Category: Top Three Stories

The government of India is constructing 44 strategic roads along the border with China at a cost of nearly Rs 21,000 crore and over 2100 km of axial and lateral roads in Punjab and Rajasthan, abutting Pakistan. According to an annual report (2018-19) of the Central Public Works Department, the agency has been asked to construct 44 ‘strategically important’ roads along the India-China border to ensure quick mobilisation of troops in case of a conflict. The nearly 4000-km-long Line of Actual Control between India and China touches areas from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The report comes at a ... Read more

Start the New Year by exploring new cultures, relaxing on the beach, or enjoying a city break in popular destinations across Emirates’ extensive network. Fulfil your 2019 dreams of a city break in New York or visit family in Cairo by booking tickets starting today until 22 January 2019 for travel from 10 January until 30 November, 2019. Emirates passengers travelling to the Middle East, Europe, Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific can enjoy Economy Class and Business Class fares starting at: Travellers can also book with Emirates Holidays and enjoy a five-star holiday experience for an additional spend starting ... Read more

SpiceJet has announced the launch of 12 non-stop flights and frequencies from January 20. “With the new flights, passengers from Dehradun, Jammu, Jaipur, Amritsar, Varanasi, Madurai and Vijayawada can now easily travel to a host of other cities,” the airline said in a statement. “SpiceJet will be the first Indian carrier to introduce daily direct flights on the Dehradun-Jammu, Dehradun-Jaipur and Dehradun-Amritsar routes,” it said. The airline has also enhanced frequencies on the Jaipur-Varanasi (2nd frequency), Chennai-Madurai (4th frequency) and Hyderabad-Vijayawada (3rd frequency) sectors. The flights on all the routes are daily, except on the Chennai-Madurai route, where the flights ... Read more

AccorHotels has opened the 189-room ibis Kolkata Rajarhat, marking the debut of the brand in the City of Joy, Kolkata. This is the group’s 50th property in India, taking the brand’s total inventory in the country to over 3,000 rooms. At the launch, AccorHotels also announced the arrival of a new strategy for the ibis brand, designed keeping in mind the demands of today’s travellers. “The ibis brand and hotels in India have been successful in integrating into the hearts of Indians and our partnership with InterGlobe Hotels has been integral to this success. Last year we launched ibism, a campaign ... Read more

Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu boasts one of the most spiciest and aromatic cuisines of India. Here’s an authentic Chicken Chettinad recipe, with freshly roasted spices and coconut, for you to try this weekend. Ingredients: Chicken – 1 kg Onions (large) – 3-4 sliced thinly Tomatoes – 3 medium size cubed Ginger Garlic Paste – 3 table spoon Curry Leaves – a handful Oil – 2 tblspn Turmeric Powder – 1 tea spoon Salt to taste Lemon Juice – 2 table spoon Coriander Leaves / Cilantro – 3 tblspn chopped finely (optional) For Masala: Coriander Seeds  – 5 table spoon ... Read more

Uncontrolled taxi fares, rude nature of policemen, who are over enthusiastic in penalizing outstation vehicles are said to be the root cause of decline in inbound tourists in Goa. Savio Messias, President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, said that the 30-40 per cent decline in the tourist footfalls in the coastal tourist destination is also due to the inability to handle the mushrooming garbage crisis, which had led to Japanese, Finnish and Danish tour operators to abstain from Goa, stating ‘safety and health concerns’. “There is widespread indiscipline among taxi operators and drivers, which is one of ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned four new projects worth Rs 190.46 Crores under the tourism infrastructure development schemes, Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive) schemes in the states of Meghalaya, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Under North East Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project ‘Development of West Khasi Hills (Nongkhlaw- Krem Tirot – Khudoi & Kohmang Falls – Khri River- Mawthadraishan, Shillong), Jaintia Hills (Krang Suri Falls- Shyrmang- Iooksi), Garo Hills (Nokrek Reserve, Katta Beel, Siju Caves)’ in Meghalaya for Rs  84.95 crore. Siju Caves, Meghalaya The above project focuses on ... Read more

In order to drive international growth, OYO Hotels has appointed  Sam Shih as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the China market. As COO, Sam will be responsible for the overall regional operations, driving consumer experience and building operating efficiencies at scale across OYO China. Before OYO Hotels, Sam served as President of Global Consumables and CEO at Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Limited, a giant in the pulp and paper industry. He also led the operations at Red Bull and Accor Group, France. Sam started his career and spent over two decades in PepsiCo Inc. “We are really excited ... Read more

Air passengers can now avail free-of-cost travel insurance of Rs 50 lakh if they book their tickets through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). This facility will be available for passengers irrespective of the class of tickets and for both domestic and international flights. The insurance will provide them financial protection against accidental death and total or permanent disability, said an official statement by IRCTC. The insurance partners of the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will be Bharti AXA General Insurance. The premium for insurance will be borne by IRCTC to secure its passengers from any untoward ... Read more

Umium Lake The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K Sangma, inaugurated the project “Development of North East Circuit: Umiam (Lake View) – U Lum Sohpetbneng- Mawdiangdiang – Orchid Lake Resort” implemented under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Minister of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, Metbah Lyngdoh, the Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Yogendra Tripathi, and the Chairman, Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., Sanbor Shullai in Umiam were also present in the inaugural function. This is the first Swadesh Darshan project of Union Tourism Ministry in the state of Meghalaya. Chief minister and other officials after the inauguration ... Read more

Lenovo introduces a new Bluetooth Speaker, which could be easily tucked into your pocket, while travelling. The Lenovo’s 700 Ultraportable Bluetooth Speaker is attractively slim and with impressive sound for music. It is going to be the world’s thinnest Bluetooth Speaker when it launches in April for USD 149.99 Lenovo’s new speaker is at just 11 millimeters thin and just a few inches wide, it has the same general dimension as a modern smartphone and is just as easily to slip into your pocket. It has got five buttons on the front for manual control and can take calls, which ... Read more

Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia According to statistics from World Travel Monitor by worldwide tourism consultancy IPK International, the tourism industry has registered continuous growth in international trips all over the world in 2018. As per the report that international outbound trips grew by 6 per cent worldwide in the first eight months of the year, with Asia and South America recording the highest increase. According to travel booking portal Agoda, Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia are the third most-booked city and country in Asia. Japan is the top most-booked country, and Thailand bagged the second position. Bangkok and Tokyo are in first ... Read more

Glion Institute of Higher Education, a hospitality management institution in Switzerland, is offering a new set of online certificate courses starting from March 2019. The new courses occur four times per year with a span of two weeks. The course includes videos, readings, discussions, peer-reviewed assignments, quizzes, and a final exam. The Online courses are : • Maximising Spa Profitability and Excellence in Spa Operations are taught by Glion faculty member Mariana Palmeiro and leading spa and wellness expert Dr Mary Tabacchi on the financial and organisational aspects of spa management, a particular growth area in the hospitality industry. • Revenue ... Read more

Manipur Tourism organizes the 4th edition of Manipur Statehood Day Women’s Polo Tournament from January 17 to 21 at Mapal Kangjabung in association with All Manipur Polo Association. Besides the Indian teams, international teams from the USA, Canada, Argentina and Kenya will take part in this year’s edition of the tournament, stated an official from Manipur Tourism. “We are very proud to be the presenting as sponsor of the only international women’s polo tournament in India, in the birthplace of modern polo,” said Nidhi Kesarwani, Tourism Secretary, Manipur. The tournament is initiated by the Manipur Government and the final match ... Read more

Kenya’s tourism revenue crossed USD 1.55 billion during the year 2018, which is 31.26 per cent more than that of 2017 amounts. Najib Balala, cabinet secretary in the ministry of tourism and wildlife, said international visitor arrivals also increased by 37 per cent, counting around 2.02 million in 2018. “Kenya’s tourism performance for the year 2018 has seen a substantial improvement compared to 2017 in both tourism arrivals, domestic tourism performance and earnings,” said Balala who was presenting the tourism sector performance report 2018 to President Uhuru Kenyatta in Mombasa. He said that domestic tourism bed occupancy increased from 3.64 ... Read more