Category: Top Stories

Bollywood diva IIeana D’Cruz has been chosen as the brand ambassador for Tourism Fiji in the Indian sector. By the new move, the Fiji Tourism board plans to exhibit more of its tourism products for the travellers in India. Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Government of Fiji said, “Fiji and India share an age-old connection with over 40 per cent of Fiji’s population being of Indian origin”. “We celebrate Indian festivals such as Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi in Fiji too. Now tourism is fast becoming a key point of connection for both countries. With Ileana D’Cruz as ... Read more

For the twelfth consecutive month that the Korean tourism is facing a sharp decline, mainly due to a plunge in the number of Chinese tourists. Tourists numbers dropped 16.5 per cent despite the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The total number of inbound visitors reached only 1.05 million in February, which was largely attributed to a sharp decline in the number of Chinese nationals who visited the country, which stood at 590,790, down 41.5 percent on-year. The number of Chinese tourists visiting has been on a constant decline following a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a US anti-missile system. ... Read more

Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, at last, withdraws the state emergency that has been on-going for the past 45 days. The situation went worse from 5th February after the Supreme Court of Maldives made a statement against the ruling government. According to the President’s office. “Though there still exists a diminished threat to national security, because the nation can now continue without further losses incurred, and upon the advice of the Security Services and, in an effort to promote normalcy, the president has decided to lift the state of emergency”. Photo Courtesy: Visit Maldives During the period of emergency, President Abdulla Yameen has ... Read more

Thai Airways fitted new seatbelt airbags on business class seats on its Dreamliner 787-9 fleet recently. The news was music to the ears of those nervous flyers. But, however, it’s not that good a decision for  fat people and parents of young children. It seems that passengers with a waistline of more than 142.24 cm (or 56 inches) will not be able to fasten the new seatbelt airbags in a way that meets safety standards. Similarly, parents of young children will now be forced into cattle class if they need to travel with their kids on their laps. The seatbelts can’t be ... Read more

World Water Day, an annual awareness day celebrated globally on 22nd March 2018 that focuses mainly on the seriousness of maintaining freshwater resources. The events include campaigns, educational forums, theatrical drama etc. The theme adopted by United Nations this year is “Nature for Water” that encourage people to look for the answer in nature. Global water crisis is nowadays the main issue faced by billions of people, in the underdeveloped and developed countries, that affects education, health and living standards. Meanwhile, in India Bengaluru is facing an intensive water crisis similar to that of Cape Town in South Africa. Due ... Read more

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is experimenting with potential structures for lunar habitation, informed Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office that looks after the Department of Space. “ISRO along with academic institutions is doing experimentation on potential structures for lunar habitation. Various options are being studied about the requirements and complexities of habitats. The study is more towards futuristic developments,” the minister said. India plans to send an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the Moon this year to study lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

Kadalundi Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran will inaugurate ‘Jalayanam’ on March 24 at the Mampuzha Farm Tourism Centre in Olavanna, Calicut. ‘Jalayanam’ is aimed at developing farm and aquatic tourism initiatives and is expected to boost tourism in Kadalundi and Olavanna areas. Mampuzha, Chaliyar, Kaladundi rivers and its nearby areas are included in the project. The Mampuzha farm tourism project in Olavanna grama panchayat, a major component of the initiative, features an aqua green organic farm and a boat ride connecting the villages on the banks of Mampuzha. Kadalundi River The Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve has mangrove forests and fish species. The bird ... Read more

Kerala had realized the infinite potential offered by the tourism scene as early as 25 years ago, said to P Balakiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism. He was addressing the closing session of the 12th UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy in Kovalam. “The state had moved ahead of times as it identified the revenue generation possibilities and the employment opportunities tourism could offer. Kerala was also able to integrate technology with tourism. The tourism industry in the state has already made use of various social media platforms to enhance the industry here, he said. Balakiran also said ... Read more

Air France announced that it will extend its Cork to Paris Charles de Gaulle service for the winter 2018/2019 season, linking Ireland’s South to the French capital, while also offering onward connections to up to 180 destinations worldwide. The Cork to Paris service is a new route on the Air France network, due to commence operation from 26 May 2018. The service, which was announced in January was originally scheduled to run through to the end of the summer season, finishing on 27 October. However, due to positive forward bookings, the route has now been extended to a yearly service. ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: lerner Emaar Hospitality group has announced its hunt for its ‘world’s greatest hospitality talent’. The group will conduct a worldwide search to identify talented young people interested in the hospitality sector. The competition is open to candidates below the age of 26 from anywhere in the world and hold a bachelor’s degree from any discipline. The competition aims to identify and nurture the most talented individual for a senior position through a three-year all-expenses paid programme. “With the guest profile changing and a new generation of travellers and entrepreneurs demanding new hospitality experiences, it is important to have youthful ... Read more

Emotiv has displayed their new technology of mind-controlled drones at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. The new lightweight plastic headset can read the electrical impulses from the brain though the scalp, record them on a computer and configure the thought patterns into instructions for a small drone. It is now possible to activate a drone and send it flying through the air just by using brainwaves alone. “What is more important than the hardware is the fact that we have this community of people that are sending us the data, and that we’ve got the data scientists and ... Read more

Passport officers have stamped passports with a smiley face as part of Happiness day celebrations. General directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai, surprised those who arrived at the Dubai International Airport today with a unique stamp with a smiley face design and the title ‘Welcome to the Happy UAE’. Around 100 lucky passengers at the Dubai Airport will be getting free taxi rides throughout the day as part of the celebrations.

Mobycy, India’s first dock-less bicycle sharing technology, launched 200 cycles in Pune. Tagged as ‘Pollution ka Solution’ it is the cheapest form of transportation, besides auto and cabs, and is healthy as well as eco-friendly. The bicycles are available exclusively via Mobycy App on a rent basis. Bicycles are located in various locations across Pune – EON, WTC IT Park, Symbiosis Campuses in Viman Nagar, and in Airport area. “I always wanted to launch cycles in Pune, owing to the number of students and young working professionals the city. We have deployed our smart bikes at various strategic locations, providing everyday ... Read more

The world’s last surviving male northern white rhino, Sudan, who lived at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, has died after months of ill health. The 45-year-old Sudan died after age-related complications worsened. Only two females of the subspecies are alive in the world at present. Now, the only way to preserve the northern white rhino, is trying in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques. Sudan lived in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Researchers have saved some of Sudan’s genetic material in the hopes of successfully artificially inseminating one of the two females left. Sudan made headlines last year when the Tinder ... Read more

If you are planning to go to Legoland tomorrow, wear yellow and you may win a chance of getting a free entry. The first 20 people who turn up tomorrow will be given complimentary access. The offer is part of the International Day of Happiness. The fun and freebies doesn’t stop there. The staff of the park may surprise you by handing yellow envelopes which contains all sorts of prizes, which range from meal vouchers to Lego gift sets, park tickets and much more. One lucky family will even receive Annual Passes to Legoland Dubai and Legoland Water Park. “There are ... Read more