Category: News

Renowned Saputara Mnsoon Festival has begun in Gujarat on 4th August 2018, as part of the tourism development programmes of Gujrat Tourism. The festival aims at attracting more tourists to the state during monsoon season. Saputara will adorn like bride during the festival days. There will be cultural programs every day, from 4 PM to 7 PM. Other attractions of the festival are rain dance, cartoon characters to keep kids entertained, lake lighting and fountain at Saputara Lake. Saputara, the only hill station in Gujarat, is located in located in Sahyadri Hills or Western Ghats. With its lush forests, waterfalls, ... Read more

University of West Indies, Mona Jamaica is set to host the Tourism Resilience Summit of the America in September, as informed by Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. The summit will bring together global stakeholders in the tourism industry on 13th September 2018 at the University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica. “This summit is part of the ministry’s efforts to build resilience within the region and globally. Resilience building has become even more crucial in a world that is hyper connected and as such more vulnerable to climate change, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism and cybercrime,” said Bartlett. “The summit, ... Read more

Istabul, Turkey Turkey’s currency, lira has reached an all-time low against the pound, stimulating a rush in inbound tourists from UK. Lira reached 0.15 against pound sterling, resulted from a continuous decline during the past twelve months. The decrease in value during this period is around 35 per cent. Anyone changing 100 pound would get more than 650 lira. As per Thomas Cook’s recent reports, there has been an increase of around 63 per cent in bookings to Turkey during 2018, when compared to 2017. Antalya airport in Turkey excelled Spain’s Palma de Mallorca as the company’s most served airport ... Read more

According to Tourism Council of Bhutan’s (TCB) exit survey 2017, nine out of every 10 international tourists have voted Bhutan as a safe tourist destination. About 91 per cent of the regional tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives also said Bhutan is a safe tourist destination. About 1,428 international visitors were surveyed at the Paro International Airport using administered questionnaire survey. A small number of international tourists were interviewed at exit points of Phuentsholing, Samdrupjongkhar, and Gelephu. A total of 1,534 regional visitors were surveyed at all exit points as part of the survey. Value for money stands the highest for ... Read more

If you have yet to book your tickets for your summer holidays, here is a chance to save some money. Dubai-based Emirates is offering discounted fares to various Asian cities. The offer is available for those who book the tickets on or before 12th August 2018. The passengers can travel until 31st October 2018 with the discounted prices. Currently Dubai to Mumbai economy ticket is priced AED. 460/- only. Dubai to Delhi is AED 500/-,  to Chennai AED 570/-, to Kochi – AED 500/-, to Thiruvananthapuram – AED 550/-, to Bengaluru – AED 560/- The rate may even be less, ... Read more

Major tourist friendly nations, including India will soon visit Sri Lanka visa-free. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a task force to study the possibility of granting visa-free entry to visitors from tourist friendly nations in order to boost arrivals. “Some of the countries under consideration are India, China along with some other European and West Asian nations,” said Tourism Minister John Amaratunga. The new move is aimed at encouraging more people to visit Sri Lanka and avoid “chaos” at the immigration, the minister added. Once the task force give the recommendations, the visa-free entry will be implemented in ... Read more

The Tourism Ministry in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) is organising the ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart (ITM) from 16th to 18th September, 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The objective of the event, which is well supported by all the State /UT Governments, is to create an annual Global Tourism Mart for India in line with major international travel marts being held in countries across the world. The Mart will provide a platform for all stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries to interact and transact business opportunities. “India, with its great potential in tourism ... Read more

Onam celebrations are around the corner. All are searching for the perfect location to spend the holidays with their friends, family and relatives. Tourists – local and foreign- are also looking for the best place to visit during the festive season. For those who want to have fun, a bit of adventure and to appraise the natural beauty of Kerala, a perfect tourist destination is going to be functional on ‘Chingam 1’ of Malayalam calendar (considered as the beginning of the Malayalam calendar year)  or 17th August 2018. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, will light the lamp to inaugurate the ... Read more

Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in India has seen a 14 per cent jump in 2017 as compared to 2016. The foreign exchange earnings (FEE) in the sector in 2017 was Rs 1,77,874 crore, said Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons. He said India ranks 26th in the world in arrival of global tourists and is one of the highest growing tourist economies in the world. The minister also said that there is a shortage of two lakh rooms in the tourism sector, mostly in the mid-segment. The minister said there has been a 28.8 per cent increase in domestic tourist ... Read more

The Tourism Department of Karnataka is planning to install zip-lines to come across Cauvery to attract the adventure buffs. The adventure seekers can soon enjoy zip-line rides across the Cauvery at Chunchanakatte. The installation of zip-lines will take a minimum of three months. The Tourism Department has identified Chunchanakatte waterfalls near K R Nagar as ideal for zip-lining, and is expected to begin the works post monsoon. It is expected that the zip-line will be fully operational by December. The department is planning a twin zip-line. The distance to be traversed from one side to the other will be 400 meters and the ... Read more

Lord Krishna’s childhood – in an artist’s imagination (Picture Courtesy: krishna.org) As part of the pilgrimage tourism development programme, Uttar Pradesh is building a 400 acre ‘city forest’ near Kalidah ghat in Vrindavan, which is going to be the largest park in Asia. Yogi Adityanath, The Chief Minister of UP, will lay the foundation stone of this project by the end of August and will complete within 18 months. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 150 crore, as informed by Srikant Sharma, UP government spokesperson. “The prime objective is to develop Braj, Lord Krishna’s childhood abode, same as ... Read more

Travellers to Amrabad and Kawal tiger reserves in Telangana have to keep in mind that the authorities have temporarily stopped the popular jungle safaris in these two reserves during this monsoon season. This season is considered a breeding season for most animals. The decision was taken as per the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which first issued a directive in this regard in 2015. The reserves will be shut for tourists till September-end and are likely to reopen by early or mid-October. This is the first time the state is closing the tiger reserves. But however, this practice has ... Read more

Towada Lake After bidding farewell to the Fireworks Festival of Japan, which concludes in the summers, the blue sky adopts a gentler hue welcoming the Autumn season. This is the best time to be in ‘The land of the rising Sun’. In Japan, autumn is about the transition of colours, seasonal festivals of harvesting, outdoor excursions, autumnal hikes, feasting on seasonal delights and a profusion of art and culture. The maple leaves slowly turn a shade of red & yellow and the autumn foliage reveal a breathtaking landscape at every turn! Taste the autumn With the cool breeze and freshness of autumn comes ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: BAR Table Bollywood star and Tourism Fiji ambassador Ileana D’Cruz launched Tourism Fiji’s 2018 India Roadshow today in a press conference. She also launched a video of her recent Fijian trip during the event. Tourism Fiji CEO Matthew Stoeckel said the India road-show would cover four major cities like, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta and Bangalore. The roadshow officially begins tomorrow, 7th August  and ends on 14th August 2018. Ileana during her last visit of Fiji The actress, known for films like “Barfi!”, “Rustom” and the latest “Raid”, has been the ambassador for Fiji tourism in 2017 as well. “I’m ... Read more

Picture for Representation only (Photo Courtesy: Whyndham) A unique tea lounge is coming up at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) soon. The tea lounge will have a tea restaurant which will offer teas like CTC, orthodox, second flush and specialty teas and various others. The lounge will be called ‘Chai Bar’. The plan to open a tea lounge was considered seven years back, how ever, it is only recently GTAC has decided to implement the proposed project. In a recent meeting, the GTAC governing body decided to form a special sub-committee to implement the project. The lounge is expected ... Read more