Useful Information

27th Annual Meeting of Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group

Official Language
The official language of the conference is English.

Local Language
Malayalam & Hindi

COVID Protocol

Participants are requested to follow COVID protocols, as applicable.

Climate
It is a great season to visit Kerala since the heat is bearable and the rains cool down the land and make it amiable for touring around. The average temperature across Kerala state is expected to be around 27 °C or 81 °F throughout the month.

Time
India has only one time zone which covers the entire country. Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT/BST.

Electricity
The voltage in India is 230 volts. You will require a voltage converter if you are carrying a device that does not accept 230 Volts. Wall sockets accept plugs with two or three round pins. Should you wish to use appliances of 110 volts, most Conference Hotels will provide adaptors on request but it may be useful to carry your own for convenience. Most laptops have adaptors that accept 110-240 volts, but will still need plugs of the type shown below. Typical India 3-Pin and 2-Pin plugs. The separation between the two smaller round pins is 2 cm.

Currency
Please find below the approximate conversion rate of the listed currencies, for your reference.
1 Euro = 80 INR | 1 USD = 72 INR | 1 GBP = 84 INR | 1 AUD = 47 INR | JPY = 0.56 INR

Please log onto www.xe.com to calculate the approximate current currency values. The rate of exchange changes every day.

During Sight Seeing

Always remove your shoes before entering a holy place such as a temple, gurudwara (Sikh temple) or mosque. You may also be required to cover your head. Before visiting a shrine/ holy place, do enquire what the dress code is. In general, you should dress comfortably but also take into account local sensibilities.
Some Hindu temples do not permit leather articles and are not open to Non-Hindus.
Most museums in India are closed on Mondays.
If the sun is strong, remember to use sunscreen on exposed parts of the body. Wear sunglasses to screen out harmful rays.

Safety and Security
Follow the same rules of safety that you follow while travelling anywhere else with respect to using hotel safe deposit boxes and keeping travel documents safe. When in public places, keep your travel documents in your hotel or with you all the time when moving about. Always carry the hotel address with you when you leave the hotel.

Health
Please consult your physician regarding health precautions prior to visiting India. If you are coming from or have recently visited Africa, South America or an area infected with Yellow Fever within 6 days prior to your arrival in India, proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever is required.

Smoking Policy
All public areas are non-smoking except for specifically labelled smoking areas.

Alcohol Consumption
As a result of current legislation in the India state of Kerala, it is generally illegal to serve alcohol in public places after 11.00pm. Therefore, as a general rule, kindly note that absolutely no alcoholic beverages can be available at any bar (including those in hotels) after this cut-off time. Individuals who wish to continue to partake of alcoholic beverages after 11.00 p.m. may only do so via room service orders within hotels.

Insurance and Liability
The Organizers do not take responsibility for any individual, medical, travel or personal insurance. Participants are advised to secure their own insurance policies before departure from their countries, as required.
While every attempt is made to ensure efficient, trouble-free hospitality, including hotel accommodation, sightseeing and tours, participants are advised that no liability accrues to the Organizers in the event of any necessary modifications, including change in itineraries for tours due to delays or cancellations of flights/other exigencies beyond the Organizers’ control.

Restrictions on Export of Articles

Export of all wild animals indigenous to the country and articles made from such listed animals like skins, pelts, furs, ivory, rhino horns, trophies are totally banned. Banned items do not include peacock feathers and handicrafts made from them.
Antiques which include sculpture, painting or other works of arts or crafts illustrative of science, art, craft, religion of bygone ages and of historical interest which have been in existence for not less than 100 years may not be exported from India.
Manuscripts or other documents of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value in existence for not less that seventy five years: art treasures not necessarily antiques but of artistic or aesthetic value, also cannot be exported out of India

Food and Drink

Please note that tap water is unsafe and must be avoided. Most hotels/restaurants provide filtered/RO water which is safe to drink. During the conference, water dispensers with clean and safe drinking water will be made available.
Be careful about the provenance of what you eat. Steer clear of uncooked or unpeeled fruit and vegetables outside the hotels / quality restaurants. Do sample local restaurants too, but use your discretion with regards to hygiene and food quality.
We suggest that you eat meats only in hygienic restaurants.
We suggest that you do not eat fried food cooked in the streets.

Tipping
Tipping (where it’s warranted) is common practice in India. It’s fine to tip in a popular foreign currency or local currency. Naturally, it’s never compulsory and should only be done if you’re happy with the service. Tipping is usually around 5% to 10%.

Others

Keep extra photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport in a safe place.
Taxi and auto-rickshaw fares keep changing, and therefore do not always conform to readings on meters. Insist on seeing the latest rate card, available with the driver, and pay accordingly. Avoid taxis that pick up additional passengers.
Be wary of impostor porters or guides. Assure that they are properly uniformed or identified. Never leave your luggage, briefcase, laptops or other items unattended.
Insist on the taxi / auto meter being flagged down in your presence.
In cities you can change most major foreign currencies and brands of travellers’ cheques but you’ll widen your options and save yourself hassles if you stick to US dollars or pounds sterling.