Author: Tourism News live
Marriott brings its AC Hotels brand to Japan
Marriott has expanded its AC Hotels brand to Japan, with the opening of the 296-room AC Hotel by Marriott Tokyo Ginza. Located in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, the hotel’s modern glass and stone façade makes it a standout landmark in the heart of the capital’s luxury shopping, culinary and fashion scene. “We are thrilled to be bringing AC Hotels by Marriott to Ginza – one of Tokyo’s most esteemed neighbourhoods,” said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “This represents a milestone in the expansion of our European-inspired lifestyle hotel brand in this region, and further compliments Marriott ... Read more
Flight bookings to Singapore, Germany, Canada to open today
India’s national carrier Air India will connect Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai with Singapore, Canada and Germany. Bookings for the same will open later today. Here are the details: Air India will operate four additional flights from July 19 to July 22 connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai with Singapore. Bookings will open today at 12 noon. Schedule: Bengaluru-Singapore-Bengaluru: July 19Mumbai-Singapore-Mumbai: July 20Chennai-Singapore-Chennai: July 21Delhi-Singapore-Delhi: July 22 India-Germany Air India will operate two additional flights on July 21 and July 23 connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi with Frankfurt, Germany. Bookings will open today from 2 pm. Schedule ... Read more
Looking out for a destination wedding? Gujarat has the answer
In an effort to aid tourism in the state and revive the sector amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Gujarat government is looking to promote the Statue of Unity and the area surrounding the site as a place for destination weddings. The authorities have decided to map the Statue of Unity Tent City 1 as a wedding venue. Authorities have been quoted by The Indian Express as saying that the picturesque location that also has an open-to-sky setting with Narmada Dam in its backdrop makes Statue of Unity Tent City 1 a compelling location for people looking for destination weddings. The ... Read more
Emirates to slash 9,000 jobs due to the pandemic
Emirates, the leading Dubai-based carrier, is set to cut as many as 9,000 jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the crisis, Emirates had 60,000 staff members. In a conversation with the BBC, Emirates president Tim Clark said the airline had already cut a tenth of its staff but said: “We will probably have to let go of a few more, probably up to 15%.” The global airline industry has been severely impacted by coronavirus, with activity all but grinding to a halt. Tim told the BBC that the airline was “not as badly off as others”. But its ... Read more
SC rules in favour of Travancore royal family in Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple case
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Travancore royal family has the shebait rights over the management of Thiruvananthapuram’s iconic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The shebait is like the trustee of a religious endowment, as per the traditions of maintaining and preserving the idol and property. The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of India’s richest temples, which draws thousands of tourists to Thiruvananthapuram annually. It’s a major fixture in South India’s religious tourism circuit. In its verdict, the apex court said that death will not affect the rights of shebaitship of the family over the deity, and it will continue according ... Read more
Thankyou, Readers!
Tourism News Live, India’s premier travel and tourism portal, is now read in 175 countries as it continues to expand its media platform highlighting the concerns and aspirations of the industry both in India and overseas destinations. While India continues to be the focal point of coverage, it has made significant inroads into the USA, Middle East, South-East Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and South America. Indian readers constitute 61.7% of the readership but followers in the United States and UAE are growing at a fast rate as well. While readers in the US represent 12.9% of the total readership, UAE contributes 6.6%. There ... Read more
India’s tiger census sets new Guinness record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey
The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018, results of which were declared to the nation on Global Tiger Day last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey. Terming this achievement a great moment, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that India has fulfilled its resolve to double the tiger numbers four years ahead of target. The country now has an estimated 2967 tigers as per the latest census. With this number, India is home to nearly 75% of the global tiger population and has ... Read more
Walt Disney Florida reopens to visitors
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida reopened to guests on Saturday welcoming visitors back to the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Parks. EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will reopen on July 15. Drawing on experience from the successful reopening of Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Springs, and Walt Disney World resort hotels and transportation, the theme parks will reopen with a deliberate, responsible approach that includes limits on attendance and controlled guest density. New health and safety measures implemented across the parks will follow recommendations from health agencies and government officials. Disney will create new ways for guests to enjoy attractions and characters while ... Read more
700 tourists enter Himachal within a week
Around 700 tourists have visited Himachal Pradesh since the state government allowed entry of tourists almost a week ago. The healthy tourist inflow has happened despite the majority of hotel owners and their associations in the state not wanting tourists from other states to enter Himachal. Tourism and civil aviation secretary Devesh Kumar said that the standard operating procedure issued by the department was prepared after examining SOPs of other states who have opened their borders for tourism. Tourism director Yunus said that officials are verifying the documents and registration of tourists at the entry points to the state and they are ... Read more
Vanuatu’s tourism sector struggles as international travellers keep away
The Vanuatu government had promised its biggest stimulus package ever to try to soften the coronavirus blow, and at 4.2 billion vatu ($52 million), it was considered to be one of the largest in the Pacific on a per capita basis. But people say they are yet to receive any of the relief payments promised for those who have lost work, the ABC has reported. Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of about 80 islands that stretch 1,300 kilometres. With school holidays in Australia, Vanuatu’s picturesque beaches and turquoise waters would normally be busy with tourists at ... Read more
Iowa’s annual music event Butter Cow Festival to be held in August, with safety regulations in place
The novel coronavirus has halted many of the usual events across Iowa, including the Iowa State Fair, that help draw tourism and income during summer. But not all of Iowa’s traditional events have been nixed: Des Moines’ Butter Cow Festival is still a go, according to a report by Des Moines Register. During what would have been the first weekend of the fair, attendees can enjoy live music from local bands, food vendors, and breweries from 4:30-11 pm on August 14 and 15 at Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park. The band line-up on August 14 will include Richard Arndt, Jason Brown and The Purple ... Read more
Slovenian tourists visiting Croatia do not have to be concerned, assures tourism minister Cappelli
The Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli has said that Slovenian tourists do not need to worry about their arrival in Croatia, particularly in the coastal Adriatic area where the epidemiological situation was good. Cappelli, who was in Croatia’s delegation led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for the talks with their Slovenian hosts on Friday, said that the meeting had revolved around tourism-related issues against a backdrop of the epidemiological situation. “During the meeting in Slovenia we emphasised the importance of Slovenian visitors for the Croatian tourism industry. Currently, there are 92,000 Slovenians vacationing here, and 70% of them are in three Adriatic counties: Istria, ... Read more
Exploring Ladakh – the Roof of the World
Ladakh, the roof of the world, is home to breath-taking Himalayan landscapes and an ancient Buddhist culture living in harmony with nature for over a thousand years. A traveller’s paradise, Ladakh attracts people from far and wide for its awe-inspiring nature, rural simplicity and spiritual intensity. The speakers in the Dekho Apna Desh webinar conducted by the Ministry of Tourism – Paras Loomba and Jaideep Bansal from Global Himalayan Expedition – took the viewers on a pictorial journey to the land of high passes and showcased the unexplored areas of Ladakh. They discussed Ladakh’s traditional homestays and focused upon the ... Read more
Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines to create new business partnership
Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are looking to launch a joint business partnership on July 25, through which the two national carriers will co-operate commercially on flights between the two countries. Malaysia Airlines is resuming flights to Japan this month, and the two airlines combined will then offer four weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita in July and August, says Japan Airlines (JAL). JAL says the airlines will “take on new challenges to further enhance convenience between Japan and Malaysia and allow customers to benefit from more flight choices”. “This initiative will enable Malaysian Airlines and JAL to enhance their capabilities, and leverage on each other’s ... Read more
Varanasi – the city that has an ‘Answer To Every Prayer’
The world is going through unprecedented times and it has become imperative to keep the travel industry as well as individual minds engaged for revival. As an initiative to celebrate India’s diverse touristic and cultural landscape, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has taken the initiative of organising a series of Webinars under the overall theme of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’. The platform is connecting a large number of tourism enthusiasts to hear and watch experts talking about their region, city, tradition, culture, heritage, and history. As part of this series, the Ministry of Tourism presented a webinar on ‘Photo-walking ... Read more