Category: Top Stories

The holy annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended on Baltal route due to inclement weather conditions. The route of Amarnath Yatra from Baltal has become slippery and muddy due to continuous rain last night. The yatra on Phalgam route, however, is unaffected and is going on as per schedule. An organization providing free food, night shelter and blankets to the Amarnath yatra pilgrims suggested to Shrine board headed by Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, the Shri Amarnathji Barfani Langer Organisation, to limit the annual pilgrimage to 30 days. The 60-day long annual yatra to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in ... Read more

The Mumbai-Goa cruise ferry service, which is set to start after the monsoon, will also have its halts in towns like Ratnagiri, Malvan, Vijaydurg and Raigad. The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), the executing authority of the project has already appointed an operator who will run the cruise services. Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) is currently working on the feasibility of having additional jetties for the cruise service. “The jetties can be used by all the vessels, and are being constructed as part of coastal tourism plan which means it will also boost tourist activities in the Konkan region. The jetties are ... Read more

As part of the tourism development campaigns during the period between September and November 2018, Kerala tourism will take part in six trade fairs and will organize 15 B2B meets with focus on Russia, Japan and China. Kerala Tourism will participate in trade fairs in London, PATA, Moscow, Tokyo, Singapore and in Shanghai Mostly tour operators and hoteliers are the participants of tourism road shows, however this time approved Ayurveda centers will also take part in the meets in Japan and Russia. The tourism department is also planning to have more intensive promotional activities in these countries, as the number ... Read more

Well-known for its state-of-the-art passenger-friendly amenities, the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, came fist in the quarterly ACI-ASQ Arrival Survey. The airport is operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), In the survey conducted by Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality survey for arrivals during April-June 2018, Bengaluru Airport gained 4.67 points (out of five). Abu Dhabi International Airport was second with 4.53 points, while Toronto Pearson International Airport was third with 4.44 points. First-of-this-kind, the survey focuses on the experience of arriving passengers – helping airports measure, benchmark and enhance service quality levels. Bengaluru Airport is the only Indian airport ... Read more

Jog Falls Unlike the monsoon seasons earlier, this year the tourism sector of Karnataka is experiencing a boom, instead of shortfall in the number of tourists. Incessant rains these days have revived the rivers and waterfalls, which lure a number of tourists during this off season. “Earlier, June and July were considered off-season. Now there is a change in the trend. People like to travel during monsoon. Our properties, especially opposite Jog Falls have seen 90-95 percent booking during this time, which is unlikely,” said Kumar Pushkar, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). Other than Jog Falls, Madikeri ... Read more

Navjot Singh Sidhu, Tourism and cultural affairs minister of Punjab has finalised a plan to develop Virasat-e-Khalsa, a museum of the Sikhs. The proposal was announced on 20th July, which will make the Virasat a ‘strategic tourist spot’ in the state. It also propose to improve the basic amenities and infrastructure at Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of Khalsa. “Since Virasat-e-Khalsa is attracting a number of tourists every year, it is high time to develop tented accommodation, budget hotels, food courts and souvenir shops in its vicinity,” said Sidhu, who was presiding over a meeting of Anandpur Sahib Foundation. “The Union ... Read more

Picture for representation purpose only The Phase 1 of International Conventional Centre Complex (ICCC), near Akkulam lake and Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, by K Raheja Corporation’s Chalet Hotels is all set to start post monsoon. The Rs 900-crore business hub, features a marina, a 150-room four-star hotel and a 1,500-seater convention centre in phase 1. This will have a built-up area of 16,503 sq mt. The second phase comes with an additional 1,500-seater convention centre, two hotels (one five-star and another four-star), a wellness resort, retail area, commercial space, food courts and amphitheatre, among others, according to the concept diagrams. All the hotels will have ... Read more

The West Bengal government is renovating around 25 state-owned tourist lodges to make them three-star properties. It is a significant move from the affordability archetype for tourist accommodation run by the former government to one of ensuring luxury.   The estimated cost of the project is Rs 100 crore. “The room tariff will likely to increase when these lodges reopen in three months,” said Atri Bhattacharya, principal secretary in the Department of Tourism. The move is aiming at expanding clientele in the state-owned lodges. Currently, the tourists looking for luxury prefer to stay in expensive private hotels. Though there will ... Read more

Cochin Port’s new cruise terminal will come up at the Ernakulam Wharf by February 2020. The cruise terminal, to be built at a cost of Rs 25.72 crore, will have the facilities to handle 5,000 tourists. The 2,253-sq metre terminal will feature passenger and crew lounges, immigration counters, tourist information counter and duty free shopping. The estimated cost of construction of the terminal is Rs 25.72 crore and of this Rs 21.41 crore had been sanctioned as grant by the Union Tourism Ministry, said a release. Being one of the prime cruise tourism destinations in the country, Cochin Port had been ... Read more

Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) has organized a training programme on homestay tourism on Wednesday, 18th July 2018, for the women in Meghalaya with the supportof the National Commission for Woman (NCW) “The purpose of the programme was to promote women entrepreneurship in home-stay tourism,” said Theilin Phanbuh, the Chairperson of MSCW. “Tourism is one sector that offers immense potential, especially in Meghalaya with its natural scenic beauty,” she added. She also expressed hope that more women will come up and make use of this opportunity which would help them to generate income, when the unemployment rate in the ... Read more

Lake Palace, Udaipur Udaipur has been voted as the favorite city in Asia by the readers of Travel + Leisure readers at the 2018 World’s Best Awards. Every year for the World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated cities on their sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value. Udaipur, known as the City of Lakes, is located around azure water lakes and is hemmed in by lush green hills of Aravallis. The ... Read more

The Government of India has announced a three-year visa for Bangladeshi students who are willing to study in the country under a newly signed bilateral agreement. The students will immediately get a minimum three-year visa, said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Shringla said Bangladeshi students wishing to study in India and their parents will get three-year visas immediately after their enrollments. A good number of Bangladeshi students take admissions in Indian universities every year for studies at different levels and in varied courses. “India is an important destination for higher education. It has more than 800 universities and 3,800 ... Read more

Winner – Coveted Airline of the Year, World’s Best First Class Airline, Best Airline in Asia and the Best First Class Airline. Singapore Airlines filled the board at this year’s Skytrax World Airline Awards, by sweeping the Coveted Airline of the Year, World’s Best First Class Airline, Best Airline in Asia and the Best First Class Airline awards. Skytrax World Airline Awards in the aviation industry, which is considered to be equivalent to the Oscars, was started in 1999. EasyJet bagged the Best Low Cost Airline in the UK award, while the Best Airline in Europe went to Lufthansa.  Lufthansa was the only ... Read more

The holiest shrine of Sikhs, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, is all set to get a brighter shade of yellow with an additional 160 kg gold worth Rs 50 crore. The dome of its four deodis (entrances) will be gold-plated. Each of the four deodis will be covered by 40 kg of gold. “Gold-plating of the main deodi near Ghanta Ghar is underway since April through kar sewa (voluntarily service). Work on the rest will be taken up after the gold-plating of the first entrance is completed,” said Diljit Singh Bedi, the spokesperson and additional secretary of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: News Vision Director General for African Affairs at China’s foreign affairs ministry Wan Li, told a visiting delegation from Uganda that China will encourage more investors to set up businesses in Uganda, if the county would create a better environment to attract more investors. “China and Uganda had a long history of cordial relations for more than 56 years. We are good friends, partners and brothers,” said Li. He praised the hospitality of Ugandan people and said he felt at home, when he was there. Wan Li was responding to the request from the Government spokesperson and head ... Read more