India reopens

This week tour operators, hotel owners, drivers and guides breathed a collective sigh of relief as India announced that, from November 15, tourists arriving on commercial scheduled flights could apply for e-visas and travel unfettered around India. If you’re incredibly keen, from October 15, India will reopen to foreign tourists arriving and departing on chartered flights, and travelling in an organised group tour. While there are still teething problems around the exact rules – confusing messages have been issued about if, and for how long, Britons will have to quarantine – an announcement is expected early next week that the Indian government will drop the requirement for vaccinated Britons to quarantine on arrival.

“All the hotels and transportation are back up and running,” says Amrit Singh, managing director of Transindus (020 8566 3839; transindus.co.uk). “We realise there’s a worry about crowded tourist sites but that won’t be such a problem this winter as many countries in Asia still won’t allow their citizens to visit.”

Transindus has been working with its guides to rejig itineraries so popular places such as the Taj Mahal can be visited early or at the end of the day when there’s less of a crush. TUI, which runs winter-sun package holidays to Goa and Kerala says that it is restarting its charter flights to Goa in time for Christmas, with a 14-night holiday at the Hilton Doubletree in Arpora costing from £1,373pp on December 13 (0203 451 2688; tui.co.uk).

The adventure specialist Wild Frontiers (020 8741 7390; wildfrontierstravel. com) recommends heading for the big outdoors: the wilds of Gujarat and the Rann of Kutch and the forests and tea gardens of Karnataka and Kerala.

Some Covid measures remain across the country. Tourists will be expected to wear masks in cars and on public transport but it is a personal choice when out.