Category: Top Three Stories

South Sulawesi, the province on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, famous for its picturesque landscapes, beaches and islands and hanging graves, will have a new logo for tourism. Photo Courtesy: The Jakarta Post The new logo was introduced by the governor Nurdin Abdullah, expressing hope that it could serve as a familiar icon among local and international communities. The logo was chosen from the tourism identity rebranding competition held by the local administration in search of a fresh look for its tourism program.  The selected logo was created by Rahmat Zulfikar, a contestant in the competition “We appreciate what ... Read more

Major hoteliers operating in Mexico is planning to open around 350 new properties in the country by the year 2022, to exploit the favourite condition prevailing in the tourism sector. City Express Hotels, which mainly targets business travelers, will lead the way by opening 80 new properties over the next three years. Business travel specialist, City Express Hotels will open 80 new properties over the next three years. “We see a challenging economic outlook but we are maintaining the positive idea of continuing to position ourselves in the center of cities” said Jose Luis Carrete, while talking to the local ... Read more

The All India Professionals’ Congress, a department of the Indian National Congress, is conducting Travel Tourism Contest and Conclave, under the Explore Idukki project. “The event is a combination of entertainment, travel and competition. We are planning to promote tourism in Idukki through social media promotions, as part of the competition,” said Mathew Kuzhalnadan, President, AIPC. Photo, selfie, tik tok contests are the categories planned as part of the event. The event, under the theme ‘The Unseen Idukki”, will be conducted from January 20 to February 20, 2019. Those who wish to participate has to upload photographs, selfies or tik ... Read more

Andhra Pradesh Tourism department plans to promote the concept of homestays in areas where commercial accommodation providers are less in the Krishna, Guntur and West Godavari districts. This is as part of the state’s second phase of rural tourism development plans. Relevant places from these districts will be selected and included in the tour packages. The authorities envisage identifying three villages in every district for developing rural tourism. 37 villages with scope of rural tourism in all 13 districts of the State have already been identified and out of them, 17 have been finalized and five clusters were formed. In ... Read more

Japan has introduces a ‘departure tax’ for those travel abroad via flight or ship. The tax came into being from Monday, 7th January 2018. Infants under 2 years of age and travellers who transit within 24 hours are exempted from the tax. 1000 yen (around USD 9) is the tax per individual. The purpose of the tax is to create new revenue, which will be utilized for improving the travel services and to provide travellers with better facilities, especially in rural areas. Legislation has passed in this regard in April 2018. As per government officials, the move is to increase ... Read more

First-ever consumer tourism fest and exhibition ‘Meet 2 Travel’,  organized by Meet The Folks Events (MTFE), is scheduled to be held in Delhi from April 5-7, 2019. “MTFE has covered four major aspects of industries, where everyone can meet, connect and network with new people and transact business – ‘Creating Business Network’ is our tagline. Meet 2 Travel – M2T is providing a platform for travel companies to showcase their brand, services and products directly to their clients. In today’s time, one of the biggest challenges that organisations face is to source new clients when OTAs are taking a major market ... Read more

Emirates has launched special fares for travellers from India to select destinations from the airline’s global network, providing opportunities for travellers to explore over 159 destinations. The limited-time only fares can be booked between January 8 and 15, for a travel period from January 15 till November 30. “With return fares starting from Rs 19,473 to Dubai, there is more reason to embark upon new adventures,” Emirates said in a statement. The passengers who have booked on an Economy Class roundtrip ticket to Dubai can also enjoy additional baggage allowance on their return journey during the Dubai Shopping Festival 2019. ... Read more

With an aim to enhance tourism in the area, Oman has unveiled plans to build the country’s longest zip-line in Al Hamra. The zip line will be operated in the Misfat Al Abriyeen village. The operation of the project will be shared between Al Masfah Company as the owner and Oman Refreshments Company as the funder. The ministry of Tourism will be the technical advisor and supervisor of the project. Al Hamra, a 400-year-old town in northeastern Oman, is located at the foot of the Hajar Mountains. Some of the oldest preserved houses in Oman, mudbrick houses built in the Yemeni style, can be found ... Read more

The 112th edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM), held from 3 – 5 January 2019, at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kochi, has concluded today. The India International Travel Mart, organised by Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions, showcased a variety of destinations from different spheres such as pilgrimages, adventures, culture & heritage, beaches, hills and much more. The event had over 250 participants from over 8 countries and over 20 Indian states. The participants include Travel Agents & Tour Operators, DMC, Hotels & Resorts, National Tourist Organizations, Cruises, Airlines, Online Travel Portals etc. The three-day event has showcased glimpses from the travel, tourism ... Read more

The Nilgiri Mountains, one of the popular tourist destinations in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, witnessed drop in number of visitors in 2018. There is around 10 per cent decline in the number of tourists, when compared to the previous year. The main reason of the drop is said to be the factors affected the neighbouring states – Kerala and Karnataka in 2018. As per the information provided by the officials of the Horticulture Department around 31 lakh people had visited the Government Botanical Garden in 2017-2018, the numbers fell to 28.69 lakh during 2018-2019. The Tourism Department estimates ... Read more

Emirates announced the return of My Emirates Pass, an exclusive seasonal pass that turns an Emirates boarding pass into an exclusive membership package, allowing customers to take advantage of fantastic discounts and benefits in over 500 locations across the UAE. Emirates’ customers now have more reasons to start off the New Year and explore Dubai’s many attractions. Emirates passengers travelling to and through Dubai from January 1 until March 31 2019 can benefit from My Emirates Pass privileges across participating retail and leisure outlets simply by presenting their boarding pass and a valid form of identification. Customers can take advantage ... Read more

Murud, Maharashtra Maharashtra state government has inked an agreement with realty firm Mahindra Lifespaces to develop the coastal town of Murud in Raigad district as a medical tourism and wellness destination. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 500 crore and it is expected to generate around 6,000 job opportunities. Deep Mangal Developers, subsidiary of Mahindra Lifespace Developers (MLDL), will be executing the eco-friendly project in an area of 1,300-acre; which is expected to be the largest medical and wellness tourism investment in the state. It is said that the project will strengthen Maharashtra’s impression as a global tourist ... Read more

The ISRO plans to set up Space Galleries in various locations in the country. It was informed by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. The Space Galleries are expected to disseminate the knowledge about space science and technology amongst the citizens of the country. The Gallery will consist of interactive methods and models describing the principles of Space science and technology. Initially, Space Galleries are planned to be established at Birla Science Center at Hyderabad, Nehru Science Center at Mumbai and National Science Center at ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stone for three National Highway projects of nearly 200 kilo metre worth Rs 3,318 crore in Baripada in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha on Saturday, 5th January 2019 The projects include four laning of Rimuli-Koida section of NH-215 (New NH-520), four laning of Koida-Rajamunda section of NH-215 (New NH-520), and four laning of Singara-Binjabahal section of NH-6 (New NH-49). The works include construction of four bypasses, 3 flyovers, 11 vehicular underpasses, 12 major bridges, 50 minor bridges and 34 kilo metres of service road. The projects will improve interstate connectivity between Jharkhand, West Bengal ... Read more

The latest Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index has shown Kyoto, Japan came in second on the list of Asian destinations. The rating was measured by social and environmental sustainability strategies, industry supplier support, and Convention Bureau strategy and initiatives. International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) recently gave out GDS-Index Awards to top five destinations recognised for their sustainable practices in the business tourism and events industry. List of cities with the five highest overall scores are Gothenburg (Sweden); Copenhagen (Denmark), Reykjavík (Iceland), Oslo (Norway), and Uppsala (Sweden) respectively. According to the index, top five Asian cities with highest overall scores ... Read more