Category: News

According to the most recent data provided by national system eVisitor, a record number of tourists visited Croatia in 2018, the Croatian tourism ministry said on Wednesday, 2nd January 2019. A total of 19.7 million tourists travelled to Croatia last year, which is more than 6.5 per cent when compared to same period in 2017. Overnight stays also rose to 106 million, depicting an increase of 4 per cent from the previous year. Kristijan Stanicic, the director of the national tourism agency, said that investments in the tourism sector in Croatia exceeded 1 billion euros in 2018 and should be ... Read more

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is planning to resume services to Delhi in early 2019 with an aim to attract more Indian visitors and lead to faster growth in what is now the largest unserved market for the Philippines. PAL, which has not been serving any destination in India since 2013, is planning to resume its operations to Delhi by March 31, 2019. The Philippines-India market has been growing rapidly in recent years, and even faster growth is likely as nonstop services are introduced. Manila-Delhi will be the fifth long haul narrowbody route for Philippine Airlines, along with Manila to Brisbane, Port Moresby, Sapporo and ... Read more

Considering the success of the pilot project, Indian Railways is planning to adopt the solar energy system on more trains. It was informed by the Rajen Ghain, the Minister of State of Railways. The first solar-powered DEMU (diesel electrical multiple unit) train was launched in July 2018, from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi. The train run from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. A total of 16 solar panels, each producing 300 Wp, are fitted in six coaches. As per the minister, Railways have already provided solar panels on roof top of 19 Narrow Gauge coaches ... Read more

The Indian Railways is all set to start ‘Panj Takht Express’ from January 14, 2019, which will link the five takhts (temporal seats/Gurudwaras) of Sikhs. The five Gurudwaras are Akal Takht in Amritsar, Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo near Bathinda, Takht Hazur Sahib at Nanded and Takht Patna Sahib in Patna. With 800 seats in three-tier air-conditioned coaches, the train will complete the journey in 9 nights and 10 days. Costing Rs 15,750 per head, the pilgrims taking the tour will be lodged in hotels or Gurudwaras. The special tourist train, announced on the ... Read more

Kashmir tourism industry, which was grim due to the decline in tourist arrivals last year is considering the snowfall on Wednesday as a possibility for a surge in tourist inflow. While tourists in large numbers thronged Gulmarg to celebrate New Year and Christmas recently, Wednesday’s snowfall has spread optimism among tourism industry for seasons ahead. Hotel bookings in Greater Kashmir, which have picked up since Christmas and New Year holidays, are expected to go further up in coming days. It is expected that tourists who are interested in snowboarding, heli-skiing and ice-skiing will flow to Kashmir to enjoy the first ... Read more

The most awaited Grand Egyptian Museum is getting ready to be inaugurated by 2020. The museum is intended to showcase Egypt’s ancient treasures while drawing tourists to help fund its future development. The project has been delays due to various reasons and now the works are progressing with accelerated pace to be inaugurated by 2020. Meanwhile, the costs of the project has soared from an initial USD 650 million to over USD 1 billion, with most of the financing coming from Japan. Japan is not only one of the museum’s major financial partners, it is also playing a key role ... Read more

The Remutaka (Rimutaka) Cycle Trail is one of New Zealand’s Great Rides, and a part of Nga Haerenga – The New Zealand Cycle Trail. Situated on the doorstep of New Zealand’s ‘coolest little capital’, Wellington, the trail connects the city with the expansive Wairarapa Valley. It is suitable for a range of ages and abilities, and can be ridden in sections over one, two or three days. On the Remutaka Cycle Trail, riders uncover traces of New Zealand’s rich heritage; ancient Maori settlement sites, European colonial history and the legacy of stone and steel from the days of steam-powered rail. ... Read more

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) seeks assistance the of tourism ministry to find an amicable settlement of their dispute with online travel aggregators (OTAs) Go-Ibibo and Make My Trip (Go-MMT), and hospitality chain OYO Hotels. FHRAI has written to the Minister of State for Tourism, K J Alphons in this regard. It was informed by FHRAI in a media statement that they have written to the minister outlining the major issues of concern to the industry because of the OTAs’ unfair and arbitrary business practices. It claimed that a number of FHRAI’s members are experiencing ... Read more

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has envisaged a plan for replacement of all the level crossing on National Highways by Road Over-bridges (ROBs) or Road Under-bridges (RUBs). The works will be carried out under the ‘Setu Bharatam’ scheme, which include replacement, widening and strengthening of weak and narrow bridges to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and to reduce road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2020. Mansukh Mandaviya , Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers, said that the ministry has signed an MOU on 10th November, 2014 to ... Read more

National Palace Museum China has more than 30,000 scenic spots and tourist attractions, among which 259 have 5A-level ratings, the highest rating for Chinese tourist sites, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, the ministry also noted that during the first 10 months of 2018, over 200 tourist sites had been de-listed, demoted, or warned for poor management, poor service or a worsening environment. China has a tourism-rating classification system which rates a tourist attraction from A to 5A for its overall tourism quality. Top-level sites include the National Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the West Lake in ... Read more

Khirsu is an unexplored tourist destination in Uttarakhand. The place is slowly getting attention of the tourist, who are looking for off-beat destinations, away from the crowded popular tourist spots.  Located in the Pauri Garhwal district, Khirsu is situated at a distance of 20 km from the Pauri town. It is a picturesque and quaint place dotted with the oak, deodar trees and apple orchards. This tiny Garhwal town offers a majestic view of the Himalayan ranges. It is a perfect destination for camping and trekking. It is a paradise for all nature lovers as one gets to enjoy the ... Read more

Bali island Indonesia has enacted a ban on single-use plastics such as shopping bags, styrofoam and straws in efforts to restrain pollution in its waters, reports a local daily. With this new policy, the government envisages 70 per cent reduction in Bali’s marine plastics by 2019, announced Bali governor Wayan Koster a day earlier. “This policy is aimed at producers, distributors, suppliers and business actors, including individuals, to suppress the use of single-use plastics,” said Koster. “They must substitute plastics with other materials,” added Koster. The policy, which has a six-month grace period, is already in force from 21st December. ... Read more

Lemon Tree Hotels said it will be operating 85 hotels with 8,674 rooms across 57 cities by 2021, said Rattan Keswani, Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels and Director, Carnation Hotels. “This year, we have enjoyed very high occupancy, close to 79 per cent. We have opened a few properties this year, including Dehradun, Pune, Siliguri and Morjim. We should be able to open an owned hotel in Mumbai, followed by Kolkata. Then we should be able to open a managed property in Kalina, Mumbai,” he said.

Venice The local government in Venice is planning to charge day-trippers for access to the city’s historic center, as a way to help defray the considerable costs of maintaining the popular tourist destination. It is as per the new budget law of Italy. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has tweeted on Sunday that the new ‘visitors tax’ would allow them to manage the city better and to keep it clean.  “It will allow Venetians to live with more decorum,” he added. The City Council will be responsible for setting the charge and determining the collection method. The mayor’s office said it ... Read more

At present there are 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management (CIHMs) in the country including one in Odisha as well as a State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM) at Balangir, Odisha. The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) under the Ministry of Tourism at Gwalior also has a center at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. This was informed by K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism, in the Lok Sabha. The Ministry of Tourism has been extending Central financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for establishment of Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Food Craft Institute (FCI); broad-basing of ... Read more