Category: Top Stories

Rising to the demands and preferences of tourists in the post-pandemic world, Kerala on Thursday announced a comprehensive, stakeholder-friendly Caravan Tourism Policy, promising the visitors safe, customized and closest-to-nature travel experience. This marks a paradigm shift in almost three decades after the state made it big with houseboat tourism that provided a unique experience to visitors and positioned the state as a major global destination, Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said while unveiling the policy, which offers attractive investment subsidies to Caravan operators. Like other successful tourism products of Kerala launched since the 1990s, Caravan Tourism is also to ... Read more

Two new books offer readers with doable tips and innovative ways to lead a more “eco-conscious life” by cutting out on unnecessary consumption and reduce their waste footprint. Published by Hachette India, “(IM)Perfectly Zero Waste: A No-Nonsense Guide to Living Sustainably in India” and “The Everyday Eco-Warrior: 110 Easy Tips for a Zero-Waste Life”, is written by authors Srini Swaminathan and Shubhashree. While “(IM)Perfectly Zero Waste”, a jargon-free guide peppered with DIYs and easily doable tips to reduce waste, informs readers about the growing garbage crisis; “The Everyday Eco-Warrior” focuses on 110 simple ideas that one can implement in their ... Read more

Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER, Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Chief Minister of Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma will address the inaugural session  of two days conference of the Tourism and Culture Ministers of the states of North Eastern Region on 13th September 2021 in Guwahati. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is organising this two day conference on 13th &14th September 2021 under the Chairmanship of Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER, to discuss development of tourism and issues related to connectivity in the North Eastern Region. The two-day Conference will also be attended by senior officials ... Read more

From Wellness and Adventure to Live like a local’ and Family-time, Maldives is for everyone! Visit this island nation and get spoilt What comes to your mind initially when you think of the Maldives? A string of pearls scattered across the equator over the deep blue Indian Ocean? Or, the beautiful atolls, sparkling white beaches, turquoise lagoons, clear warm waters and coral reefs teeming with abundant varieties of marine flora and fauna? Well, whatever it is, we can assure you that the Maldives is much more than meets the eye. Known for its unparalleled beauty and luxurious resort properties, Maldives ... Read more

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon’ble Union Minister of Railways, Communication, Electronics & Information Technology, and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Union Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, flagged off  the new modern LHB Rake of  Train No. 08445/08446 Bhubaneswar-Jagadalpur-Bhubaneswar, Hirakhand Express, today evening, through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vaishnaw said that, “Hon’ble Prime Minister has been stressing upon the need for bringing about reforms in Railways. The vision is to make a wholesome transformation and not just incremental changes. Our Government is pursuing these projects on an express mode. Every year about Rs. ... Read more

According to research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the South African economy could face massive losses of more than ZAR 181 million every week it’s on the UK’s ‘red list’ for travel. The comprehensive study conducted by WTTC, reveals the staggering consequences the UK ‘red list’ represents to the South African Travel & Tourism sector, and the nation’s economy, which have both been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. All UK travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, travelling to countries on the ‘red list’, which includes South Africa, are required to cover the expensive cost of a ... Read more

An eight-year-old tigress has given birth to two cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve, a senior forest official said. The tiger reserve management had the information about the birth of the cubs of tigress named T-234, but they were captured on cameras for the first time last week, Panna Tiger Reserve’s (PTR) field director Uttam Kumar Sharma told reporters on Tuesday. Currently, there are about 70 tigers in the PTR, including 45 to 50 felines above one year of age and around 20 cubs, he said. About a week back, this tigress was captured on cameras with the two ... Read more

The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department has lined up various activities, including promoting destination festivals and organizing dedicated trekking expeditions, to attract tourists to the union territory. This was said at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary A K Mehta held to review various activities being undertaken by the Tourism department. Administrative Secretary, Tourism department along with MD, JKTDC, and concerned officers of the department participated in the meeting chaired by Mehta, an official spokesperson said. “The Tourism department is planning to organize various events to attract local and foreign tourists to the Union territory,” the spokesperson said. Recently, several ... Read more

Central Railway to run 201 Ganapati Special Trains, Western Railway to run 42 Ganapati Special Trains, Konkan Rail Corporation Limited (KRCL) to run 18 Ganapati Special Trains These special trains have started its services and shall run till 20th September, 2021 These are fully reserved trains with special fare. For the convenience of passengers during Ganapati Festival and to clear the extra rush during the festive season, Indian Railways will run 261 Ganapati Special trains to various destinations on Special Fare. Central Railway to run 201 Ganapati Special Trains, Western Railway to run 42 Ganapati Special Trains, KRCL to run ... Read more

The Mettupalayam-Ooty mountain train service resumed on Monday. The train service was launched four months later as part of the reopening of tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu following the slowdown in covid expansion. The train will leave Mettupalayam at 7.10 am daily and reach Ooty at 11.55 am. The train will return from Ooty at 2 pm and reach Mettupalayam at 5.30 pm. A total of 180 seats. Of these, 40 are first class. Tickets can be reserved through the website www.irctc.co.in. The fare is Rs 600 for first-class and Rs 295 for second class. Tickets can be obtained by ... Read more

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “Protecting public health must remain the priority and WTTC strongly supports safety protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, the EU’s recommendation to reimpose restrictions on U.S. travellers is a step backwards and will only slow down the recovery of the sector. “With high vaccination levels in both the U.S. and the EU, we should be looking at opening up travel between these two major economies. We need a common set of rules that recognise global vaccines and remove the need to quarantine for people with a negative COVID result. “The U.S. ... Read more

The Philippines has extended the ban on travelers from 10 countries, including India, until September 5. The government told reporters on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte had approved the extension of the travel ban. The move comes amid a threat of a Delta virus outbreak. People from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia will be banned from traveling from September 1 to September 5, an official spokesman said. The travel ban was due to end on August 31 but was extended again due to mitigating the spread of the Delta virus. ... Read more

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve will be opened to visitors from Monday. Tourists will be allowed in accordance with the covid regulations. Media reported that tourists have not been allowed into the tourism sector in Parambikulam for a year and a half. Admission is restricted only to tourists booked through the website http://www.parambikulam.org. Each person should get the first dose of the covid vaccine at least two weeks before. In addition, an RT PCR negative certificate taken within 72 hours is required. The body temperature of the tourists will also be checked. ParambikkulamWildlife Sanctuary Deputy Director Vaishak Sasikumar said.

A sign reading “Sorry, closed due to Covid-19” on the glass door of the cafe The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today warned the UK government that with the furlough scheme coming to an end, it has just 30 days left to save travel businesses which are struggling to survive. WTTC also warns that unless international travel opens up more widely, with simplified controls, the UK is facing a loss of £59.4 billion. Hundreds of thousands of employees in the Travel & Tourism sector are still benefiting from the furlough scheme, the UK government scheme which is due to ... Read more

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the state has immense potential for tourism and the government is working relentlessly to promote eco-tourism. The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department of the state government gave a presentation of the draft eco-tourism policy of the state government before the CM through video conference. While interacting with the officers concerned during the presentation, Kumar said, The Bihar government has already taken several steps to protect the environment. While finalising the eco-tourism policy, we must remain careful that nature is not harmed in any way. The eco-tourism policy will also increase awareness ... Read more