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Travel Guide Travel Guide to India

India Travel Ban to end on May 15, Scott Morrison confirms

Scott Morrison made it clear that this morning he wants repatriation flights to start on May 15 in out of India. “When travel pause begins and I expect to be the finding of National Security of Cabinet today, and I did predict this on last couple of days.” Mr. Clennell said.

Mr. Clennell said. With the 4th paragraph of press release put up by Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday night would say that there would be up to 5 years in jail for Australians returning from India without 14 days in a 3rd country if they may come before May 15. Prime Minister blames media for highlighting that.

PM Blames media amid India Backlash

“I would argue that perhaps you may make a mistake that in emphasising punishment, which is what happened, would you agree was that a mistake?” asked by Mr. Clennell. Prime Minister said that “We didn’t. But media did that. There was a simple statement of what is bio-security act as the way affect. This is not something was said by Greg or me or someone else speak up on. In the media, they highlighted it. There are highly remote and strange from those extensions”.

As Scott Morrison further stated, the government’s controversial ban, which made it as an offence for individuals try to return back to Australia who staying in India within the prior 14 days, began on Monday and finishes by 15th May. “The original decision to put in place that bio-security order until the 15th of May has proved very effective, and it will run its full course until that time without any change,” he said.

There are 9000 Australians who registered under Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades, Canberra and firstly they will give priority to repatriate 900 of vulnerable cases now. Prime Minister Morrison said they are anticipating another three repatriation flights before end of this month, to get back vulnerable Australians from India.

Currently, every Australians understand that’s decision by national government to try to strengthen Australian quarantine system, they are all aware that it has been so crucial to keep Australia safe during this crisis. However, authorities are expected that recent active cases in quarantine system will be at zero, or close to, by May 15.

No word on Commercial Flights

At the moment, Prime minister did not make any decision about commercial flights from India and would take further action on that next week. Further he mentioned that “What’s important is that the bio-security order that we have put in place has been highly effective, it’s doing the job that we needed it to do,”.

Looking at the brighter side, from May 15, all flights from India to Australia will resume back in operation.

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

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Travel Guide

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirms India travel ban to end

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed the India travel ban imposed on 3 May will likely come to an end on May 15.

According to the ban, from May 3, Australians who travelled to India in the last 14 days will be prohibited from entering Australia due to concerns over India’s escalating Covid-19 pandemic, which nearly saw 400,000 cases in a single day on Sunday.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said any individual who overlooked the new restrictions would confront five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $66,600, or both.

Australian Government received a backlash for implementing the travel ban

The Australian government has come under the scrutiny and faced a major backlash for their act not just from the Indian community but also the members of the government. Media houses addressed, it is the first time that Australians have been criminalized for attempting to get back to their nation. No comparable measures were set up at the height of the Covid-19 epidemics in the UK and the US.

Speaking to sunrise, Morrison said the purpose of the temporary travel suspension was to give Australia time to prepare to safely repatriate and quarantine returned travellers.

“We needed to take a pause to make sure we put Australia in a safer position to bring people safely home,” he explained. Morrison also added that, the ban was a temporary two week pause and not a four months lockdown. All they wanted to ensure was the country does not face a third wave of COVID-19.

Prime Minister defends the Travel ban

Responding to the criticism faced over the travel ban, he defended the government’s policy and all accusations against it.  “There is a raging pandemic, and we need to just continue to make decisions that are in the best health interests of Australia”

There are an estimated 9000 Australians stranded in India with a hope of returning to Australia.  “At least open the doors for us … By closing borders, you have just killed our hope,” says Pankaj Sharma who is stranded in India for the past 8 months.

Looing at the brighter side, from May 15, all flights from India to Australia will resume back in operation.

Gaura Travel flights will be running as scheduled. The current dates available are 28 May, 4 June and 11 June.

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

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Travel Guide

International Students likely to be allowed to enter Victoria next month

Victoria is expected to welcome back more than 120 international students and workers 24 May onwards, under a state government plan to support its COVID-19 economic recovery.

Acting Premier James Merlino wrote a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, addressing that the program would function on an “industry/user-pays model”. Relevant industries such as tertiary institutions, stage and screen productions and major event organisers, will provide funding for the operational costs.

“We’ve always said that we would work to welcome back international students when it is safe and reasonable to do so,” Mr Merlino said.

Where will the returned students quarantine?

The students would be staying in a separate hotel quarantine facility to returned Australians, with the arrangements identical to those made for the Australian Open.

The cost of the quarantine programme will be “in addition to” the $3000 fee charged by returning Australians for one adult. After consulting with related industries, a final fee will be determined. Victoria’s international passenger limit of 1000 arrivals per week will be unaffected by the international students.

Mr Merlino added, studens would arrive “where possible” on commercial passenger flights, subject to “operational guidelines to be developed in consultation with COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria”.

What health measures will be taken?

The program would be subject to the same health and safety measures as the system for returned Australian arrivals. The staff will wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the same standards as those in the health and complex care hotels. Workplace App would also be used for tracing purposes.  

What do others have to say?

The Victorian opposition’s Higher Education spokesman Matt Bach appreciated the program proposal, but said it had come six months’ late.

“The government can hastily put together a plan to get international tennis stars into the state, some of whom were actually COVID positive, but when it comes to our most important export industry that’s worth $14 billion a year and supports 80,000 Victorian jobs, it’s taken six months,” he said.

Mr Merlino has requested the Commonwealth Government to continue to expedite and issue visas and exemptions to travel restrictions to support the program.

However, people will be allowed only from a selected countries for now which have low number of covid cases.

A final decision will be made after a meeting of health officials later today. 

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

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Travel Guide Visiting Family

When Home Calls

When COVID 19 happened, at first we did not know the extent of the impact it would have on us.

At that time my parents were with us and were scheduled to leave for India in a couple of weeks. We told ourselves that the pandemic might well be a blessing in disguise – it probably meant that we as a family would get to spend more time with each other. My 6-year old son was over the moon that he would get to go on more walks with his grandad and get to eat more sweets made by his grandma.

I wish we could have foreseen what lay head of us. The Victorian government went on to announce a strict lockdown. Within weeks, the very house that my parents loved, began to feel like prison. Wearing a mask became a thing of dread and going out for walks soon dwindled into oblivion.

Naturally, all of this resulted in one overwhelming desire – to go back to their home in India.

My parents longed to be reunited with the country that gave them everything, including me. I would see my mother control her tears at the sight of anything that reminded her of India. My father would watch every little piece of news about India with renewed vigour and interest.

The longing they had for their homeland, sat like a thorn that refused to go away. If anything it developed into a source of tremendous stress.

But with commercial flights grinding to a halt, there was no way back home. Not right then anyway. During a casual phone call, a friend of ours told us that Gaura Travel started operating charter flights from Australia to Delhi.

So what did we do? Well, I immediately took my phone and was about to call them when my wife reminded me that it was almost midnight! I recalled what my friend had said – that they were open 24/7. I flipped my laptop open and hit their website. And sure enough, I was chatting to them within seconds.

The lady chatting with us was professional, warm and reassuring. This was exactly what we needed to counter the anxiety my parents were going through and the stressful situation we found ourselves in.

Her accurate and timely responses meant we could take an informed decision – within the hour, we had booked our tickets. Given the extraordinary circumstances, we certainly did not expect to see things moving so fast. The next morning my father hugged me, thanking me. Yes, there were tears too.

Surprisingly, Gaura Travel offered to take that on for us as well and before I knew it they called me, letting me know that the exemption had been approved! This was 5-star levels of service.

The day arrived. That trip to the airport wasn’t easy. Just as we were about to check-in, we met someone from Gaura Travel there. I mean, seriously, since when did a travel agency take the effort to come to the airport and ensure that their passengers were being looked after?

They were able to get my mother, who suffers from acute arthritis a wheelchair. And the smile on her face, when my son was wheeling her around the airport…yes, priceless indeed.

They had an incredibly smooth flight back home and settled into their home quickly. Us on the other hand? Well, we got back from the airport to an empty house, filled with sweet memories of my parents.

And a heartfelt thank you to an organization that has made it their business to help families find a way back home. My parents were reunited with the life and the land they love so much.

And for this, I cannot be more grateful to Gaura Travel. I recently read that they reunited 10,000 families through their charter flights – well, I consider myself very luck that ours was one of those too.

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

Our flight deals

Melbourne to Delhi|Qantas– Singapore Airlines (Return)
Flights from Melbourne to Delhi
Delhi India
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Delhi
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Travel Guide

EGG-Citing EASTER! $500 Off!

Well well well, great to see you hop around here. We love the Easter feels and cannot get enough of it! To make your Easter celebration even grander, Gaura Travel is here to give you all the more reasons to travel! You’re looking for some egg-citing deals? Don’t worry! We got you covered.

Up to $500 Off On your next flight with us!

On this special occasion of Easter, we exclusively are giving out up to $500 off on your next flight with us! If you’re thinking about how to claim your special offer, need not worry! Just follow the steps below.

  • Visit our website – Gaura Travel
  • Fill in the form and your important contact information.
  • SPIN THE ROULETTE! Once you spin it, you’ll win your prize.
  • You will receive your code to claim the offer in the next 24 hours.
  • ENJOY YOUR OFFER!

How can you utilise your code?

We have our flights running from Australia to India, and India to Australia. There are flights available on multiple dates and locations.

Please choose your destination from the Search your Flights.

You’ll be directed to the page showing the details of your flight. Please click on Select Options.

Once you choose your preference, please add to the cart your selected option.

Go to the “My Cart” page, where you will be asked to enter your coupon code to avail the offer. Kindly put in the code and proceed to checkout!

All done! Enjoy your $500 off and happy Easter!!!

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

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Travel Guide

How To Recover Lost Items at Melbourne Airport

In this guide we will cover the necessary steps to take if you have lost items at Melbourne Airport and need them recovered.

If you have lost items within T2, T3, T4 or at security checkpoints..

1. Call the number (03) 9297 1805

This is Smartcarte’s lost property number, with this you can inquire about your lost items and find out if anything similar to their description has recently been collected (Operates 5 am – midnight, 7 days a week). You may also call outside these hours and leave a message, someone will get in touch with you during work hours.

Alternatively you can submit this form to provide a description of your lost items: Melbourne Airport Passengers Help

If you have lost an item in T1

Visit the lost property desk that is located next to carousel 2 on the ground level before security. 

Let us take a look at how Indians in Australia celebrate these festivals and the new ways that have been adopted, reflecting the world we live in.

2. Lost property retrieval

After speaking to a staff member, you will be provided with an item number. You will need to cite this number in order to claim your lost property.

Book an appointment with Smartcarte in order to collect your items, 48 hours notice must be provided for them to be ready upon your arrival.

If you have lost property during a flight

If this occurs, it is advised to contact the specific airline directly.

Be advised that items lost at Melbourne Airport will generally be held up to 3 months before they are donated to a local charity.

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

Our flight deals

Melbourne to Delhi|Qantas– Singapore Airlines (Return)
Flights from Melbourne to Delhi
Delhi India
Flights from Sydney to Delhi
Delhi
Flights from Delhi to Brisbane

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Gaura Travel – YOUR BEST WAY HOME

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Travel Guide

Final Boarding Call For December

Omicron classified as a ‘super mild’ variant

With weeks to go for Christmas and the New Year, travellers and families are scrambling to secure last minute tickets to be with their loved ones and explore the wonders of India.

This is not the time to ‘umm’ and ‘aah’. This is the time to grab these seats before someone else does. We have a number of Charter Flights operating in December, so jump on board!

Book with us and travel to India in December and make up for all that lost time.

The December Effect

There is something about December and travelling to India. There is no better way to mark the end of the year than to spend time with loved ones back home, especially when you don’t have to worry about quarantine or applying for exemptions.

Many families in Australia know that this is the time of the year when things wind down. Work, business and the hectic lives we lead…they all pause for a few weeks before kicking off again in the new year.

Just as we did when all borders were closed, this time as well, we have launched a BRAND NEW series of CHARTER FLIGHTS from Australia to India across the following dates:

  • Friday, 17 December
  • Sunday, 19 December
  • Monday, 20 December
  • Friday, 24 December

Gaura Travel will also directly operate charter flights from India to Australia for the following dates:

  • Thursday, 16 December
  • Saturday, 18 December
  • Sunday, 19 December
  • Thursday, 23 December

In other words this time of the year becomes the perfect time to fly to India and catch-up with those who have missed you and have hoped for you to be able to make it back home.

And then of course there are those who have had to put their plans of holidaying in India on the backburner. But now even they can bring their great Indian vacation dream back to life.

So hurry, book your seats before it all sells out.

The Omicron effect (or the lack of)

As per South African reports, coronavirus experts in the country are excited to see that the new Omicron variant might be less damaging than the Delta variant.

The Omicron variant is seen to be much milder and is seen to be less lethal in its impact on humans. This means that the world only must cope with a mutant that is showing signs of being far less threatening.

Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia has already categorically denied the possibility of further lockdowns and has instead urged state leaders to continue on with their reopening plans.

Medical professionals do believe that most Covid vaccines, including the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs, are designed to protect against variants to a certain degree, similar to how they protected against previous variants (Delta, Alpha etc.)

The message is clear – yes, we have a new variant but increased knowledge about its behaviours and keeping the faith in the vaccination rollout and the overall strategy will help us continue with our travel plans with more reassurance on our safety.

Hey travellers, we have dealt with ‘bigger and badder’ villains more effectively; let us not worry about the sidekicks. 

Make this a December to Remember

Flights are a ‘go’ and they will take off as planned. But we hope they do so with you on it!

So, call us and book your seats before we run out of them!

We can guarantee you this: every other person on the plane will be vaccinated and will have just returned a negative COVID test. Is that the safest place to be at right now? You bet!

You can reach our knowledgeable team 24/7. We look forward to talking soon!

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

Our flight deals

Melbourne to Delhi|Qantas– Singapore Airlines (Return)
Flights from Melbourne to Delhi
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Travel Guide

National Cabinet Meeting pursues to a suppression strategy

Recently, National Cabinet met to discuss Australia’s Covid-19 retort and concern on new Omicron strain.

According to the update of Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, WHO has declared the Omicron variant first found in Southern Africa on 24 November 2021 and currently six cases have been detected in Australia. All cases found in Australia have mild symptoms or asymptomatic and are in quarantine.

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine roll out continue to increase and up to date over 39.2 million Covid-19 vaccines doses have been administrated in Australia. National Cabinet noted that majority of susceptible population have received their Covid-19 vaccines and Australia has sufficient supplies of booster shots available in regarding to vaccine roll out program.

Omicron variant and government response

Professor Paul Kelly further advised that Australia is in the initial stage of understanding the new Omicron variant, and at this stage there’s inadequate evidence that vaccines and treatments are less effective against Omicron than other variants. Hence, there’s no clear evidence at this stage that Omicron is a more acute disease.

Therefore, the Commonwealth and states have already acted on medical advice to implement travel restrictions, revised quarantine, and home isolation requirements. The Commonwealth has implemented a temporary travel ban on non-citizens from Southern Africa entering to Australia and Australians return from Southern Africa countries are required to undergo 14 days quarantine under state or territory public health requirements.

Further the Commonwealth has postponed the reopening to international skilled and student visa cohorts and humanitarian visa holders from 1 December up until 15 December as these are temporary precautions to safeguard the national boarders of Australia.

Though, existing plans will continue for Australians, permanent residents, immediate family including parents and other exempt visa holders including travelers through the New Zealand and Singapore safe travel zones and Pacific Labor Scheme participants.

Isn’t it exciting to hear that the National Cabinet agreed that the Commonwealth and the state governments will continue to pursue a suppression strategy, stating the objective is to limit the rate of Omicron invasions into Australia, rather than going back to lock downs?

Travelling in 2022 with Gaura Travel

As there are no quarantine or travel restrictions required in place, plan your journey to reunite with your family & friends with Gaura Travel in this year 2022. Find all available flights options with us.

Our flight deals

Melbourne to Delhi|Qantas– Singapore Airlines (Return)
Flights from Melbourne to Delhi
Delhi India
Flights from Sydney to Delhi
Delhi
Flights from Delhi to Brisbane