Category: Top Three Stories

Andhra Pradesh tourism department is on a plan to construct new hotel rooms under the luxury category as there’s a constant demand from the foreign tourists. The state government estimates an amount of Rs 3,500 crores from investors to build over 10,000 new luxury rooms. The state currently ranked 3rd in terms of tourism potentials to the country, has already 8,500 hotel rooms, as per official reports. “The new project would come under the public-private partnership with a moderate policy that would attract investors,” said Bhuma Akhila Priya, Tourism Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Photo Courtesy: luxurytrainsindia.com Analysts confirm that there ... Read more

More than 150 people had to be rescued from a ski lift in Austria after it faced a mechanical problem at Kreischberg ski resort in Styria, Austria. Several helicopters were called to help move skiers out of the chairlift, with a majority of the seats suspended more than 50ft above ground. A number of British tourists were among those rescued by the Austrian Armed Forces rescue helicopter. It took almost three hours for the team to rescue the skiers. Since it takes much time to mend the mechanical problem of the ski lift, the authorities decided to use the helicopter service ... Read more

Abu Dhabi police have announced a major change in the speed limit across Abu Dhabi’s prime highway. Speed limit was increased from 140km/hr to 160km/hr on the new Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road. Radars were set up to catch vehicles coming from Al Mafraq- Al Ghuwaifat international highway at a speed of 161 km/hour. The new law, where the speed limit is considered to be the highest in the country,  came to effect on 24 January. The Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road links the capital to the Al Dhafra region and Saudi Arabia. Motorists breaking the limit will be fined.  

Hong Kong-based air carrier Cathay Pacific and yoga pioneers Pure Yoga has joined hands to introduce in-flight well-being programme called ‘Travel Well with Yoga’. The project has initiated as part of the airlines ‘Life Well Travelled’ campaign that includes an array of video series prepared by international trainers of Pure Yoga. The video aims to calm the passengers through a series of meditation and exercise tips translated into different languages – English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese. One of the highlights of the programme is that the yoga moves can be watched even in economy class seats, that includes stretching to ... Read more

A total of 8.88 million foreign tourists visited Bulgaria last year, reporting a 7.6 per cent growth compared to 2016. Around 1.16 million tourists came from neighboring Greece, a figure that was up 8.5 per cent year-on-year, the Bulgarian tourism ministry said on its website. With 1.14 million tourists, Romania came second, with an increase of nearly four per cent, the ministry said. Germany, Turkey and Russia came third, fourth and fifth respectively, the ministry said, adding that among these countries the most significant increase was the growth of Turkish visitors, at 12.5 per cent. More than 61 per cent of ... Read more

Dubai to host the 2018 edition of Gulfood, an annual food and beverage trade event, at Dubai World Trade Centre from 18 to 22 February 2018. Over 5,000 exhibitors are expected this year across 8 primary market sectors such as beverages, dairy, fats and oil, health and wellness, pulses, grains, cereals, meat and poultry, world food, and power brands. Gulfood 2018 will showcase Halal World Food- the world’s largest annual Halal food sourcing trade show, the annual Emirates Culinary Guild International Salon Culinaire- the worlds largest single entry chef competition and Gulfood innovation Award etc. The organisers believe that the ... Read more

Pakistan to conduct a three day International conference in association with Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on 29th January at Islamabad. Photo Courtesy: dnanews.com.pk The forum will be attended by delegates and representatives from the member countries under World Tourism Organisation (WTO). Officials of the tourism ministry of Pakistan told the media that the conference would benefit the country in improving its good image from a global perspective. He also added that the joint relationship between PTDC and UNWTO will further help Pakistan in developing various forms of their tourism, such as culture, ... Read more

The Economic Survey of India for financial year 2017-18 was tabled in Parliament today. The survey pegged India’s GDP growth at 7-7.5 per cent in the 2018 fiscal. GST data reveals 50 per cent increase in number of Indirect Taxpayers. The survey also states that Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana account for 70 per cent of India’s exports. India’s internal trade in goods and services is 60 per cent of GDP. Real GDP growth to clock this fiscal is 6.75 per cent. Employment, education and agriculture to be the focus areas in medium term, Says Survey. The survey is ... Read more

Iran plans to promote Youth Tourism after the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, the event organized under the Cultural Heritage Handicraft and Tourism Organization of the country mainly focusing the youth and children as the key players behind travel. Pouyan Qaem-Maqami, executive director of the national base for youth tourism told that ‘the country would conduct touring camps for youth as well as recreational programs that will introduce Iran’s natural and historic attraction among youth as well as children. Youth tourism, nowadays, is the fastest growing segment of the industry that includes cheaper accommodation, customised travel for backpackers, educational travelling etc. ... Read more

Dubai breaks another world record by making “the largest cup of hot tea”. The “tea cup” has a height of 3.66 metres, a top inner diameter of 1.42 metres, and is capable of holding a volume of 5,000 litres. A total of 120 chefs participated in the challenge at Global Village on Thursday. 155 kilograms of tea-leaf powder, 270 kilograms of milk powder, 360 kilograms of sugar, ginger and cinnamon were used to fill the cup. Mixed with 5,000 litres of water in 60 pots, the tea was brewed for several hours to create the best possible and authentic taste. ... Read more

The Yard, a new urban space opens at Al Khawaneej area in Dubai. The Yard was open to public on January 25, 2018. Encompassing Last Exit D89, the trendy hipster food truck, which launched in 2017 as an initial phase, The Yard features minimalistc, contemporary design to suit the urban needs. The Yard is billed as a ‘suburban hideaway’.  

A new €1.8 million initiative specially designed to boost tourist numbers from Britain to the Wild Atlantic Way has been launched. The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin,  Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland’s Paul Keeley launched the new campaign. A €1.35 million marketing campaign in Britain will be complemented by Fáilte Ireland’s €500,000 programme to support businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way to position themselves to benefit from the campaign, as well as to boost its own marketing campaigns in Northern Ireland. The ‘campaign will be rolled out by Tourism Ireland in Britain in ... Read more

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has appointed Shanzhong Zhu as Executive Director of UNWTO. Zhu, a Chinese national, began his two-year term on 1 January 2018. Zhu joined UNWTO in 2014 as Executive Director. Prior to his appointment, he was Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).  

Camel Race India will be the “guest of honour” at Saudi Arabia’s National Festival for Heritage and Culture, popularly known as the Janadriyah festival.  The 18-day cultural festival will be held under the patronage of King Salman at Janadriyah, 42 km northeast of Riyadh, will be inaugurated on February 7. A high-level ministerial delegation will visit Riyadh for the inaugural ceremony. A diverse spread of India’s culture and science will be on display at Janadriyah festival, from Bollywood to traditional culture and from classical dance to technological prowess. The Indian pavilion will be embellished with cutting-edge technology displaying the march of India ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Dubai Tourism Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, announced the launch of Zabeel House by JumeirahTM. This exciting second brand from Jumeirah Group, which already operates the award winning luxury Stay DifferentTM brand, has been created in response to the continuing and growing travel trend for exploration and enrichment through travel experiences. Zabeel House by JumeirahTM will have a strong appeal for this increasing segment of travellers, from across a broad demographic, who want to connect meaningfully with their travel destinations. Photo Courtesy: Getty Images With five management agreements already signed ... Read more