Category: Top Three Stories

Green House The 2nd Urban Agri Africa 2018 Summit will be held on September 25 – 26 at the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.  With the agriculture sector at the centre of persistent discussions and debate around transformation and economic empowerment, this 2nd Urban Agri Africa 2018 Summit is not only timely, but highly relevant. Organized by Magenta Global, the two-day Conference includes a dynamic offering of engaging presentations and panel discussions.  It will bring together all agriculture stakeholders – from policy makers, trade and investment promotion agencies, farmers (both smallholders and commercial farmers), credit and agri-financiers, agri ... Read more

StayWell Holdings, part of Prince Hotels Inc of Japan, has announced signing of first Leisure Inn in Kerala. Leisure Inn VKL Kochi is scheduled to start operations in the last quarter of 2018. The hotel is located in the heart of Kochi city with a room inventory of 53 rooms. The hotel is the second property by StayWell Holdings in Kerala, after opening Park Regis Aveda in Kumarakom, Kerala, and seventh operational property in India for the Group. “We are looking forward to widening our reach in the Southern market. Kochi is a metropolitan hub of Kerala and the hotel ... Read more

“Local community participation to be sought in the development of tourism destinations, to have sustainable tourism development,” said Rashmi Verma, Tourism Secretary, Union Ministry. She was speaking at a session on “Mission: 20 million tourists – possibilities and challenges,” organised as part of the 34th annual convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), taking place in Visakhpatnam. “Involvement of the local communities in promotion would not only help in popularizing the new destinations, but also contribute to the local economy. We need such responsible tourism. We must learn from Kerala where the local people have become the stakeholders, by ... Read more

The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Nilgiri District, Tamil Nadu is going to open its buffer zone for tourists. As per the Forest Department, the procedures are in final stage. Once the buffer zone is opened for tourists, the authorities expect to generate around 200 job opportunities in the reserve. The department is planning to formulate Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) in the region, in order to elicit active co-operation from the people residing on the peripheries of the reserve and to ensure their mutual commitment in conservation works. Members of the EDCs will Engage in protection works such as Anti-poaching watchers (APWs), ... Read more

Kashmir tourism department is planning to have country wide promotion campaigns in association with the private sector. In the first phase, attracting more south Indian tourists will be in focus. “We have set up stall in the 34th IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) convention in Vishakapatnam, which started on 6th September 2018 and will have presentations about our tourist hot-spots,” said Tasaduq Jeelani, Director of Tourism, Kashmir. “There will be promotional campaigns in all major cities, with priority to south Indian cities like Chennai and Bengaluru,” he added The state has been experiencing shortfall in the tourism inflow due ... Read more

Booking.com has entered into a partnership with Air India to offer the airline’s customers access to over 28.9 million accommodation listings, including everything from homes, apartments, villas to world-class hotels and resorts from the Air India website. “Air India being the country’s national carrier and one of the most extensive flight service providers in India, makes it the perfect partner for us to showcase our global online accommodation offering to their domestic & international customers. As India is poised to become the third largest aviation market by 2020 with its fast-growing outbound travel market, we are happy to combine our ... Read more

Plastic waste is a plague on the world, and our holidays are also partially to be blamed in contributing a large chunk of it. With an aim to bring down the plastic waste in the destination, Munnar, the famed hill station of Kerala, is taking some commendable measures. Munnar Grama Panchayath has banned plastic products in and around Munnar area in Devikulam Taluk. The local authority has banned buying and selling plastic products under the Plastic Waste Management Rule – GS320(E) dated 18.03.2016 and ESR285(E) dated 28.03.2018. The products banned in Munnar area are plastic carry bags, plastic banners, flex, ... Read more

The JW Marriott Hotel in Pune has announced the appointment of Manuj Ralhan as Director of Operations. With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, Manuj in his new role will be leading business and strategic operations of the property. Primarily responsible for overseeing smooth functioning of the hotel, Manuj comes with experience that will help to implement the brand service strategy and initiatives. He has always been looked up to as a highly encouraging mentor and thrives on guiding teams to ensure that the services of the hotel are known for being the best in the city. During ... Read more

Haji Inayat Ali, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Advisor to the governor,  have inaugurated the two-day Kargil Ladakh Tourism Festival-2018 at Khree Sultan Cho Sports Stadium at Biamathang Kargil. The two-day event features multi-ethnic traditional music and dance performances by folk artists of different ethnic groups of the region including Purgi, Dalti, Dardi. The event also features traditional horse polo and archery matches. Besides, it also has an exhibition of local art and craft on various stalls, which serves ethnic food. Haji Inayat Ali highlighted the scope of tourism in Kargil, and said that the topography ... Read more

To celebrate Emirati Women’s Day, the Emirates Group unveiled a special video tribute to the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, who was a driving force in supporting the advancement of women in the country. Released on Emirates’ social media platforms, the one-minute video draws a parallel between Sheikh Zayed’s vision decades ago and the pivotal roles occupied by Emirati women today. The video concludes with a heartfelt declaration affirming Emirati women’s pride and determination to continue on the path of success as ‘daughters of Zayed’. “I’d like to take ... Read more

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has declared the winners of the JAPAN Best Incentive Travel Awards 2018, which recognizes outstanding Japan incentive travel. This year marks the third time these awards are being presented. The awards are organised with the aim of increasing the understanding and motivation of parties involved in the MICE industry in both Japan and overseas through the recognition of examples of the best practices for Japan incentive travel. Award Winners: Best Incentive Travel was bagged by Comfort Travel Service Co., Ltd./Colatour (Taiwan) and Best Creative Planning was pocketed by ‘Dancing snow in Tohoku and Hakodate’. Best Community Contribution was ... Read more

India is going to be ticket-less in public transport.  It was announced by Amithabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, while talking in the Future Mobility Summit-2018-India’s Move to NextGen Transport Systems, in Dehlhi. “The objective of the strategy is to plan for the citizens first, rather than focusing on vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility by switching to a cleaner mode of transportation,” said Kant. “A robust transportation system is the backbone of any economy and especially for a densely populated country like India, the focus of the nation’s mobility strategy was on sustainable modes of public transport, ... Read more

To the delight of the visitors in Western Ghats, Neelakurji flowers have bloomed in Vettaikkaran hills near Kanthalloor. Almost every valleys of the area are adorn with blue blooms, though not that expensive as in the seasons. People can reach Ottamala region of Vettaikaran Kovil by jeep from Kanthaloor town. Those who cannot trek through the hills can opt for visiting the nearby areas like Pattissery, Keezhanthoor, Kolutha Malai, where also you can see blooming Neelakuriji flowers. Tourists from Tamil Nadu have already started flowing to the region to witness the blue-purple flowers, which blooms once in 12 years. As ... Read more

Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in terms of visa facilitation. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently updated its visa openness rankings, confirming Qatar’s recent visa facilitation improvements including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter Qatar visa-free and free-of-charge. With an aim to improve visa facilitation, Qatar has introduced an online platform for efficient and transparent visa processing and e-visas, as well as a free 96-hour transit visa doubling the time stopover passengers can remain in the country. As a result of these measures, Qatar’s visa openness ranking ... Read more

After the rain and floods, Neelakurinji in Rajamala started blooming. This time, flowers are bloomed in a scattered manner, than the usual extensive blooming along the valley to make it a blue-purple carpet. As per experts, if the sun would shine unceasingly in the days to come, there could be extensive blooming. The season may prolong until October. Visitors are allowed to Rajamala to view the Neelakurinji spots from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Entrance fesses are like Rs 120 for adults and Rs 90 for children. Foreign visitors have to pay Rs. 400. The only way to reach Rajamala ... Read more