Category: News

Abu Dhabi welcomed over 3, 50,000 Indian visitors last year. With new additions like Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi is expecting more millennial visitors from India. Keeping this in mind, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) has entered into a partnership with GoFro, India’s foremost online holiday marketplace. DCT partnered with GoFro, to leverage company’s unique travel marketplace model with packages and customised travel option from all leading travel companies of the country. The partnership will enable travellers to get travel advice from local travel experts from Abu Dhabi and help them to customize travel. “Travellers are now ... Read more

More than 150 people had to be rescued from a ski lift in Austria after it faced a mechanical problem at Kreischberg ski resort in Styria, Austria. Several helicopters were called to help move skiers out of the chairlift, with a majority of the seats suspended more than 50ft above ground. A number of British tourists were among those rescued by the Austrian Armed Forces rescue helicopter. It took almost three hours for the team to rescue the skiers. Since it takes much time to mend the mechanical problem of the ski lift, the authorities decided to use the helicopter service ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: OTV An infiltration bid by militants has been foiled on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Baramulla district. India and Pakistani troops on Tuesday exchanged fire along LoC in Rajouri and Uri. No casualties have been reported so far. “Noticing suspicious movement in Gohalan area on Monday, alert troops fired forcing the infiltrating militants to flee back,” Defence Ministry sources said.  “Pakistan Army started firing at Indian positions immediately after the infiltrators were forced to withdraw. Indian positions retaliated strongly and effectively,” said military officials. Pakistani shelling along the border in Jammu and Kashmir has increased ... Read more

From March 2018, it would not be possible to spot a hookah parlour in Maharashtra as the state government is planning to ban the same. Following the recent fire at two restaurants in Kamala Mills area that claimed 14 lives, the state government has moved a proposal to ban hookah parlours by initiating an amendment in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). It wanted a provision of imprisonment of three years and a fine of Rs 50,000. Though the government was trying to regulate the law and make it a bit more stringent looking at the revenues these ... Read more

Abu Dhabi police have announced a major change in the speed limit across Abu Dhabi’s prime highway. Speed limit was increased from 140km/hr to 160km/hr on the new Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road. Radars were set up to catch vehicles coming from Al Mafraq- Al Ghuwaifat international highway at a speed of 161 km/hour. The new law, where the speed limit is considered to be the highest in the country,  came to effect on 24 January. The Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road links the capital to the Al Dhafra region and Saudi Arabia. Motorists breaking the limit will be fined.  

Hong Kong-based air carrier Cathay Pacific and yoga pioneers Pure Yoga has joined hands to introduce in-flight well-being programme called ‘Travel Well with Yoga’. The project has initiated as part of the airlines ‘Life Well Travelled’ campaign that includes an array of video series prepared by international trainers of Pure Yoga. The video aims to calm the passengers through a series of meditation and exercise tips translated into different languages – English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese. One of the highlights of the programme is that the yoga moves can be watched even in economy class seats, that includes stretching to ... Read more

A total of 8.88 million foreign tourists visited Bulgaria last year, reporting a 7.6 per cent growth compared to 2016. Around 1.16 million tourists came from neighboring Greece, a figure that was up 8.5 per cent year-on-year, the Bulgarian tourism ministry said on its website. With 1.14 million tourists, Romania came second, with an increase of nearly four per cent, the ministry said. Germany, Turkey and Russia came third, fourth and fifth respectively, the ministry said, adding that among these countries the most significant increase was the growth of Turkish visitors, at 12.5 per cent. More than 61 per cent of ... Read more

The Eravikulam National Park, abode of the highly endangered Nilgiri tahr, will remain closed to visitors till March 31. Chief Wildlife Warden said the two-month closure was an annual affair during the calving season of the tahrs. Online ticket booking will resume after the park reopens. The mating season of the tahrs is between June and August and the gestation period is nearly six months. The tahr population at the park was stable, with the number exceeding 1,000 in Rajamala under the Eravikulam National Par. The Nilgiri Tahr, (Nilgiritragus hylocrius  Ropiquet and Hassanin, 2005) is an endangered caprid listed in Schedule ... Read more

Jammu and Kashmir, Minister for Tourism Tassaduq Hussain Mufti said the state government has adopted a multipronged strategy to harness the tourism potential and position J&K as the leading global destination. He also said that the idea is to make tourism sector as the principal engine of the State’s economic growth. Tassaduq said the government’s endeavour would be to frame a tourism policy for not just creating jobs but to ensure better livelihood for the people. “We should not ignore the environmental consequences while creating infrastructure and exploring new destinations. The emerging situation around Pyangong Lake, Ladakh and Sonamarg in Kashmir ... Read more

A once in a lifetime lunar event occurs tomorrow – a Super blue blood moon, which means a complete lunar eclipse, during the 2nd full moon of the month, while the moon is on its closest orbit to earth. This rare celestial phenomenon—a super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse, will all occur at the same time. Are you ready for the treat up the skies on the evening of January 31? People in Siberia, Australia, New Zealand and North Western US and Canada will be lucky to observe the entire event. Major sections of Africa, South ... Read more

മുംബൈ : ചേരിയില്‍ മുന്നിലാണ് മുംബൈ. നഗരം ആകാശത്തോളം വളര്‍ന്നപ്പോള്‍ അതിനു വിത്തും വളവുമായവര്‍ ചേരികളില്‍ നിറഞ്ഞു.അംബരചുംബികളായ കെട്ടിടങ്ങള്‍ക്കരികെ അത് കേട്ടിപ്പൊക്കിയവരുടെ ചേരികളും വളര്‍ന്നു. സ്ലം ഡോഗ് മില്ല്യനര്‍ എന്ന ചിത്രം മുംബൈ ചേരികളുടെ കാഴ്ച്ചകൂടിയായി. പലതരം ടൂറിസം കടന്ന് ഒടുവില്‍ ജയില്‍ ടൂറിസത്തില്‍ എത്തിയ നാടാണ് മഹാരാഷ്ട്ര. ഇവിടെയാണ്‌ ചേരി ടൂറിസവും പിറക്കുന്നത്‌. ചേരി നിവാസികളുടെ ജീവിത ദുരിതം മനസിലാക്കി പണം മുടക്കി ചേരിയില്‍ കഴിയാന്‍ അവസരമെന്നാണ് ഇതിന്‍റെ പ്രചാരണം. ഹോളണ്ട് സ്വദേശി ഡേവിഡ് ബിജലിന്‍റെതാണ് ആശയം. ചേരി നിവാസികള്‍ക്കിടയിലാണ് ഡേവിഡിന്‍റെ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനം. ചേരിയില്‍ താമസിക്കുന്ന രവി സന്‍സിയാണ് ചേരി ടൂറിസത്തില്‍ ഡേവിഡിന്‍റെ പങ്കാളി. രണ്ടായിരം രൂപയാണ് ചേരിയില്‍ താമസിക്കാന്‍ നിരക്ക്. പണം മുഴുവന്‍ കുടില്‍ ഉടമക്ക് നല്‍കും.അതിഥിക്ക് പ്രത്യേക സ്ഥലമുണ്ടാകും. അവിടെ പുതിയ വിരി വിരിച്ച നിലത്തു കിടക്കാം.എസിയും ഫ്ലാറ്റ് ടിവിയുമുണ്ടാകും.എന്നാല്‍ മലമൂത്ര വിസര്‍ജ്ജനത്തിനു ചേരിയിലെ പൊതു ശൌചാലയം ഉപയോഗിക്കണം. രവി സന്‍സിയുടെ വീട് അഴുക്കു ചാലിനോട് ചേര്‍ന്നാണ്. ... Read more

In an effort that would push forward long-term sustainability measures in the Kerala tourism scenario, the state’s Responsible Tourism Mission has braced itself to help local communities in setting up as many as 1000 new home stays and 300 farm houses. With potential entrepreneurs from the tiny hamlet of Thiruvarppu in Kottayam (Kerala) having come forward evincing interest in joining hands with the project, the Responsible Tourism Mission organized a meeting with applicants from the region who are keen on setting up home stays and farm houses on January 26 at the Kanjiram Service Cooperative Bank auditorium. The Responsible Mission, ... Read more

Lulu Group, promoted by Yusuffali MA, has signed three MoUs with the Telangana government, to develop retail and food processing industry in the state. The agreement was signed during the UAE visit of Telangana Industries Minister K T Rama Rao to Lulu group Head Office in Abu Dhabi. Under the MoUs, Lulu will invest an amount of USD 400 million (Rs 2,500 crore) to construct 1.8 million sq ft area of mega shopping mall, set up food processing plant and a logistics and export processing unit for fruit and vegetables.  The foundation stone of the shopping mall will be laid within ... Read more

Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran meets HE Jamal Hussain Al Zaabi, the Consul General to South India and the head of the mission. The minister visited the Consul General at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, representing the state government to offer condolences on the sad demise of  Sheikha Hessa bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the mother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates. Sheikha Hessa was the first wife of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE when the federation of seven sheikhdoms became a country in 1971. She gave birth in 1948 to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed ... Read more

Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan, the newly appointed ISRO chairman told that they are testing new ‘electric propulsion’ system that would replace the conventional technique of using chemicals for combustion. Photo Courtesy: isro.gov.in The new technology that comes under electric propulsion also has the ability to reduce the total payload, that would further improve the efficiency and manufacturing cost. As a policy to establish technology for the common man, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conducted various departmental meetings to utilise space technology effectively. ISRO is currently serving various governmental and non-governmental departments in 125 areas to accomplish their desired tasks productively. ISRO ... Read more