Category: News

Jharsuguda airport, Odisha Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new airport in Jharsuguda, named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. The first flight took off from the airport today with 10 passengers, including four differently abled children and three crew members (a pilot, an assistant pilot and a flight attendant). The Air Odisha plane flew to Raipur minutes after the inauguration function. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier wrote to the Union Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, requesting him to name the Jharsuguda airport after the freedom fighter, who hails from the region. Veer Surendra Sai Airport is the second operational ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has marked the opening of the new runway at Velana International Airport in the Maldives by operating one of its Airbus A380 aircraft to the island nation. The new 3,400 metre-long and 60-metre-wide runway is the first in the Maldives capable of supporting an A380. The special Etihad operation was piloted by First Officer, Ali Ahuson, who is from The Maldives. Etihad Airways’ A380 features a total capacity of 496 seats – up to two guests in The Residence, nine First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 415 Economy Smart Seats.

Cultural Programme at Roadshow in Bangkok Aiming at promoting tourism in the state, Odisha Tourism department has conducted a roadshow in Bangkok. During the event, Archana Patnaik, Director of Tourism, made a presentation highlighting the programmes implemented by the state to enhance the infrastructure and facilities to lure tourists – domestic as well as foreign. B2B meetings were part of the roadshow, for the various stakeholders in the tourism industry to present their products. While speaking at the event, Abbagani Ramu, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India at Thailand, appreciated Odisha’s efforts to develop tourism as a major employment ... Read more

Emirates will operate a special one-off A380 service on 23 September to the capital city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in celebratory participation of the country’s 88th National Day. “The UAE enjoys a strong relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through fraternal ties and constructive cooperation, as well as a shared vision for the future. Bringing the Emirates A380 is a fitting way to support the National Day celebrations, and for customers in Riyadh to try the superior A380 product for themselves. King Khalid International Airport is also well equipped to handle the A380 and we ... Read more

Kolukkumalai is a tea plantation; spread across 500 acres and around 8000 feet high from sea level. It is said to be a plantation without pesticides and chemical application and the tea from Kolukkumail is said to be of high quality and taste. This year the visual extravagance, which happens once in 12 years – blooming of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana)- has been present in Kolukkumali Mostly the flowers start blooming from July. However, due to rain and floods, the blooming has delayed this year. Neelakurinji flowers are usually visible at Vattavada and Rajamala region of Munnar. This year, Kolukkumalai also ... Read more

SpiceJet announced the launch of direct flights from Guwahati to Patna, Hyderabad and Pakyong in Sikkim. The daily non-stop flight services on the Guwahati-Patna-Guwahati route and Guwahati-Hyderabad-Guwahati route would commence on October 10. The Guwahati-Pakyong-Guwahati flight service would commence operations from October 16. The Chief Marketing Officer of SpiceJet, Debojo Maharshi handed over the ticket and boarding pass to Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam, making the formal announcement of the new launch. This is a golden opportunity. The new flights will not only boost trade, education and health, but will also facilitate higher footfall of tourists from other states ... Read more

Time Magazine has revealed the list of 100 greatest places of 2018 in the world to visit. The list includes Theme parks, Bars, Hotels, Restaurants etc. They have considered the new inventions, quality of services, facilities and amenities, while selecting the places. From among 48 countries in 6 continents, 100 destinations have been selected by the Magazine’s selection team, which consist of prominent industrialists, media personnel etc. Four Indian places could occupy place in the list; they are Sundar Nursery an Indian Accent Restaurant – both in Delhi, Alila Fort Bishangarh in Rajasthan and Obroi Sukhvilas Rsort and Spa in ... Read more

Lavenders Bloom in Xianjiang (Photo courtesy: TravelWireNews) Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hosted more than 105 million tourists in the first eight months of this year, which is 40.93 per cent more than that of last year. The total tourist spent for the same period amounted to 171 billion yuan (around USD 25.1 billion), which is 43.18 per cent more than 2017. Development of attractive tourist destinations and the state-of-the art transportation networks are the main factor that makes Xinjiang a favourite tourist destination for visitors. Dancers perform for the tourists at Kashgar in Xinjiang “Xinjiang has been in ... Read more

Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Inaugurates the 53rd annual convention of FHRAI Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has announced that his state is envisaging becoming the country’s spiritual and wellness hub. The CM said the government is targeting annual investment of Rs 50 billion in the tourism sector. He was addressing the 53rd annual convention of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on 21st September 2018 in Lucknow “Under the central roadmap to boost domestic tourism, UP is having the maximum religious tourism hubs in the country, which includes the Ramayan Circuit, Buddhist ... Read more

Bond Safari Kovalam has bagged the Best Scuba Dive Centre award at the South Asia Travel Award (SATA). The SATA Awards ceremony was held at Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. The award was received by Jackson Peter, Managing Partner of Bond Safari Kovalam. “To be recognized as South India’s leading Scuba diving center is an incredible honor. We are really grateful to all our partners and the customers for the overwhelming support which helps to achieve this coveted award,” Jackson said after receiving the award. Bond Safari Kovalam, based in Kerala, is a team of the adventurist and experienced Indian ... Read more

Cultural event at Rajpath Lawn, Delhi The celebration of ParyatanParv (16th to 27th September 2018) organized by the Ministry of Tourism is in full swing with a series of activities and events being held across the country. The events with an aim to sensitize people about Sustainable Tourism, Swachatha (Cleanliness) and to promote tourism were organized in collaboration with the India Tourism domestic offices, Central and State Government organizations and other Stakeholders. Cultural Events at Rajpath Lawn, Delhi India Tourism Delhi organized an inter school drawing competition themed ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ (See our nation) in which 370 MCD Schools participated. ... Read more

B D Mishra, Governor, Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh’s Governer, to have B D Mishra on Thursday urged the Centre Ministry to formulate specific plans to promote tourism in the state. Mishra has visited K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism in Delhi on Thursday, 200th September 2018. During the meeting the he has requested for implementing eco-friendly and socially beneficial projects, as per official sources. Mishra accentuated the need of a holistic approach in exploiting the tourism potential of the state. Parsuram Kund Earlier, during his visit to the Parsuram Kund in Lohit district, he met the priest ... Read more

Shanghai City, China Shanghai in China is planning to open the doors of the industrial centers to the tourists. It was announced by the Shanghai Municipality on Thursday, 20th  September 2018. The three-year programme envisages development of industrial tourism, including in industrial sites with local characteristics. The objective behind the programme is to generate interest in students and young entrepreneurs and help them enrich their awareness levels on industrial processes and projects. At the same time, it will become a revenue earner to the municipality. Shanghai is the birthplace of China’s present-day industry and the modern industrial hub in the ... Read more

Celebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, has won the bid for the ground handling services of Kannur International Airport (KIAL). . This will be Celebi’s sixth airport in India including Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, which they won in June 2018. The other airports they are handling the ground operations in India are Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kochi. Ground handling services include baggage-handling, aircraft cleaning and servicing, loading and unloading of food and beverages and movement of cargo, among others. Çelebi has won the bid on the basis of a highly competitive international bidding process, ... Read more

Kathleen Pessolano, Destination Programme Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Managing tourism sustainably from an economic, social, cultural and environmental perspective is very important for every country, says Kathleen Pessolano, US expert and Destination Program Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). She was speaking at a programme at Puducherry, presenting the subject, ‘public-private partnerships for sustainable tourism’ on Thursday, 21st September 2018. The programme was organised by the Department of Tourism, Puducherry. “Sustainable destination management is a relatively new concept. With ever increasing domestic and international visitors to South India, it is essential for communities to establish policies and ... Read more