did not re-join duty in the morning due to some confusion over fulfilment of their demands, but most of them rejoined duty in the evening session. So this is the first time sin

US finishes 2nd lottery round for H-1B visa, successful candidates notified

The US has completed a second round of random lottery selection for the much sought-after H-1B work visa for foreign guest workers and the successful applicants have been notified, according to a federal agency. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. We now have randomly selected, from the remaining FY 2024 registrations properly submitted, a sufficient number of registrations projected as needed to reach the cap, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Tuesday. All the successful applicants eligible for the H-1B visas for the fiscal year beginning October 1, have been notified about it, it said. USCIS had to conduct an unprecedented second round of the H-1B lottery, which is held in the first week of April, mainly because o

Hilton beats Wall Street Q2 estimates on rebounding travel demand

The company's revenue per available room, or RevPAR, an important metric in the hospitality industry, rose about 12% in the quarter from a year earlier

Musafir.com recommends the top places to explore in AlUla.

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Govt eases Covid guidelines for i'ntl travellers, drops RT-PCR requirement

The Union Health Ministry has further eased COVID-19 guidelines for international visitors, dropping the earlier requirement for RT-PCR based testing of a random two per cent subset of international travellers. The guidelines have been eased after taking note of the prevalent coronavirus situation and the significant achievements made in the vaccination coverage across the globe. The new guidelines shall come into effect from midnight of July 20. However, the earlier advice for precautionary measures to be followed by airlines as well as international travellers in context of Covid shall continue to apply, the ministry said.

Railways to slash fares of AC chair car, executive classes by up to 25%

Fares of AC chair cars and executive classes of all trains, including Vande Bharat, and those with Anubhuti and Vistadome coaches will be reduced by up to 25 per cent, depending on occupancy, a Railway Board order has stated. The fares will also depend on those of competitive modes of transport. With a view to optimising utilisation of accommodation, the rail ministry has decided to delegate powers to principal chief commercial managers of railway zones to introduce discounted fare schemes in trains with AC seating. "This scheme shall be applicable in AC chair car and executive classes of all trains having AC seating accommodation, including Anubhuti and Vistadome coaches," the Railway Board order stated. "The element of discount shall be up to a maximum 25 per cent on the basic fare. Other charges like reservation charge, super fast surcharge, GST, etc, as applicable, shall be levied separately. The discount may be provided in any or all the classes on the basis of occupancy," it

Wait for US passports is creating travel purgatory, snarling summer plans

Seeking a valid US passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveller, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport. A much-feared backup of US passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travellers in the US and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty. With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit in other cities in time to make the flights they booked in the first place. So grim is the outlook that US officials aren't even denying the problem or predicting when

Surge in solo travel; J&K, Manali preferred travel destinations: Report

Jammu and Kashmir, Manali and Shimla are the most preferred destinations for solo travellers as more people are inclined to explore places at their own pace and preference, said a recent travel trend report. The research, conducted by leading travel fintech SanKash, found that almost "35 per cent" of solo travellers prefer Jammu and Kashmir for vacationing, followed by Manali (25 per cent) and Shimla (14 per cent). Mussoorie, Sikkim, and Goa are among the other top preferred destinations, with bookings clocking in at nine per cent, seven per cent, and five per cent, respectively. "Destinations renowned for their natural beauty, cultural richness have witnessed a surge in popularity, captivating the hearts of travellers. As of March 2023, domestic travel is becoming more popular, and domestic capacity has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Bookings are back to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels for domestic travel," said Akash Dahiya, co-founder and CEO of SanKash. The insights

L-G approves allotment of land for Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor project

Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena has approved allotment of 297 sqm of land at Jangpura for the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor project, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday. The allotment of the land, belonging to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), was "pending for the last two years" and was critical for implementation of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, they said. The semi-high-speed regional rail service RAPIDX on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will bring down the travel time between Delhi to Meerut significantly. The project is helmed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The LG has approved allotment of 297 sqm of land keeping in view the national importance and public interest involved in the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project, a senior official said. This land was required for providing connectivity with the stabling yard at Jangpura from the Ring Road at Nehru Nagar for implementation of the 82.15-km semi-hig

India trade talks discussing business travel, not broader immigration: UK

Britain will discuss temporary business visas as part of Free Trade Agreement talks with India but any deal will not contain broader immigration commitments, trade minister Kemi Badenoch said

Money can't be accepted once booking annulled

The Rajasthan State Commission highlighted that the Board had received payment before it had sent the reminders, and it had no proof of having served a cancellation notice

Rajasthan women to get 50% rebate on fares across all roadways buses

The Rajasthan government on Thursday announced a 50 per cent concession in fares for women passengers across classes of Rajasthan roadways buses. So far, the concession was limited to ordinary (blue line) buses. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a proposal to provide 50 per cent concession in fares to women passengers across classes of Rajasthan roadways buses within the state limits, an official spokesperson said. Gehlot had announced in the 2023-24 budget that the concession in fares for women passengers in ordinary roadways buses would be increased from 30 to 50 per cent. This was implemented from April 1. At the inauguration of the bus terminal at Sindhi Camp here on May 25, the chief minister had announced that the concession would also be extended to Rajasthan roadways' buses.

Himachal Pradesh to set up 3 high-end hotels along Kiratpur-Manali highway

The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) will open three high-end hotels along the Kiratpur-Manali highway to facilitate tourists, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said on Monday

Spot airfares up three times in a month on India's busiest routes

However, fares for tickets purchased 30 days in advance have seen a small increase

Avataar Holdings sells 5% stake in RateGain Travel for Rs 206 crore

Avataar Holdings on Thursday offloaded a 5 per cent stake in RateGain Travel Technologies for Rs 206 crore through an open market transaction. According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, Avataar Holdings sold 55 lakh shares, amounting to a 5 per cent stake in RateGain Travel Technologies. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 375.02 apiece, taking the transaction value to Rs 206.26 crore. Post the latest transaction, the shareholding of Avataar has been reduced to 2.07 per cent from 7.07 per cent (as of March 2023) equity in RateGain. Shares of RateGain gained 0.76 per cent to close at Rs 379.40 per piece on the BSE.

Travel to India proved productive for Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who became the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to travel to India since 2011 for a SCO meeting earlier this month, said the trip "proved productive and positive" for Islamabad

Surge in domestic travels continues; Manali, Goa top destinations: OYO

As far as destinations are concerned, mountains are the clear choice this summer with 30 per cent of the votes, followed closely by beaches at 26 per cent, it added.

Nights booked for international travel by Indians doubled in Q1: Airbnb

The nights booked for international travel by Indian guests more than doubled year-on-year in January-March this year, with the UK, US and various European countries emerging as the top destinations among domestic travellers, Airbnb said on Wednesday. While international travel has gained momentum, Indians are also seeking domestic travel adventures, indulging in beach getaways, city escapades, and serene vacations in the hills, the online accommodation hosting platform said. "Goa takes the top spot among the most booked domestic destinations, followed by Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi and Kullu. Overall nights booked in India have grown by 70 per cent when comparing full-year 2022 with pre-pandemic 2019, while domestic nights in India grew by almost 110 per cent," Airbnb stated. Airbnb's General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Amanpreet Singh Bajaj told PTI that the platform is witnessing "very strong momentum" in all three segments whether it is domestic, ...