Category: Top Stories

Darma valley in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district has been a quaint, small village town unnoticed by travel buffs. Now, it is abuzz with tourists and so as the homestays in the town. About 125 families in the valley are now providing homestay facilities to visitors. Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), a state government undertaking, is giving them training and ensured sanitation facilities for the guests. Drama, Vyans, Chaundas and Johar are the four tribal valleys, of which Vyans and Johar valleys have been promoted as tourist destinations. Homestay tourist facilities have been developed on Munsiyari-Milam track route in Johar valley, and on Chota ... Read more

Azerbaijan took back the charge of Global Healthcare Travel Council (GTHC), from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at ‘HESTOUREX’ Congress and Exhibition (Health, Sports and Alternative Tourism) in Turkey. The meeting comprised of a presidential election in which Ruslan Guliyev, President of the Association for Support to Health and Thermal Tourism in Azerbaijan, was elected as president at the Council meeting. The meeting was highlighted by Ruslan Guliyev’s speech about Azerbaijan’s aspects on health tourism. “Election of Azerbaijan to the World Health Tourism Organization testifies to Azerbaijan’s constantly growing influence in the world. According to the outcomes of the meeting, ... Read more

It’s every travellers dream to own a vehicle that will have all the essential amenities of a hotel room. Super 8, a chain of highway motels, has just turned a Jeep Wrangler  into one such vehicle. Showcased at the recently concluded New York Motor Show, this concept is a home on wheels, literally. Super 8 recently renovated its 1,800 motel rooms across North America at a cost of $100 million and thought that it would be cool way to showcase the same through a concept vehicle which echoes the design sensibilities of the motel chain. The Wrangler Road M8 SUV has ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: smithsoniamag The special train for women passengers on the Delhi-Panipat section would be restarted soon, said Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain. The minister said that the move to restart the train is after observing a large number of women commute between Delhi and Panipat daily. The train is likely to be restarted within the next three to four days. “The train service was stopped due to some difficulties which has caused a lot of resentment among women passengers who faced commuting problems,” Jain said. The minister sought the intervention of Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and suggested ... Read more

A regular weekly express train between Dibrugarh and Silchar will be introduced from April 8, connecting Barak and Brahmaputra valley. The new service will be jointly flagged off by chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and minister of state of Railways Rajen Gohain, from Dibrugarh tomorrow, informed the Northeast Frontier Railway. The regular service of the train will start from April 16 from Dibrugarh and from Silchar on April 17. The  15944 Dibrugarh – Silchar Express will leave Dibrugarh every Monday at 7 pm and arrive at Silchar at 8.40 am the next day. During the return journey, the 15943 Silchar ... Read more

The finance ministry today announced that a 5 per cent GST will be levied on food and drinks supplied by Indian Railways or Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. or their licensees, whether in trains or at platforms (static units). The Finance Ministry has written to the Railway Board on March 31 about the 5 per cent rate to remove any doubt or uncertainty in the matter. The new announcement would bring about uniformity in the rate of GST applicable to supply of food and drinks made available in trains, platforms or stations. “The GST rate on supply of food and ... Read more

Novotel launches Novotel Kochi Infopark in the IT hub of Infopark in Kakkanad. The hotel features 120 rooms and eight suites 4,000sq ft of banquet/meeting spaces, with free, high-speed wi-fi across the property. Novotel Kochi Infopark also houses a gym, a rooftop infinity pool and a spa. The restaurant, The Square, offers standard multiple cuisines with a focus on grills and pizzas, with very few local dishes. Novotel also offers two bars in the property – The Bar and The Sun Deck Bar. The Bar’ is your perfect destination to catch-up with a drink and snacks. ‘The Sun Deck Bar’ is your perfect ... Read more

Kenya, the paradise of wildlife-safari, located on the eastern coast of the African continent, has launched a national level programme, to equip indigenous tourism product managers and sales representatives to sell travel skills online. The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has associated with  Google, mobile operator Safaricom, marketing society of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Tourism Finance Corporation and KTB’s online consultant for the launch of the programme. “KTB will work with the identified partners to engage players in the tourism and travel sector and show them how to utilize the internet to their advantage, said Betty Radier, KTB Managing Director. ... Read more

Every Sunday until Ramadan, Wafi Mall’s rooftop will open the city’s first outdoor Bollywood cinema. The open air cinema will serve Indian street food and also features a bar. Some of Bollywood’s all-time favourite blockbusters including 3Idiots, Lagaan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will be screened in the cinema over the weeks. Organisers have partnered with Asha’s restaurant in Wafi Mall to provide a selection of Indian street food, with a bar featuring unique movie-themed beverages. Tickets are Dh70 per person, and include a small masala popcorn and one drink. A luxurious VIP package includes sofa seating and a three-course meal ... Read more

Hotel Ashok in Ranchi has stopped all its operations last Friday. A joint venture between Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and the erstwhile Bihar government, the hotel opened in Ranchi in 1988 and had been running at a loss for years. The property has three stakeholders, namely, ITDC (51 per cent), Jharkhand (12.5) and Bihar the rest. Originally, Bihar owned 49 per cent stake but after the formation of Jharkhand, the stakes were split 3:1 following an inter-ministerial meeting under the chairmanship of principal secretary to the Prime Minister in 2004. Around 30 staff of the hotel, who has not been given ... Read more

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is coming up with a giant airport complex, worth over $12.3 billion. The new engineering marvel on finalization would become a new world-class aviation hub, that connects over 350 destinations with 100 airline fleet. 80 per cent  of the structure is completed and is scheduled to launch on 29th October 2018. The airport authority has installed world’s smartest LED lighting system for the runways, that consist of over 34,183 LED lights. It also hosts a 24X7 dedicated cargo transportation department. According to media reports, the passenger capacity of the airport would be around 90 million, ... Read more

Cygnett Hotels and Resorts has opened its new business class hotel – CygnettLite Ramachandra near the Visakhapatnam airport. “The hotel will serve tourists and business travellers to the port city and the Cygnetture brand will add value to the local attractions,” said Sarbendra Sarkar, Managing Director and Founder of Cygnett Hotels and Resorts. Sarkar said the hotel chain, with 15 operating hotels in the country, will add nine more properties by December eight more by the end of this financial year. Cygnett Hotels and Resorts is planning to open 103 hotels across 75 cities in India and South Asia in the next ... Read more

A Jodhpur court today convicted Salman Khan in the 1998 blackbuck killing case. His ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ co-stars, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam were acquitted . Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri pronounced the verdict in the case that had been going on for 20 years. Salman was accused of killing two blackbucks on October 2, 1998 in Kankani village in Jodhpur during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain”. The trial of the case has been in progress for the last 20 years. Salman was facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The ... Read more

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar funded mobile toilets near Juhu Beach, following a tweet from wife Twinkle Khanna about a man defecating on the Versova beach. The toilets are worth 10 lakhs and are built in association with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). “We welcomed his initiative and installed the toilet near the Juhu beach. The actor bore all the expenses, Rs 10 lakh, for setting up the portable toilet,” said  Prashant Gaikwad, Assistant municipal commissioner. Meanwhile, Twinkle has tweeted the issue, while witnessing locals defecating in the open, during her morning walks. “Good morning and I guess here is the first scene of Toilet Ek ... Read more

The new aviation tax imposed by Sweden, as part of reducing the carbon footprint, could benefit air traffic in Denmark. The added charges for the flights include 60 to 400 kronas ($7 to $49), with regards to the length of the flight. Meanwhile, babies in arms, flight crew and long-haul passengers were exempted from the tax. According to a share analyst from Denmark, a favourable rerouting of airlines to their airspace will give a better network and options for flights in and out of the country, which may benefit the economy. “The charges eventually would hit the airline’s pocket more than ... Read more