Category: News

Etihad Airways has launched a new hand baggage only ‘Deal Fare’ across selected destinations, allowing travellers to purchase lower fares in Economy Class if no checked baggage is required. The ‘Deal Fare’ includes a complimentary carry-on baggage allowance of 7kg and is available on flights between Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Azerbaijan. “After a successful trial of the ‘Deal Fare’ late last year, purchasing behaviour demonstrated guests appreciate having more choice and like to be able to select the travel option that best meets their needs. We are enhancing our product offering to align with ... Read more

Vaishno Devi Temple, Kashmir Tourism officials and private stakeholders have urged the Gujarati counterparts to visit Kashmir to alleviate the negative impressions about visiting Kashmir.  They were participating in the three-day Travel and Tourism Fair at Ahmedabad, as part of the country wide Kashmir tourism promotional campaign, which was started last week. The team was headed by Tasaduq Jeelani, Director, Tourism, Kashmir. They met tour operators and media persons and invited them to participate in the upcoming ‘Kashmir Paryatan Utsav’ scheduled from September 29 to October 1. “We highlighted the need for the media to play a constructive and positive ... Read more

Kerala is recovering from the recent rain and floods that caused devastating damages to the state’s infrastructure and economy. Tourism being one of the major revenue earners of Kerala, prompt and adequate measures are taken by the state tourism department to streamline the tourism activities. The government is gearing to launch a revival campaign – God’s Own Country 2.0. “The state’s tourism sector suffered infrastructure losses of around Rs 100 crore, while business losses count around Rs 500 crore,” said P Balakiran, Director, Kerala Tourism. However, the state is going on with the 10th edition of Kerala Travel Mart, one ... Read more

IRCTC is taking one of its leading luxurious trains, the Maharaja’s Express to exhibit at OTDYKH Leisure 2018 in Russia. OTDYKH Leisure is the largest tourism event in Russia and the CIS, which enables the development of the tourism industry in Russia and facilitates the establishment of business contacts for representatives of the tourist market, as well as advertising of the country´s capabilities at an international level. Maharajas Express has 23 huge carriages and runs on five circuits, covering over 12 famous destinations in India. The train features five deluxe cabins, six for junior suites, two for suites and one for a ... Read more

The floods in Kerala had washed away the Periyavara bridge on the Munnar – Marayoor route, there by stopping all kinds of transportation between the two places. The bridge connecting tourists to Rajamal tourists zone and the Eravikulam nation park was the only access for the tourists to reach Rajamala to watch the mass blooming of Neelakurinji. The new temporary bridge is expected to be ready in two days’ time. Eravikulam National Park reported the blooming of Neelakurinji, the flower which blooms once in 12 years, last week. A huge inflow of tourists is expected in the area in the ... Read more

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA India) has successfully conducted a four-city roadshow in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Mumbai along with 26 operators. “The objective behind conducting this roadshow is to show that Mauritius is more than a beach destination. It is a luxurious and glamorous destination as well,” said Arvind Bundhun, Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority. “Roadshows are a good opportunity to acquaint with Indian travel partners with the destination and meet the hoteliers, DMCs and activity companies. India is the fourth largest market for Mauritius and by the end of this year, we are expecting about 94,000 to 95,000 Indian ... Read more

Emirates celebrated a double win this week at the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards, after being named ‘Best Business Airline’ and ‘Best Airline – Long-Haul Holiday’. The airline won the prestigious accolades based on votes from Condé Nast Traveller readers’ for the best travel experiences in the world. The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2018 questionnaire ran online from 4th March 2018 to 3rd May 2018. “We are honoured to have been recognised by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller as one of the world’s best airlines. We are committed to delivering the best possible experience both in ... Read more

The 3-day Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) has kick started on September 7, 2018 at the Exhibition Halls at Gujarat University. “India is a rare country where there is 28 per cent tax in tourism sector. This hurts India’s competitiveness as an attractive tourist destination. Countries like the USA, Singapore, Thailand – have tax in single digits. Very few have in double digits. But no where the tax is as high as 28 per cent. Tourists will prefer destination like Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka. There is also a provision of refund of GST on goods purchased, which is not ... Read more

Cox & Kings Ltd., has roped in Bollywood star Anushka Sharma as the company’s brand ambassador. The actress will be seen promoting the company’s unique travel offerings in a new TV campaign to be released soon. Talking about roping in Anushka Sharma, Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings said, “Anushka is known for her versatility, experimentation and unusual personality. She perfectly represents a generation that is energetic, unapologetic and fun loving which makes her the right fit to showcase Cox & Kings’ innovative holiday offerings.” Speaking about her experience, Anushka said, “I am glad to be associated with the ... Read more

Odisha Tourism is trying crowdsourcing and is encouraging people to design its new logo which will make its brand recognizable globally. The state tourism board has announced a logo design contest to further strengthen its tourism brand. The decision to crowdsource and develop a new logo comes after Odisha tourism’s recent sports tourism campaign ‘Odisha by morning, Hockey by evening’ as it plays host partner to the Odisha hockey men’s world cup Bhubaneswar 2018 slated to be held from November 28 to December 16. The entries for the contest will need to be submitted on odishatourismlogo@gmail.com in PDF format. The entry ... Read more

Ratnagiri, Konkan Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has requested KJ Alphons, the Tourism Minister of State, to set up Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) at Ratnagiri or Sindhudurg to promote the development of this region. He made his request in writing to Kannanthanam, stating that the Konkan region with its 700 km coastline has huge potential to promote the region as a tourist destination and opening a branch of IITTM will enhance tourism in the area and contribute to the economic development. “Establishment of a full-fledged institute will not only boost the tourism industry, but will ... Read more

Amaravati, Capital City of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh, after separated from Telangana, has been depending more on the tourism sector for employment generation and to stimulate economic growth. “The state government is taking all steps to strengthen the infrastructure for tourism development,” said Himanshu Shukla, CEO of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority and the Managing Director of AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). He was addressing the gathering at the annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which began at Visakhapatnam on Thursday, 7th September 2018. “We have no doubt it will give a great boost to the tourism ... Read more

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has inaugurated a new office in Faridabad at SCF 51, First Floor, Sector 15, Faridabad, Haryana 121007. Romil Pant, Sr. Vice President and Jatin Sharma, Associate Vice President, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd inaugurated the office. This expansion augments Thomas Cook India’s distribution and reach in Faridabad and Delhi NCR to 16 consumer access centres: 6 owned branches and 10 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets. Thomas Cook India identifies Faridabad/Delhi NCR as a high potential source market for its holiday business. Hence, in an initiative to harness this opportunity, the Company has identified Faridabad to set up ... Read more

UBM India has successfully conducted its first food and hospitality show, Food and Hotel India Expo (FHIn) at the Sahara Star in Mumbai. The inauguration of the preview expo was marked by the presence of  Param Kannampilly, Chairman and Managing Director, Concept Hospitality; Manjit Singh Gill- Corporate Chef, ITC & President IFCA; ernon Cohelo – Chef, President WICA; Thomas Schlitt, Managing Director, Messe Dusseldorf India; Paul March, Managing Director, UBM AllWorld; Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India and Abhijit Mukherjee, Group Director, UBM India amidst an industry gathering. The show featured top-tier category of over 20 market leading food and ... Read more

The union ministry is planning to make the Sambhar Lake in Rajastan the world’s first ‘Salt Tourism’ site. Under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ programme, the ministry prepared a number of programmed to develop the lake as a sought after tourist destination. Located 96 km southwest of the city of Jaipur and 64 km northeast of Ajmer along National Highway 8 in Rajasthan, Sambhar is the largest inland salt water lake in India. At the lake, the tourists can witness the traditional way of salt making. There will also be a heritage train for the visitors to enjoy. Another attraction at the ... Read more