Category: News

After the slowdown of inbound tourists due to the rain and floods, Munnar is in a revival mode, following the widespread blooming of Neelakurinji, the purple-blue flower, which blooms once in 12 years. As the roads to the hill station are reinstated, tourists from all around the world are flowing to Munnar, to witness the visual extravagance of Neelakurinji blooms. District Promotion Council (DTPC) and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have arranged special packages for the tourists to reach Eravikulam National Park and Kolukkumail, where the tourists can see extensive blooming of Neelakurinji along the whole valley, making it ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: NewsX on Monday 24th September 201. Pakyong Airport, spread across 201 acres, is the 100th Airport in the country. The high-altitude airport (1,120 m from seal level) is also strategically important from the defence point of view as it is within 60 km of the border with China. In his inaugural address, PM Modi told people gathered at Pakyong airport that the emphasis is on enhancing infrastructural and emotional connectivity in the north eastern region. Construction of the Pakyong Greenfield Airport was started in 2008 at an estimated cost of Rs 254 crore. Work on the project got ... Read more

The first International Tourism and Security Summit will take place in Jerusalem October 7-9. The event aims at providing practical tools for managing global tourism in an age when bad news can fly across the world at the click of a button and affect the travel plans of millions of people. The conference will bring together different sectors to learn how to manage media during different crises that can affect tourism – and in turn, whole economies. The programme includes presentations from leading scholars and practitioners, focusing on global best practices, research and its implications, and fresh technology and innovation. ... Read more

Nepal Tourism has appointed former Member of Parliament of India and cine artist Jaya Prada has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of tourism in the country. A ministerial-level meeting of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation appointed the 60-year-old Indian actress as the tourism Goodwill Ambassador for four years, informed Ministry spokesperson Ghanshyam Upadhyay. Tourism remains an important source of income generation and creating employment opportunities. India is a big source market for Nepal in terms of tourism and the appointment is expected to be helpful in building a strong base towards that end and increasing ... Read more

Whatsapp has appointed a grievance officer for India and detailed out the process for users to flag concerns and complaints, including those around fake news. Meeting one of the key demands that India had put on Whatsapp to curb fake messages that triggered mob killings, the Facebook-owned company has updated its website to reflect the appointment of a ‘Grievance Officer for India’. The update mentions that users can seek help through the mobile app, send an email or write in to ‘Komal Lahiri’, who is based out of the US. The Grievance Officer for India is based in the US ... Read more

Crown Prince Camel Festival has entered the Guinness World Records as the largest camel sports festival in the world. This year’s festival saw the participation of a record 11,186 camels, which competed in 787 rounds of competition over more than 40 days from August 11 to September 22. The world record came at a time when Saudi was celebrating its 88th National Day celebrated on September 23 every year. Prince Fahd Bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Bin Musaed, president of the Saudi Arabian Camel Federation, accepted the official certificate confirming the festival’s accomplishment from Guinness representative Ahmad Jamal Al-Din. Prince Abdulaziz Bin ... Read more

Çelebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, has bagged the ground handling services at Kerala’s newest airport, Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL). Kannur airport will be Çelebi’s sixth airport in India after Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, where the company won the ground handling license in June 2018. The partnership with KIAL is the company’s second win in the state after Cochin International Airport. The total investment made by Çelebi under this partnership will be worth more than USD 4 million. The license for providing ground handling services at KIAL was won by Çelebi on the ... Read more

The eighth edition of Kerala’s premier hospitality equipment exhibition, HotelTech Kerala, will be held from September 26 to 28, at the KTDC Bolgatty Palace Event Centre in Kochi. The event will provide a unique opportunity for the hospitality sector in the state to identify suppliers related to their sector. HotelTech Kerala will showcase hotel supplies, hospitality and technology, equipment for hotels and restaurants, cleaning equipment and services, hospitality information systems and other services. The exhibition is supported and endorsed by various associations adding strength and value to the event and including Association of Approved & Classified Hotels of Kerala, SICA-Kerala, HPMF-Kerala ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first airport in Sikkim at Paykong on September 24 and is expected to improve connectivity, benefitting the people of the state. “In Sikkim, I will be inaugurating the Pakyong Airport tomorrow, which will improve connectivity and benefit the people of Sikkim,” Prime Minister tweeted today. Sikkim’s dream of having an airport is fulfilling after 9 years. The foundation stone of the greenfield airport was laid, around 33 km from Gangtok, in 2009. The Pakyong airport is spread over 201 acres and is located on top of a hill about two km above Pakyong ... Read more

The first Cochin International Boat Show (CIBS) will be held from September 26 to 28 at KTDC Bolgatty Palace Event Centre in Kochi. The maiden boat show will be inaugurated by KV Thomas MP and AK Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command, at 10.30 am on September 26. The event conducted by the Kochi-based Cruz Expos, which organises India Pavilion at the international boat shows in Sri Lanka and Maldives, in association with the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation Ltd. The show will be an ideal opportunity for Motor Boats and Yachts Manufacturers to target the growing ... Read more

The inaugural Dubai China Conference organized by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) saw a huge attendance of 900 local dignitaries, stakeholders and Chinese partners. The two-day event, held at Atlantis The Palm, is a major innovation that brings together industry players to share insights from the China market, whilst outlining Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaborations to reconfirm its continued focus on one of the most important global source markets. The close relationship between China and Dubai is evident in the willingness of the emirate to become fully “China-Ready”. Large-scale initiatives, in collaboration with key strategic partners such as Alipay ... Read more

Photo Courtesy-sangaimoonlightcamping Manipur Tourism has organized a seminar on Homestays & Sustainable Tourism as a part of ‘Paryatan Parv 2018’ celebrations, at Sangai Hall, Hotel Imphal. “The department is in the process of preparing guidelines of home stay for the state in line with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tourism. We are also planning to provide training to the registered home stay owners and conduct district-wise awareness drive regarding the importance of homestay development to the public,” said W Ibohal Singh, Director, Manipur Tourism in his welcome address. “Knowing the purpose of the visit of a tourist is very important ... Read more

Oman Air has announced its plan to add Athens, the capital of Greece to its expanding network. The airline said this was first of its several new routes to be launched in 2019. The daily flight to and from Athens will be operated with the new-state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Oman Air flight WY 191 will depart Muscat at 2.45 pm and reach Athens at 7.50 pm, while on return it will take off from Athens airport at 12.20 am and reach Muscat at 6.35 am. “We are extremely proud and happy to add Athens to our rapidly growing network, as ... Read more

Emirates continues to delight customers with its annual Oktoberfest celebrations on board and on the ground. From September 22 to October 7, customers travelling in all classes between Dubai and Germany will enjoy a special seasonal menu of Bavarian-inspired food and beverage. The celebrations kick off in the iconic A380 onboard lounge with Paulaner Oktoberfestbier served in a traditional stein or German beer glass. Paulaner is a mainstay at the festival and has played an active part in Oktoberfest for over 200 years. Today, Paulaner is one of only six breweries to serve at the event, giving customers an authentic ... Read more

As part of Neelakurinji campaign, Showcase Munnar Association organized a Super Bike Rally on 22nd September in continuation of Rally to the Blue Mountain. There were 20 Harley Davidson and other super bikes participated in the rally. Rally was flagged off at Ernakulam Boat Jetty in the morning by K P Nandakumar, Joint Director, Kerala Tourism;  K S Shine and G Kamalamma, Deputy Directors of Kerala Tourism; Rajesh Nair, CGM, Eastend Group were present in the function. Showcase Munnar Team and DTPC (District Tourism Promotion Council), Idukki welcomed the rally near DTPC Office. After taking a Ride in Munnar, Nallathanni ... Read more