Category: Top Stories

Kerala, boasting of a high literacy rate and unique literary and cultural tradition, will soon have a museum to showcase the legacy, which is considered to be the first-of-its-kind language-literary and cultural museum in the world. The state government decided to launch the construction of “Akshara Museum” on November 1, the foundation day of the southern state, at Nattakam in Kottayam district. The unique museum is constructed under the aegis of the Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, publishing and sales co-operative of writers. The decision to begin the construction of the museum building was taken at a joint review meeting held ... Read more

Two more beaches in India have been awarded “Blue Flag” certification, an international eco-level tag, taking the total number of such beaches in the country to 10, the Environment Ministry said on Tuesday. The two beaches to receive the certification this year are Kovalam (Covelong) in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry, it said. The Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), Denmark, which accords the Blue Flag certification, has also given re-certification for eight nominated beaches – Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag certificate last year, ... Read more

Radhanagar beach in Swaraj Deep island of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has retained the Blue flag certification for 2021-22, an official release said. The Radhanagar beach is in South Andaman district and is very popular with both domestic and foreign tourists. The Blue flag certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), Denmark, based on 33 stringent criteria under four major heads – environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environmental management and conservation and safety and services at the beaches. Blue flag beach is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide ... Read more

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on Thursday said the African nation has reopened its borders for Indian travellers, which were closed for a brief period due to the second wave of Covid-19. The temporary ban of passenger flights from India was revoked after a brief period of suspension since May this year as a result of the spike of Covid-19 pandemic in the country, KTB said in a statement. As per Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the flights from India to Kenya can now resume, which will give impetus to travels that have been curtailed by the Covid-19-pandemic, it added. The ... Read more

Signaling the re-opening of the pandemic-hit tourism sector in Kerala for upcountry visitors, a luxury cruise from Mumbai with 1,200 travelers on board reached the shores of Kochi today. The luxury liner MV Empress, owned by Cordelia Cruises, anchored at Cochin Port, Willingdon Island, at around 5 am. Around 800 guests on the ship, hailing from various States, disembarked at Kochi to explore a slice of the rich culture and history of the port city, in an on-shore tour adhering to Covid-19 protocols. The cruise ship left for Kadamat, Lakshadweep, in the afternoon. Voyages Kerala is the tour agent organizing ... Read more

With less than 10 days to go until it opens its doors to the world, Expo 2020 Dubai today launches its official song. Titled This Is Our Time, the song highlights pride in the UAE’s culture, celebrates the future, and brings together nations from around the world, while conveying the story of Expo’s overarching theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future through the universal language of music. The song is led by Hussain Al Jassmi, one of the UAE’s biggest artists and Expo 2020 Ambassador, accompanied by 21-year-old Emirati singer-songwriter Almas, named in Spotify’s Best Female Talent in the Middle ... Read more

Awakening of the tourism sector in Kozhikode district by granting concessions on covid restrictions. Tourist centers that have been closed for months have been reopened to the public with bio bubble security in compliance with covid standards. Under the supervision of the District Tourism Promotion Council, Thushara Giri Eco-Tourism Center, Arippara Falls, Vadakara Sand Banks, and Sarovaram Biopark were opened under strict control. Many peoples visit Vadakara Sand Banks and Kozhikode Sarovaram. Ticket revenue of Rs 7,000 was received on Sunday at Sandbanks. The average income on the sarovaram is six thousand rupees. Sandbanks were able to open because access ... Read more

Renovated Helipad at Old Goa was inaugurated today by Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Tourism, and Development of North eastern region and Chief minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant. The inaugural event was also attended by Union MOS Tourism Shri Shripad Naik and Shri Manohar Azgaonkar Dy CM Of Goa , Legislators and senior officers from government of goa and government of India. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Shri G Kishan Reddy said that Goa is not only renowned as a national tourist destination, but also an important international destination. Minister quoted his experiences with the Israel ... Read more

UAE will allow concessions on covid travel restrictions. The relaxation in travel restrictions comes in the context of the Dubai Expo. Travelers from India will also benefit from this. Dr. Ahmed Albana, UAE Ambassador to India, said that holders of tourist visas or work visas can visit the UAE without any additional restrictions. It is also noteworthy that the Expo is on the fiftieth anniversary of the UAE. In the context of the Expo, admission has been granted to those from India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Uganda, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The Expo scheduled for 2020 has been postponed to this year ... Read more

The overtly masculine image of amber liquid sloshing gently on rocks of ice as gentlemen hold their glasses and clouds of cigar smoke swirl around is changing rapidly with whisky brands tapping into a diverse customer base and experimenting with flavours as diverse as coffee and tea. He staid whisky spirit is getting a fun makeover with cocktail connoisseurs joining in too, either using ingredients to enhance the velvety smooth flavour of whisky or disguising it, to woo those who usually stayed with sweeter fruity cocktails. Shreshta Saha, who kept away from whisky for almost half a decade, now says ... Read more

The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand will begin on Saturday after its prolonged suspension due to COVID-19. A day after the Uttarakhand High Court vacated its stay on Chardham Yatra, the state government on Friday issued a detailed SOP to start the yatra from Saturday with strict adherence to COVID-19 norms. Imposing a daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the Himalayan temples, the SOP put a cap of 1,000 pilgrims daily on Badrinath, 800 on Kedarnath, 600 on Gangotri and 400 on Yamunotri. Showing a document certifying administration of both doses of the anti- Covid vaccine at least 15 ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has launched a mobile app that will enable tourists visiting Kerala to ensure a smooth journey, discover attractive new tourist destinations and record their visit experiences. The app was launched by superstar Mohanlal at a function held at Ravis Hotel in Kovalam. Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammad Riyaz, Tourism Additional Chief Secretary V. Venu IAS were present. The main feature of the app is that all the information about tourism destinations and services will be at your fingertips as well as information about the hitherto unknown tourist destinations in all the panchayats of Kerala. Muhammad Riyaz said. He added ... Read more

On 1 July. 2021, Thailand reopened its border to welcome international tourists again since the COVID-19 outbreak. The reopening has given tourism entrepreneurs an opportunity to recover their businesses through the Phuket Sandbox programme that was followed by the “Samui Plus” Model and the extension of the Phuket Sandbox with two other destinations: Krabi and Phang-Nga. As of now, there have been more than 30,000 international visitors arriving in Thailand and visiting the pilot destinations, thus generating income for local entrepreneurs and communities. In order to build trust among tourists and further distribute income to the local communities, TAT has ... Read more

Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas on Tuesday launched the Kerala Agri Tourism Network-Farm Tourism as a major initiative of the globally-acclaimed Responsible Tourism project of the state to ensure monetary benefits to agricultural community by linking farming activities with tourism. The Minister also inaugurated a state-level training programme to create trained manpower to strengthen farm tourism and impart an added impetus to the tourism sector in the post-Covid phase. On the occasion, he said Kerala Tourism will be teaming up with local self-government institutions across the state to identify 500 new destinations in five years. The Responsible Tourism ... Read more

Public fairs and exhibitions will be allowed in Delhi from Thursday, under a phased reopening of economic activities interrupted by the lockdown during the second wave of COVID-19 in the city. In an order issued on Wednesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said banquet halls in the city will be allowed to hold such exhibitions and fairs. Business-to-consumer exhibitions will be permitted in the city from September 16, it stated, adding that organisers will have to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and in case any violation is found, strict penal ... Read more