General Information

Climate:

October in Delhi brings pleasant post-monsoon weather, with temperatures ranging between approximately 19.2C to 31.8C. Delhi weather in October experiences nearly 11 hours of sunlight daily, along with occasional showers. The humidity levels start to drop, and the refreshing warm breeze continues. The city’s landscapes remain lush and vibrant, making October an ideal month for travellers.

Clothing:

There is no particular dress-code for the conference. There are no clothing restrictions in the city as well, however use your discretion and dress appropriately when visiting public places. Religious places in the city (temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras) might have dress code restrictions.

Currency:

The official currency is the Indian Rupee (INR). Major credit and debit cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets. UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and mobile wallets like Paytm, Google Pay, and PhonePe are extensively used for seamless digital transactions across the city. Currency exchange services are available at the airport and authorized forex centers. You may check for the same at your hotel too.

Payments:

Visa and Mastercard Credit and Debit cards are generally accepted in all major hotels and shops. American Express has limited acceptance. Point of sale machines that accept cards with chip and PIN.

However, you are advised to confirm the merchant if they would accept cards beforehand.

UPI (United Payments Interface) is widely used in India for digital payments (using QR codes or phone numbers).

Language:

The official language of the conference is English. The local language predominantly spoken in Delhi is Hindi, while English is commonly used in business, academic, and hospitality settings. International delegates will have no difficulty communicating in English at the airport, hotels, and at the venue as Hindi and English both are widely spoken in the city.

Time Zone:

Indian Standard Time (IST) is observed throughout the country and is UTC +5:30. India does not observe daylight saving time.

Local Commuting / Transport:

Transportation from the New Delhi Airport, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) Terminals 1, 2 & 3 is easy with multiple options available. The airport is 10.5 kms from the conference venue Yashobhoomi with a travel time of about 20 minutes, depending upon the time of the day.

Airport Taxi – Taxi Service is available from IGIA to Yashobhoomi, New Delhi and in/around downtown. You will see the counters right outside the arrival terminal.
Uber/ Ola services are available to pick up from airport at the arrivals. For more info you can approach their counters at the airport. For Ola and Uber, we would request you to download the app prior to the arrival at the airport.

For movement in the city, taxis and autos are easily available in Delhi. Delhi Metro is, clearly, the quickest, affordable and one of the best ways to get around Delhi, with an average frequency of one metro every five minutes.

Visa:

International participants are required to obtain a Conference Visa to attend the event. The organisers will get in touch with you for further information/ instructions.

Visa letter requests will be accepted till June 30, 2026.

The official portal to apply for the same is www.indianvisaonline.gov.in.

Electricity:

India uses Type C, D, and M power sockets with a standard voltage of 230V and frequency of 50Hz. International visitors may need a plug adapter and/or voltage converter.

Safety and Security:

Personal Safety: Delhi is a safe city to travel and visit. However, please take care of your belongings while using public transport, avoid venturing alone late at night to unknown or deserted places, and exercise basic caution and use your judgement to be safe.
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 them in your hotel or with you all the time when moving about. Always carry the hotel address with you when you leave the hotel.
It is common to ask passersby for directions when confused/lost and people are usually helpful.

Road and Pedestrian Safety:

The rules of the road are simply very different here in India. Indian roads can be chaotic – please be mindful of vehicular traffic. City traffic generally is much slower than in some other parts of the world, and it is very common to see animals amongst moving traffic. Use great caution when crossing streets – pedestrians usually do not get the right of way while crossing roads. Horn blowing is deemed precautionary and is a constant 24-hour reality. Please do not expect sidewalks/footpaths and zebra crossings to be available on all roads.

Water:

Always drink bottled water. Do not drink water from the tap. However, tap water is safe to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth.

Connectivity:

Wi-Fi connectivity is available at most cafes, restaurants and shopping malls. We suggest you get an Indian SIM with data connection. 4G mobile data is cheap (costs around ₹500 for a connection valid for a month with a 2GB/day limit) and would be very useful.

Smoking:

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

Alcohol Consumption:

Alcohol consumption in public areas is prohibited. Pubs, bars, and restaurants typically serve alcohol until 11 PM. After this time, guests may continue to enjoy alcoholic beverages via room service within the hotel

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:

While entering India, in addition to the personal belongings such as clothes, toiletries, laptops, mobile phones, cameras, and reasonable personal-use electronics; Duty-free items like alcohol (up to 2 litres) and cigarettes (100 sticks) are within allowed duty-free limits. Gifts and other items up to the duty-free allowance and foreign currency – unlimited amount can be brought in, but above USD 5,000 (cash) or USD 10,000 (cash + traveller’s cheques) must be declared. Prescription medicines for personal use (with a valid prescription) can also be carried.
While exiting India, Indian currency up to ₹25,000 (for residents) and foreign currency purchased from an authorised dealer within the limits allowed by RBI (e.g., USD 3,000 in cash for personal travel) is allowed. Gifts/ Items purchased in India with proper bills; high-value items may require declaration at customs. While duty-free items purchased at the airport after immigration (alcohol, perfumes, chocolates etc.) within airline/foreign-country limits is allowed.

Food and Drinks:

The historical capital, Delhi is a foodies’ paradise. From street food to international cuisines, Delhi, or as we lovingly call ‘Dilli’, can blow your mind in every expanse.

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 – unless you are confident of your digestive system

Tipping and Gratuities:

Tipping Practices are similar to most other parts of the world. Most restaurants include a service charge of 10% in the bills, but tipping in general is at customers’ discretion which could vary from 5% to 10%. The local currency is preferred while tipping.