Category: Top Stories

The first 2022 issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer indicates that rising rates of vaccination, combined with easing of travel restrictions due to increased cross-border coordination and protocols, have all helped release pent up demand. International tourism rebounded moderately during the second half of 2021, with international arrivals down 62% in both the third and fourth quarters compared to  pre-pandemic levels. According to limited data, international arrivals in December were 65% below 2019 levels. The full impact of the Omicron variant and surge in COVID-19 cases is yet to be seen. Slow and uneven recovery The pace of recovery ... Read more

Ahead of the official opening of FITUR, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met with entrepreneur and hotelier Yavuz Selim Yükselir. Visiting the Organization’s headquarters in Madrid, the Turkish national, who joined last year as UNWTO Tourism Ambassador, discussed opportunities for further collaboration, with a particular focus on hotels and tourism accommodation. Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “I thank Yavuz Selim Yükselir for his enthusiastic support for UNWTO at the start of a year of great challenge and great opportunity for tourism. Now is the time for our esteemed Ambassadors for Sustainable Tourism to be the faces of our sector, using their status and ... Read more

Malabar is a land of great potential for tourism. It still needs to attract tourists from all over the world. This will nurture the tourism potential not only of Malabar but of Kerala as a whole. According to the internationally renowned Lonely Planet, Malabar is one of the 10 unexplored places in the world. The Department of Tourism is introducing a unique marketing scheme called “Fam 2 Malabar 500” to bring Malabar to national and international attention and to place Malabar in the packages of domestic and foreign tour operators. It will be attended by over 500 tour operators in ... Read more

The Faridabad police on Friday busted an interstate gang and nabbed four of its members for allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing them with fake holiday packages after posing as bank employees. Police said the accused duped over 55 people in different states. Rs 35,000 cash, one POS machine, computer, printer, 17 mobile phones and 18 SIM cards procured using fake IDs have been recovered from their possession, they said. The arrested accused were identified as Uttam Singh, originally hailing from Bihar; Tushar from Rajasthan; Mohammad Mubin and Maz Mohammad, natives of Uttar Pradesh. Police also sealed their ... Read more

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) celebrated ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on Friday with Kala Kumbh, organising artist workshops for painting scrolls, representing the tales of valour of unsung heroes of India’s freedom movement. Works of art done on gigantic scrolls will form an integral part of the Republic Day celebrations, marking a unique collaboration between the Culture Ministry and Defence Ministry, a statement from the NGMA said. “These scrolls analyse the potential of art as a means to express national pride and excellence… The celebration of true essence of ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’ was visible in workshops where ... Read more

Bulls aggressively stormed into the arena at Avaniyapuram here on Friday, signalling the commencement of the Jallikattu competitions during the Pongal (harvest) festival in the district. As the bulls rushed from the ‘vaadivasal’ (entry point), a number of youth swarmed around them hoping to clasp their arms around the animal’s hump and ride to victory in the bull-taming competition. Many participants made unsuccessful attempts to get a firm grip of the hump but the bulls shrugged them off and darted forward. Few men pounced from the side of the animal and clung to the bull’s hump till the finishing point. ... Read more

After a global contraction of 3.4% in 2020 and a rebound of 5.5% in 2021, the world economy is projected to grow by 4% in 2022 and then 3.5% in 2023. Given its importance as a major export category (prior to the pandemic tourism was the third largest in the world, after fuels and chemicals), and recognizing its role as a source of employment and economic development, the sector’s recovery is expected to drive growth in every world region. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The sudden halt in international tourism caused by the pandemic has emphasized the sector’s importance to ... Read more

The government has given conditional permission for the Agasthyarkoodam season 2022 trekking. Earlier, it was reported that people would be trafficked from January 14 to February 26. It had been announced that online booking will also start on January 13th for this. Meanwhile, online bookings were postponed due to fears of Omicron. However, the government has given the go-ahead to tourists with conditions but has not decided when the online booking will start and when the tourists will be admitted. Tickets can be booked online by visiting the Forest Department website www.forest.kerala.gov.in or https://serviceonline.gov.in/. Terms In view of the Covid ... Read more

After the devastation caused by the covid and the sea, Shankhumukham in Thiruvananthapuram is once again a favorite destination of tourists. People are now flocking to Tsunami Park to experience the spectacle of Ice & Snow World, which was launched under the auspices of the District Tourism Promotion Council. Attractive for children and adults alike, the exhibition is reminiscent of snow-covered destination tourism. Artificial snow, icebergs, children’s playground, igloo hut, beautiful lighting furniture, and laser display provide a great visual experience. The show runs daily from 4 pm to 10 pm. Ice & Snow World is available from 11 a.m. ... Read more

The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha reopened for visitors on Wednesday after being closed for ten days to carry out the annual census of estuarine crocodiles. The basic objective behind the closure of the national park in Kendrapara district was to avoid human interference during the exercise, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Divisional Forest Officer J D Pati said. Noise pollution from human activity distracts wildlife and poses a hindrance for carrying out the census, Pati said. “Our emphasis is on ensuring safe and comfortable sojourn of visitors who throng here in large numbers to savour the warmth of the ecosystem and ... Read more

A new research by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed a massive labour shortfall, with 263,000 direct Travel & Tourism jobs in Italy remaining unfilled by the end of 2021. The research, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, analysed labour shortages across Italy and other major Travel & Tourism destinations, such as the U.S., France, Spain, the UK and Portugal, focussing on the period between the second half of 2021 and 2022. The comprehensive research reveals staff shortages across all six countries, with employment demand starting to outstrip the available labour supply. The research shows that of the ... Read more

Got an eye for the Incredible? This is your chance to make people travel across India through your videography skills! Ministry of Tourism invites your participation in its first-ever ‘Videography Contest‘ being conducted virtually. All you have to do is submit your video, showcasing the essence of India through the following tourism aspects : UNESCO World Heritage Sites Adventure Tourism Indian Cuisines Rural Tourism Wildlife Tourism The contest is open from, 24th December 2021 to 18th January 2022. Don’t miss out on participation till the last day. Once done, just sit back and wait for the results. For more details, ... Read more

Sri Lanka has launched a luxury train service connecting the country’s Tamil-dominated Jaffna district to the capital city Colombo with the help of a Line of Credit offered by India, in another significant landmark in bilateral ties. The intercity rail service with all facilities was launched on Sunday for passengers travelling from Colombo’s Mount Lavinia suburb to Jaffna’s Kankesanthurai port suburb in the north, covering a distance of approximately 386 kms. India’s High Commission here termed it another significant landmark in India-Sri Lanka ties . Powering the railway infrastructure forward!! The train service launched today to the Northern Province highlights ... Read more

Gulmarg tourist resort in north Kashmir continued to reel under extreme cold as the minimum temperature stayed below the freezing point at most places in the valley, officials said on Monday. The resort recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius for the second consecutive night, MET officials said. They said Pahalgam in south Kashmir Anantnag district, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was the one of the two places to record minimum temperature above freezing point as the ... Read more

Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G. Kishan Reddy along with Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for Tourism and Defence Shri Ajay Bhatt inaugurated various components developed at the Govardhan Bus Stand under the project “Development of Govardhan, Mathura” under PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism on Saturday virtually. The Union Minister Sri G. Kishan Reddy said that under the leadership of Prime minister India has achieved the historic feat of administering 150 crore vaccinations. The Minister also reminded the stakeholders that Covid has not ... Read more