Category: News

Art work by Georg Lowit The 17th edition of Sculptour, the renowned art event of Belgium, has been commenced on 1st May and will conclude by 23rd September 2018. The annual art event is happening at Kluisbergen municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Sculptour is an art event aimed at professional artists from around the world to display their artworks. Several prominent sculptors from different countries have been taking part in this unique event.  It offers a big platform to the artists to draw the attention of a large amount of public who love contemporary arts. The focus ... Read more

Rescue-cum-relief operations are going on in full swing in Kodagu, which is reeling under rain havoc. In view of the rain fury, the Deputy Commissioner has banned entry and stay of tourists in Kodagu till August 31. In a circular issued on Sunday, DC P I Sreevidya has prohibited tourists from staying in hotels, resorts, home stays, guest houses and other private lodges and boarding homes, till the end of this month. A copy of the circular has been forwarded to Kodagu District Hotel and Resort Owners Association and Kodagu District Home Stays Association. “The landslides and flooding is unpredictable in ... Read more

Aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked domestic airlines to operate additional flights to Kerala and cap fares as the state is affected by one of the worst floods in the history of the state. The flood situation has forced its busiest airport in Kochi to shut operations till August 26. The DGCA after holding talks with the carriers, said it is constantly monitoring airfares on 32 direct routes operating to/from Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Coimbatore and Mangalore. “Spike in airfare on a few routes have been observed. Airlines concerned have been advised to cap the airfare on these ... Read more

New Zealand is becoming one of the favourite destinations for Indians. During the past four years, number of Indian tourists to New Zealand has doubled from 33,000 to 66,000. Considering this remarkable growth in the inbound tourists from India, New Zealand tourism has expanded its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year. “It is a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market perceptions in the tourism sector,” said Steven Dixon, Regional Manager, South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, on his recent trip ... Read more

The Kurdistan Region is expected to receive some 200,000 tourists over the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, a Kurdish official told Kurdistan 24 on Monday. “The Directorates [of Tourism] have been told to be present at tourist destinations on Eid [al-Adha] to welcome visitors and address any shortcomings in the services provided,” said Nadir Rosti, the spokesperson for the Board of Tourism. A few days ahead of the Islamic “Festival of Sacrifice,” set to be held on Tuesday, Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials reopened the Kirkuk-Erbil road as the newly-built temporary bridge, replacing the one in Altun Kupri (Pirde) that was ... Read more

Tourism has excelled the construction industry in Spain in terms of employment generation. As per a recent survey by the Spanish Institute of Tourism, 2.65 million people are engaged in different sectors of tourism, which represent around 13.7 percentage of the total population of the nation, meanwhile construction sector account for around 13.1 per cent. The demand for workers in the tourism sector has been steadily rising year by year. According to the survey, more than 2.2 million people were employed in tourism in the second during 2014, which has increased to 2.6 million now, depicting a hike of nearly ... Read more

Meghalaya, a place known for its scenic beauty, is home to some of the country’s majestic caves. Now, they have a “golden cave” as well. Krem Liat Prah, Krem Puri, Krem Mawsmai, Siju, Krem Mawjymbuin and Krem Kotsati are some of the renowned caves found in the enchanting Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills. In the village of Jalaphet, lies a newly discovered cave which awaits promotion to a tourist destination. Jalaphet, a village situated 15km away from the district headquarters, Khliehriat (East Jaintia Hills), comprises two villages, Jalaphet Bri-Sutnga and Jalaphet Bri-Sumer. In March, the villagers discovered the cave in ... Read more

AirAsia X has launched flights between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar. The evening flights, D7188 and D7189, will operate four times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Passengers from 15 cities, including Bali, Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore and Bangkok, will be able to connect (via Kuala Lumpur) to Amritsar alongside existing routes to New Delhi and Jaipur using AirAsia’s Fly-Thru service. “We are excited to bring the AirAsia experience to Amritsar for the very first time. Amritsar is of significant interest to tourists thanks to the Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple) and the city’s numerous historic and cultural sites. Following ... Read more

The current mosque, located across the street only has a capacity for 600 worshippers. The new mosque will be able to accommodate 1,600 persons and under the second phase later, we plan to have an area for solemnization ceremony. The project contractor is currently working at the decoration works in order to complete the project before September 16. The design inspiration had been taken from mosques in Turkey which has unique dome and minaret features. “Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has stated that the mosque will be another significant landmark along the Sarawak river and the old Kuching bazaar ... Read more

Bulgaria’s revenue from foreign tourist arrivals saw a rise by an annual 9.7 per cent to 1.3 billion euro ($1.5 billion) in the first six months of 2018, the tourism ministry said on Friday, quoting data from the central bank. In June alone, Bulgaria’s revenue from foreign tourist arrivals increased by 8.1 per cent year-on-year to 490 million euro, the tourism ministry said in a statement. Some 3.6 million foreign tourists visited Bulgaria in the first half of 2018, up 8.9 per cent compared to the same period of last year.

Following the steps of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan said it has decided to employ special police force to provide security for tourists who visit the nation. Zamirbek Soltongeldiev, an official in Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry, informed that the “tourist police” will be formed by the end of 2018. “Positions in the new police unit will be available after structural changes within the police force. Preference will be given to candidates with knowledge of foreign languages,” Soltongeldiev said. The announcement comes days after authorities in Tajikistan created a tourist police force in response to an attack on July 29 that killed four foreign cyclists. Kyrgyzstan ... Read more

Naulakha Mandir, Deoghar The Jharkhand High Court referred about a more “proactive role” of the state government to promote tourism in the state. The HC has suggested that the government should open information kiosks at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi and railway stations to help visitors. A division bench of Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Ratnaker Bhengra, while hearing a PIL filed by one Babloo Kumar, said the kiosks could come up at the airport and railway stations of primary districts to begin with. The bench noted that districts like Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Deoghar, and Dhanbad could have tourist information ... Read more

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said the Old Fort Craft Market in Montego Bay will receive upgrades valued at $33 million. The work will be carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and will include restoration to the heritage park at a cost of $25 million and improvement of bathroom facilities at a cost of $8 million. Following a tour of the Old Fort Craft Market yesterday, Minister Bartlett said, “I am taking a holistic view of this upgrade and renovation and have instructed the technical team to come back to me with a design for a ... Read more

With an aim to create awareness on homestay facility in Andhra Pradesh, AP Tourism Authority (APTA) has organised a community-driven hospitality company, a homestay sensitization, and training workshop is being conducted in Vizag for the families, communities, AP CREDAI, travel agencies, etc, to enhance the potential of tourism accommodation in the state. The main objective of the workshop is to sensitize and to discuss the idea of homestays, home sharing, and its social, cultural and economic benefits for families and communities. It also put forward ideas to introduce online platforms like Airbnb and assist the participants to create accounts on ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: J&K Tourism The state tourism department is planning to conduct country-wide promotional campaign to attract more tourists to the Jammu and Kashmir. The department said it will also focus on attracting foreign tourists from Southeast Asian countries and Bangladesh, from where the footfall has witnessed a steep rise in the recent past. The move to launch promotional campaign were declared by Tourism Director, Tasaduq Jeelani during a meeting with tour operators, houseboat owners and hoteliers held in Srinagar recently. “The department is planning to participate in travel shows in Surat, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad and Kolkata to tap ... Read more