Category: Top Stories

India’s first-ever mosque and the oldest in the sub-continent will be recreated in tune with its original character and aesthetics, as the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) is set to restore the Cheraman Juma Masjid built in 629 AD at Kodungallur of this district. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will inaugurate the project, an initiative of Department of Tourism through its heritage conservation efforts, on Sunday at the site of the religious structure, 40 km south of this city. State Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac will preside over the 4 pm function. Amongst the dignitaries at the event will ... Read more

Outperforming rivals by several yards amid loud cheers from spectators, Tropical Titans emerged victors yet again today at Race 10, stirring up prospects of scoring a third hat-trick in the Champions Boat League (CBL). The evening’s winners, with a timing of 4:39.76 along the 900-metre track at the Kayamkulam backwaters, surged further up the points position at 143, taking an unassailable lead after the 10th round of the pioneering water event modelled on IPL cricket. The final race saw a photo-finish for the first and second runners-up, with Coast Dominators coming second by clocking 5:17.17 and Raging Rowers (5:17.60) ending ... Read more

Compared to beaches and hill stations, more tourists are visiting temples in Tamil Nadu. Spiritual tourism is bringing lakhs of people to this southern state, with statistics indicating that districts with popular temples have emerged as top draws. The temple town of Kancheepuram ranked first followed closely by Chennai. According to statistics from directorate of tourism, both Chennai and Kancheepuram collectively account for 20 per cent of the total 38.59 crore domestic tourists who visited the state last year. Ramanathapuram, Dindigul and Thanjavur that have ancient temples such as Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram, Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani and UNESCO-notified ... Read more

With an aim to increase footfall to various tourism destinations and to involve citizens in promoting them, the tourism department of Karnataka has launched a preliminary promotional initiative. A state and district level competition will be held in December and January. “Tourism is nothing without Tourists & their Experiences! Share your pictures with us at tourism@kstdc.co and get a chance to be featured on our page. The best photographer of the month gets a two night couple stay at a KSTDC property,” said Tourism Minister C T Ravi on his twitter handle. The preference will be for lesser known destinations so ... Read more

The arrival of first cruise liner AIDAvita marked the beginning of the cruise season in Kerala on November 5. The ship with 1,181 tourists and 406 crew members on board was docked at BTP berth, Kochi Port, around 8 am. The luxury liner began its journey from Dubai to Singapore on October 30. Before reaching Kochi, it was docked at Muscat, Goa and Mangaluru. It left for Male in the evening before sailing to Colombo, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur to reach Singapore on November 16. The District Tourism Promotion Council had arranged cultural events and facilities to welcome the tourists ... Read more

Rowing westward against a bright evening sun, all the teams displayed special vigour at the ninth round of the Champions Boat League (CBL) today, even as Tropical Titans continued to assert their supremacy by finishing first yet another time ahead of the finals later this month. The winning team timed 3:37.59 at Pulinkunnu leg of the 12-leg championship modelled on IPL cricket. Finishing second were Raging Rowers (3:45.75), while Mighty Oars (3:46.79) came third amid a cheering crowd of 1.3 lakh on both sides of the Pampa river. The ‘Nerolac Excel Fastest Team of the Day’ went to Tropical Titans ... Read more

Los Angeles continues to be a leading travel destination that is celebrated for its diversity and inclusion. The city boasts numerous lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) attractions including guided walking tours, events and exhibitions that highlight issues like gender identity and celebrate the city’s rich LGBTQ+ heritage. Staying true to their hallmark Everyone is Welcome campaign, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board recently invited seven media members from across the globe to partake in many of the immersive LGBTQ+ friendly experiences the city has to offer. This innovative familiarization trip was designed to educate both international and domestic ... Read more

Spreading the competitive spirit of the high-octane snake-boat races to another belt in Kuttanad region, the scenic Pulinkunnu will host this weekend the ninth round of the Champions Boat League (CBL) modelled on IPL cricket. Tropical Titans have surged ahead of their nearest competitors by a fair margin in the points tally with the 12-round pioneering event two-thirds way through and packed with prize monies totalling Rs 5.9 crore, making CBL the country’s fourth highest-paid sports tournament. The leading team, owned by the Pallathuruthy Sports Club of this coastal district, has 113 points, ahead of Raging Rowers (55) and Mighty ... Read more

The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Thiruvananthapuram, is all set to roll out a special tour package connecting prime spots in Kerala capital including the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and Kovalam Beach resort. Styled as ‘Ananthapuri Package,’ the circuit will cover heritage structure ‘Kuthira Malika’, Museum and Zoo, Planetarium, Veli Tourist Village and Shankhumugham beach, all in and around the city. A conducted tour called ‘Triveni Sangamam’ to Kanyakumari, which covers outlying Ponmudi -Meenmutty forest trail and Neyyar Elephant Safari, have also been planned as an extended package. Under the Ananthapuri Package, tourists will be taken around the city in ... Read more

It’s not yet Christmas, but the exhilarating aroma of the Annual Cake Mixing Ceremony in the Terrace restaurant of The Leela Raviz, Kovalam brought alive the rich tradition and unveiled the spirit of the festive season. Spreading the cheer along with the chefs, media friends, corporate guests and in-house guests the highlight of the ceremony was the twenty children gang from Sree Chithra Home, Pazhavangadi who were the chief guests of the ceremony. Everyone was dressed in typical Chefs attire of caps and aprons amidst tradition and fanfare. Guests and colleagues together rolled up their sleeves and put their hands ... Read more

Vistara has announced a six-time-a-week (except Wednesdays) direct service to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Mumbai starting November 25, 2019, onwards, making it the fourth international destination in network. The airline will fly its Airbus A320neo aircraft with three-class cabin configuration between Mumbai and Colombo, which makes Vistara the first airline to offer the choice of Premium Economy class for travel on the India and Sri Lanka route, in addition to Economy and Business Class. “Sri Lanka is a very promising destination for Vistara, given the growth it continues to record in trade and tourism, especially as India is the largest ... Read more

Sharjah is set for a bigger, brighter Diwali this year at The Flag Island. On Friday, October 25, 2019 the outdoor destination on Khalid Lagoon will unveil ‘Indian Night’ – a nine-hour long Indian cultural extravaganza for the local and expat communities in the UAE, as well as visitors. From 3:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., visitors will be treated to Bollywood dance performances to the season’s chart-topping numbers, local and international music bands who will be pleasing crowds with popular Indian and Indonesian songs, colourful fashion shows, dance shows featuring local dancers who will present the Indian classical style of ... Read more

Ending its three-round itinerary in central Kerala, Champions Boat League (CBL) is set to return to the state’s heartland of water-races this Saturday when Kainakary in this coastal district will host the eighth leg of the three-month event concluding next month. Celebrated for its scenic beauty, the Vembanad lake would be the venue for the nine snake-boats to vie yet another time for honours at the 12-leg championships being organised by Kerala Tourism. The non-saline water body has five rivers draining into the tip of Kainakary, which has a tradition of boat races. Located in Kuttanad taluk which is India’s ... Read more

The Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain, is pleased to announce the opening of The Fern Residency in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. This is the 16th hotel which the company is managing in the state. Overall the company’s count has extended to 69 hotels across the country and in Nepal and Seychelles. The hotel is situated in the heart of the city, with easy access to the airport, railway station, major sightseeing attractions in town and to public transport. “People visiting Aurangabad which is steeped in history will be delighted by the hospitality extended to them. The Fern ... Read more

Club Med, the premium all-inclusive operator and global snow holiday leader has unveiled the results of their recent Asia-Pacific (APAC) Snow Brand Study 2019 as a follow-up from their first snow holiday report in APAC last year. This year’s study took a deeper dive into the habits of snow holiday goers, identifying key insights and influences across 11 markets with 2,200 respondents from India to Australia. Indian travellers are getting more diverse, adventurous, experimental and are increasingly looking at snow holidays in addition to summer vacations. Switzerland is an aspirational and preferred destination for Indian tourists owing to a plethora ... Read more