Category: Top Three Stories

For the first time, a national government minister will attend the annual Wine & Food Tourism Conference, when Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, presents the inaugural Wine & Food Tourism Awards at Spier, near Stellenbosch on 18 September. Conference convenor Margi Biggs said Minister Kubayi-Ngubane’s scheduled appearance at the conference signalled the importance of the fast-growing wine and food tourism sector. “There can be no more compelling way for travellers to access the heart and soul of a region, its natural features, its culture and its aspirations, than through its wine and food. The impact, however, is so much more ... Read more

Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali was distinguished Thursday, July 11th, with the Portuguese Touristic Medal of Merit. The medal and diploma were awarded by the Minister of Economy, Pedro Siza Vieira, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho. Imtiaz Ali shot the movie Jab Harry Met Sejal in Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais and was awarded this medal for choosing Portugal to film his movies and promoting Portugal overseas through his Bollywood lenses. The Indian ambassador to Portugal, K. Nandini Singla, was also present, along with other members of the Indian community living in Portugal. The movie Jab Harry ... Read more

World Architecture Travel (WAT), an international network for architectural tours now presents WATconnect, an initiative that will present an architecturally immersive travel experience to one different location every month. Designed as an exclusive platform for selected architects to connect with each other on a national as well as an international scale, WATconnect aims to enhance professionalism and develop inbound architecture tourism through these connections. The team includes a selected 15 from the architect, curator and student fraternity respectively who will be guided to the architectural practices of the young and upcoming architects in order to explore their work culture and ... Read more

Universal Studios Hollywood ushered in its new mega attraction, “Jurassic World—The Ride” with a grand opening celebration attended by stars of the JURASSIC WORLD films and of the new thrill ride, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard along with the film’s Director/Screenwriter Colin Trevorrow and Producer Frank Marshall. They were joined by Ron Meyer, Vice Chairman, NBC Universal; Tom Williams, Chairman, Universal Parks & Resort; Karen Irwin, President & COO of Universal Studios Hollywood, and Mark Woodbury Vice Chairman, Universal Parks and Resort & President. Inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s JURASSIC WORLD blockbuster films, this spectacular new adventure ... Read more

Before a packed audience of artists, connoisseurs and music lovers, the inaugural “Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram” was presented to eminent musicians Padma  Parassala B Ponnammal and Padma Bhushan Dr. T V. Gopalakrishnan by Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, for their outstanding contributions to music, on Wednesday. Instituted by Kerala Tourism, the coveted honour, which carries Rs 1.5 lakh, citation and memento, was given away at the valedictory function of the five-day music festival Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Kanakakunnu Palace, here. In his address, the Minister noted that in the coming years the music festival will ... Read more

Emirates has announced its plan to launch a new daily service from Dubai (DXB) to Mexico City International Airport (MEX), via the Spanish city of Barcelona (BCN), starting on 9 December 2019. Emirates’ Mexico City flight will be a linked service with Barcelona, meaning that customers can now travel between the two cities in unprecedented style and comfort. Citizens from Mexico, Spain and the UAE only need their passports to enjoy visa-free travel to each respective country. The new route will be operated with a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR which offers 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and ... Read more

Ministry of Tourism under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has identified Tirthankar Circuit as one of the fifteen thematic circuits for development in the country. All the sites associated with Jainism are covered under this circuit. The project is under implementation and Ministry has released Rs 26.19 crores for the project. Ministry has sanctioned the project-Development of Tirthankar Circuit: Vaishali-Arrah-Masad-Patna-Rajgir-Pawapuri-Champapuri in Bihar for Rs 52.39 crores in 2016-17. The projects under the above scheme are identified for development in consultation with the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable Detailed Project Reports, adherence ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Random Explorer, Flickr Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran has inaugurated the Kanjirapuzha Dam Garden in Palakkad today. The new modified Kanjirapuzha dam garden also offers boating facility for the visitors. The garden, which is spread on 8 acres, has special zones for children which includes pedal boating, swimming pool, cycling, various rides etc. The garden also has a musical fountain and special lighting arrangements to deck up the whole area. The facility has around five boats for the travellers, seven rain shelters for those who wish to get a cover from the rains, a public addressing system to ... Read more

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor in Israel Israel is a nation that has culinary influences from all around the world and over the years Indian cuisine has taken centre stage with many celebrity chefs and culinary experts visiting the country for menu engineering, special collaborations and food festivals. Each region in the country offers its own adapted cuisine which is evident in the many popular food markets in the country. A wide variety of cafés and restaurants serve everything from Arabic, European, Indian and Asian fare. Often referred to as ‘The Shuk’ by the locals, the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem is ... Read more

Early in July 2019, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, an iconic architectural masterpiece in the heart of Barnsdall Park in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first Los Angeles landmark to be designated a World Heritage Site, Hollyhock House is part of a UNESCO group officially titled the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, which includes eight major works spanning 50 years of the famed architect’s career. Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned the house as the centerpiece of a cultural arts complex on Olive Hill, which was to include a ... Read more

Seychelles Tourism Board, along with TravelGyaan, will conduct a destination training webinar for tour operators across India on 31st July 2019 at 3pm to enhance understanding of the destination in the India market. This one hour of live training session will provide operators with detailed information on the Seychelles islands, unique activities, must visit locations along with the various categories of hotels and transport options available between islands. “Webinar has been an effective marketing tool to reach out to wider audience in one go; particularly for B2B activities with the approach and format reinventing and changing in many ways over ... Read more

Happy news to passengers travelling to the UAE on the new Air India flight from Indore. The passengers to and from Indore can now carry 10 kgs more in their check-in luggage as the airline has, with immediate effect, increased the baggage allowance from 30 kgs to 40 kgs. The move is in line with the increasing demand by the travel community for an enhanced baggage allowance on the route. The allowance for hand-baggage, however, continues to be the same at 7 kgs. “As demanded by the people, Air India will allow passengers to carry 40 kgs as luggage in ... Read more

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Durban uMhlanga Ridge officially opened this month, making it the first Fire & Ice! by Marriott hotel in KwaZulu-Natal and the fourth in South Africa. A highly anticipated addition to the brand’s fast-growing portfolio, it joins Fire & Ice! by Marriott hotels in Melrose Arch (Johannesburg), Cape Town and Menlyn (Pretoria). A short drive from King Shaka International Airport, Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Durban uMhlanga Ridge is nestled along the picturesque KwaZulu-Natal coastline in the sought-after seaside town of uMhlanga, just north of Durban. In close proximity to the breathtakingly ... Read more

Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions – Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group Australia, further expanded its presence by inaugurating its ninth retail store in Maharashtra and the fourth in Pune. The store was inaugurated by Shantilal Suratwala – Ex Mayor – Pune and  Bhanupratap Barge – Asst. Commissioner of Police – Pune who were the chief guests on the occasion along with Ashish Chitnis, AVP & Head of Operations & Distribution, Travel Tours. The opening of the store marks Travel Tours’ reach to 37 stores across India, out of which 9 are now located ... Read more

Marriott International and Emirates announced the relaunch of Your World Rewards a partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and Emirates Skywards. The partnership which originally launched in 2014, allows Marriott Bonvoy and Emirates Skywards members who register for the program to elevate their earnings and benefits when they fly with Emirates or stay at Marriott International Hotels around the globe. Your World Rewards enables members of both loyalty programs to enjoy the best in travel from take-off to check-out with rich benefits, personalized services and extensive access around the world. Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members ... Read more