Category: Top Stories

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts said the group is expanding its footprint in Jammu and Kashmir with signing of an agreement with a new hotel, Viraj Sarovar Portico, in Jammu. The 45-room hotel will become operational in mid-2019 and will be Sarovar’s second hotel in the state after RK Sarovar Portico in Srinagar, the company said in a statement. Viraj Sarovar Portico, Jammu, is strategically located in the epicenter of corporate, educational & industrial areas of Bari Brahmana. The hotel is in close proximity to Jammu Airport and railway station. The hotel will offer 45 rooms with contemporary amenities and extensive ... Read more

The expert team comprising of 11 foreigners, who have landed in the Kollam Port in a luxury ship named MY Bravado, on January 11, is all praising the God’s own country and its immense tourism possibilities. “You have everything in your state – lakes, beaches, forests, mountains – to be the best tourism destination in the world,” said cruise expert team. MY Bravado team is expected to be in Kerala for 10 days, and is scheduled to be sailing back on January 21 after conducting a feasibility study and the possibilities of cruise tourism in Kerala, especially in Kollam. “We ... Read more

The Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra is expected to be inaugurated by 2020. “We hope the airport will be ready by late 2019 or early 2020,” said Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of the state, while speaking at the Global Aviation Summit in Mumbai. Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, said that Nagpur would soon be developed as a global maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) hub in India. He was also speaking at the summit. The Navi Mumbai International Airport is being developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model between GVK Group subsidiary Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) and City and ... Read more

To commemorate the momentous occasion of 70th Republic Day, AF Station Thoise conducted a trekking expedition in the daunting terrain of Ladakh region. This arduous expedition on the frozen Zanskar river was undertaken by the air warriors of Air Force Station, Thoise. The team leader and overall coordinator of this adventurous expedition was Wg Cdr Vikrant Uniyal, a qualified mountaineer from Army Mountaineering Institute, Siachen. The expedition team comprising seven air warriors covered a total distance of 65 kms in five days through a treacherous route on the frozen Zanskarriver. The Chadar Trek is one of the toughest and most ... Read more

Ayyappancoil (Ayyappan Kovil) is a village, approximately 12 km far from Kattappana in Idukki District. It is said that   Ayyappancoil was a big township in early 1960s. During the construction of Idukki hydro-electric project, the township was evacuated by the Kerala government. When the dam came, the area was submerged in water and transportation for the people on the other shore became difficult. The authorities have built a hanging bridge across the river for facilitating movement of the people, who are mainly tribal communities, across the river. The hanging bridge is popularly known as the Ayyappancoil hanging bridge, which is ... Read more

Indian temples are known for its own unique offerings and rituals. If you are anywhere near the Brajeshwari temple in Himachal Pradesh, you would be lucky to see the installation of a butter idol during Makar Sankranthi, which is tomorrow. Every year the preparations for installing the butter idol begin on Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated as a week-long festival at the temple. The goddess idol will be made of 2,500 kg of clarified butter in a famous temple in this Himachal Pradesh town. The idol of Goddess Brajeshwari Devi, being prepared by using ‘desi ghee’ after purification with holy water 101 times ... Read more

Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore This year, Pongal – the festival of Tamil Nadu- will be celebrated in collaborating with Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore. This year’s festivities will take place on the centre’s premises in Coimbatore from 3pm to 6pm on 16th January 2018. “People from across the world with distinct culture and religion will join the Pongal celebrations that will include Pongal pots, sugarcane, rangoli and traditional games,” stated a release from the Yoga center. On the occasion of Mattu Pongal, 15 varieties of native cattle breeds like Kankarej, Kangayam, Sahiwal, Gir and others will be exhibited to depict the ... Read more

Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram voted the ‘most welcoming place in India’ as per a poll conducted by Booking.com. According to the 7th annual edition of the Guest Review Awards survey, five destinations from Kerala got place in the total 10 most visited places in India. Varkala came first, in the Top 10 list in India, followed by Kochi (Kerala) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan). Thekkady (4th Place in India), Alappuzha (6th) and Munnar (8th) are the other three destinations from Kerala got enlisted in the top ten list of India. Jodhpur in Rajasthan (5th), Puducherry in Tamil Nadu (7th), Udaipur in Rajsthan (9th) ... Read more

Arrival of winter in Kashmir helped the tourism sector valley, as most of the hotels and guest houses in Kashmir’s Gulmarg and Jammu’s Patnitop are full, as tourists from across the country have been flocking to enjoy the cold weather and snow. “Today both Gulmarg and Patnitop are witnessing 100 per cent occupancy. Over 1500 rooms of hotels, guest houses and government huts are occupied in the famous ski resort Gulmarg,” said Rigzin Samphel, Tourism Secretary, to the media on Sunday. “The Patnitop hills and its adjacent resorts are also chock-full with local visitors as well as from north India ... Read more

Tania Sahu, a very passionate woman who loves food and travel, is making waves in social media with her food thoughts, reviews and travel diaries. She is a very expressive, and is one such an exciting person to strike a conversation with, anytime, anywhere. Arya Aravind catches up with the straight forward, humorous and bubbly Tania Sahu. Excerpts from the conversation… Could you please tell us about the story behind your blogging? Being a single child I was too much pampered for the last 26 years. But things got changed when I got married and shifted to Hyderabad from Kolkata. My ... Read more

Turkey’s Hasankeyf and its surrounding limestone cliffs are home to thousands of human-made caves, 300 medieval monuments and a unique canyon ecosystem. But, the 12,000-year-old town is doomed to disappear in the coming months. An artificial lake, part of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam project, will swallow it up. The dam has been built further downstream the Tigris. Ilisu is a central element of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a land development plan to boost the economy of the long-neglected region, through hydroelectric energy and irrigation. The dam will be Turkey’s second largest. It has been built further downstream of the Tigris ... Read more

An expert team from abroad has arrived at Kollam Port on Friday to study the possibility of placing Kollam in the world cruise tourism map. The team of 11 people arrived in Kollam in a luxury ship named MY Bravado. They will visit several tourist destinations in the district during the next 10 days to conduct the feasibility study. The team will visit the popular tourist destinations in Kollam, such as Jatayudapara, Ashtamudi kayal, Manrothuruthu and Thenmala Eco tourism Center. Cruise tourism is considered to be one of the most promising tourism sectors in the coming years. If the committee ... Read more

People in and around Udupi can now enjoy the view of the picturesque city from above, flying on a helicopter. Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat has inaugurated a 3 day heli-tour programme at Udupi on 11th January 2019. The event was organized by the district administration in association with Mantra Tourism Development and Chipsan Aviation Company, to attract more tourists to the city. The heli-tourism will be conducted for 3 days in Kundapur. The chopper trip route will include Udupi, Malpe fisheries port, St Mary’s, Hoode, Manipal and the surrounding areas. Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat with other officials at the inaugural ... Read more

Hampi, Karnataka India’s Hampi bagged second position in the list of ’52 places to go in 2019’ published by The New York Times. The UNESCO accredited World Heritage Site stood behind Puerto Rico, which has grabbed the top place for its amazing recovery from Hurricane Maria to rebound as a tourist destination. The report recommends Hampi as a favoured place, and talks about its archaeological monuments, scenic vistas against the Tungabhadra river, and geological rock formations. “At the heights of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century, Hampi thrived as one of the largest and richest cities in the world. ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Ocean Beach Resort & Spa Malindi Malindi is one of the beautiful coastal towns in Kenya, steeped in rich heritage with several cultural and historic places to discover or re-discover. Its many beaches make the town an amazing setting for a perfect holiday or weekend getaway for lovers or families. Malindi has a wide variety of exciting activities due to its diverse landscapes and it is truly a paradise with serene beauty and unspoiled surroundings. Watamu National Marine Park Explore abundant underwater life at Watamu National Marine Park, Kenya’s first such park featuring over 600 species of colorful ... Read more