Category: News

Thankyou, Readers!

Tourism News Live, India’s premier travel and tourism portal, is now read in 175 countries as it continues to expand its media platform highlighting the concerns and aspirations of the industry both in India and overseas destinations. While India continues to be the focal point of coverage, it has made significant inroads into the USA, Middle East, South-East Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and South America. Indian readers constitute 61.7% of the readership but followers in the United States and UAE are growing at a fast rate as well. While readers in the US represent 12.9% of the total readership, UAE contributes 6.6%. There ... Read more

India’s tiger census sets new Guinness record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey

The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018, results of which were declared to the nation on Global Tiger Day last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.            Terming this achievement a great moment, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that India has fulfilled its resolve to double the tiger numbers four years ahead of target. The country now has an estimated 2967 tigers as per the latest census. With this number, India is home to nearly 75% of the global tiger population and has ... Read more

Walt Disney Florida reopens to visitors

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida reopened to guests on Saturday welcoming visitors back to the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Parks. EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will reopen on July 15. Drawing on experience from the successful reopening of Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Springs, and Walt Disney World resort hotels and transportation, the theme parks will reopen with a deliberate, responsible approach that includes limits on attendance and controlled guest density. New health and safety measures implemented across the parks will follow recommendations from health agencies and government officials. Disney will create new ways for guests to enjoy attractions and characters while ... Read more

700 tourists enter Himachal within a week

Around 700 tourists have visited Himachal Pradesh since the state government allowed entry of tourists almost a week ago. The healthy tourist inflow has happened despite the majority of hotel owners and their associations in the state not wanting tourists from other states to enter Himachal. Tourism and civil aviation secretary Devesh Kumar said that the standard operating procedure issued by the department was prepared after examining SOPs of other states who have opened their borders for tourism. Tourism director Yunus said that officials are verifying the documents and registration of tourists at the entry points to the state and they are ... Read more

Vanuatu’s tourism sector struggles as international travellers keep away

The Vanuatu government had promised its biggest stimulus package ever to try to soften the coronavirus blow, and at 4.2 billion vatu ($52 million), it was considered to be one of the largest in the Pacific on a per capita basis. But people say they are yet to receive any of the relief payments promised for those who have lost work, the ABC has reported. Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of about 80 islands that stretch 1,300 kilometres. With school holidays in Australia, Vanuatu’s picturesque beaches and turquoise waters would normally be busy with tourists at ... Read more

Iowa’s annual music event Butter Cow Festival to be held in August, with safety regulations in place

The novel coronavirus has halted many of the usual events across Iowa, including the Iowa State Fair, that help draw tourism and income during summer. But not all of Iowa’s traditional events have been nixed: Des Moines’ Butter Cow Festival is still a go, according to a report by Des Moines Register. During what would have been the first weekend of the fair, attendees can enjoy live music from local bands, food vendors, and breweries from 4:30-11 pm on August 14 and 15 at Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park. The band line-up on August 14 will include Richard Arndt, Jason Brown and The Purple ... Read more

Slovenian tourists visiting Croatia do not have to be concerned, assures tourism minister Cappelli

The Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli has said that Slovenian tourists do not need to worry about their arrival in Croatia, particularly in the coastal Adriatic area where the epidemiological situation was good. Cappelli, who was in Croatia’s delegation led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for the talks with their Slovenian hosts on Friday, said that the meeting had revolved around tourism-related issues against a backdrop of the epidemiological situation. “During the meeting in Slovenia we emphasised the importance of Slovenian visitors for the Croatian tourism industry. Currently, there are 92,000 Slovenians vacationing here, and 70% of them are in three Adriatic counties: Istria, ... Read more

Exploring Ladakh – the Roof of the World

Ladakh, the roof of the world, is home to breath-taking Himalayan landscapes and an ancient Buddhist culture living in harmony with nature for over a thousand years. A traveller’s paradise, Ladakh attracts people from far and wide for its awe-inspiring nature, rural simplicity and spiritual intensity. The speakers in the Dekho Apna Desh webinar conducted by the Ministry of Tourism – Paras Loomba and Jaideep Bansal from Global Himalayan Expedition – took the viewers on a pictorial journey to the land of high passes and showcased the unexplored areas of Ladakh. They discussed Ladakh’s traditional homestays and focused upon the ... Read more

Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines to create new business partnership

Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are looking to launch a joint business partnership on July 25, through which the two national carriers will co-operate commercially on flights between the two countries. Malaysia Airlines is resuming flights to Japan this month, and the two airlines combined will then offer four weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita in July and August, says Japan Airlines (JAL). JAL says the airlines will “take on new challenges to further enhance convenience between Japan and Malaysia and allow customers to benefit from more flight choices”. “This initiative will enable Malaysian Airlines and JAL to enhance their capabilities, and leverage on each other’s ... Read more

Varanasi – the city that has an ‘Answer To Every Prayer’

The world is going through unprecedented times and it has become imperative to keep the travel industry as well as individual minds engaged for revival. As an initiative to celebrate India’s diverse touristic and cultural landscape, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has taken the initiative of organising a series of Webinars under the overall theme of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’. The platform is connecting a large number of tourism enthusiasts to hear and watch experts talking about their region, city, tradition, culture, heritage, and history. As part of this series, the Ministry of Tourism presented a webinar on ‘Photo-walking ... Read more

187 billion euros – that’s what this country’s tourism sector lost in last six months

The Russian tourism industry has lost 187 billion euros over the past six months due to coronavirus, and it will take at least a year and a half to restore the industry to pre-crisis levels, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Andrei Ignatiev said, citing data from the Federal Tourism Agency. However, Ignatiev said that the situation has begun to change for the better. He said about 2.5 million people work in the tourism industry in Russia and 5-6 million people work in related industries. Tourism has already begun in the region, he noted, and expressed hope that ... Read more

Winter sports, river-rafting, scenic locales, religious tourism – there is little that Uttarakhand cannot offer

The Dekho Apna Desh webinar series titled ‘Uttarakhand Simply Heaven’ highlighted the potential of tourism in Uttarakhand’s two regions namely Kedar Khand (Garhwal Region) and Manu Khand (Kumaon Region) and touched upon popular destination like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Hemkhund Sahib and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Valley of Flowers. The webinar session was presented by Pushpesh Pant, an eminent scholar, food historian and an expert in international relations, Ganesh Saili, a renowned author, noted photographer and an authority on the history of Uttarakhand and Shashank Pandey, a certified outbound trainer, MD of Aspen Adventures, Rishikesh. The session was ... Read more

Inbound tourists to Thailand should stay for two weeks within designated areas

Leisure tourists who would like to visit Thailand during a soft reopening may have to spend at least 14 days within designated areas, though a negative test for Covid-19 after two weeks would free them to go anywhere in the country, Bangkok Post has reported. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said his ministry has talked with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha about creating a travel bubble for tourists, requiring them to plan a trip with a minimum 14-day stay. Instead of being kept in quarantine, tourists could still travel within five designated areas: Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket ... Read more

Tui offers customers Covid-19 travel insurance along with every holiday

Britain’s biggest holiday company Tui is seeking to reassure prospective customers by offering cover for passengers against coronavirus-related problems. The company has announced a “Covid-19 cover scheme” that will be provided with every holiday from the UK for the rest of 2020. If travellers are asked to self-isolate, it will cover the cost of an extended stay and a new return flight home. The scheme will also cover testing costs and, if medically required, repatriation. Andrew Flintham, managing director for Tui UK & Ireland, said: “It means that they can book with confidence, knowing that extra costs associated with Covid-19 that wouldn’t ... Read more

Emirates announces 10 daily repatriation flights to five Indian cities – including Kochi, TVM, Delhi

Dubai-based carrier Emirates has scheduled several repatriation flights to assist stranded Indians in the UAE after receiving the green light from the civil aviation authorities in India and the UAE. Repatriation flights to five Indian cities – Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram – are on track from July 12 to 26. The flights to Bengaluru and Mumbai are subject to state government approval. Frequency of flights between July 12 and 26 Bengaluru: Two daily flights Delhi: Two daily flights Kochi: Two daily flights Mumbai: Three daily flights Thiruvananthapuram: One daily flight Flights from India to Dubai These repatriation flights ... Read more