Category: Top Stories

With the rise in tourism and the beginning of party season, many people are seen planning trips to far lands. Being the land of clear water and white beaches, Maldives has become one of the top favourites among Indians. According to the recent survey, out of the total tourist footfall in the Maldives, 23.3% were from India, hence the highest. While you may think that your plan of jetting off to the Maldives might be interrupted by your budget, and experiential travel company Thrillophilia has come up with five new luxury resorts in the Maldives which will make your vacation ... Read more

Aymanam Responsible Tourism Village Project implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission of the Department of Tourism has won an international award. The Aymanam Tourism Project has been recognized in the Rapid Diversification category in the tourism sector at the Indian Responsible Tourism One to Watch Award in the World Travel Market. The activities of the Responsible Tourism Mission in Kerala are attracting world attention. The projects were implemented in such a way as to attract international attention to Kumarakom. Minister Mohammad Riyaz said that after this, Aymanam also came to the world’s attention. There are various homestays in Aymanam as ... Read more

With the onset of winter, the sacred portals of the Gangotri shrine in Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand were closed on Friday amid Vedic hymns and elaborate rituals. Gangotri Mandir Samiti co-secretary Rajesh Semwal said the temple gates were closed at 11.45 am. The idol of Goddess Ganga was then taken on a palanquin decked with flowers for Mukhba village, her winter abode, he said. Over 32,948 pilgrims visited Gangotri this season after the temple was opened for devotees in September amid Covid restrictions such as a limit on the number of devotees. The daily limit was lifted in October by ... Read more

Following KSRTC, the water transport department is also gearing up to attract tourists. The Department has taken steps to launch more passenger-cum-tourist services. The Vega-2 tourism service launched by the Water Transport Department from Alappuzha to Kumarakom was a great success. The acceptance of KSRTC’s tourist services has also been a motivating factor. The Vega-2 service, which has been in service for over a year, was packed with passengers just before the second covid wave. Even after the service resumed after this, there was no big drop in people. Water taxis of the Water Transport Department are very popular in ... Read more

The Glasgow Declaration recognizes the urgent need for a globally consistent plan for climate action in tourism. Signatories commit to measure, decarbonize, regenerate and unlock finance. Additionally, each signatory commits to deliver a concrete climate action plan, or updated plan, within 12 months of signing. Speaking at COP26, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that “while many private businesses have led the way in advancing climate action, a more ambitious sector-wide approach is needed to ensure tourism accelerates climate action in a meaningful way”. He added that “the Glasgow Declaration is a tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions ... Read more

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday announced that the state-of-the-art ‘Dastaan-e-Shahadat’ theme park, depicting the glorious history of Sikhs, would be inaugurated by mid-November. Chairing a high-level meeting on the matter, the CM said the theme park would contain 11 galleries equipped with ultra-modern gadgets such as revolving theatre, dome, static set, live-action studio, mixture of set and live shoot, 270-degree screen projection screen with double screens. In an official release, the Chief Minister said that the inauguration would be marked with full religious fervor and prominent personalities from all walks of life besides representatives from other religions ... Read more

The Kerala government is planning to open pubs in the state’s IT parks. Replying to a question in the State Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that many IT firms, keen to establish their units in IT parks in the state, have pointed out the lack of facilities like pubs there. He said the representatives sent by such IT firms for studying the facilities in the IT parks have reported to their management about the lack of such facilities. The CM said the government had considered the matter but could not materialize it due to the lockdown induced ... Read more

Disneyland is one of the fascinating destinations on the map of the tourist of the world. But Disneyland is now in the news for an unfortunate incident. Authorities locked up 33,863 tourists inside the park after covid confirmed to a person arrived in Shanghai Disneyland. The park is now temporarily closed to visitors. The incident happened on Sunday. Everyone must check the covid to enter into the park. In the meantime, one finds out that covid has. With this, the park will be closed for two days and the authorities announced that everyone will have to comply with the covid ... Read more

Tourism has united around a common Call to Action, outlining a shared vision for the sustainable and inclusive future of the sector. On the second day of the Future of Tourism World Summit in Barcelona (26-27 October), UNWTO was joined by fellow UN agencies, government Ministers, and public and private sector leaders, in agreeing to seize the opportunity to restart and recover better from the impacts of the pandemic. The Call to Action brings together the solutions and plans put forward during the two-day summit, recognizing the importance of transforming tourism ‘for people, for planet and for prosperity’. ‘Tourism must ... Read more

IndiGo on Monday started six new flights connecting Kanpur with Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, a statement said. The airline said these flights will operate on all days except Sundays. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the flights on Monday. Kanpur is the 71st domestic city to be connected by IndiGo flights, the statement noted. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo, said: “These new routes will connect Kanpur, a major financial and industrial center in the north, to the rest of the country through key hubs in western and southern India while augmenting trade and commerce within these ... Read more

Muzhuppilangad in Kannur, the only ‘drive-in’ beach in Kerala, is changing drastically. KTDC’s five-star hotel comes with state-of-the-art facilities on the beach, a tourist paradise. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for the five-star resort at Muzhuppilangadi, the longest drive-in beach in Asia, on October 30 at 11 am. KTDC intends to develop Muzhuppilangadi beach as a major tourism destination and adventure destination. With the coming of KTDC resort, the importance of Muzhappilangad beach will increase. The five-star resort will be completed in the first phase at a cost of about Rs 39 crore on 3.96 acres with ... Read more

Beypore International Water Fest aims to bring the infinite possibilities of water tourism to the world. Actor Asif Ali unveiled the logo of the fest. The function was held at the guest house in the presence of Public Works and Tourism Minister PA Mohammad Riyaz and District Collector Dr. N Tej Lohit Reddy. The logo was designed by Anoop Shanthakumar from Kothamangalam, Ernakulam. The logo is beautifully designed to enhance the grandeur of the Beypore International Water Fest. The logo is a combination of blue and green colors that represent water. The appropriate logo was selected from invited logos from ... Read more

Dressed in festive finery and with excitement writ large on their faces, hundreds of people from tribal communities from across the country witnessed exuberant performances on the opening day of the National Tribal Dance Festival here on Thursday. From Nigeria’s Efik people’s “Ekombi” dance to Palestinian girls’ “Dabke” performance and tribals of Chhattisgarh’s Durg and Surguja districts matching steps in “Saila” and “Karma” dances, the first day of the five-day festival had a lot to offer. The festival, which is being held at the Science College Ground, was inaugurated by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. “Despite being from different parts ... Read more

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday announced that the Veermata Jijamata Udyan, popularly known as Byculla Zoo, here will be open to visitors from November 1. The civic body had shut the zoo in April amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release issued by the BMC, the zoo will be open for visitors from 9.30 am to 6 pm, while morning walkers can use the premises between 6 am and 8.30 am. The zoo, popularly known as “Rani cha Baug”, is home to a large number of animals, different species of exotic birds and ... Read more

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi on Wednesday inaugurated the first-ever literary festival at the famous tourist destination of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district as part of the ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations under Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The literary festival organized by the J-K government has brought numerous literary personalities across the country to mark the 75 years of independence. Acclaimed writers, emerging poets, intellectuals discussed and analyzed several aspects of literary traditions in the festival, an official spokesman said. Lekhi praised the efforts of J-K UT administration for organizing festival of this kind ... Read more