Category: Top Three Stories

The much famed Tea and Tourism festival begins in Ooty. The tea and tourism festival, which used to be held during autumn season, was included in the Ooty summer festival this year. The festival was introduced in 1994 to hold it in winter holidays to bring more tourists to the hills. The two-day event was inaugurated at the Research Centre for Tribal Culture building in Ooty on Saturday. This year the festival boasts 10 stalls and, on display are tea-ice cream and a variety of flavoured teas.

Hainan Airlines has announced the launch of a direct flight between Tianjin and Vancouver. The flight HU7959 is the first direct passenger air route linking Tianjin with North America. The flight, operated using a Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft, will take about 11 hours and fly every Monday and Friday. This year being the China-Canada Tourism Year, the new air route is expected to improve bilateral economic and cultural exchanges, according to Dave Murphy, Minister (Commercial) at the Embassy of Canada to China. This is the 16th international air route opened by Hainan Airlines in North America. The airlines also has plans ... Read more

Jet Airways said it will connect Patna with Allahabad from June 14 under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. The flight will leave Allahabad at 8 am and reach Patna at 9.40 am. For the return journey, the flight will take off from Patna at 10.10 am and reach Allahabad at 11.50 am. The 72-seater aircraft will operate thrice a week -Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. With Allahabad on the map, Patna will now have direct flights to 11 cities. At present, direct air service from Patna is available to New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Lucknow, Pune, Varanasi, Ranchi, Chennai and Hyderabad. ... Read more

Thailand is one of the most preferred destinations for the travellers. Reports confirm that Thailand’s tourism industry is flying high with Chinese and Indian tourists attributing the major providers of revenue. The period January-April recorded a total of 13.7 million tourists, registering a growth of 13.9 per cent when compared with same period last year. The first quarter also witnessed growth in Chinese and Indian tourists to Thailand by 30 per cent and 17 per cent respectively when compared with last year. China, India, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Russia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the US and the UK are the top ten ... Read more

Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) New Delhi Office has launched its India website www.visitkorea.in as a part of its marketing plan for the year 2018. The website is designed to mainly cater to the travel industry and individuals seeking tourism related information specific to the Indian outbound travelling requirements, including visa information, currently available South Korea packages, Incentive programme details, Indian food available in South Korea, main destination and attractions for Indians to enjoy, etc. The website was launched to provide a quick access of everything an Indian traveller would like to see and do in South Korea. Regular updates on ... Read more

Jordan now offers ‘Visa on Arrival’ to Indian nationals at all border crossings valid for a period of 30 days. The only document they should possess is proof of onward journey or return ticket. If they wish to, Indians can also continue to receive visas directly through Jordanian diplomatic missions before they travel. Jordan boasts 21,000 archaeological and historical sites that span millennia. They include the Roman ruins of Jerash, the Dead Sea and Wadi Al-Kharrar, or Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where some biblical historians believe Jesus was baptised. Such sites are helping to attract a growing number of tourists ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government is banking on the guru-shishya tradition practiced in the Himalayan region ages ago to revive its fast fading folk traditions. The tradition is expected to give a boost to cultural tourism, giving a fillip to the state’s tourism-based economy. “We have a number of vibrant folk traditions in the state. We have introduced the guru-shishya tradition to ensure that all those local traditions — folk dance, singing and music are not wiped out forever,” said Beena Bhatt, director, department of culture. “This (guru-shishya) tradition ran in families where elders passed on the age-old folk traditions to the younger generations orally ... Read more

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced that the central African country has become the official tourism partner of English Premier League giants Arsenal FC. The agreement is signed for three years. The ‘Visit Rwanda’ logo will be featured on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches in the new season for these three years.  Rwanda will now hold the distinction of being Arsenal’s first ever tourism partner. As per reports, Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams will visit Rwanda and club coaches will host coaching camps to support the development of the game for boys and ... Read more

Italy has launched a new digital platform named ‘Trame d’Italia’ as a move to promote lesser-known destinations in the country. The digital platform which was officially unveiled at a conference conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will gift the travellers an enticing experience of the regions which are rich in culture, history and culinary traditions, yet undiscovered and unexplored. The platform offers three routes as of now: Northern Monferrato-Piedmont’s vineyard landscape named World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, the historic territory of Lunigiana between Liguria and Tuscany regions, and the Brianza in northwest Lombardy. The routes soon to ... Read more

With an aim to attract more Chinese travellers, Nepal has launched an interactive tourism website, in Chinese language to attract more Chinese tourists. Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari launched a customized website www.welcomenepal.cn which is an initiative of Nepal Tourism Board, the main tourism promotion body, to communicate in Chinese language. The website has information on various tourism destinations of Nepal, photos and videos, different activities and things-to-do, and necessary information for the Chinese nationals visiting the country. Appreciating the role and contribution of China in Nepal’s tourism, the country has prioritised promotion of Nepal ... Read more

Kerala’s serene hill stations, backwaters and beaches have been attracting tourists from all over the world. The tourism department’s efforts have always been to make Kerala as an ideal destination for Bollywood flicks. However, what always happen is that the directors end up in using the abandoned, fear-injecting guest houses and bungalows for the horror flicks. Finally, the tourism department has decided to put an end to this and promote these destinations in a proper way. As of now, the guest houses are mainly used by the government officials and local tourists. The tourism department’s plan is to make foreign ... Read more

Indian missions in the UAE have announced a total ban on satellite phones while travelling to India. The Indian diplomatic missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai issued an advisory to foreigners traveling to India, informing them about a ban on satellite phones to the country. The statement, published on all social media channels of the missions, said, “All foreigners who intend to go to India are therefore advised not to carry satellite phones to India.” Violators will face legal consequences. Providers of satellite phone services in the UAE have been advised to inform subscribers about the legal ban, reported Khaleej Times.

The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has issued an advisory for beachgoers. Based on the regulations for licensing, hiring and using personal watercrafts, “Operating a jet ski less than 200 metres from the beach” will attract a penalty. The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has announced that the first penalty will be Dh 500, whereas the second and third penalties will be Dh 1,000 and Dh 2,000, respectively. The third penalty will also incur the impounding of the jet ski for one month.  

The domestic air traffic grew at a robust rate of 26 per cent in April with various airlines together carrying 11.5 million passengers, up from 9.1 million in the same month last year, as per government data. SpiceJet holds the top position once again in terms of seat utilisation per aircraft with 95.5 per cent seats being booked. It was followed by IndiGo (91.9 per cent), GoAir (89.5 per cent), Vistara (88.8 per cent), AirAsia (87.5 per cent), Jet Airways (85.6 per cent) and Air India (84 per cent). As far as punctuality was concerned, IndiGo holds the crown with ... Read more

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is loosening its residency laws and is planning grant long-term visas for up to 10 years to investors and highly-skilled professionals. The 10-year residency visas will be granted to specialists in science, medicine and research, and to “exceptional students.” The plan aims to attract global investment and innovators. The UAE Cabinet approved the new rules yesterday, saying plans are also on track to allow foreign investors 100 per cent ownership of their UAE-based companies this year. Under current laws, foreign companies must have an Emirati owning 51 percent of the shares, unless the company operates ... Read more