Category: India

The tourism ministry plans to accelerate India’s booming tourism sector by the introduction of long-term visas, which will increase the international tourist inflow significantly. The international tourist arrivals to India increased by 15.7 per cent in 2017 to top 10 million. The ministry also plans to ease travel restrictions in some areas, introduce more flights to trendy tourist destinations for boosting the international tourist arrivals. The tourism ministry had already proposed for better air connectivity to places like Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar and Guwahati to the civil aviation ministry last week. The ministry of home affairs has already accepted tourism ... Read more

Indian missions in the UAE have announced a total ban on satellite phones while travelling to India. The Indian diplomatic missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai issued an advisory to foreigners traveling to India, informing them about a ban on satellite phones to the country. The statement, published on all social media channels of the missions, said, “All foreigners who intend to go to India are therefore advised not to carry satellite phones to India.” Violators will face legal consequences. Providers of satellite phone services in the UAE have been advised to inform subscribers about the legal ban, reported Khaleej Times.

The domestic air traffic grew at a robust rate of 26 per cent in April with various airlines together carrying 11.5 million passengers, up from 9.1 million in the same month last year, as per government data. SpiceJet holds the top position once again in terms of seat utilisation per aircraft with 95.5 per cent seats being booked. It was followed by IndiGo (91.9 per cent), GoAir (89.5 per cent), Vistara (88.8 per cent), AirAsia (87.5 per cent), Jet Airways (85.6 per cent) and Air India (84 per cent). As far as punctuality was concerned, IndiGo holds the crown with ... Read more

Jet Airways has launched its first non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester, which will operate for four days a week including Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Jet Airways’ flight 9W 130 will depart from Mumbai at 02.30 am (local time) and will arrive in Manchester’s Terminal 2 at 07.55 am (local time). The return flight, 9W 129 will depart from Manchester at 09.35 am (local time) and arrive in Mumbai’s Terminal 2 at 00.40 pm (local time). “We are extremely pleased to begin a new chapter in our decade-long relationship with the United Kingdom. The new service will bring Manchester into our ... Read more

Till now tourists need to apply for travel documents such as the protected area permit (PAP) and the restricted area permit (RAP) before visiting Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim. And, now, as part of its plans to attract more tourists, the government is proposing to remove restrictions for foreigners who want to travel to these destinations. The restrictions can be removed only if the home ministry and the defence ministries approve the proposal since some areas in the north-east are considered sensitive due to a long history of insurgency in the region. “The ministry has proposed opening up the north-east for tourists. In ... Read more

Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS), has opened a new Thai Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Chennai. The office at Wellington Estate Building, Portion 1A, 3rd Floor, No.53, Ethiraj Salai, Chennai will serve as the Hub VAC for CKGS’s South India Operations. The Centre will cater to all categories of visas such as tourist, transit, non-immigrant, business, work, crew and medical visa. The new centre in Chennai was inaugurated by Krongkanit Rakcharoen, the Consul-General, Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chennai in presence of the senior CKGS officials. “Thailand has emerged as one of the most favourite destinations for Indians with the number ... Read more

When it is Ramadan time, there’s no other food that can replace the rich, traditional Hyderabadi haleem during Iftar, to break the fast. Originally an Arabic dish, haleem was introduced by the former rulers of Hyderabad, Nizams. Haleem is a kind of stew made of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. In recognition of its cultural significance and popularity, Haleem was granted Geographical Indication status (GIS) by the Indian GIS registry office in 2010. Haleem is the first non-vegetarian dish in India to receive this status. Ingredients Part 1 Mutton (boneless) – 1 kg Green chillies ... Read more

Leisure Experiences has announced the launch of their new luxury property in Kodaikanal. The inauguration was held in Chennai with members of Tamara Lesiure Experiences in attendance. Nestled in the hills, Tamara Kodai provides world-class accommodation within a colonial building, La Providence, which is considered to be the first one in Kodaikanal. The property features 53 suites which boasts French provincial design. “It is our great privilege to be here today. It is really an honour to be in Chennai, and one of our greatest privileges as an organisation as we get to join hands with Tamil Nadu. Our main ... Read more

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is offering a 5 night-six day tour package covering Russia starting from Rs 97,100. IRCTC’s tour, titled Charming Russia, is set to depart on June 1. The package includes night stay of 03 nights at Saint Petersburg and 02 nights in Moscow. The package allows the tourists to visit Palace Square, Winter Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress, Petroff Palace in Saint Petersburg. Along with this the tourists will also get a chance to visit and enjoy the world famous Moscow Circus, sightseeing of Lenin’s Tomb, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, and enjoy the bullet ... Read more

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Jakarta and talks are already on to develop a cruise tourism circuit between Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Indonesia as part of steps to bolster bilateral ties. Union minister Nitin Gadkari met Luhut Binser Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs of Indonesia, and discussed ways to take ahead bilateral relations between the countries. Developing a cruise tourism circuit between Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia and thus implementing Govt of India’s vision to put India on the global cruise market both for ocean & river cruises under its Sagarmala programme was highlighted in ... Read more

India’s booming tourism industry is aided by the transportation services in a great way. A meeting was held between Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons, Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanta Sinha, along with the officials of both ministries for creating better air connectivity of tourist destinations in order to heighten the tourism sector. The Ministry of Civil Aviation agreed to take immediate action regarding better connectivity after discussion with the air operators. The ministry also decided to widen the UDAN scheme to all the undeserved destinations at the earliest. The decisions also ... Read more

Jet Airways said it will commence direct flight operations between Lucknow to Allahabad and further up to Patna from June 14. UP civil aviation minister Nand Gopal Nandi said that the air connectivity will part of the Centre’s flagship, Regional Connectivity Scheme. “More flights will operate under the regional connectivity scheme in the days to come. This will also encourage the business environment of the city. State and central governments are working together to facilitate air travel and to connect more cities for flight services,” Nandi said. Jet airways will operate a 72 seater ATR aircraft that will fly thrice a ... Read more

Time for Madhya Pradesh to be proud again as Indore has been ranked as the cleanest city for the second time in a row by the Union Urban Affairs Ministry. However, the glory doesn’t limit to it as the state capital Bhopal flowed Indore as the second best cleanest city in the country. Chandigarh was picked as the third cleanest city. Indore to Madhya Pradesh is compared to what Mumbai is to India. The district has a prominent part in the growth of the state as it contributes around 35 per cent of the state’s GDP. Aided by a lot ... Read more

Indians love to spend on travel and spiritual tourism is one which is gaining attention in the country. Reports indicate a considerable growth in spiritual tourism as many Indians love visiting popular pilgrimage sites like Puri, Varanasi, Tirupati etc. The reports are based on the hotel searched and booking made at travel search engine Ixigo. The results show that the hotel bookings at pilgrimage sites are going up every month. Hotel bookings in Puri have gone up by 60 per cent, Varanasi by 48 per cent, Shirdi by 19 per cent and Tirupati by 19 per cent.  Lucknow leads the ... Read more

Arunachal Pradesh is planning to invite bids for a fixed-wing flight service to Mechuka, with an advance landing ground (ALG) that is closest to the border with China. The state would be floating a tender for operating nine-seater flights between Mechuka and Guwahati or Dibrugarh (Assam) or both. The state had earlier invited tenders but had to re-tender as there was only one bidder. The 4,200 feet long landing strip at Mechuka’s ALG had reconstructed, expanded and made operational by April last year. In November 2016, the Indian Air Force (IAF), which controls this ALG, successfully landed a C-17 Globemaster, a large ... Read more