Category: Top Three Stories

Emirates continues to delight customers with its annual Oktoberfest celebrations on board and on the ground. From September 22 to October 7, customers travelling in all classes between Dubai and Germany will enjoy a special seasonal menu of Bavarian-inspired food and beverage. The celebrations kick off in the iconic A380 onboard lounge with Paulaner Oktoberfestbier served in a traditional stein or German beer glass. Paulaner is a mainstay at the festival and has played an active part in Oktoberfest for over 200 years. Today, Paulaner is one of only six breweries to serve at the event, giving customers an authentic ... Read more

Beaches in Dubai are more accessible for people of determination and the elderly, as the municipality has provided dedicated walkways for them in almost all the key beaches. These special pathways have been built to help them cross the beach and reach the sea easily. “The special pathways have been built for the People of Determination and the elderly to enable them to cross the beach and reach the sea easily. We have provided them at Al Mamzar Creek Beach, Al Mamzar Corniche Beach, Jumeirah 2 and 3 beaches, Umm Suqeim 1 and 2 beaches. They are built meeting international standards ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has marked the opening of the new runway at Velana International Airport in the Maldives by operating one of its Airbus A380 aircraft to the island nation. The new 3,400 metre-long and 60-metre-wide runway is the first in the Maldives capable of supporting an A380. The special Etihad operation was piloted by First Officer, Ali Ahuson, who is from The Maldives. Etihad Airways’ A380 features a total capacity of 496 seats – up to two guests in The Residence, nine First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 415 Economy Smart Seats.

SpiceJet announced the launch of direct flights from Guwahati to Patna, Hyderabad and Pakyong in Sikkim. The daily non-stop flight services on the Guwahati-Patna-Guwahati route and Guwahati-Hyderabad-Guwahati route would commence on October 10. The Guwahati-Pakyong-Guwahati flight service would commence operations from October 16. The Chief Marketing Officer of SpiceJet, Debojo Maharshi handed over the ticket and boarding pass to Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam, making the formal announcement of the new launch. This is a golden opportunity. The new flights will not only boost trade, education and health, but will also facilitate higher footfall of tourists from other states ... Read more

Lavenders Bloom in Xianjiang (Photo courtesy: TravelWireNews) Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hosted more than 105 million tourists in the first eight months of this year, which is 40.93 per cent more than that of last year. The total tourist spent for the same period amounted to 171 billion yuan (around USD 25.1 billion), which is 43.18 per cent more than 2017. Development of attractive tourist destinations and the state-of-the art transportation networks are the main factor that makes Xinjiang a favourite tourist destination for visitors. Dancers perform for the tourists at Kashgar in Xinjiang “Xinjiang has been in ... Read more

Bond Safari Kovalam has bagged the Best Scuba Dive Centre award at the South Asia Travel Award (SATA). The SATA Awards ceremony was held at Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. The award was received by Jackson Peter, Managing Partner of Bond Safari Kovalam. “To be recognized as South India’s leading Scuba diving center is an incredible honor. We are really grateful to all our partners and the customers for the overwhelming support which helps to achieve this coveted award,” Jackson said after receiving the award. Bond Safari Kovalam, based in Kerala, is a team of the adventurist and experienced Indian ... Read more

Shanghai City, China Shanghai in China is planning to open the doors of the industrial centers to the tourists. It was announced by the Shanghai Municipality on Thursday, 20th  September 2018. The three-year programme envisages development of industrial tourism, including in industrial sites with local characteristics. The objective behind the programme is to generate interest in students and young entrepreneurs and help them enrich their awareness levels on industrial processes and projects. At the same time, it will become a revenue earner to the municipality. Shanghai is the birthplace of China’s present-day industry and the modern industrial hub in the ... Read more

Kathleen Pessolano, Destination Programme Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Managing tourism sustainably from an economic, social, cultural and environmental perspective is very important for every country, says Kathleen Pessolano, US expert and Destination Program Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). She was speaking at a programme at Puducherry, presenting the subject, ‘public-private partnerships for sustainable tourism’ on Thursday, 21st September 2018. The programme was organised by the Department of Tourism, Puducherry. “Sustainable destination management is a relatively new concept. With ever increasing domestic and international visitors to South India, it is essential for communities to establish policies and ... Read more

China to unveil the world’s tallest statue of Confucius in eastern China’s Shandong Province during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival on September 24 2018. The statue is 72 meter tall and is made of brass. The statue is installed near Nishan in the city of Qufu, which is the birthplace of Confucius. Confucius who lived between 551 BC and 479 BC, also known as Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure. His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family and public interaction and setting educational standards. Throughout history, Confucius is widely considered as ... Read more

With a total investment of 134 billion yuan (approx. US$19.5 billion), 17 major tourism projects with a focus on entertainment and culture were signed at South China’s popular tourist destination, Beihai. The projects include three with investment of more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), seven with investment of 2 to 10 billion yuan (US$300 million – 1.5 billion) and seven with investment of less than 2 billion yuan (US$300 million). The projects cover the whole range of facilities necessary for a successful holiday or travel experience, including five tourism complexes with an investment of 99.5 billion yuan (approx. US$14.5 ... Read more

With an aim to upgrade the elephant rehab centre at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram to international standards, the state Forest Department has inked an MoU with the Kerala State Housing Board. The project, to cost Rs 113 crore, is expected to be completed by October 2020. The project includes the construction of enclosures for keeping wild elephants in herds and in isolation, special care centre for the calves, ponds to harvest rainwater, veterinary hospital, office complex, training centre for the mahouts, elephant museum, biological park, accommodation for the staff and mahouts, ‘mess’ for the elephants, canteen for visitors, toilet block, modernisation of accommodation for ... Read more

Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, flag off the vehicles Kenya Wild Life Services (KWS) has acquired a fleet of 26 vehicles to be used for rapid response to human-wildlife conflicts and parks management. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, flagged off the vehicles and handed over them to the field stations across the country at KWS headquarters in Nairobi. KWS is a state corporation that was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 376), with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations. KWS undertakes conservation and ... Read more

Wayanad, renowned tourism destination in Kerala, popular for its natural scenic beauty and wildlife, is getting back to normal after the disastrous rain and flood. In order propagate the revival of the tourism destination; Wayanad District Tourism Promotion Council (WDTP) is organizing an inter-state bike rally with the tag line, “Wayanad Beckons’. Pookode Lake C K Saseendran, MLA of Wayanad District and N S K Umesh, Wayanad Sub-collector will jointly flag off the programme at Pookode Lake on 21st September 2018, at 9 a.m. The Bike rally to cover Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ooty and Coimbatore and will be back by 23rd ... Read more

There are hundreds and thousands of yoga instructors ans practitioners in the country and, it is difficult to identify the certified instructors. It is to help people identify the certified instructors that the AYUSH ministry has come up with a mobile-based app to help users locate certified yoga instructors and institutes around them. The app, commissioned by the ministry, regulates alternative systems of medicine, including yoga. The app lists yoga instructors and institutes that have been validated by experts from the Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN) under the ministry. Instructors and institutes interested in getting certified will ... Read more

Kericho Tea Plantation (Photo courtesy: jamiiforums.com) Kenya plans to grant loans at discounted interest rates to the hospitality industry to promote green tourism. It was informed by Jonah Ormoi, the chief executive officer of State-owned Tourism Finance Corporation. “We will extend loans at below market rates to the hospitality sector in order to ensure that the tourism sector has a low carbon footprint,” Ormoi said during a forum on sustainable trends in the MICE (Meetings Incentives Conference and Exhibitions) tourism sector. Repayment of the loan should only be started after 24 months from the date of loan.  The authorities expect ... Read more