Category: News

Pune is very famous for some striking trekking and tourist spots. The state tourism department has decided to exploit this possibility for improving the tourism potential. The department plans to launch adventure sports at three prime locations, namely Sinhgad, Mahabaleshwar and Malshej Ghat. The department is also rooting for adventure activities this monsoon like waterfall rappelling, rock climbing and trekking. Proposals have been invited from experts and groups with experience in adventure sports by The Pune regional office of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), who will direct the department in commencing these activities. These trained experts will guarantee the safety ... Read more

In a way to promote sustainable tourism that helps the local communities, seven travel companies with similar interests have associated to form Japan Alliance of Responsible Travel Agencies (JARTA). The initiative will be launched in Kyoto on June 28th. The purpose of JARTA is to design tours and sell destinations that belong to Japan’s traditional ‘Golden Route’, simultaneously aiding the local areas and the people in a great way. As per Masaru Takayama, President of Kyoto-based Spirit of Japan Travel, the association is special as most of the travel agencies wish to work independently. The members of JARTA include Spirit ... Read more

Delighting news for those who love a bit of history! The tourists who wish to visit historic monuments in the country can now book the tickets from mobile phones. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has signed MoU with Yatra.com and BookMyShow, which will allow the foreign and domestic tourists online for the listed 141 historical monuments, sites and museums in India. The list includes the famed Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Sun Temple, Qutub Minar, Ajanta and Ellora caves etc. The online booking move is to support government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative. ASI’s services will now be digitized, providing a quick ... Read more

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, K J Alphons met with the Secretary-General of UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili and discussed on developing a Joint Action Plan focused on Tourism Innovation and Digital Transformation including the positioning of India on this Action Plan of UNWTO. The discussions also included involving UNWTO in developing tourism as a strong agent for the better future of the world and establishing Global Public Private Partnerships. The duo also discussed regarding strengthening the relationship between India and UNWTO. The minister, along with a delegation of senior officials, attended the 108th session of UNWTO Executive Council from ... Read more

Andhra Pradesh’s financial capital and largest city is all set to get a major lift in tourism sector as the city will soon be boasting off some tourists’ attractions on beaches, introduction of water sports, revival of heli-tourism and upgradation of tourists’ facilities. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has already equipped some key tourist spots with basic facilities like restaurants, toilets, cottages, shacks and changing rooms. Now, the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) has definite plans to attract more tourists to the city by developing beach front substantially. According to P Basanth Kumar, VUDA Vice-Chairman, the TU-142 Aircraft ... Read more

Many state governments and tourism departments’ try unique ways to promote tourism. However, in an exciting way to promote a route as a destination for tourists, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma embarked on a 9km trek on Tuesday from Chandigre village in West Garo Hills to Daribokgre village on the foothills of Nokrek in East Garo Hills. According to a statement issued by chief minister’s office, the CM had asked the officials to mark the trekking course from the foothills of Nokrek and design plans for promoting and marketing the destination to entice tourists. Conrad had interaction with the ... Read more

The annual Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) to Pattaya in 2018, will have a small change from the usual venue. This time, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is bringing the event to Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya. TTM+, highlighting a ‘Summer Beach’ theme that invites participants to put away business attire and dress for ‘sea, sun and sand,’ will be held from June 13 to 15. “We are delighted to bring TTM+ to the Ocean Marina Yacht Club for the first time. The event theme encourages participants to dress in resort attire for ... Read more

The 9th annual Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Carnival will be held from 22 to 24 June. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in partnership with the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA), the dragon boat races will be held on Victoria Harbour. The event is expected to attract more than 4,500 paddlers from 165 local and international teams. The festival has its origins in a tragedy that occurred 2,000 years ago. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng Festival, commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese national hero. In a protest against corrupt rulers, Qu drowned ... Read more

In a move to attract international tourists and boost the tourism prospective of Odisha, the state government plans to offer special tour packages to players, delegates and tourists during the men’s hockey world cup which is scheduled to be in November. The tourism department has been given the responsibility for framing the tour packages, which would be different from the ones that are being currently offered to the tourists. The idea was suggested by government’s core committee after reviewing the preparations made for hosting the world cup. The reports suggest that the packages will be designed in such a way ... Read more

The Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has raised a red alert for flash floods, landslides and storm surges as a tropical depression makes landfall. The Met department has warned that a deep depression is occurring over middle-east part of the Bay of Bengal and the cyclone storm will land in coastal areas of Rakhine state within the next 12 hours. Strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour could hit some coastal areas, and storm surges as high as 16 feet could pummel the shores, it said. The bad weather the country is experiencing is caused by a strong ... Read more

In a move to promote Kerala Ayurveda globally and within India, Ayurveda Hospitals, Ayurveda Resorts, Ayurveda Centre, Clinics, Ayurveda Medicine Drug Manufacturers, Ayurveda Medical Institutions have come together to form ‘Ayurveda Promotion Society’. The main aim of the society is to promote Ayurveda under one platform with proper guidance and directives, thereby becoming a global brand of the state. The society will carry out the initiative with the support of Ayush, Health Ministry, Tourism Ministry, Industries Ministry and Education Ministry. The society aims at Ayurveda promotion by conducting seminars, workshops, exhibitions, tours, study classes, through magazines etc. The society will ... Read more

Ireland has registered more than 7.3 per cent growth during the January-April period, around 191,100 additional overseas arrivals when compared with the first four months of 2017. “North America continues to perform extremely well – with arrivals up +13.6 per cent, an extra 61,100 US and Canadian visitors. We’ve also seen excellent results from Mainland Europe, up over +12 per cent on January-April last year, with particularly strong performances from Germany (+24.3 per cent) and Italy (+21.9 per cent). Tourism Ireland has prioritised Mainland Europe and North America, as markets which offer a strong return on investment, in terms of holiday ... Read more

It is recently found that a coffin at the University of Sydney’s Nicholson Museum, which was thought to be empty all these years had a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy inside it. The coffin was originally bought from an antiquity market in Egypt back in 1858, by Sir Charles Nicholson, one of the first chancellors at the University of Sydney. “We expected a few bandages or maybe a couple of bones, but when we took the lid off we were just astonished by what we had found. The coffin was made for a lady called Mer-neith-ites and we know that she lived in Egypt ... Read more

Happy news for Elephantidae lovers and friends! Thailand’s Happy Elephant Care Valley is set to proceed on a milestone agreement in an evolution to become a truly elephant-friendly venue. This will result in end of all interaction between tourists and elephants at the camp, in order to gratify the mounting demand for responsible elephant experiences. This change at the camp will let tourists experience the elephants free to behave as they would in the wild; roam the valley, bath in mud, dust, water or feeding at a safe distance. Till recently, the tourists had the opportunity for close communication with ... Read more

The tier-two cities like Warangal and Karimnagar have become top preferred destinations for the domestic tourists as the number of tourists has increased considerably after the formation of new state Telangana. As per the statistics of authorities, the number of tourists to Warangal has surged substantially over the last two years. Around 2 crore tourists visited Warangal in last four years; Karimnagar had the second most tourists with the numbers touching more than 1 crore, succeeded by Mahbubnagar with more 90 lakh tourists, Khammam with more than 70 lakh and Nalgonda with 64 lakh. The state capital Hyderabad used to ... Read more