Category: News

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

China to unveil the world’s tallest statue of Confucius in eastern China’s Shandong Province during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival on September 24 2018. The statue is 72 meter tall and is made of brass. The statue is installed near Nishan in the city of Qufu, which is the birthplace of Confucius. Confucius who lived between 551 BC and 479 BC, also known as Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure. His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family and public interaction and setting educational standards. Throughout history, Confucius is widely considered as ... Read more

Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica Tourism Minister will be participating in the Tourism Expo Japan 2018 and Visit Japan Travel & MICE Mart 2018, which happening from 20th to 23rd September 2018 in Tokyo. The ministry plan to strengthen ties with Japan on a sustainable manner and to increase the visitors from Japan to Jamaica. “Twenty years ago, Jamaica received around 20,000 Japanese visitors per year, but that has since decreased to roughly 2,000 per annum, due to the economic slowdown in Japan and other factor,” said Bartlet. Japanese tourists are the world’s fourth largest contributor to the tourism industry. Around 17 ... Read more

While Kerala is bouncing back from the havoc caused by the recent heavy rain and devastating flood, discussions are on regarding the rebuilding of Kerala with a new vision, than just mend the damages. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, has put forth the concept of a ‘Nava Kerala’ (New Kerala), while re-constructing the state and invited opinions and suggestions from people from all walks of life. E M Najeeb, President of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry and Senior Vice President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), has shared his views on rebuilding Kerala, with Tourism News Live. Being ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: The National Dubai is strengthening its ties with China for boosting tourism. It was announced by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, while talking in the Dubai China Conference, which is attended by more than 900 local dignitaries, stakeholders and Chinese partners. The tourism ministry is planning various activities to lure Chinese tourists to the country,  including city-wide Chinese New Year celebrations. Earlier this year, the Dubai Tourism authority has inked an agreement with one of China’s largest smartphone manufacturers, Huawei, to pre-load devices with both user-generated and official cinematographic content of Dubai. As per an ... Read more

With a total investment of 134 billion yuan (approx. US$19.5 billion), 17 major tourism projects with a focus on entertainment and culture were signed at South China’s popular tourist destination, Beihai. The projects include three with investment of more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), seven with investment of 2 to 10 billion yuan (US$300 million – 1.5 billion) and seven with investment of less than 2 billion yuan (US$300 million). The projects cover the whole range of facilities necessary for a successful holiday or travel experience, including five tourism complexes with an investment of 99.5 billion yuan (approx. US$14.5 ... Read more

With an aim to upgrade the elephant rehab centre at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram to international standards, the state Forest Department has inked an MoU with the Kerala State Housing Board. The project, to cost Rs 113 crore, is expected to be completed by October 2020. The project includes the construction of enclosures for keeping wild elephants in herds and in isolation, special care centre for the calves, ponds to harvest rainwater, veterinary hospital, office complex, training centre for the mahouts, elephant museum, biological park, accommodation for the staff and mahouts, ‘mess’ for the elephants, canteen for visitors, toilet block, modernisation of accommodation for ... Read more

Ai India Express flight lands at Kannur Airport Air India Express Boeing 737 flight which can carry 189 passengers has landed in Kannur airport today successfully completing the trial landing. This a major step before the scheduled inauguration of the airport by November 1. The aircraft has departed from Thiruvananthapuram at 9.30 am and reached Kannur by 10.30 am. The airport is ready for commercial operation, but the final licence would be issued after the trial landing using a commercial aircraft. Now that the trail landing is successful, the airport authorities will submit a report to the AAI and is expected ... Read more

Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, flag off the vehicles Kenya Wild Life Services (KWS) has acquired a fleet of 26 vehicles to be used for rapid response to human-wildlife conflicts and parks management. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, flagged off the vehicles and handed over them to the field stations across the country at KWS headquarters in Nairobi. KWS is a state corporation that was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 376), with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations. KWS undertakes conservation and ... Read more

Budapest, Hungary Tourism has become one of the major contributors to the GDP of Hungary these days. It was informed by Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was talking to the media at the Dubrovnik Ministerial Conference on cooperation between China and 16 central and eastern Europian Countris. “Chinese are the world’s most affluent tourists; as per last year’s records they have spent around USD 258 billion, worldwide. So having more Chinese tourists to Hungary is highly beneficial for the country,” said Szijjarto. The inbound tourists form China last year were around  227,000, which was 34 per ... Read more

Aguada Fort, Goa As part of the Paryatan Parv (Tourism festival) celebrations, a rally was organized at Aguada Fort by the Goa Tourism Department in Association with the India Tourism Goa and Institute of Hotel Management on Monday. Over 100 officials from India Tourism Goa, Goa Tourism and students from IHM and other local stake holders have participated in the rally. The history of Aguada Fort was explained to the participants by the Assistant Director of India Tourism Goa. He exhorted the locals the need of keeping the fort and surroundings clean. Students from IHM have participated in a cleaning ... Read more

TripAdvisor has unveiled a new site and mobile experience. Currently in beta, the site is evolving to become the most personalized and connected travel community, inspiring and empowering individuals with social assistive tools to plan and book better with relevant advice and information from people and experts they trust. The new TripAdvisor expands its community beyond travelers to also include brands, social media influencers, publishers and friends. Travelers can follow and connect with individuals or content creators who share information that is relevant to their interests. Complementing our more than 661 million reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor members will be able ... Read more

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, has launched Jumeirah Nanjing in China. Under the direction of Jumeirah CEO, José Silva, the Group is in a phase of accelerated expansion and this new Jumeirah branded property in China represents an important deliverable in achieving the brand’s global growth ambitions. Jumeirah Nanjing combines China’s rich ancient history with modern day living. Located on the banks of the city’s Yangzte River, the hotel is situated on the 39-67th floors North Tower within the prestigious International Youth Cultural Centre (IYCC) of the Hexi New District. The striking ... Read more

Asian Yoga Federation is conducting its eighth Asian Yoga Sports Championship from 27 to 30 September 2018 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. During the event around 500 participants from 16 Asian countries will exhibit their yoga skills at the event. The three-day championship will begin from September 27 at Jimmy George Stadium. Participants from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Dubai, Taiwan, Iran, Afghanistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal will come down to the capital city for this big event. This is the first time the state is hosting a yoga championship of such a grand scale. Last year ... Read more

  India’s leading airline announces a 24-hours only sale with title “Fly With The Best”, giving travellers the chance to experience one of the country’s best airline at highly affordable fares! The sale fares are available in all three classes at discounts of up to 75% relative to non-sale fares, starting at Rs 999 for Economy class, Rs 2,199 for Premium Economy, and Rs 5,499 for Business Class, inclusive of taxes and fees. In Economy class, the fares are available for both Economy Lite and Economy Standard fares. Bookings are open from 00:01 hours of 19th September 2018, for travel ... Read more