Category: Top Stories

Kerala Tourism’s week-long cultural extravaganza to mark this year’s Onam celebrations will kick off on September 10, showcasing the state’s vibrant classical and folk dances, modern art and performing traditions at multiple venues in the state capital and various District Centres. As part of the Onam celebrations, the capital city will also host the State Tourism Ministers’ Conclave, to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on September 16, the concluding day of the festival. Union Minister of State for Tourism and   Culture, Prahlad Singh Patel will be the chief guest at the meet at Leela Raviz, Kovalam. Besides ... Read more

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Busan Tourism Organization, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and Gimhae Tourism Organization recently hosted celebrities from India — Tanya Sharma, Kanika Mann and India TV Anchor Charul Malik who have a fan following of millions due to their super popular TV shows and on their social media handles. Tanya Sharma has been in the industry for almost a decade and is still remembered for her role in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya and last seen in Udaan. Kanika Mann started her career in the Punjabi movie Industry and made her TV drama debut through the ongoing television series titled ... Read more

A trip to Mleiha is like stepping back in time. The past few decades of excavations have turned up more and more evidence, dating back as far as the Palaeolithic age, that establishes how important the region is archaeologically. Many of these discoveries can be experienced by visitors as part of the Archaeological Tours conducted by the Mleiha Archaeological Centre. However, Mleiha is a lot more than just archaeology digs. It holds a vast field of exciting discovery for the nature lover as well. The region has a plethora of flora and fauna including some rare plants and animals that ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Ram Kumar With an aim to introduce the tourism potential of Munnar to the world, Munnar Destination Makers is organising the Munnar Travel Mart from September 06 to 08 in Munnar. The event, which focuses on business-to-business meetings and destination tours, will feature over 400 buyers, including tour operators, writers and bloggers from all over the country. The tourism department of the state has invited bloggers from Arab countries as special invitees to participate in the Munnar Travel Mart. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran will inaugurate the Travel Mart on September 7 at 10:30 am. Power Minister MM Mani ... Read more

All of us know the importance of being on top in Google. But, what do we need to improve the rankings? And, here comes E-A-T SEO, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) Search Engine Optimization (SEO). E-A-T SEO is not something you can fix quickly, it takes continuous efforts and commitment to get better results. Here, Sean Patrick Si will be speaking at International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019) on Program tips to improve E-A-T SEO. Sean, SEO specialist, Growth Hacker, internet marketer, Copywriter and blogger, will be speaking on the topic on September 27, on the ... Read more

Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, said Wednesday it will eliminate small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel from its hotel rooms worldwide by December 2020. They’ll be replaced with larger bottles or wall-mounted dispensers, depending on the hotel. The move follows a similar announcement last month by IHG, which owns Holiday Inn, Kimpton and other brands. IHG said it will eliminate about 200 million tiny bottles each year by 2021. Last year, Walt Disney Co. said it would replace small plastic shampoo bottles at its resorts and on its cruise ships. Many smaller companies, like the ... Read more

Music pillars of Hampi, Karnataka Karnataka Tourism is planning to develop tourism in the state by developing almost 41 destinations. “We have identified 41 focus destinations for priority development and promotion. The master plan for the development of 21 of those destinations has been completed, and implementation of projects has been initiated,” said BS Yediyurappa, Chief Minister, Karnataka. The state government is also planning to increase its gross state domestic product contribution from tourism to 20 per cent. It is also looking to create more than 65 lakh jobs in the tourism sector by 2025. This is going to be ... Read more

Global icon, Bollywood star and former Miss Sri Lanka, Jacqueline Fernandez visited Sri Lanka as the first guest under Cinnamon’s ‘Bring a Friend Home’ (BAFH) campaign. This unique initiative by Cinnamon is to encourage Sri Lankans living here and overseas as well as expats in the country to nominate their foreign friends to visit the island nation. Hence, the hotel chain hosted Jacqueline from 10th to 14th August and created unique experiences for her in the country. As a Sri Lankan herself who is proud to support the recovery of the tourism industry, Jacqueline kick started the initiative by travelling ... Read more

With cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as the star guest, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off Champions Boat League (CBL) on Saturday alongside the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race at the Punnamada lake in this coastal city. Hosted by Kerala Tourism, CBL is the country’s first-ever boat-race formatted on the lines of IPL cricket. The league, with prize monies totalling Rs 5.9 crore, will see nine teams rowing for top honours. The three-month championship was originally slated to begin on August 10, but got rescheduled owing to heavy rains that wreaked havoc across the state. As per the new schedule, ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: La Paz Group As part of the upcoming Onam celebrations, Kerala Tourism will organise Athapookkalam competition, which allows the participants to create captivating designs through a mix of colours and flowers, on September 10. It will also organise Thiruvathirakali competition, a unique dance performed by women, on the auspicious day of Thiruvathira, on September 14. The winners of both the competitions will receive an amount of Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 as first, second and third prizes, respectively. An amount of Rs 2,000 will be given as consolation prizes for the commendable performances amongst the participant ... Read more

Sharjah’s unique appeal lies in its celebration of heritage and traditional Emirati culture. Today, the emirate has made clever use of its landscapes and history to offer a wide variety of activities and attractions that meld together the historical and the contemporary. Below are our top 8 picks, which you should not miss when in Sharjah: Rain Room: After being launched in London then visiting New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai, the Rain Room, an immersive art installation created by Random International is now permanently housed at the Sharjah Art Foundation. When visitors enter the Rain Room, they are directed to ... Read more

Here’s everything you need to do before you plan a Golf Holiday in Thailand, where you can enjoy the ultimate experience of teeing off at the most stunning and Exclusive Golf Courses In Thailand plus all the amazing shopping, beaches, sight-seeing, and food that the country offers. Black Mountain, Hua Hin: Black Mountain Golf Club is an exclusive golf community ten kilometres west of the quaint city of Hua Hin, Thailand. It was the first course in Thailand to be included in US Golf Digest’s list of the Best 100 Courses Outside the United States. Today, Black Mountain Golf Club ... Read more

The role a photograph plays in destination marketing and holiday planning has changed massively. We all go to places and click photographs, with the best devices that we have, but not all of us are good photographers. Shane Dallas will be speaking at the ICTT 2019 and give you tips to become a good digital photographer. Shane Dallas is a Social Media specialist, trainer and travel photographer who has visited more than 100 countries and inspires people to take the road less travelled. Shane is a founder of #TRLT – the Road Less Travelled Twitter chat, which is one of ... Read more

Taking a cue from the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s clarion call in his Independence Day speech to eliminate single use plastic in the country from 2nd October, 2019, Indian Railways has once again risen to the occasion to shield the environment from the menace of plastic. Ministry of Railways has directed all Railway units to enforce ban on single use plastic material, with less than 50 micron thickness from 2nd October, 2019. Emphasis is on making necessary arrangements to minimize generation of plastic waste and its eco- friendly disposal. In this regard, Ministry of Railways has issued a circular stating ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has announced rescheduled dates for Champions Boat League (CBL), the country’s first-ever boat racing patterned on the IPL format of cricket. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the CBL would start on August 31 alongside the illustrious Nehru Trophy Boat Race and would end on November 23 on the sidelines of the President’s Trophy at Kollam. Originally slated to begin on August 10, the championship will retain its essential features, as nine teams are to vie for top honours and prize monies totalling Rs 5.9 crore. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off the event at the sprawling Punnamada ... Read more