Category: Top Stories

Oman tourism has established representation offices abroad to promote the nation’s tourism products abroad. These 14 offices of the Ministry of Tourism are targeting the most promising and competitive tourism markets of the world to Oman. These offices have been taking many significant moves to put Oman tourism on the world tourism map. They are introducing new tourism products among operators and tourists and trying to establish the Sultanate as an emerging destination. They have been organizing Meetings, conferences and exhibitions and offering incentives to attract tourists by various means, including cruise ships. Tourists in Jabal Shams, Oman These offices ... Read more

Etihad Airways is planning to introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily scheduled service from Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong, effective 31 March 2019. The two-class aircraft will replace the Airbus A330-200 aircraft currently operating the route The new 787-9 Dreamliner service to Hong Kong will feature the airline’s next-generation Business and Economy cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats – a capacity increase of six seats in Business and 31 in Economy in each direction, and an increase in belly-hold cargo capacity of four tonnes. The flight EY 834 will depart from Abu ... Read more

Ghana is planning to have a 40 week long domestic tourism campaign to boost the tourism sector. It was announced by Catherine Afeku, Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture. The campaign named ‘Do Ghana’ is an initiative by culture tourism ambassador and culture advocate PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson and will focus boosting the domestic travel market and encouraging local people explore Ghana’s beautiful landscapes and scenery. The campaign will be officially launched in February 2019 and will run for 40 consecutive weeks. A social media campaign has been created and will be in collaboration with Bentsifi, Graphic Communications, GHOne TV and ... Read more

“As we enter 2019, Miami Beach is set to continue and build upon its reign as a marquee destination city. From the new, state-of-the-art Convention Center to the largest public art project in the country, travelers from around the globe can expect experiences like never before,” says Steve Adkins, Chair, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). “We are committed to the ongoing enhancement, development and encouragement of growth throughout the city to deliver unprecedented experiences for travelers, whether in town for business or pleasure,” he added. To help travellers navigate a vast selection of activities while in town, ... Read more

In an effort to encourage visitors to make vacation time a priority in 2019, several Myrtle Beach area properties are offering discounts including up to 35 per cent off entire stays, free nights, free late check-outs and more. Unused vacation time is a recurring issue nationwide and has been highlighted in the US Travel Association’s Project: Time Off initiative and annual State of American Vacation report. The 2018 report revealed the beginnings of change may be at hand, but more than half of Americans are still leaving vacation time on the table. Furthermore, less than half of vacation time taken ... Read more

Koziar’s Christmas Village is a seasonal attraction located in Jefferson Township, near Bernville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, US. The village’s original name was Spring Lake Dairy Farm. William M Koziar, the founder of the village, began decorating his home and property in 1948 for the pleasure he and his wife, Grace, and their four children derived from the unusual display. People appreciated and applauded the beauty of the Koziar home and began to refer to it as the ‘Christmas House.’ Koziar added new and unique items and lighted displays to the original layout each year. He began decorating the lake, walkways, ... Read more

Major storms, natural disasters and an uncertain economy impacted traveler behavior in 2018, but didn’t stop Americans from travelling or insuring their trips, Squaremouth reveals the top traveler trends of 2018 based on customer data. Travellers spent less on trips The recent sluggish economy led to an overall decrease in how much travellers spent on trips in 2018. For the first time in 6 years, travellers spent less on their trips than the previous year, with the average trip cost declining by 3 per cent. Despite decreased spending, more travellers chose to protect their trip costs with travel insurance in 2018. Squaremouth reported ... Read more

With vision to attract more tourists to the country, Pakistan government is planning to ease visa restrictions for visitors from 55 countries, including most European nations. Inbound tourism in the country has been almost dormant following the 9/11 attacks in the US. “We are reviewing our visa policies. We are trying to bring 55 countries into a visa-free region, which includes most of the European countries,” said Fawad Chaudhry, Information Minster, to the media. When Imran Khan has sworn in as the Prime Minister, he has declared that Pakistan would give priority to tourism, to explore the abundant tourism potential ... Read more

The greatest “killer content” of South Korea, the 22nd Boryeong Mud Festival, will be held for 10 days from July 19-28, 2019 on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea, with the slogan “Go! Boryeong, Play! mud.” Boryeong is famous for their wide mudflats formed along the west coast of South Korea, and the high-quality mud at Boryeong is well known for its therapeutic qualities with high levels of germanium and minerals, as well as for its high levels of far-infrared radiation. Boryeong city have been developing, producing and selling mud based cosmetic products since 1996, and have been hosting the ... Read more

A suranga is a narrow horizontal tunnel, barely two-and-a-half feet wide and just over five-and-a-half feet high, dug into laterite hills until a water spring is found. The typical suranga can run from anywhere between 30 metres to 300 metres into a hill. Called Suranga in Kannada and Thurangam in Malayalam, these unique tunnels are one of the most sustainable water management systems used in and around Kasaragod district for generations. As water percolates through rock and flows into the tunnel, it is carefully channelised in a narrow stream to a small mud reservoir, built near the tunnel. Once water ... Read more

Emirates’ premium and loyal customers travelling from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport can now look forward to greater levels of comfort and convenience, with the opening of the airline’s new lounge. All Emirates’ First Class and Business Class customers, as well as Skywards Platinum and Gold members, travelling on the airline’s two flights a day from Rome to Dubai will have complimentary access to the new facility, which replaces the old lounge and is now located in a more convenient area of the airport terminal. The lounge, which was officially opened today, is situated in departure Terminal 3, Level 2, ... Read more

Alaska Airlines begins nonstop service between Sacramento International Airport and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole on the Island of Hawaii. Alaska Airlines is expanding access to the Hawaiian Islands for Northern California residents looking to head to the beach. The new, three-times weekly flight is the only nonstop and fastest way for Sacramentans to get to visit the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Alaska also offers nonstop service from Sacramento to Maui, Hawaii. “Our Sacramento guests can start their vacation the minute they step onto the plane, with our assigned seating, plentiful in-flight entertainment, and delicious food and ... Read more

Hyatt Place Pasadena, the first Hyatt-branded hotel in the city, is officially open. The new hotel features the Hyatt Place brand’s intuitive design, casual upscale atmosphere and enhanced food and beverage. Perfectly situated in the heart of downtown, the hotel is walking distance to Old Town Pasadena with many shops, restaurants and entertainment to choose from. The hotel is led by Ensemble Real Estate Solutions & Investments, and operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Ensemble led the development of the Hyatt Place Pasadena, an upscale hotel for business and leisure travelers that offers views of the San Gabriel mountains and ... Read more

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued notification under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 mandating the provision of Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) device and emergency buttons in all Public Service Vehicles registered on or after 1st January, 2019. States may decide timelines for implementation of VLT and emergency buttons in vehicles registered upto 31st December, 2018. Two-wheelers, E-rickshaw, three wheelers and any transport vehicles for which no permit is required under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 are exempted from this requirement. The Ministry has sanctioned proposals under Nirbhaya Fund after recommendation by Empowered Committee of Ministry of Women ... Read more

Mahindra Group is to develop a Bollywood theme-based tourism project in Kandivali area of Mumbai with an investment of Rs 1,900 crore. The proposal is approved by the Maharashtra government through a Government Resolution (GR). The project will be developed on 82,950.5 sqm area belonging to the Mahindra Group on its plot in suburban Kandivali. A high-powered government committee had earlier this year accorded it in the ultra-mega project status. As per the state tourism policy of 2016, an ultra-mega project would require a capital investment of Rs 500 crore and to employ 750 people and complete it in 84 ... Read more