Category: Top Three Stories

Dubai opens its first smart park with electric car charging stations and parking lots that can harness solar energy Al Barsha South. The Al Barsha South Park is considered to be the first smart park in Dubai that has applied modern sustainable technologies. The park, spread across an area of seven hectares, has completed at a cost of Dh15 million. Al Barsha is the first neighbourhood park in Dubai with electric car charging stations in the parking lot. Dubai Municipality has a plan to provide electric car charging stations in all the upcoming neighbourhood parks with parking lots. “This is the first one to implement it,” said ... Read more

With an aim to draw focus on the benefits of tourism and reinforce the principle of “Tourism for all”, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, along with SPIC MACAY, has kick started the Classical Heritage Series programme in Kochi. The event, which aims at increasing the tourism aspects in Heritage cities, was inaugurated by Mohammed Y Safirulla IAS, Ernakulam District Collector, at the Bastion Bungalow in Fort Kochi. Various artists from across the nation will lead the events, which are scheduled to be conducted on March 10, 11, 17 and 18.  Ustad Shujaat Khan in Sitar and Vidushi Shubha ... Read more

Pacific Area Travel Writers Association’s (PATWA) award for the title of Worldwide Tourism Minister of the Year goes to Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The award was presented to the Jamaican minister during the ITB Berlin trade show in Germany. “It is truly humbling to be recognised in this manner at such a major international event. “I accept this award, not for myself but for the people of Jamaica. It is clear that we have made our mark on the globe. The world now knows that Jamaica can host the biggest conferences and that we have some ... Read more

The online peer to peer cab service Uber has chosen cricketer Virat Kohli as the first brand ambassador in India. Upon the new initiative, the company aims to put a strong competition to their rivals, Ola. Came to service back in 2013, Uber currently has 450,000 drivers in more than 30 cities all over India. Uber also plans to introduce new ad campaigns that would focus on both riders as well as drivers. As per Uber India’s marketing head Sanjay Gupta, Virat Kohli’s dynamism, integrity, perseverance and passion are attracted by billions that would be the main objective of placing ... Read more

Ireland has been named the ‘best overseas self-drive touring destination’ by Ctrip, the leading online travel agent in China, with more than 250 million customers, and the second largest travel agency in the world. Ireland was one of the four destinations listed in the ‘best overseas self-drive touring’ category – in good company with Australia, Portugal and Guam, to take the number one spot! Ireland was included for its stunning routes and great driving experiences, including the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route. Accepting the award, James Kenny, Tourism Ireland’s Manager China, said: “We are delighted that Ireland has ... Read more

Pal-V Liberty, manufactured by PAL-V International a Dutch Company, would become the first flying production car in the world. The three-wheeled car acts as a gyrocopter with two separate engines for flight as well as for the roads. The car currently is being certified by European Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration and requires a pilot license to fly it. Additionally, the car also required a small strip of land for take-off and landing. The car further adds safety features in case of emergency engine failure, that it claims to land even on a small area like that ... Read more

It was a proud moment for Airports Authority of India (AAI), as the 6 airports under the government have been selected upon Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017, by Airport Council International (ACI). Airports of Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune were the winners chosen from different categories. Airport Authority on a statement responded to the achievement as. “It was for the first time that 6 airports bags the title together”. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, also known as Lucknow Airport has been chosen as the world’s top-notch airport in terms of size that transits 2 to 5 million passengers. ... Read more

The Jordan Tourism Board, in partnership with Universes in Universe-Worlds of Art, has launched ‘Art Destination Jordan’, a website that gives a glimpse into both the modern and ancient art scene in Jordan, on the first day of ITB Berlin. Art Destination Jordan is a “unique web product and a sustainable resource for cultural tourism, combining contemporary and modern arts and architecture with historical treasures, traditions and cultural heritage of the country”, a statement by Jordan Tourism said. With Amman as its starting point, the project also recommends excursions to other cities, archaeological sites and attractions in Jordan. “We’re really excited ... Read more

Mc Donald, the American fast-food chain, had inverted their famous iconic Golden Arches ‘M’ logo to ‘W’ as part of celebrating International Women’s Day. An outlet in California had physically flipped the logo outside its premise, followed by employees wearing special t-shirts and hats at 100 locations across America. Multiple reactions arise among social media platforms like facebook, twitter and Instagram, as it is a marketing strategy by the corporate giant. Some even reacted to it as a feminist art and allege to raise minimum wages for employees. Reacting to the incident McDonald’s global chief diversity officer, Wendy Lewis said that they ... Read more

Air India to conduct direct flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv in Israel from 22nd March onwards. “The flight schedule would be extended to three times a week,” said the airline authorities. Air India had planned to execute the service earlier, but later got abandoned, as other neighbouring counties refused to share their airspace for flying to Israel. Meanwhile, decisions changed officially after Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu told the reporters that Saudi Arabia had issued their acceptance for the national carrier to fly over their airspace while en-routing to Israel. Air Indian flights in general needs the airspace of ... Read more

The Emirates A380 aircraft was piloted by Captain Patricia Bischoff from Canada and First Officer Rebecca Lougheed from the UK with cabin crew led by the purser Weronica Formela from Poland. In addition to the flight crew, an all-woman team worked on all ‘above wing’ and ‘below wing’ activities in the lead up to flight departure. This included women in roles spanning customer service in the airport such as the Passenger Duty Service Manager; ramp operations monitored by the Ramp Duty Controller and Ramp Operations Team Leader; technical services carried out by Licensed Aircraft Engineers and Technicians; and a myriad ... Read more

The government of Sri Lanka has issued a ban on popular social media platforms, as a precaution to stop the dissemination of information regarding the ongoing religious violence. According to the official reports, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber are blocked. The communal riot between Muslims and Buddhist began on Monday, followed by a 10-day emergency declared by the government. Meanwhile, with respect to the situation, Deputy Minister for National Policies, Harsha de Silva tweeted “Enough! Please stop. Don’t escalate this incident to a race riot. Police, you better follow instructions and enforce the damn law.” “We can only develop as ... Read more

A containership owned and operated by Maersk international was caught on fire at the Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep. The fleet had an attendance of over 27 crew members with over 13 Indians on board. The news had been set out by an India Coast Guard, who has initiated the secondary rescue mission. The giant container ship named ‘Maersk Honam’ was affected by the tragic event, while en route to Suez from Singapore. Meanwhile, reports came as the flame occurred after an explosion, that broke fire towards the vessel’s bridge, followed by ‘MV Als Cicero’ reaching the spot rescuing 23 crew ... Read more

India, all set to host this year’s World Environment Day on 5th June 2018. The decision was announced by Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and climate change, along with the United Nations Environment Programme Chief Erik Solheim. ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ was the theme adopted this year, with an aim to reduce the use of plastic, that cause harm to humans as well as marine life. The event also joins hands with governments, industry, communities, and individuals for the achievement of the particular single goal. “India on our part is excited to host the World Environment Day this year. ... Read more

With an aim to familiarize Abu Dhabi tourism to the travel partners and tour planners in Kerala, the Department of Culture and Tourism has conducted a training workshop in Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram. The training workshop, conducted in association with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), was lead by Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager of DCT Abu Dhabi at Fortune South Park hotel in the city. The training started by showing the official video of Abu Dhabi, which was followed by a detailed description by Dinshaw about the destination, culture, tourism opportunities and packages the country offers. “Within five years Abu ... Read more