Category: News

The Sikkim government and tourism stakeholders of Himalayan state has wholeheartedly welcomed the Union tourism ministry’s proposal to lift the restrictions on foreign tourists who loves to travel to Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim. Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons and his ministry proposed the plan when they had a meeting with senior Union home and defence ministry officers last week. The restriction will be lifted only if the home and defence minister give nod to the plan. For travelling in some parts of the Sikkim, the foreigners need to apply for travel documents such as the protected area permit ... Read more

The NIPAH virus attack has been creating quite a stir in Kerala. However, many false rumours are spreading on light of the virus attack. The most important of that being advising people not to travel to Kerala. Many are trying to project the virus attack as a major outbreak in Kerala and this will ultimately affect the tourism industry as many will restrain from travelling to Kerala. However, Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) conveyed that the virus attack has been projected in a larger way than the truth and assured Kerala is still a safe place to visit and ... Read more

Italy has launched a new digital platform named ‘Trame d’Italia’ as a move to promote lesser-known destinations in the country. The digital platform which was officially unveiled at a conference conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will gift the travellers an enticing experience of the regions which are rich in culture, history and culinary traditions, yet undiscovered and unexplored. The platform offers three routes as of now: Northern Monferrato-Piedmont’s vineyard landscape named World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, the historic territory of Lunigiana between Liguria and Tuscany regions, and the Brianza in northwest Lombardy. The routes soon to ... Read more

The next edition of the Malabar Kayaking Championship will be held at Meenthullipara, Pulikkayam and Arippara in Kerala’s Calicut district from July 18 to 22. The championship is being organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council, Kozhikode District Panchayat, Thiruvambadi and Kodencherry panchayats and Madras Fun Tools. Two-time world extreme kayaking champion Joe Morley from the United Kingdom, 2012 London Olympics finalist Mike Dawson from New Zealand and noted kayaker from Italy Max Benetton were the big names featured in the previous years. Comprising an international kayaking championship, kayaking training programmes and rafting sessions, the Malabar River Festival is organised ... Read more

As per the recent statistics, Morocco’s tourism revenues has jumped 18.1 per cent year on year to $2.1 billion in the first four months of 2018. The statistics were published by the country’s foreign exchange regulator. Between January and April, remittances from around 4.5 million Moroccans living abroad posted a 13 per cent increase to $ 2.11 billion  compared with $ 1.85 billion during the same period previous year. Tourism revenues and remittances from Moroccans living abroad are the main sources of foreign currency reserves for Morocco. On the other hand, foreign direct investments in Morocco dropped by 17.1 per cent ... Read more

Experts believe that the declaration of 10-year residency visas for investors and specialists will encourage more medical professionals to UAE. As per reports, Dubai is emerging as a prime destination for medical tourism destination, with Mena region ranked first. By 2020, the Emirate is targeting 5,00,000 medical tourists from 3,25,000 in 2016, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.3 per cent. The rise in demand for healthcare services in the Emirate over the past 10 years was accelerated by population growth, medical tourism and increase incidence of life style related medical conditions. The growth has been substantiated by ... Read more

Brazil’s Tourism Ministry has announced that they have signed an agreement with the Brazilian LGBT Trade and Commerce Chamber to promote the country as a gay-friendly tourism destination. Through the agreement, the government hopes to increase awareness of Brazil as a gay-friendly destination and also improve treatment of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). “Brazil is still a very conservative nation, but tourism helps bridge gaps and improve communication,” said Tourism Minister Vinicius Lummertz. Though Brazil is rich in natural resources and dozens of tourist destinations with potential to attract millions of people, the country still struggles to become a power in ... Read more

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has released the first draft of the passengers’ charter, spelling out rules for cancellation fee, compensation for missing connecting flight and plans to introduce wi-fi services in flights. The new regulations will come into effect after being approved by the Union Cabinet. If the passenger is informed about the cancellation of flights less than two weeks before and up to 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, the airline must offer alternate flight allowing the passenger to depart within two hours of the booked scheduled departure time or refund the ticket, as acceptable to the passenger. ... Read more

The implementation of value-added tax (VAT) doesn’t seem to trouble UAE’s hospitality and travel sector, as reports suggest the sturdy tourism sector is growing. Within few month of the tax implementation, the number of tourists rose to 4.7 million recording a growth of 2 per cent, while the accommodation rate reached up to 87 per cent indicating a growth by 0.7 per cent. The experts of hospital and travels industry mark the impact of tax as insignificant. The first year of tax introduction is expected to create a revenue of Dh12 billion and may rise up to Dh20 billion in ... Read more

With an aim to attract more Chinese travellers, Nepal has launched an interactive tourism website, in Chinese language to attract more Chinese tourists. Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari launched a customized website www.welcomenepal.cn which is an initiative of Nepal Tourism Board, the main tourism promotion body, to communicate in Chinese language. The website has information on various tourism destinations of Nepal, photos and videos, different activities and things-to-do, and necessary information for the Chinese nationals visiting the country. Appreciating the role and contribution of China in Nepal’s tourism, the country has prioritised promotion of Nepal ... Read more

Kerala’s serene hill stations, backwaters and beaches have been attracting tourists from all over the world. The tourism department’s efforts have always been to make Kerala as an ideal destination for Bollywood flicks. However, what always happen is that the directors end up in using the abandoned, fear-injecting guest houses and bungalows for the horror flicks. Finally, the tourism department has decided to put an end to this and promote these destinations in a proper way. As of now, the guest houses are mainly used by the government officials and local tourists. The tourism department’s plan is to make foreign ... Read more

The tourism ministry plans to accelerate India’s booming tourism sector by the introduction of long-term visas, which will increase the international tourist inflow significantly. The international tourist arrivals to India increased by 15.7 per cent in 2017 to top 10 million. The ministry also plans to ease travel restrictions in some areas, introduce more flights to trendy tourist destinations for boosting the international tourist arrivals. The tourism ministry had already proposed for better air connectivity to places like Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar and Guwahati to the civil aviation ministry last week. The ministry of home affairs has already accepted tourism ... Read more

Indian missions in the UAE have announced a total ban on satellite phones while travelling to India. The Indian diplomatic missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai issued an advisory to foreigners traveling to India, informing them about a ban on satellite phones to the country. The statement, published on all social media channels of the missions, said, “All foreigners who intend to go to India are therefore advised not to carry satellite phones to India.” Violators will face legal consequences. Providers of satellite phone services in the UAE have been advised to inform subscribers about the legal ban, reported Khaleej Times.

Jatayu Nature Park, one of the most anticipated tourism projects in Kerala, is all set to open its door for the public on July 4, said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.  The park, which was slated to be inaugurated officially on May 23rd, began its partial operation in the Adventure Rock Hill back in December 2017. The park situated at a whopping 65 acres of land holds the distinction of having the world’s first functional sculpture. It is also India’s first fully fenced park with all safety measures ensured for the visitors. The park also features 4 features and ... Read more

The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has issued an advisory for beachgoers. Based on the regulations for licensing, hiring and using personal watercrafts, “Operating a jet ski less than 200 metres from the beach” will attract a penalty. The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has announced that the first penalty will be Dh 500, whereas the second and third penalties will be Dh 1,000 and Dh 2,000, respectively. The third penalty will also incur the impounding of the jet ski for one month.