Category: News

The top ten revenue generating monuments during 2015-18 are Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Sun Temple Konark, Group of monuments Mamallapuram, Ellora Caves, Group of monuments Khajuraho, and Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad. The year wise details of expenditure incurred for conservation of protected monuments under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during 2015-2018 are: In 2015-16, the Expenditure incurred was Rs 23746.25 lakh, Rs 30176.22 lakh in 2016-17 and Rs 41076.79 lakh in 2017-18. The  information was given by Minister of State (independent charge) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate change Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to a Starred ... Read more

SpiceJet will start a daily direct flight between Hyderabad and Jeddah from March 25, 2019. This is the ninth foreign destination of the airline. SpiceJet will operate its new 189-seater Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on the route, the airline said in its press statement. The airline also announced a special fare of Rs 13,499 (all-inclusive) for the Hyderabad-Jeddah flight and Rs 10,799 (all inclusive) for Jeddah-Hyderabad flight. “It is a moment of great pride for us as we introduce Jeddah as our ninth international destination, thus becoming the first Indian budget airline to fly to Saudi Arabia. Our new flight ... Read more

Indonesia witnesses a total of 15.81 million foreign tourist footfalls during the year 2018, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS). Though it could not achieve the government’s target of attracting 17 million tourists, the figure depicts a 12.58 per cent growth in tourist arrivals from 2017. Thara and Goutham in Yogyakarta, Indonesia “We saw a significant increase in December, particularly during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holiday, when the number of visitors jumped to 1.41 million, or up by 21.43 per cent month-to-month,” said BPS head Suharyanto  at the BPS headquarter in Jakarta. Suharyanto pointed out Indonesian tourism took a ... Read more

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is providing a further update today based on daily reports by the Thai Meteorological Department and the Pollution Control Department that south-easterly winds as well as measures by all concerned public and private sectors have had an effect in combating the dust pollution that has covered Bangkok and its surrounding provinces in recent weeks. According to the Pollution Control Department, the overall air quality of Bangkok and its surrounding has improved. Tourists can monitor the overall air quality of Thailand provided daily by the Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Public Health, by log on ... Read more

Three more villages in Mogok Township in Mandalay Region of Myanmar will be opened to tourism due to the rising number of visitors to the area, officials of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism said. Starting this month, tourists will now be allowed to visit Kyauk Pya That, Pan-lin and Bernard villages along the old Mandalay-Matta-Singu and Mogok road, which has been repaired, said U San Yu, regional assistant director of the ministry. Gem Market in Magok “We have to consider tourists’ convenience and safety. After reviewing all the factors, we decided to expand tourism in Mogok,” said U San ... Read more

If you are a couple based out of US, and is fond of travelling, then there’s a dream job for you is almost there. All you have to do is travel to almost six US cities for free and find the best places to propose your girl in each city you are visiting. Robbins Brothers, The Engagement Ring Store, wants two love birds to share a series of all-expenses paid weekend jaunts cross country in pursuit of the perfect proposal places in the country. The company has retail shops across the western part of the country that will not only ... Read more

While the heated discussion are going on in favour of and against Brexit, the Independent predicts loss of around 700,000 tourism jobs across Europe, once Brexit become reality. As per estimations by The World Travel & Tourism Council, the UK would lose 308,000, while 399,000 positions in other parts of Europe would be in danger. Gloria Guevara, the president and chief executive of the WTTC, whose members include chief executives from around the world, said: “The UK is the fifth largest travel and tourism economy in the world. Given its importance to the UK economy it is now clear that a ... Read more

Dubai-based flydubai has launched its inaugural flight to Kozhikode in Kerala on February 1, 2019. The airline is operating thrice weekly flights connecting Dubai International (DXB) to Calicut International Airport (CCJ). “As the first Dubai-based carrier to operate direct flights from Dubai to Kozhikode, we expect this route to be very popular for travellers from the UAE to the region. Similarly, passengers from Kozhikode now have easier access to popular destinations on the flydubai network as well as the Emirates network providing easy access to more destinations when visiting family and friends,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai. “With ... Read more

The Kannur International Airport Authority (KIAL) and Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), in association with North Malabar Chamber of Commerce is organising Tourism Fraternity Meet on February 7, 2019 at the Chamber Hall in Kannur. KIAL Managing Director, V Thulasidas; Rani George IAS, Secretary, Tourism and Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Tourism will be present at the inaugural function. The event will have five sessions like Branding & Marketing Tourism; Entrepreneurship Development in Tourism and SMILE project; North Malabar Tourism Specialties, New Products and Cultural Tourism; New Packages and Circuits connecting Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Coorg, Mysore, Ootty etc and Infrastructure in ... Read more

The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Developmental Region of Petra, Dr Sulaiman Al-Farajat has said that the authority is seeking concerted efforts and partnership with all parties concerned with tourism to reach one million visitors during the current year. Al-Farajat confirmed that the ancient city began its new year, with an increase in the number of visitors, as a result of efforts exerted and partnership between all partners in the governmental, private sector and local communities. Al-Fergat expected that this year will be a tourist destination with excellence and classifies the best in the history of Petra ... Read more

The tourism board of the Nepal Government said it is planning to attract two million tourists to the country by 2020. Nepal registered nearly 25 per cent growth in the number of visitors from India in 2017. The Nepal Tourism registered over two lakh visitors from India that year. The Indian market will continue to be one of the main contributors of international visitors to Nepal. At present, about one million visitors travel to Nepal a year from different countries. It is expected to double as the Nepal Tourism Board promotes “Visit Nepal” campaign, said a press release issued by the ... Read more

Thailand has been one of the sought after destinations for Indians travelling abroad.  Thailand is famous for its heritage sites, pristine beaches and resorts. Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lipe, Pattaya, Jomtien Beach, Maya Beach etc. are some of the renowned tourist destinations in Thailand. Those who have not visited Thailand yet have a golden chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Thailand now. It was announced by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), New Delhi. The aspirants have to participate in a contest announced by TAT to become a lucky winner to visit Thailand for free. In ... Read more

Telengana government plans to ban tobacco in all the tourism destinations of the state. As part of implementing ban on tobacco in public places, Sunita M Bhagwat, the Commissioner, Department of Tourism, has sought declaration of all the tourist and heritage precincts managed by the department in the State as ‘Tobacco Free’. She wrote letters to the Managing Director, Telengana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC), Director, Heritage Telangana, and also the Commissioners of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) in this regard. In the letter she suggested to make all the tourism departments of the ... Read more

Russians continued to top the list of foreign tourists to Goa in 2018, with British tourists ranking second, according to statistics tabled during the ongoing budget session of the Goa Assembly on Wednesday. A total of 3.11 lakh Russians arrived in Goa from January to October 2018, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said in a written reply. Another 1.48 lakh tourists from the UK also landed in Goa during the same period. Ukraine ranked third with 10,466 tourists. Overall, 6.04 lakh foreign tourists visited Goa from January to October 2018, said Ajgaonkar.

Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission has been changing the perspective of tourism in the state. The mission’s new venture PEPPER (Participation for Planning and Empowerment through Responsible Tourism), envisages preserving the ecology, while ensuring sustainable development in the village areas. The first phase of PEPPER has kick started in the Peringamala grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district. Foreign tourists trying rubber tapping PEPPER aims at identifying new zones or unexplored destinations which have a huge tourism potential and developing them in a hundred per cent sustainable fashion with the active participation of the local community. The project aims to empower the members ... Read more