Category: News

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and Tourism Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Joint International Development Tourism Programme (JITDP). The MoU looks into possible cooperation between the two parties especially in the area of international tourism promotion. The initiatives planned include airlines collaboration, the operation of inaugural and charter flights, as well as high-yield niche tourism promotion. Tourism Malaysia highlighted that the initiative already succeeded in covering 20 main projects for short and long haul markets in 2018. MAHB said it would continue playing its role as a major airport operator to enhance route development at local airports, while continue strengthening ... Read more

Rajasthan’s newly elected Congress government reverts its old tourism slogan ‘Padharo Mhare Desh’ (Welcome to our land), which was changed by the previous BJP government to ‘Jaane Kya Dikh Jaye’ (You never know what you might see) in 2016. The Congress government has rolled back the previous government’s decision with an order issued on 25th January 2019. The state Tourism Department has also added ‘Rajasthan – The incredible state of India’ in the department logo, along with ‘Padharo Mhare Desh.’ “Padharo Mhare Desh is Rajasthan tourism’s traditional logo and connects with the state’s tradition and culture. Changing it to ‘Jaane ... Read more

Starting from this Valentine’s Day, Thailand will introduce its first e-Visa On Arrival (eVOA) for visitors from 20 countries and one business district. The system is developed jointly by Immigration Bureau of Thailand and VFS Global. The new system is expected to cut the processing time for visas on arrival at airports to as little as one minute. The fast-entry online visa system will initially be available to nationals from Andorra, Bhutan, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. They will be eligible if they ... Read more

The number of tourists coming to Thailand will hit a record 41.1 million in 2019, the country’s government said. The tourists are expected to spend 2.21 trillion baht and the number of visitors is projected to rise 11 per cent to 11.69 million. The country saw a record 38.27 million tourists in 2018, up 7.5 per cent from 2017. The December tourist arrivals were 3.85 million, and the arrivals are projected to climb about 8 per cent from last year’s 38.3 million. To put that in perspective, the flood of arrivals exceeds the population of Canada. Chinese tourists are returning after a ... Read more

India received the Award of Excellence for ‘Best in Show’ at the recently concluded New York Times Travel Show 2019, the largest travel show in North America, held from 25th – 27th January in New York, USA. Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism receives the Award of Excellence The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India participated as the ‘ Presenting Partner’ in the New York Times Travel Show (NYTTS 2019) organized at Jacob K Javits Centre, New York with a view to scale up its tourism promotional efforts in the US, enhance India’s visibility and to increase its share of US ... Read more

Emirates served over 20,000 plant-based meals across all classes in January, known to Vegans worldwide as Veganuary. The worldwide movement, to encourage Veganism especially in January has seen on board requests for vegan meals increase by over 40 per cent this month. The airline caters to all its customers and has a range of dedicated menus for medical or religious meal requirements which are designed with a team of nutritionists and chefs. Vegan meals rank as the third most commonly requested special meal in Economy Class. Last month, travellers voted Emirates as the Best Airline for Vegan Meals in a ... Read more

Department of Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh has declared Ledum village in Bilat Circle of East Siang district as the ‘cleanest village’, as per the “Adopt a Village” programme in relation with the National Tourism Day. “Ledum has full potentials to be a Model Tourism Village,” said Tate Tata, District Tourism Officer, while addressing the stakeholders and resources persons and explained the aims and objectives of the programme. He then appreciated the local committee members, village authority and common public as a whole for making Ledum a plastic-free village.   He urged also to continue the ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’ programme on regular basis to keep ... Read more

Have a look at Neemans – India’s first startup to create shoes with revolutionary natural and renewable fibers like Merino Wool, Plant based Castor Bean Oil & Recycled Rubber, for all day comfort. You can wear this extremely lightweight shoes socks free. It is also odour resistant, breathable and machine washable. The shoes were conceptualised in America and designed in London.  Mostly insoles of shoes are made with petroleum-based oil, but Neeman’s has replaced this with a plant-based source, castor bean oil. Made from the finest Merino wool from Australia, the shoe promises to offer the best comfort through all seasons in India. ... Read more

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several road projects and river development works in Bihar tomorrow. Radhamohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, will accompany him, along with other officials. Gadkari will inaugurate and lay foundation stone for two national highways projects worth Rs 505 crore in Raxaul. These include foundation stone for work of widening of 69 km section of NH-28A from Piprakothi to Motihari and Raxaul (including ICP Link road) with a cost of Rs 333.60 crore, and inauguration of the widening to 2-lane and ... Read more

RTA Dubai and Oman National Transport Company has opened international bus route to commute passengers between Dubai and Muscat, and the one-way ticket will cost AED55. RTA’s Public Transport Agency has opened the international bus route between Dubai and Muscat, which aims to boost land transport and ease the mobility of passengers between the two sisterly countries. An agreement was signed in Dubai by Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of Public Transport Agency, RTA and Ahmed bin Ali Albulushi CEO, MWASALAT Oman. Coaches operating on this route will start at Abu Hail Bus Station, and the one-way ticket will cost AED55. Bahrozyan ... Read more

As per One Faber Group, tourist arrivals from India to Singapore will increase, with the Indian government focusing on improving airport infrastructure in tier II cities, which will lead to increased flight frequencies between the two nations, The Singapore-based lifestyle services brand expects a huge arrival of tourists from India, particularly millennials interested in leisure travel. “More airports mean more opportunities to target weekend travellers to regional countries. With India’s plans to invest in the building of 100 airports over the next 10-15 years, the India tourism market is expected to grow exponentially, especially with the millennial market,” said Patrick ... Read more

Home-stay business in the Xinjiang Uygur of Northwest China is flourishing, as the winter tourism getting momentum. Local authorities are striving to exploit the favourable atmosphere had has been offering than 130 tourism activities through March, and major scenic spots provide free or discounted skiing and dining tickets. It is reported that almost 2.1 million tourists visited the area during the recent three-day New Year’s Day holiday, which is 40.58 per cent more than that of last year. Revenue for tourism during this period was USD 246 million, showing a year-on-year increase of 46.86 per cent. “Tourists have increased a ... Read more

The Bharat Parv celebrations organized by the Ministry of Tourism as part of the ‘Republic day 2019’ has reached its third day with a series of cultural events, Defence Bands, Yoga demonstrations and live Kitchen demonstrations. The Parv at the Red Fort, New Delhi is witnessing a large number of visitors. The Ministry of Tourism for the first time has set up a Digital Showcase booth in the Parv showcasing various Digital initiatives like Incredible India website, Mobile App, Virtual Reality views of Indian destinations and attractions to promote Indian destinations. The Incredible India Digital Showcase booth has been set ... Read more

For the first time at Prayagraj Kumbh, about 800 saints were given Sanyas Diksha at Dashanami Juna Akhara. All religious ceremonies were completed this morning on the bank of river Ganga. Ceremony was initiated on JAnuary 27 with the shaving of head of saints and taking holy dip in the River. Barbers were called from Haridwar and Varanasi for the purpose. Several rituals were performed at the camp of the Akhara and on the bank of the River including Diksha by Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of the Akhara Swami Awadeshanand Maharaj. Saints who were given Sanyas Diksha include six from abroad. Their ... Read more

Zurab Pololikashvili and Basque Culinary Center has signed an agreement to hold the 5th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism at the Kursaal Congress Center in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain from May 2-3, 2019. The Forum will focus on the contribution of #Gastronomy Tourism to job creation and the promotion of entrepreneurship. The Forum is supported by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of Spain, the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the City of Donostia. Returning to its origins in San Sebastian, the fifth edition of the Forum will bring together Ministers of Tourism, representatives from National and ... Read more