Category: Top Stories

Grand Packard Hotel, Havana With inauguration of the second five-star hotel in Havana, Cuba’s tourism is seeking position in the high-end tourism sector of the word. Speaking at the inauguration function on Saturday, 13th October 2018, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the hotel is part of a new strategy to attract more high-spending visitors. Located in Havana’s Old Town with a stunning view of the city’s bay, the Grand Packard Hotel is is operated by Spanish company Iberostar, which has been operating on the island for 25 years. “Iberostar has been present in the country since 1993 and currently operates 27 ... Read more

Zalon Mountain Myanmar is planning to upgrade a mountain in the area of forest reserve in Banmauk, northwestern Sagaing region, as an eco-tourism site to attract more international visitors, as per local media reports. The upgrading of Zalon Mountain situating 19.2 km northwest of Banmauk is part of the efforts of the Forest Department to boost the country’s smokeless industry by extending the new tourist destination with proper services, said a tourism department official. Zalon Mountain Zalon Mountain is situated 927 meters above sea level and the surrounding mountains are over 600 to 900 meters high. There is a the ... Read more

Emirates is offering UAE residents a chance to travel back home and celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. Customers travelling to North America can enjoy Economy Class fares to New York starting at AED 4,685, Los Angeles starting at AED 5,785, Chicago starting at AED 5,215 and Dallas starting at AED 5,385. Business Class passengers can enjoy fares to New York starting at AED 20,155, Los Angeles starting at AED 25,775, to Chicago starting at AED 21,775, and to Dallas starting at AED 21,745. From 22nd to 25th November, Emirates will be offering passengers specially tailored menus to celebrate the holiday. ... Read more

Mount Nebo, Jordan Tourism industry of Jordan is in a revival mode, after years of safety concerns due to regional instabilities. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, Tourism Board General Director, said that the country has been witnessing increase in the number of inbound tourists during the past eight months of the year.  There is a recorded 12 per cent increase in the number of tourists who stayed in the Kingdom, while the income from tourism also increased by 14 per cent. “We have been implementing a new strategy using social media to change the mentality of tourists and convince them that Jordan ... Read more

Passengers travelling to India to reunite with relatives for Diwali can enjoy competitive fares on Economy Class to Mumbai starting at AED 1,205, Delhi starting at AED 1,265, Hyderabad starting at 1,105, and Ahmedabad starting at AED 1,165. Business Class passengers can enjoy fares to Mumbai starting at AED 3,605, Delhi starting at AED 3,705, Hyderabad starting at AED 3,395, and Ahmedabad starting at AED 4,775. Emirates will be offering passengers onboard special Diwali delicacies from 7 November to 10 November 2018. The special treats will be available for customers in all classes on all flights to India from Dubai. ... Read more

Sardar Vallabhai Pattel’s statue (Photo Courtesy: Indian Express) Just a couple of weeks left for the inauguration of the 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Narmada in Gujarat. And, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani has invited all states to Narmada, not just to be a part of the inauguration ceremony, but to construct guesthouses and canteens of the respective states at a place marked near the statue. With an aim to boost tourism, the state government has allocated a stretch of land just 4 kms away from the statue for other states to construct guesthouses and canteens on the ... Read more

Airbnb and the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) have partnered to streamline and enhance the on-island vacation experience. This fall, the BTA will begin marketing the destination across Airbnb’s channels, reaching a vast audience of potential visitors who favour vacation rentals. As part of the island’s Vacation Rentals Act 2018, Airbnb will collect the new 4.5 percent visitor fee on vacation rentals from guests staying at Bermuda Airbnb listings, offering a frictionless transaction for guests and hosts. The new partnership is part of BTA’s ongoing efforts to support Bermuda’s entrepreneurs and grow the island’s tourism industry in impactful ways. Additionally, beginning ... Read more

Yes, you heard it right. Now, travellers can book their hotels directly through their Instagram stories. And, SIX Travel, is the one which is making this whole booking process so simple with their new mobile application. Just in time for the holiday travel season, SIX Travel – the world’s first and only hotels booking platform that lets travelers book hotels directly through Instagram Stories and other online publishers – launches its app out of beta. Built exclusively for iOS, the app is now available for download on the App Store. SIX Travel delivers a modern solution that serves the short attention ... Read more

Kozhippara Waterfalls, Kakkadampoyil Kakkadampoyil, one of the popular eco-tourism spots in Kozhikode district seeks the status of tourism village and to include in the state’s tourism map.  A village tourism development committee comprising landowners, local body members and investors has held a meeting with the tourism department in this regard for the enhancement of tourism in the region. The envoy has submitted memorandum to George  M Thomas, MLA of Thiruvambady, recently to bring the proposal to the attention of the government and to conduct a proper field study to understand the potential of the region. The MLA assured that efforts ... Read more

In a move to increase the tourism footfalls in the state, government of Punjab is giving emphasize to heritage tourism. As per reports, heritage sites the in the state have been witnessing increased tourism activities in recent years. “The Heritage Street in Amritsar has really increased the footfall of tourists many times. The Golden Temple in Amritsar receives 1.25 lakhs tourist everyday which is the highest footfall compared to any other heritage in the country,” said Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Director, Punjab Tourism. “The Wagah border is also getting good number tourists. There are lot of other attractions also in and ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Delegate The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has created a fund to encourage content creators in Singapore to create local content for a global audience. The $1 million fund, named ‘Fast Forward’, aims to provide support to filmmakers, vloggers, media companies and creative agencies to create films, videos and animations that creatively feature Singapore and bring to life STB’s tourism tagline ‘Passion Made Possible’. “Singapore has a passionate community of content creators and storytellers who are already producing inspiring content and telling a great Singapore story,” said Terrence Voon, Director for Digital and content at STB. “As part of ... Read more

In order to conserve the folk art forms of the State, HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka Chief Minister  has directed officers of the Kannada and Culture Department to take steps to resume the Janapada Jatre in the state. Janapada Jatre is a Folklore festival held in the state of Karnataka on weekends. This festival is to showcase the cultural diversity present in Karnataka and encourage the artistes to keep their culture alive. Recently a Janapada Jatre programme has conducted as part of the Dasara Festival. Addressing the folk artistes after the event the Chief Minister said the government would take necessary steps ... Read more

Marking the new tourism season, the first cruise ship will arrive at Kochi port by 15th October. After Kochi, the luxury cruise ship MV Boudicca, carrying  522 tourists, will reach Vizhinjam the next day at around 8 AM. The tourists disembarking at the Vizhinjam port will be received by the tourism authorities in traditional style. After sightseeing in different tourism attractions of the region, the group will set off to Colombo at evening. The luxury ship belongs to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines will have 388 crew members other than the 522 tourists.  Most of the tourists are from the UK. ... Read more

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), to coordinate efforts to position Abu Dhabi as a world-class medical tourism destination, with the MTA’s annual World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress event now being hosted in Abu Dhabi a major part of the agreement. This globally recognized event brings together experts and organizations from more than 100 countries worldwide and regularly attracts more than 10,000 visitors, approximately 200 exhibitors and sponsors, and up to 100 hosted VIP buyers. The MoU agreement, which was ... Read more

Seychelles Tourism Board is looking for enhancing inbound tourists from the second tier cities of India. With the aim of expanding their reach to more cities of India, destination training workshops were conducted by the Seychelles tourism board in Surat and Nagpur. The objective of the workshops was to provide the tour operators with information and details about Seychelles and to find new potential partners who could promote the destinations in Seyshelles. (Photo courtesy: Udaipur Times) Events were attended by 25-30 companies in each city, which included destination presentations followed by question and answer and networking sessions. The training session ... Read more