Category: Top Three Stories

Navratri is one of the most popular festivals celebrated in the country and is dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. It is considered to be the world’s longest dance festival where people from all walks of life come together and dance their hearts out to the traditional dance of Gujarat called Garba and Dandiya-Raas. On this occasion, while the entire country celebrates this auspicious festival with much gusto, Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia invites you for their Dandiya Night. Dress your best and show off your killer moves with an amalgamation of disco beats with traditional folk music ... Read more

In just four months following the horrifying terror attacks that threatened to derail the fast flourishing tourism industry of Sri Lanka, a strong recovery strategy implemented by key industry players such as Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts has enabled the sector to effectively address and avert an emergent crisis. Spearheading this revival, the hospitality chain has initiated a number of campaigns, an encouraging celebrity video with VIP guests who have graced Cinnamon over the past few years, internationally renowned celebrity destination ambassadors such as former Miss Sri Lanka, Jacqueline Fernandez and Miss World, Manushi Chhillar, an innovative destination campaign ‘Bring a ... Read more

The prestigious IIA National Awards for Excellence in Architecture 2018 will be held in Trivandrum on October 3rd and 4th 2019 along with Trivandrum Architecture and Aesthetic Celebration (TAAC). The awards will be adjudged in categories of Residential, Interior- Non Residential, Socially Responsible, Commercial, Pubic Institutional, Industrial – Infrastructure, Interior – Residential, Hospitality & Recreation, Conservation, Landscape, Unbuilt and Research. The two-day event held at Kovalam beach Trivandrum will see the attendance of about 1000 delegates comprising Architects & Urban Planners, from India and across the globe. The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) is the national body of architects, with ... Read more

Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) conducted a roadshow in Hyderabad on 26th September to enhance commercial ties with the Indian travel trade fraternity. In an effort to retain the growth momentum of Indian arrivals to Israel, the team interacted with over 50 key travel and tour operators, MICE providers and up-market leisure operators. The event commenced with a presentation leading to an interactive session with the IMOT team. The roadshow included interactive B2B sessions, education programmes and workshops to aid trade members in planning itineraries and responding to customer queries. The Israeli delegation was led by the newly appointed Director ... Read more

Kerala Tourism is embarking on a brand building mission to make the state one of the most sought-after global destinations, said Hon. Minister for Tourism, Co-operation and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran on Monday. Speaking after distributing prizes to the winners of the Second Clint Memorial International Children’s Online Painting Competition, the Minister said though Kerala has firmly positioned itself on world tourism map, there are still potential markets to be tapped. “One of the biggest challenges Kerala is facing in tourism sector is that it has to compete globally. We mostly try to attract visitors, who would have gone to Sri ... Read more

Amid Kerala Tourism’s effort to woo more Chinese travellers to the state, a workshop was held today for travel and tourism trade as part of designing a marketing strategy to increase their footfall. Inaugurating the concluding ceremony of the workshop, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the state should tap the strong China market which sends 150 million tourists across the world. “Kerala will do a sustained China Ready campaign with definite partnerships at G2G, B2B and B2C levels,” he said. “In spite of deep historical, cultural and continental connect, Kerala is still not the most frequented tourist destinations of the Chinese, ... Read more

In a novel initiative, close to 200 delegates at a global meet on travel took a 30-minute breather from the proceedings this forenoon to line up under the sun for a human formation that read ‘World Tourism Day’, bringing into sharp focus the significance of September 27. Wearing caps in saffron, white and green in the order of India’s tricolor, 185 participants from various parts of the globe at the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) here symbolically blurred man-made boundaries of countries, hailing the spirit of universal oneness. Once the delegates and officials at the meadow stood in the ... Read more

Over 100 water sports enthusiasts participated in the Chaliyar River Paddle 2019, organised by Jellyfish Watersports, in association with Kerala Tourism. In 3 days we covered over 68 km and paddled all the way till Jellyfish Watersports Cheruvannur Kozhikode. It was all about getting Kerala to bounce back, along with spreading awareness about the disastrous plastic deposits around the river after the recent floods. Naval commander Abhilash Tomy and Asian Games gold medalist Shweta Shervegar were joined by a few environmentalists like Aakash Ranison, a stand paddling group and tourists from different parts of the country and abroad. It was ... Read more

The success story of transforming Kerala as an established global tourist destination, will form the theme of discussion at a unique International Conference on Global Trends in Tourism Studies organised by Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS). The seminar is organised on 28th and 29th September as part of the Pearl Jubilee Celebrations of KITTS, with the support of Kerala Tourism, India Tourism and UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will inaugurate the programme at 9.30 am at Amphi Theatre, KITTS in the presence of Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran. Hae Guk Hwang, Deputy ... Read more

P Balakiran, Tourism Director, Govt of Kerala, has started off his speech at the inaugural day of the International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT 2019), kick-started at Le Meridien in Kochi, by reading out session notes he had taken during the previous ICTT conducted in 2017. “The information we have received from the ICTT 2017 sessions has greatly helped us while we were planning to revamp the Kerala Tourism website,” he said while addressing the audience today morning. “The budget allocated for digital marketing in the current financial year is 10 per cent, compared to the previous period’s 2 per ... Read more

From the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Addis, Marriott International reinforced its commitment to Africa by announcing it expects to add 40 properties and over 8,000 rooms across the continent by the end of 2023. The company also announced signed agreements to open its first property in Cape Verde and further expand its presence in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. Marriott’s development pipeline through 2023 is estimated to drive investment of over $2 billion from property owners and is expected to generate over 12,000 new jobs in Africa. Marriott International’s current portfolio in Africa encompasses close to 140 properties with more ... Read more

Travel and tourism remained one of the key growth drivers of Africa’s economy, contributing 8.5 per cent of the GDP in 2018; equivalent to $194.2 billion. According to the 2019 Jumia Hospitality Report Africa, this growth record placed the continent as the second-fastest growing tourism region in the world, with a growth rate of 5.6 per cent after Asia Pacific and against a 3.9 per cent global average growth rate. “Our focus is to continue showcasing Africa as a continent full of beauty and opportunity. Through this report, we want to help draw attention to the vast potential of the ... Read more

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation has revealed its efforts to enter MICE, Cultural and Sports Tourism. In a press event held recently, the Managing Director of MMPRC Thoyyib Mohamed said the corporation believes it is time to diversify Maldives tourism to more niche markets. “We have seen temporary efforts in marketing Maldives to several niche markets in the past; without a significant result. Therefore I believe we need a good understanding of niche marketing and even better plans to achieve results. Now we are in the process of creating a marketing plan to reach several niche markets in a ... Read more

The magnificent and rich in culture, Kullu week long dusshera festival will begin from October 08, 2019. Kullu Dussehra is one of the most popular events of Himachal Pradesh, signifying the victory of good over evil.   “This is the best time for a traveler to experience the beautiful festival of Dusshera. International folk dance festival is also organised during this festive and troops from various countries visit Kullu Manali to participate. The most beautiful folk dance from all 12 states of Himachal Pradesh happens during this week long festivals. Carftsmen and Traders come from various cities to showcase their ... Read more

Marriott International’s recently unveiled travel programme, Marriott Bonvoy, will be presenting all things couture through a unique, thoughtfully curated, member-only experience at an event created by Red Carpet Creative in collaboration with Runway Prestige New York. To be held at Cape Town Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers from 11th to 13th October 2019, the event extends the glitz and glamour of global catwalk into South Africa with a group of New York Fashion Week designers showcasing their creativity in the Mother City. Built on the belief that travel enriches the world and connects people, Marriott Bonvoy offers access to an extraordinary ... Read more