Author: Tourism News live

Virtual guided tours are picking up steam this year. As no one can really go out and experience a real vacation due to the epidemic, many online tour companies are creating virtual tourism experiences. One such company is the online tour company Walks, which has put together a selection of `Tours from Home’ offered by expert guides, chefs and storytellers. But while Stephen Oddo, the CEO and founder of Walks, was happy to find a way to provide small income source to some of the company’s tour guides as well as a way to keep brand awareness high, he also ... Read more

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL) has said it will first reopen resorts that are at a drivable distance from the metro cities once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted. The Mahindra Group firm has currently suspended operations at its resorts in compliance with government directives. “Once travel restrictions are relaxed and state borders open up, and people feel comfortable enough to travel again, we expect our members and their families to start travelling to our resorts in their own vehicles, since we are at drivable distances from major cities,” MHRIL MD and CEO Kavinder Singh told news agency PTI. ... Read more

Puerto Rico is trying out innovative methods to keep tourists interested. Discover Puerto Rico has been aiming to keep their destination in the thoughts of past and potentially new visitors through videos and Instagram live sessions, and is now looking to take the next step. It is taking virtual experiences of the island a step further by launching live guided tours with Google Earth. In working with Discover Puerto Rico, Jorge Montalvo, founder of Patria Tours, will host a series of three live guided tours kicking off the week of Sunday, May 3 through Saturday, May 9. Starting in timing ... Read more

German firm TUI AG, the world’s largest tourism group, has restarted its travel business in China, offering trips and flights within the country to local customers. The business is resuming after the government lifted a three-month sales ban, and operations will gradually be expanded amid a backlog of demand by Chinese customers, Chief Executive Officer Fritz Joussen said. Besides offering holiday packages in China, TUI has urged the European Union (EU) to lift travel restrictions in place to curb the coronavirus. The resumption of business in China, three months after TUI halted operations there, is focused on short breaks in ... Read more

In the first half of April, a New York Times article wrote on a couple stranded in Maldives on a “never-ending honeymoon”. They are still stuck there along with hundreds of other tourists, as flights have been cancelled. “There is nowhere to go. The couple reign like benign yet captive sovereigns over their islet. The days are long and lazy. They sleep in, snorkel, lounge by the pool, repeat,” the NYT wrote. It may sound like fun to get stranded in a tropical paradise like Maldives, but the tourists are running short of funds. In an interview to CNN, Ali ... Read more

How many Malayalis have seen the Champakkulam boat race live, after having a grand breakfast at a luxury villa? How many Malayalis have seen the Aranmula kannadi, while being educated on it by experts? Or let’s say how many have actually seen the Thrissur pooram and then retreated into a spa at a five star property? How many have seen a live Kathakali performance while experiencing the hospitality at any of Kerala’s leading resorts? Or let’s ask how many have undergone a panchakarma treatment or stayed in a luxury houseboat for a night? While all these may sound familiar, the ... Read more

As part of the Dekho Apna Desh series, the Ministry of Tourism had a webinar on `Bengal by the Himalayas’. Here are some eye-catching details. Darjeeling Tea Estate Tourism Darjeeling tea is one of the world’s finest teas. The known history of Darjeeling tea dates back to about 150 years. The taste and aroma of the Darjeeling variety remain unmatched throughout the world. There are close to 100-120 tea gardens producing the famous ‘Darjeeling tea’. Darjeeling Toy Train A visit to the region is incomplete without a ride in the toy-train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). Inaugurated in 1881 is ... Read more

Goa would like to open its doors to tourism once the lock-down gets lifted on May 17, state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. “After May 17 we would like to welcome tourists, if the central guidelines allow it. We are waiting for the central guidelines. Goa is coronavirus-free and that’s a positive thing,” Sawant said. The Chief Minister said that there was a buzz in the tourism industry, with Goa being declared coronavirus-free. Sawant said the state government would request the Centre for a bailout package for the tourism industry, which is one of the worst-hit due to the ... Read more

കോവിട് 19 അഥവാ വൈറസ് മൂലം ലോകത്തകമാനം ഭീതിജനകമായ അന്തരീക്ഷത്തിലാണ് ഒരുപക്ഷേ ലോകം നാളിതുവരെ പരിചിതമല്ലാത്ത ഒരു സ്ഥിതി വിശേഷമാണിന്ന്, ശാസ്ത്രലോകം പകച്ചു നിൽക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ നമ്മൾ ശ്രദ്ധാപൂർവം വിലയിരുത്തേണ്ട പല ഘടകങ്ങളും ഒരു പക്ഷേ സ്വന്തമായുള്ളത് ഇന്ത്യയാണ്. ഇവിടെ ശാസ്ത്രീയമായല്ലങ്കിൽ പോലും ആയുർവേദ ജീവിത ശൈലിയോടടുത്തു നിൽക്കുന്ന ഒത്തിരി ഘടകങ്ങൾ ഒരുമിച്ച് ചേർത്ത് വായിക്കേണ്ടതായുണ്ട്. നിത്യ ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഇന്ത്യൻ ജനത കാലാകാലങ്ങളായി നിത്യേന ഉപയോഗിച്ച് വരുന്ന മഞ്ഞളും ഇഞ്ചിയും കുരുമുളകും, വെളുത്തുള്ളിയും ആഹാരത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തിയുള്ള ഇന്ത്യൻ ആഹാര രീതി ഒക്കെ ആദികാലം മുതൽ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ പാലിച്ച് പോകുന്നുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ യൂറോപ്പിലും അമേരിക്കയിലും നമ്മുടെ മഞ്ഞളിനും ഇഞ്ചിക്കും സവിശേഷ ഗുണമുണ്ടെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞപ്പോഴാണ് നമുക്ക് കാര്യം പിടികിട്ടുന്നത്. ഇത് ആമുഖമായി പറഞ്ഞതിന്റെ അർത്ഥം ആയുർവേദത്തിനും യോഗയ്ക്കും ഇത്തരം സാഹചര്യങ്ങളിലുള്ള അനിതര സാധാരണമായ പ്രസക്തി നാം കാണേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഏതൊരു വൈറസിനേയും അതിജീവിക്കാൻ മനുഷ്യശരീരത്തിന് വേണ്ടത് പ്രതിരോധ ശക്തി ആണെന്ന് എല്ലാ വൈദ്യ ശാഖകളും സുസമ്മതരാണ്. ... Read more

For many millions of people around the world, tourism is so much more than a leisure activity. Tourism gives them the chance to make a living. To earn not just a wage, but also dignity and equality. Tourism jobs also empower people and provide a chance to have a stake in their own societies – often for the first time. This is what is at risk right now, UNWTO has said. The International Labor Organization, a fellow UN agency of UNWTO, has raised the alarm: As many as 1.6 billion individuals worldwide could be affected by a loss of working ... Read more

Chinese tourism is back in action and ready to welcome tourists from all over the world. About 70% of China’s tourist attractions reopened on Thursday itself, according to China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. More sites including the Forbidden City in Beijing, reopened on Friday, news agency Reuters has reported. Staff at the entrance to the Gubei Water Town checked visitors’ temperatures and health tracking codes. And inside, they directed tourists to stand one metre apart and stores used ropes to keep large crowds from forming. Everyone wore masks. Room bookings also picked up since Thursday after Beijing and nearby ... Read more

As part of the Dekho Apna Desh series, the Ministry of Tourism conducted a webinar on the Sariska Tiger Reserve on Friday. The Sariska Tiger reserve had been neglected in the recent past and many people seem to have forgotten about it, despite being notified as a sanctuary in 1955, the webinar noted. The tiger reserve, situated in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, has a history that people say dates back to the times of Mahabharata. It is said that the region had witnessed the reign of Ashoka and is home to Buddhist monasteries. By the middle of the 18th ... Read more

The Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society has urged its members to contribute to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, to support the government in fighting the pandemic. “It is our responsibility to extend support to the government by contributing our humble share towards Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, even though we are in deep trouble,” said KTM President Baby Mathew, in a letter addressed to the members. “Every small amount of help from us is valuable and we can collectively extend our financial support to the government. Requesting all the members to make this effort successful by contributing financial assistance as much ... Read more

Will the state government’s move, allowing for deferment of fixed electricity charges for a period of six months, help the hospitality industry? The sector had asked for a waiver of fixed charges, but that demand was not met. Tourismnewslive.com quizzed a number of leading industry players about this, seeking their comments. Over to their views. Chacko Paul – Managing Director -The Travancore Heritage Chowara & Lepondy, Pondicherry Hospitality industry is one of the highest tax generating as well as the biggest provider of jobs. But it is also the worst affected sector due to this Covid-19 pandemic. In this present ... Read more

California governor Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches and state parks in Orange County to temporarily close, after images in the news showed crowds gathering on beaches violating the state’s physical distancing rules. Beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1. Activity seen on only a few beaches threatened the progress California has made in battling coronavirus, the governor said Thursday. “Specific issues on some of those beaches raised alarm bells,” Newsom said. The vast majority of coastlines saw people following the statewide orders, he said. But the “density, the volume of people, concentrated space, ... Read more