Category: Top Three Stories

Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott International’s brand that pioneered the select service category, has announced it expects to further grow its European footprint of 63 hotels by almost 50 per cent over the next two years. With nearly 30 hotels anticipated to open in Europe by the end of 2020, Courtyard will offer business travellers a continually elevated experience that meets the generational shift in how our guests work and travel today. In addition to strengthening its portfolio in the established markets of Germany, France and the UK, Courtyard is continuing its first-to-market approach with anticipated debuts in seven emerging destinations ... Read more

Naval cooperation between India and the United Kingdom is based on the long term strategic relationship between both countries. Both Navies have, over the years, undertaken bilateral activities such as training exchanges and technical cooperation. The Bilateral KONKAN exercise provides a platform for the two Navies to periodically exercise at sea and in harbour, so as to build interoperability and share best practices. The KONKAN series of exercises commenced in 2004, and since then has grown in scale. KONKAN-2018 is conducted from 28 November to 06 December 18 off Goa with units participating from both navies. The harbour phase was ... Read more

Etihad Airways has launched its first ever scheduled flights linking Abu Dhabi and Barcelona. The inaugural flight, EY49, departed Abu Dhabi this morning carrying a special delegation including dignitaries, media representatives, influencers and senior members of Etihad Airways’ management team. The UAE national airline is celebrating the occasion in style by hosting a special event held at the historic Capella dels Angels, a sixteenth-century Gothic building which is now part of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), attended by leading figures from the local government, diplomats, media, corporate partners and travel trade. “We have been tremendously excited about the ... Read more

Minister of State of Railways and Minister of State (I/C) of Communications, Manoj Sinha has flagged off one pair of 63229/63230 Buxar-Varanasi MEMU. This train will provide additional end to end connectivity between Buxar and Varanasi. Minister of State of Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Member Traffic, Railway Board, Girish Pillai, Member Rolling Stock, Railway Board, Rajesh Agrawal with other Railway Board Members, Senior Officials of Railways and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion Manoj Sinha congratulated the people of Buxar for this new MEMU train. He said “this 16 coach MEMU train ... Read more

Keeping the indomitable spirit of adventure alive, soldiers of Indian Army conducted ‘Cockerel Gunners’ White Water Rafting Expedition’ at Rishikesh on 29 November 2018. The expedition commenced on 26 November 2018 wherein a team comprising of 20 adventure enthusiasts of a Medium Regiment were flagged off at Rudraprayag. After successfully traversing 150 kilometers across River Ganges over four days, the team was flagged in at Rishikesh. As part of its challenging journey, the team successfully negotiated numerous grade III and IV Rapids. The expedition reaffirmed the Indian Army’s resolve of a strong sense of determination, grit and perseverance in face ... Read more

Bantony Castle With an aim to explore the untapped tourism potential of the state, Himachal Pradesh government has sought financial aid from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and got approval for projects worth of Rs 1,900 crores. It was informed by Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, during a meeting with Kenichi Yokoyama, the country director of ADB. In addition to this, projects worth Rs 650 crore had also been sanctioned by ADB for the state, which would be implemented in two phases. Brajeshwari Devi Temple “All the projects will be executed in the stipulated period. The state government ... Read more

Realme, a spinoff from Chinese phone company Oppo, has launched Realme U1 in India, featuring a 25-megapixel front camera. Expanding the company’s range of budget smartphones, Realme U1 aims to impress the young audience. The Realme U1 is also the first phone to launch with the MediaTek Helio P70 chipset, which brings improvements in terms of power and efficiency, in addition to better AI performance. The Realme U1 features big 6.3-inch Full HD+ (2350 x 1080 pixels) IPS LCD display, featuring a water drop-style notch. The octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 chipset with four Cortex A73 cores and four Cortex A53 ... Read more

Satpal Maharaj, Tourism and Culture Minister of Uttarakhand, has said that the state is emerging fast as a ‘Tourism State’ in the country and abroad. He was speaking to the delegates of Dehradun chapter of Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) at Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. The envoy invited the minister to attend the 40th  All India Convention on Public Relations which would be held in Dehradun from December 8 to 10. “The State Government is committed to promoting tourism in Uttarakhand, which is fast emerging as a sought after tourist destination in India and abroad,” said Maharaj to the ... Read more

Bertriz Seigner receives the special mention award from Tourism Minister KJ Alphons Brazilian writer-director Beatriz Seigner’s ‘Los Silencios’ received the Special Mention award under ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category, at the closing ceremony of the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2018) in Panaji, on Nov 28, 2018. Beatriz Seigner ‘Los Silencios’ has earlier won this year’s Impact Award at Stockholm Film Festival. The Impact Award is meant to highlight films that are politically minded and reflect today’s world in innovative ways. This year’s theme among the nominated films was the impact of armed conflicts on lives and relationships. The film, ... Read more

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has accredited 13 tour guides, who are with hearing difficulties to guide deaf tourists to the tourism hotspots of the country. Their first assignment was to guide 30 students from the Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) to Manila’s historical spots, including Rizal Park, National Museum, and Fort Santiago. Such specialized tour, which is the first of its kind, was designed to foster a non-handicapped educational tour for sustainable growth and development in tourism. The programmed was initiated by the Office of Industry Manpower Development (DOT-OIMD) in partnership with the De La Salle College of ... Read more

Visit St Petersburg is promoting the destination within the UAE as a choice destination for business and leisure through Dubai-based Plan b Group, which has acquired the ‘Visit St Petersburg’ destination account recently. Also, the Plan b Group founder &chairman, Harmeek Singh has been appointed as ‘Visit St Petersburg’s’ representative in the country. “Through the ‘Visit St Petersburg’ campaign, Plan b will do what we do best by promoting business and tourism opportunities from the UAE to the incredible city of St Petersburg. Our experience in integrated marketing services has given us this opportunity and the tie-up will see us implementing a 360-degree ... Read more

Medicina Alternativa International Open University, Sri Lanka  honored Rajasekharan Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Uday Samudra Group of Hotels with ‘Star of Asia Award’ and conferred him PhD in ‘Tourism and Hospitality Management’ for his contribution to Tourism  and Hospitality Sector in the convocation held at Bantaranayake Memorial International Convention Centre, Colombo on 25th November 2018. Large number of delegates and Scholars from various universities of the world participated in the Convocation function. Rajasekahran Nair is a man with a clear vision and over 4 decades of experience in hospitality sector and several accomplished projects to his credit. His ... Read more

The 65th annual convention and exhibition of Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI) begins in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province of China. The convention aims to strengthen more people to people contacts thereby enhancing tourism exchanges between the two countries. The 3-day convention was inaugurated by the Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, Mme. LiMalin in the presence of He Ligui, Director General of Tourism of Yunnan Province, Li Bijian, Minister and DCM, Embassy of China in New Delhi. “There is huge potential to develop tourism relationships between India and China as “both China and India are developing countries with rapid ... Read more

Meet Yu Wen, the egg carving artist from Dandong, in northeast China’s Liaoning Province. Yu, 49 and grand-daughter of a known local painter, has been practicing this craft for 25 years. Quail, goose and ostrich eggshells carved with traditional Chinese patterns and figures are laid side by side on the shelves as warm spotlights underneath shine through, giving off a translucent and elegant glow.Her display is just as much about eggs as it is about Chinese culture. Egg carving is often called “the most fragile art,” as it requires the ultimate precision and care before, during and even after the creation. ... Read more

Shakuntala D Gamlin, Secretary to Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India has recently visited the Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary (DEMWS) of Arunachal Pradesh, in an unofficial tour and was enthralled by the beauty of the sanctuary. She was accompanied by Joint Secretary Dolly Chakrabarty and few other officials from the department. Gamlin has enjoyed the visit to the Sanctuary from Namsing village side in the left bank and the cruise through the Siang River. While wading through the river, the team could see Dolphins in the river and different ... Read more