Category: Top Stories

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the opening of Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa, the first Hyatt branded hotel in Ethiopia and the seventh in Africa. The 188-room property is centrally located on Meskel Square, near shopping centers, restaurants, bars, and tourist attractions, including the National Museum. “We are excited to celebrate the opening of Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa and to introduce the brand to Ethiopia. We are confident that our loyal World of Hyatt members and global travelers will feel welcomed the moment they arrive and we look forward to serving them delicious blends of local flavors, while also offering an ... Read more

Musandam is a mountainous peninsula in Oman, projecting into the Strait of Hormuz, separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its serrated coastline features fjord like inlets called ‘khors,’ and its waters are home to dolphins and other marine life. Dhow cruises are a popular activity. Khasab is the capital of the Musandam governorate. The main thing that makes this area special is the collocation of sea and mountains. Excursions in boats and traditional ships will give the visitors unforgettable enjoyment. Musandam has something for everyone who visits there – let it be off ... Read more

Passengers may leave the airport and return to board the aircraft, if the flight has been delayed. It was proposed by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). They have also suggested changes to protocol that would speed up the number of checks that a traveller has to go through while re-entering the airport. The proposal came up in a meeting between DIAL and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India (BCAS), who sets rules for security arrangements in airports across the country. Currently the proposal is under consideration of BCAS. Current rules allow for a passenger to leave the ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: BIAL twitter Safety of women travellers have always been a main subject of discussions in the media recently. To ensure safe and hassle-free journey for women travellers, the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) has launched a fleet of ten ‘women only’ cabs, in association with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). As Bengaluru airport is at a fair distance away from the main city, it is expected that the service will be helpful to women travellers, especially at night. The Pink Cabs will be a 24 hour service from the airport. The cabs will be equipped with GPRS ... Read more

With an aim to promote the Northern part of Kerala, the travel and tourism stakeholders have come together to form Malabar Tourism Society. The organization, which is scheduled to be launched on January 12, 2019, aims to develop the tourism in Malabar (North Kerala) region and promote six districts of Northern Kerala collectively by forming a dedicated Malabar circuit. Malabar Tourism Society will be officially launched by Kerala Tourism Minister, Kadakampilly Surendran at the Alhind Convention Centre, CAlicut Tower in Kozhikode at 5 pm. “MTS brings all tourism-related service providers under one umbrella to work for the development of tourism in ... Read more

Sittwe Port, Myanmar Infrastructure development works at Sittwe Port in Myanmar, constructed with India’s assistance, is getting ready for operation. It was informed by the Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Chemical & Fertilizer Mansukh L Mandaviya. The Minister said that the construction of Sittwe Port is part of the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project. Its objective is to create a multi-modal sea, river and road transport corridor for shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar through Sittwe port as well as to North-Eastern part of India via Myanmar. Once fully operational, the ... Read more

In the year 2017-18, a total of 139 Cruise ships carrying 1,62,660 passengers visited India at six major ports namely Mumbai Port, Mormugao Port, New Mangalore Port, Cochin Port, Chennai Port and Kolkata Port. Major ports of the country namely, Mumbai Port, Mormugao Port, New Mangalore Port, Cochin Port and Chennai Port have been developed to attract cruise ships with dedicated terminals and other related infrastructure for berthing of cruise vessels and embarking and disembarking of cruise passengers. The Ministry of Shipping has brought out a Vision Document with a view to develop India as a Cruise shipping destination. The ... Read more

Mount Nebo, Jordan The Jordan tourism revenues have surpassed the $5-billion mark in 2018, marking an 8 per cent increase from last year’s $4.6 billion, according to data released by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ). The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement, carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the sector is continuing to achieve more gains marked by a continuous rise in performance indicators, and that the ministry is moving forward within the Royal directives and the government’s support towards scaling up tourism in the Kingdom, in terms of achieving its developmental goals and ... Read more

Chamundesswary Temple The union ministry has sanctioned development project worth Rs 100 crore in Chamundi Hills of Karnataka, under the PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme. The project will be implemented without affecting the surrounding ecosystem of the iconic Chamundesswary temple. The ministry has approved the project in principle and it is said to be the only temple from Karnataka to have developmental works as per the PRASAD scheme. The scheme was launched in 2014-15 by the Union Ministry of Tourism. It aims at integrated development of pilgrimage destinations in planned, prioritized and sustainable manner to provide ... Read more

  World’s largest cricket stadium, with seating capacity of over 1 lakh is coming up at Motera in Ahmedabad. Gujarat Cricket Association vice-president Parimal Nathwani on Sunday tweeted out pictures of the stadium under construction, stating that the dream project of the state cricket board will become a symbol of pride for the nation. “World’s Largest Cricket Stadium, larger than Melbourne, is under construction at Motera in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Once completed the dream project of GujaratCricketAssociation will become pride of entire India. Sharing glimpses of construction work under way,” tweeted Parimal Nthwayi. The stadium is said to be built across ... Read more

Kashmir has reportedly witnessed the lowest ever tourist footfall in the last seven years, recording only 8.5 lakh domestic and foreign tourists visiting the valley in total in 2018. The record shows a decline of about 23 per cent from 2017, which saw around 11 lakh tourists visitors to Kashmir. The recent parliamentary panel report has blamed the GST implementation for ‘negative impact’ on tourism sector in Kashmir. “The decline in the number of tourists to Kashmir is because of the uncertainty projected by electronic media around the country. The smallest of incidents in the remotest part of the state is being highlighted ... Read more

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has joined hands with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to promote Kumbh Mela 2019. More than 12 crore pilgrims are expected to visit the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 starting January 15 at Prayagraj (Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh, including 10 lakh foreign tourists. “This event is organised at four places in the country. The event held at Prayagraj itself is a subject of attraction and curiosity for the country and the world. Following the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UNESCO has included Kumbh in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” said Suresh Kumar Khanna, ... Read more

The three-day annual National Budding Chef Competition (NBCC 2019), is all set to be conducted from January 20-22, 2019 at the School of Hospitality, AURO University, Surat, Gujarat. Organized by the School of Hospitality Management, Surat, the event will showcase the Culinary Skills and Hospitality Knowledge of students from Hotel Management Colleges across India and the Sub-Continent. More than 20 teams across India from over eight states are expected to share the stage and display their talent in front of dazzling ensemble of judges at NBCC 2019. Some of the interesting competitions of NBCC on day one include Kitchens of India, which is ... Read more

The Indian hospitality chain, Oyo, is all set to enter the Saudi Arabian market.  Other than its regular offerings such as hotel rooms, homestays and townhouses, Oyo is launching a new category for the Saudi market. The new category of offer is expected to tap the huge number of religious tourists visiting the country. OYO Hotels & Home has also set a target of reaching 12,000 rooms by 2020 in the Middle East market, which is a 10-fold jump from 1300 rooms on its platform in the UAE market. In September 2018, the company has raised some AED3.68 billion (US$1 billion) funding ... Read more

Ajman Municipality plan to create a central square in the emirate to attract more tourists. The project is expected to be launched in early 2019.The Ajman Square project will include a number of cafes and restaurants, an open-air seating area and a walking track to encourage people to gather in one place. “The project highlights Ajman’s unique identity and aims to improve its living environment, by raising the emirate’s quality of life,” noted Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department. “The square will enable visitors to practice sports on a walking track and the open-air ... Read more