Category: Top Stories

Photo Courtesy: Elle The Royal couple, popular as the ‘Duke and Duchess of Sussex’, is visiting Fiji and Tonga as part of an October tour that also includes Australia and New Zealand Considering the global interest in the Royal newlyweds, the tourism sector believes their visit presents a rare opportunity to sell the Pacific region on the world stage. “Our greatest advantage is the free publicity that we will get, and putting the Pacific on the map,” said Christopher Cocker, CEO of South Pacific Tourism Organization to the media. He said local tourist operators and businesses have a rare opportunity ... Read more

Fashion, art, travel, food, design, adventure, architecture, hi-tech/hi-touch and creativity, Africa is positively brimming with new and undiscovered experiences. AccorHotels invite guests, travelling nomads and the curious-at-heart to rediscover the continent through a completely new lens – MyChicAfrica – featuring inspiration insights, newfound narratives, and visually arresting content. Following the immensely successful #MyChicAfrica social media campaign, which paired prominent African influencers together to provide an ‘off the beaten track’ look at their locales, AccorHotels in Africa is now ready to venture even further. The launch of its lifestyle media platform – MyChicAfrica.AccorHotels.com – a depository of material named after this culturally ... Read more

ixigo has announced a partnership with Treebo Hotels for sales and distribution of the latter’s inventory. “This partnership will bring on board an additional list of over 400 budget hotels across 80 cities in India,” said a press statement. Treebo is a key player in the domestic hospitality industry and budget hotel category. With the new partnership, ixigo users are now be able to search, view and book a Treebo accommodation on its apps and website. The ixigo-Treebo partnership will enable business travellers and AC-class train passengers to find the best accommodations, not only in metro cities but also in tier ... Read more

JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity has launched its new art inspired event space – ‘The Gallery Room’. Designed to fulfill and surpass all expectations, The Gallery Room is the perfect venue to host art exhibitions and hi-end corporate events. The Gallery Room, with a capacity for 150 people, is equipped with Bose acoustics, sound system and a life-size LED screen, which makes it an ideal venue to host business meetings, screen previews and host events requiring audio-visual immersion for business/leisure gatherings. “The Gallery Room is made keeping in mind the requirements of meetings of the future and how state of ... Read more

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Malta to strengthen cooperation in tourism sector. The MoU will be signed during the visit of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to Malta. The Vice President has left for a week-long visit to Serbia, Malta and Romania on September 13. The main objectives of the MoU is to encourage the promotion of quality destinations for the tourism industry in both countries, to increase tourist arrivals in both countries from the entire world through the territories of India and Malta and to ... Read more

Kerala is ready to host one of its best fashion shows – the Wedding Fashion Week 2018 from September 14 to 16. m4marry.com, the premier matrimonial portal in Kerala and Kalyan Jewellers, along with Ambika Pillai, one of the biggest names in the bridal makeup industry, join hands to present the ‘Wedding week 2018’. The three-day fashion extravaganza is to be held at Le Meridien, Kochi. The showstopper for the event will be Kiara Advani The three fashion legends Anju Modi, Tarun Tahiliani and Gaurav Gupta will showcase their ingenuity through their trends in bridal wear. This edition of the event is ... Read more

Rwanda and China officials at the Rwanda Week in China The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), in association with the Embassy of Rwanda in China, has organised a road-shows in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and the Dongguan Province to showcase Rwanda’s investment and tourism opportunities to Chinese investors. The event named Rwanda Week in China, entailed investor forums in Beijing and Shenzhen that attracting over 400 companies as well as one-on-one sessions with targeted Chinese investors and tour operators. During the event, Emmanuel Hategeka, Chief Operating Officer of RDB, exhorted the investors to visit Rwanda and invest in the ... Read more

Denmark has issued a travel advisory cautioning its citizens to travel Pakistan only if they have special reasons to visit as the country is unsafe and prone to terrorist attacks. “There is a risk of terrorist attacks, kidnappings and violent disturbances throughout the country. Risks are so serious that you should have very special reasons to visit the country,” said the Danish foreign ministry. “There is a high risk of terrorist attacks, kidnappings and violent disturbances throughout the country. Risks are so serious that you should have very special reasons to visit the country,” said the ministry. You should be ... Read more

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon everyone to become a part of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’. “On 2nd October we mark the start of Gandhi Ji’s 150th birth anniversary. It is also the day Swachh Bharat Mission completes 4 years of being a historic mass movement aimed at fulfilling Bapu’s dream of a Clean India,” said the PM “I salute all those working towards a Swachh Bharat! The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’ commences on 15th September. This is a great way to pay tributes to Bapu,” he added. The PM exhorted everyone to come and be a part ... Read more

K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism will inaugurate the ‘Tribal Tourism Circuit’ at Gangrel in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh on September 14. The objective of the Tribal Tourism Circuit is to showcase the state’s rich and diverse tribal culture and traditions to the tourists. The key components for development under the project are ‘Ethnic Tourist Village’ and ‘Ethnic Tourist Development’, Destination Development and Wayside amenities. The project is being developed by Chhattisgarh Tourism Board. The Tribal Tourism Circuit will be developed through Jashpur-Kunkuri-Mainpat-Ambikapur-Maheshpur -Ratanpur-Kurdar-Sarodadadar Gangrel- Kondagaon –Nathyanawagaon -Jagdalpur Chitrakoot -Tirthgarh in Chhattisgarh under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. ... Read more

The Canadian Government has issued travel advisories for multiple countries, referring to numerous threats that have Canadian travellers at risk currently, such as Zika virus, terrorism threats, and extreme weather. Some destinations are under extreme alerts while others are only reminding travellers that there are dangerous situations abroad. The Canadian government has issued advisories to Philippines, Chad, Barbados, Japan, Guadeloupe, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Martinique, Saint Lucia, United States, Montserrat and Dominican Republic. The government warns travellers not to travel to the Babuyan Islands in Philippines due to a super typhoon that’s currently in the area. There is also a travel advisory in Davao City, ... Read more

CM Nithish Kumar flag off the bus service between Bihar to Nepal (Photo Courtesy: PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has flagged off the first ever direct bus service between Bihar and Nepal on Tuesday, 11th August 2018. An air-conditioned deluxe bus will link two cities in Bihar – Patna and Bodh Gaya; and two in Nepal – Kathmandu and Janakpur. “This bus service will further strengthen the relations between India and Nepal. It will prove very beneficial for Buddhist tourists in the two places,” said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while inaugurating the bus service. The project is initiated ... Read more

Dubai International Airport (DXB) has retained its position as the world’s number one international airport for the fourth consecutive year in 2017 with annual passenger traffic exceeding 88.2 million passengers. The airport connects 240 destinations around the world through about 140 airlines and is expected to serve 90.2 million passengers in 2018, said Dubai Airports’ CEO Paul Griffiths, providing an update on the first half of 2018. Of the two runways of DXB, one needs a total refurbishment and during a 45-day period starting in April 2019, the runway will be closed for a full redevelopment programme. “We are working ... Read more

The Indian Railways is planning to give a new name to replace its existing name Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The decision to change the name surfaces after the Railways department feel that the name it has now is not attractive and the abbreviation is not cute enough. Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal has asked the the higher officials of the railways to find an attractive name. The ministry has asked to keep the brand name small, attractive and easy to remember. The ministry has conducted an online competition earlier in January through its website seeking suggestions to ... Read more

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is planning a three-city roadshow in India, along with partners and stakeholders, to help promote the emirate and encourage more Indian visitors to explore Abu Dhabi. The delegation includes UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, Yas Experiences, Dusit Thani, Royal Arabian, Air Travel Enterprise, Sofitel and Rotana. The delegation will be visiting India from September 17–21. The roadshow will commence in New Delhi, and then proceed to Chennai and concludes in Bengaluru. “India is a vital tier one source market for us, which is providing more and ... Read more