IndiGo, India’s leading carrier, has announced the commencement of daily direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Chandigarh starting from May 15, 2024. This strategic addition to IndiGo’s route network aims to strengthen international connectivity by offering seamless and convenient travel options between the thriving capital city of the United Arab Emirates and the vibrant beauty of Chandigarh.
Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, expressed his delight, stating, “We are pleased to introduce direct flights connecting Abu Dhabi and Chandigarh. This new route will provide customers with increased travel options between the UAE and North India. With this addition, IndiGo now operates 63 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi from 9 cities in India, fostering travel, trade, tourism, and cultural exchange between the two nations. IndiGo remains committed to delivering an affordable, punctual, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience across an extensive network.”
The airline is set to commence daily flights between Mumbai and Prayagraj from May 25, 2024, enhancing connectivity and accessibility between these key cities. This development reinforces Akasa Air’s commitment to strengthening its presence in North India, with Prayagraj being the fourth city in Uttar Pradesh to join its network.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, boasts a range of attractions including the iconic Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Ferrari World, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Yas Island. On the other hand, Chandigarh, known for its architectural marvels by Le Corbusier, offers picturesque sites such as the Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, and the Capitol Complex.The introduction of these daily flights marks a significant step in enhancing IndiGo’s international reach and offering passengers unparalleled connectivity and travel experiences.
The first flight departs from Abu Dhabi and arrives at Chandigarh on a daily basis, with the frequency remaining the same throughout the year. This flight is effective from May 15, 2024, and departs at 22:15, arriving at its destination at 3:30. The second flight, departs from Chandigarh and arrives at Abu Dhabi also on a daily basis. This flight is effective from May 16, 2024, and departs at 2:45, arriving at its destination at 5:15.
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On his first visit to India post his relection in January 2024, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay, emphasised the need to strengthen air connectivity between India and Bhutan to promote tourism during an exclusive interaction organised by FICCI in New Delhi. Highlighting the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, he invited more Indian tourists to explore Bhutan’s unique cultural heritage and natural landscapes.
“Our aim is to target 1,50,000 Indian tourists in the coming year,” stated PM Dasho Tshering Tobgay, underscoring Bhutan’s commitment to enhancing happiness and well-being among tourists through a holistic tourism policy. Globally, Bhutan is targeting to receive 3 lakh tourists. In 2023, 72659 Indian tourists travelled to Bhutan. The country yet the reach the pre-pandemic visitor arrival numbers, when it had received 2.30 lakh tourists.
The Bhutanese PM also invited more Indian carriers to fly to Bhutan and utilise the current air travel agreement between both the countries.
Bhutan’s tourism policy revolves around the concept of Gross National Happiness, focusing on sustainable development, social progress, cultural preservation, and good governance. Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay highlighted Bhutan’s efforts in education, ensuring that tourists receive excellent care and experiences during their visit.
During the interaction, the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of good governance in ensuring the safety and security of tourists. He outlined plans to improve air access to Bhutan and sought collaboration from the industry to achieve this goal. Additionally, he announced that Bhutan government will work towards providing subsidies to airlines to reduce airfares and easing of permit processes for Indian tourists visiting Bhutan.
Over the past few years, there has been a notable increase of over 25 per cent in the number of female guides in Bhutan, particularly since the country reopened its doors to tourism in September 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, there are approximately 1,809 certified and validated guides in Bhutan.
On the ocassion, Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI, emphasised Bhutan’s potential for tourism growth, citing its stunning landscapes and commitment to sustainable development. She called for increased collaboration between India and Bhutan in infrastructure development and trust-building initiatives.Dipak Deva, Chairman, FICCI Tourism & Culture Committee, stressed the need for enhanced air connectivity between India and Bhutan to facilitate tourism. He also highlighted the demand for a common regional package for tourism covering India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, a proposal that the Bhutanese Prime Minister supported.
The summit concluded with a shared commitment to fostering greater understanding and collaboration between India and Bhutan, with a focus on promoting tourism and enhancing people-to-people ties.
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The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai has unveiled its summer schedule, showcasing an 8 per cent increase in weekly flight movements compared to the previous year. The schedule, effective from March 31, 2024, until October 26, 2024, is planned to cater to the rising demand for both domestic and international travel, offering improved connectivity and convenience to passengers.
CSMIA will facilitate a total of 951 daily movements, up from approximately 882 in the previous summer schedule of 2023. With over 6,657 movements weekly, there will be a notable 8 per cent surge in weekly flight operations compared to the previous year, benefiting travellers from Mumbai and nearby cities.
The airport has enhanced its connectivity with additional flight frequencies to various domestic and international destinations. Notably, IndiGo will account for 1,255 weekly departures, while Air India and Vistara will contribute 539 and 519 weekly departures, respectively. The summer schedule introduces increased services to international destinations such as Paris, Doha, Hanoi, and the newly introduced route to Tashkent.
The introduction of these codeshare connections enhances travel options for Indian tourists, as well as business and leisure travellers, especially during the upcoming summer season. IndiGo already provides travel options to Singapore, further complemented by seamless connectivity to Qantas’ flights between Singapore and Australia. Both airlines had signed a codeshare agreement in 2022.
Among the notable increases in flight frequencies, flights to Delhi will see a significant rise with 27 additional weekly flights. Other key destinations with notable frequency additions include Srinagar with 28 additional weekly flights, Ayodhya with 14, and Kolkata with 9.In a statement, CSMIA said that it is committed to meeting the growing demands of passenger traffic by offering 682 domestic movements and 269 international movements, including the newly introduced routes. Vistara will operate to Paris five times a week, Akasa Air to Doha four times weekly, and Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent twice a week. Additionally, Vistara will operate daily flights to Hanoi, enhancing connectivity to these international destinations.
The airport said it has also implemented infrastructural enhancements to effectively manage the increasing passenger traffic demand and ensure a seamless experience for travellers.
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On his first visit to India post his relection in January 2024, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay, emphasised the need to strengthen air connectivity between India and Bhutan to promote tourism during an exclusive interaction organised by FICCI in New Delhi. Highlighting the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, he invited more Indian tourists to explore Bhutan’s unique cultural heritage and natural landscapes.
“Our aim is to target 1,50,000 Indian tourists in the coming year,” stated PM Dasho Tshering Tobgay, underscoring Bhutan’s commitment to enhancing happiness and well-being among tourists through a holistic tourism policy. Globally, Bhutan is targeting to receive 3 lakh tourists. In 2023, 72659 Indian tourists travelled to Bhutan. The country yet the reach the pre-pandemic visitor arrival numbers, when it had received 2.30 lakh tourists.
The Bhutanese PM also invited more Indian carriers to fly to Bhutan and utilise the current air travel agreement between both the countries.
Bhutan’s tourism policy revolves around the concept of Gross National Happiness, focusing on sustainable development, social progress, cultural preservation, and good governance. Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay highlighted Bhutan’s efforts in education, ensuring that tourists receive excellent care and experiences during their visit.
During the interaction, the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of good governance in ensuring the safety and security of tourists. He outlined plans to improve air access to Bhutan and sought collaboration from the industry to achieve this goal. Additionally, he announced that Bhutan government will work towards providing subsidies to airlines to reduce airfares and easing of permit processes for Indian tourists visiting Bhutan.
Over the past few years, there has been a notable increase of over 25 per cent in the number of female guides in Bhutan, particularly since the country reopened its doors to tourism in September 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, there are approximately 1,809 certified and validated guides in Bhutan.
On the ocassion, Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI, emphasised Bhutan’s potential for tourism growth, citing its stunning landscapes and commitment to sustainable development. She called for increased collaboration between India and Bhutan in infrastructure development and trust-building initiatives.Dipak Deva, Chairman, FICCI Tourism & Culture Committee, stressed the need for enhanced air connectivity between India and Bhutan to facilitate tourism. He also highlighted the demand for a common regional package for tourism covering India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, a proposal that the Bhutanese Prime Minister supported.
The summit concluded with a shared commitment to fostering greater understanding and collaboration between India and Bhutan, with a focus on promoting tourism and enhancing people-to-people ties.
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The state government has forwarded a list of 16 proposed sites in Rajasthan to the minister of road transport and highways (MoRTH), for installation of ropeways under the Parvatmala Pariyojana of the Union Government.
Sources in the public works department (PWD) claimed that deputy chief minister, Diya Kumari, had sent a letter along with the tentative list of proposed ropeways to the Union MoRTH minister Nitin Gadkari on February 14. The letter was sent following a meeting between Gadkari and Kumari on February 12.
“I would like to draw your attention towards the discussion held with your good self on February 12, 2024, wherein the development of the ropeways in the state to be funded under centrally sponsored schemes was also deliberated upon. A list of ropeways proposals has been compiled by the tourism department for your perusal and consideration,” the letter sent by Diya Kumari stated.
Besides being the deputy chief minister, Diya Kumari is also the PWD and tourism minister of the state.
The ropeways have been proposed in 12 districts of the state which includes two each in Rajsamand, Bundi, Jaipur, and Sawai Madhopur, and eight in Udaipur, Sikar, Jodhpur, Dausa, Baran, Banswara, Ajmer and Chitorgarh.
The airport will soon be widened enabling the bigger aircrafts to land thus increasing the footfall of the tourists and facilitating the locals as well. Besides, the airport now would meet the required regulatory standards of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and will further enhance the extra safety measures.
“These projects have been carefully listed to align with the objectives of enhancing connectivity primarily at frequently visited religious sites and for in principle approval, these projects may be examined at the level of MoRTH for execution purposes to promote tourism and enhancing connectivity in Rajasthan,” the letter further stated. Officials at the PWD said that following the letter from the deputy CM, chief secretary Sudhansh Pant has sent instructions to the department to prepare primary project reports (PPRs) of these projects by February 19 and submit them to the union MoRTH.
“Out of the 16 proposed ropeways, PPRs for two are already completed. We would complete the PPRs for the rest and submit them to the Union government within the deadline of February 19,” said a PWD official.
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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has taken up 321 NHs projects in a length of about 8,544 km and amounting to INR 1,49,758 crore for improvement of important tourist / religious connectivity.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said that the Ministry is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs). The development of NHs is carried out after network planning on PM Gati Shakti principle with the whole of the government approach.
While planning the development, important economic, tourist and religious connections are invariably taken up with special focus on Way Side Amenities (WSAs), adequate signages and road side / median beautifications and more. Thus, there is no requirement of dedicated funding / scheme for development of tourist / religious destinations, the minister stated during his Lok Sabha session.
During his address, Prime Minister Modi underscored the city’s burgeoning appeal as a hub of faith and tourism, citing the escalating number of tourists visiting Kashi Vishwanath Dham, exceeding the count of 13 crore devotees. Emphasising domestic tourism, he reiterated his call to explore 15 domestic destinations before contemplating international travel, expressing contentment in witnessing the populace embracing domestic travel.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has undertaken several projects across various states and union territories aimed at enhancing connectivity to important tourist and religious destinations. In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 2 projects worth 540 cr are underway, while Andhra Pradesh has 5 projects covering INR 2,588 crore. Arunachal Pradesh sees 7 projects totaling INR 7,648 crore rupees, while Assam has 9 projects for INR 1,861 crore. Ladakh has 8 projects aiming for INR 2,368 crore. Other states include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and more.
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