*Panjim, 23rd April 2025 –* The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, has issued a directive to all watersports operators conducting the activity of Yachting within the state to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982 and Rules, 1985. This directive comes in response to the growing number of operators found operating yacht activities without obtaining the necessary NOC, license or permission from the Department.
According to the official circular issued by the Department, all such operators must register their activity within 15 working days from the date of issuance of the notice. This move aims to regulate yachting services, enhance tourist safety, and ensure adherence to legal protocols.
*Director of Tourism, Shri Kedar Naik, emphasized the importance of this step, stating,* “The Department is committed to streamlining watersports activities in the state to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability. Unregulated operations pose a risk not only to tourists but also to the environment. We urge all operators to come forward and regularize their services under the existing legal framework.”
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Department to strengthen compliance among tourism stakeholders and promote responsible tourism in line with Goa’s vision for a well-regulated and sustainable tourism ecosystem.
SpiceJet has taken a compassionate stance in response to the recent tragedy in Pahalgam. The airline is providing waivers on rescheduling and cancellations for flights to and from Srinagar until April 30, 2025. This initiative aims to offer flexibility and support to passengers affected by the situation.
Eligibility: The waiver applies to all bookings made on or before April 22, 2025.
Travel Dates: The waiver is valid for travel to and from Srinagar until April 30, 2025.
Rescheduling and Cancellation: Passengers can reschedule or cancel their flights without incurring any additional charges.
To minimize passenger inconvenience, SpiceJet is operating an additional flight from Srinagar to Delhi. This extra flight will help alleviate the burden on passengers and provide them with more options.
SpiceJet stands in solidarity with the victims, their families, and all those affected by the tragedy. The airline’s decision to offer waivers and operate additional flights demonstrates its commitment to supporting passengers during challenging times.
SpiceJet’s customer support team is available to assist passengers with rescheduling or cancellations. Passengers can reach out to the team for help with any queries or concerns. For the latest updates on SpiceJet’s services and any further announcements, passengers can visit the SpiceJet website or follow their social media channels.
Panaji, April 17, 2025 : The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, is pleased to announce its participation in the 14th edition of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) 2025, scheduled to take place from 4th to 6th May 2025 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Organised by the Government of Rajasthan; the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), GITB is one of India’s premier travel marts. It serves as a dynamic platform to showcase the country’s diverse tourism offerings to a wide network of international buyers and key industry stakeholders.
Goa’s participation in this prestigious event highlights its commitment to strengthening its footprint in the global tourism market. The Department aims to leverage this opportunity to forge new collaborations, expand outreach, and promote Goa as a year-round destination that offers far more than its celebrated coastline.
Through a series of B2B meetings, business networking opportunities, and interactive sessions, Goa Tourism will highlight the state’s evolving tourism ecosystem. From heritage trails and vibrant cultural experiences to nature and wellness tourism, hinterland adventures, and Regenerative Tourism initiatives, the Goa pavilion will present a holistic view of the state’s unique and responsible tourism practices.
Speaking ahead of the event, Shri Kedar Naik, Director of Tourism, said, “Goa’s participation at GITB 2025 marks yet another opportunity to highlight the state’s rich and multifaceted identity. While its beaches are globally celebrated, there’s much more to discover — from vibrant cultural traditions and distinctive festivals to verdant hinterlands and meaningful, sustainable travel experiences. Our past participation in GITB has been fruitful, and this year we continue that tradition by showcasing Goa as a destination that is both timeless and ever-evolving.” Delegates and visitors to the Goa Pavilion can expect meaningful interactions with tourism officials, insights into new initiatives, and curated travel experiences crafted for both domestic and international markets.
Goa Tourism warmly invites all travel professionals, buyers, and industry partners to visit Team Goa at the Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2025 and explore the many stories that make Goa a destination like no other.
Twice-daily flights between North Goa and Delhi, and daily services connecting North Goa with Bengaluru, Indore, and Chennai launched on April 15; Hyderabad route to commence May 3.
15-April-2025, Goa: Expanding its footprint in Goa, Air India Express has launched operations from Manohar International Airport (GOX) in North Goa, complementing its existing services at Goa International Airport (GOI). With operations now from both airports, the airline will operate over 115 weekly flights from Goa—including 75 from GOI and over 40 from GOX—offering travellers enhanced flexibility and improved access to North Goa, renowned for its pristine beaches, vibrant nightlife, bustling markets, and rich cultural heritage.
Effective April 15, 2025, Air India Express launched new services connecting North Goa with Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Indore, further strengthening domestic connectivity to the region. The airline now operates twice-daily flights to Delhi, daily flights to Bengaluru and Indore, and flights to Chennai on all days except Wednesdays. Services on the Hyderabad–North Goa route will commence on May 3, 2025. Expanding its international footprint from North Goa, Air India Express will also launch direct flights to Kuwait starting May 3, followed by services to Abu Dhabi from May 5, 2025.
To mark the commencement of Air India Express operations from North Goa, the airline and the airport operator hosted a celebratory event at Manohar International Airport. The event was attended by Siddhartha Butalia, Chief Marketing Officer, Air India Express; Shashi Chetia, Vice President – Network Planning, Air India Express; and Anand Ramachandran, Deputy CEO, Manohar International Airport, along with key airport stakeholders including representatives from CISF, Customs, and other operational partners. As part of the celebrations, a ceremonial boarding pass was presented to the first guest of the inaugural flight.
Schedule Effective 15th April 2025 (All timings are local)
Departure
Arrival
Departure Time
Arrival Time
Frequency
MOPA, North Goa
Delhi
14:45; 21:15
17:20; 23:50
2X Daily
Delhi
MOPA, North Goa
07:10; 18:10
09:45; 20:45
2X Daily
MOPA, North Goa
Indore
10:15
11:50
Daily
Indore
MOPA, North Goa
12:20
13:55
Daily
Bengaluru
MOPA, North Goa
06:25
07:45
Daily
MOPA, North Goa
Bengaluru
08:15
09:35
Daily
Chennai
MOPA, North Goa
16:40
18:20
Daily except Wednesday
MOPA, North Goa
Chennai
18:55
20:35
Daily except Wednesday
Schedule Effective 3rd May 2025 (All timings are local)
Hyderabad
MOPA, North Goa
14:35
16:00
Saturday
MOPA, North Goa
Kuwait
18:05
20:05
Saturday
Kuwait
MOPA, North Goa
21:05
04:05
Saturday
Schedule Effective 4th May 2025 (All timings are local)
MOPA, North Goa
Hyderabad
07:00
08:25
Sunday
Schedule Effective 5th May 2025 (All timings are local)
Hyderabad
MOPA, North Goa
10:25
11:50
Mon, Tue
MOPA, North Goa
Hyderabad
23:20
00:45
Mon, Tue
MOPA, North Goa
Abu Dhabi
13:15
15:20
Mon, Tue
Abu Dhabi
MOPA, North Goa
16:20
21:20
Mon, Tue
Schedule Effective 8th May 2025 (All timings are local)
Hyderabad
MOPA, North Goa
13:15
14:40
Thursday
MOPA, North Goa
Kuwait
16:40
18:40
Thursday
Kuwait
MOPA, North Goa
19:40
02:40
Thursday
Schedule Effective 9th May 2025 (All timings are local)
MOPA, North Goa
Hyderabad
04:40
06:05
Friday
Air India Express currently operates over 75 weekly flights from Goa International Airport (GOI), connecting key domestic destinations, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hindon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Surat. alongside international services to Dubai. Complementing the extensive network, the airline’s ‘Xpress Holidays’ platform offers curated travel experiences, providing travellers with end-to-end packages that include flights, accommodation, transport, and immersive local experiences.
Air India Express became the first and only airline to operate from two airports in the National Capital Region, with the launch of services from Hindon, Ghaziabad, part of the National Capital Region. In addition to direct flights to Goa, the airline connects Hindon to Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Varanasi.
With a rapidly growing fleet, Air India Express recently welcomed its 100th aircraft, doubling its capacity in just two years. The airline operates over 500 daily flights across 55 destinations spanning India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
From Abu Dhabi: Air India Express operates 60 weekly flights from Abu Dhabi connecting directly to nine domestic destinations Bengaluru, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai, North Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchirappalli. The airline also offers convenient one-stop itineraries connecting Abu Dhabi to 23 destinations in India: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hindon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) Surat, and Varanasi.
From Bengaluru: Air India Express operates more than 460 weekly flights from Bengaluru connecting directly to 31 domestic destinations: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hindon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kannur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, North Goa, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam and two international destinations including Abu Dhabi and Dammam. The airline also offers convenient one-stop itineraries connecting Bengaluru to six domestic destinations including Agartala, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Imphal, Jammu, and Vijayawada and 14 international destinations including AI Ain, Bahrain, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Phuket, Ra al Khaimah, Riyadh, Salalah, Sharjah, and Singapore.
From Chennai: Air India Express operates over 130 weekly flights from Chennai connecting directly to 18 domestic destinations: Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Guwahati, Hindon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangaluru, North Goa, Patna, Pune, Sri Vijaya Puram, Surat, Tiruchirappalli, and Varanasi and four international destinations including Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, and Singapore. The airline also offers one-stop itineraries connecting Chennai to 17 domestic destinations including Agartala, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Gwalior, Imphal, Indore, Jammu, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Ranchi, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam and nine international destinations including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Phuket, Riyadh, and Sharjah.
From Delhi: Air India Express operates 350 weekly flights from Delhi connecting directly to 21 domestic destinations including Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, North Goa, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Surat, and Varanasi and four international destinations: Bahrain, Dammam, Muscat, and Sharjah. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 12 domestic destinations: Agartala, Chennai, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Hyderabad, Imphal, Kannur, Kozhikode, Sri Vijaya Puram Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, and Visakhapatnam and nine international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Ras al Khaimah, and Salalah.
From Hyderabad: Air India Express operates more than 250 weekly flights from Hyderabad connecting directly to 25 domestic destinations including Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Kannur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, North Goa, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and three international destinations: Jeddah, Phuket, and Riyadh . Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 12 domestic destinations: Agartala, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Gwalior, Hindon, Imphal, Jammu, Mumbai, Sri Vijaya Puram, and Tiruchirappalli and 12 international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah, and Singapore.
From Indore: Air India Express operates 55 weekly flights from Indore connecting directly to six domestic destinations including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, North Goa, and Pune and internationally to Sharjah. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 24 domestic destinations: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hindon, Jammu, Kannur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Patna, Ranchi, Srinagar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam and six international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, and Phuket.
From Kuwait: Air India Express operates more than 20 weekly flights from Kuwait connecting directly to seven destinations in India, including Chennai, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, North Goa, and Tiruchirappalli. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 14 one-stop domestic destinations: Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Guwahati, Hindon, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, and Varanasi.
From South Goa (GOI): Air India Express operates 75 weekly flights from Goa connecting directly to eight domestic destinations including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hindon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Surat and internationally to Dubai. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 22 domestic destinations: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Sri Vijaya Puram, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam, and eight international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Muscat, Sharjah, and Singapore.
Air India Express is a Tata Enterprise and a subsidiary of Air India, operating over 500 daily flights, connecting 39 domestic and 17 international airports, with a fleet of 110 aircraft, comprising 70 Boeing 737s and 40 Airbus A320s. Air India Express invites guests with the proposition to ‘Fly As You Are’, using thoughtfully considered technology to enable flyers to personalise their travel experience. The airline offers ‘Gourmair’ hot meals, comfortable seats, and a host of exclusive loyalty benefits with a sense of unique Indian warmth, and an award-winning digital experience on its mobile app and website, airindiaexpress.com.
China has taken significant steps to ease travel restrictions for Indian nationals, making it more convenient for them to visit the country. The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India have introduced several measures to streamline the visa application process.
No Online Appointment Required: Indian applicants no longer need to schedule an online appointment, simplifying the process.
Biometric Exemption for Short-Term Stays: Travelers visiting China for short durations are exempt from providing biometric data.
Reduced Visa Fees: The cost of obtaining a Chinese visa has been lowered, making it more affordable for Indian travelers.
Faster Processing Times: The visa approval timeline has been expedited, benefiting both business and leisure travelers.
Visa Fees The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India have also revised the visa fees for Indian nationals. The new fees are as follows:
Single-Entry Visa: INR 2900
Double-Entry Visa: INR 4400
Multiple-Entry Visa (6 months): INR 5900
Multiple-Entry Visa (12 months): INR 8800
Group Visa: INR 1800 per applicant
Impact on Tourism and Bilateral Relations The relaxation of visa rules is expected to boost tourism and bilateral relations between India and China. With easier travel regulations, more Indians are likely to visit China for business, leisure, and cultural exchange.
Resumption of Direct Flights In a further development, India and China resumed direct flights in January 2025, after a suspension due to the pandemic. This move is expected to enhance travel convenience and facilitate more exchanges between the two countries.
The relaxation of visa rules for Indian travelers is a significant step towards promoting tourism and cultural exchange between India and China. With simplified application processes, reduced fees, and faster processing times, more Indians are likely to take advantage of the opportunity to visit China.
