India woos tourists
INDIA is to roll out simpler visa applications as part of the newly elected government’s charm offensive to boost the country’s tourism prospects. According to The Telegraph, Narendra Modi, the new prime minister, expects tourism to form a significant part of India’s economy and says the country will need to be cleaner, safer and easier for travellers to visit.
Travel operators have welcomed changes to the visa system which, from October 1, will allow people to pick up visas on arrival.
Since taking power some weeks ago, Modi has appointed a minister of tourism and announced plans for renewal and revival of the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi.
The new PM has previously said India’s Raj-era railway system also needed to be brought into the 21st century, proposing that fast “bullet trains” be introduced on routes.
■ UN SLAMS AFRICA TAXES
THE United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the International Air Transport Association (Iata) have urged the African Union to reject proposals for new taxes on tourists to Africa, Travel Buyer reports. UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai is worried about how the new tax will affect tourism, saying it is a threat to the competitiveness of the region.
Iata said new taxes would likely have a negative effect on Africa’s aviation industry, which employs almost 8 million people.
■ MAKING AMERICA EASY
PRESIDENT Barack Obama has said he will push for simpler entry procedures for travellers to the US. New measures include faster immigration procedures at the 15 largest airports and the use of technology, such as automated passport kiosks to help streamline the process. Obama said he hoped automated kiosks would be in use at 25 airports by the end of the year.
■ BRAZIL’S TOWNSHIP TOURISM
ACCOMMODATION in Brazil’s favelas has boomed on the back of the Fifa World Cup as travellers look for alternatives to overpriced hotels. With rooms in favelas going for around R305-R360 per night compared to R5 200 for a hotel room in Rio, business has apparently been brisk. Many home owners are being assisted by nonprofit organisation Football Beyond Borders, which has set up accommodation hubs with small groups of families.
■ MSC PLANS GIANT SHIPS
MSC CRUISES has ordered two new cruise ships capable of carrying 5 300 passengers in 2 070 cabins plus 1 413 crew, the company said this week. The two 154 000-ton behemoths will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for à700- million each. MSC said the ships would be the first of a new generation of architecturally different cruise ships. The first vessel is due to be launched in November 2017, the second in May 2018.
■ DOG FORCES EMERGENCY LANDING
A US Airways flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City after a service dog belonging to a passenger answered the call of nature — twice — in the aisle. According to Travelmole, the aircraft diverted to Kansas City when the crew ran out of cleaning fluids and paper towels and some passengers became physically ill. Truffles, the dog, and its owner were accommodated on another flight while some disgruntled passengers took to social media to voice their fury at the delay.
■ AIRLINES PROMISE BETTER TRACKING
THE International Air Transport Association has said the Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF), formed after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, should deliver draft options for enhanced global aircraft tracking to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in September followed by a presentation to the industry before year-end. ICAO and Iata are working together to look at options available to airlines and the ATTF is to make recommendations to better ensure global aircraft tracking.