Tag: K J Alphons

At Kerala’s Kunnamthanam village in Pathanamthitta district, at least one member of every family is yoga practitioner. The Central Ministry is planning to launch a similar initiative to turn at least 500 villages in the country into “Sampoorna Yoga Grams” (complete yoga village). Similar to that of Kunnamthanam village, at least a member of each family will follow the discipline. The AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy) Ministry will announce the launch of the “Sampoorna Yoga Grams” plan as a part of the Government’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat Scheme at the three-day International Yoga Festival, which is scheduled to be held from March ... Read more

The government is planning to give not just a ‘wow’ experience to the travellers, instead it aims at giving a ‘transforming experience’, said Union Minister for State for Tourism K J Alphons while inaugurating the UNWTO Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy at the RGCC Convention Centre, The Leela Raviz Kovalam in Trivandrum. Alphons also added that the government’s vision is that the tourists should go back from India feeling rejuvenated, realising a new person within. The minister also said that technology is the future and it’s very well connected with the tourism industry. “The promotional video put ... Read more

Kumarakom, chosen as one of the iconic destinations in India, needs collective effort to make it a world-class destination, opined Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons. He also pointed out that it can only be attained through the development of all panchayats in and around the Vembanad Lake. The minister was addressing a two-day stakeholder consultation programme held to discuss various issues related to the comprehensive tourism development programmes in Kumarakom. The minister urged the authorities to take immediate actions to stop encroachments on the lake, which was once spread over 38,000 ha and had shrunk to just 12,000 ha ... Read more

The 12th UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy co-organized by UNWTO, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala capital city from 19 – 22 March 2018. The event would be inaugurated by K J Alphons, Minister for Tourism, on March 18 at the RGCC Convention Centre, The Leela Raviz Kovalam at 7 pm. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala, Xu Jing, Director, Regional Progrmme for Asia and Pacific, UNWTO and Byungchae Yu, Director, Tourism Industry Policy Division, Ministry ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: India.comIndian Tourism Minister K J Alphons’ latest remarks about foreigners wearing bikini in India is making headlines now. He seems to have told a national media that there needs to be a certain “code of conduct” by tourists, including foreign  tourists, that’s in sync with the culture and traditions of the place they visit.   Minister for Tourism K J Alphons “There needs to be an understanding as to what should be the dress code as they walk the streets,” he said referring to the bikini clad tourists roaming around in the streets. “Abroad, foreigners walk the streets in ... Read more

Tourism Ministry has asked Bihar to rework on the Ramayana Circuit proposal it had submitted. The State Government of Bihar has submitted the proposal for development of Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga under Ramayana Circuit. “A presentation on the project was made in the Ministry of Tourism on 13.02.2018 and based on discussion, the State Government has been requested to rework on the project as per scheme guidelines,” informed K J Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism. Ramayana Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism. Sitamarhi, Buxar, Darbhanga in ... Read more

Colva Beach, Goa The Ministry of Tourism has identified ten prominent tourist sites for development into iconic tourist destinations in the country. The plan was announced during the Budget Announcements of 2018-19. The ministry has identified the sites based on the criteria of footfall, regional distribution, potential for development and ease of implementation. Dholavira The tourism sites which are selected for development are Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun Tomb, Qutub Minar and Red Fort (Delhi), Colva Beach (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahablipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar). “The development of iconic ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Unique Travels The Tourism Ministry of India has introduced Tour Guide and Heritage Tour Guide courses for training and certification of guides. The duration of these two courses would be 420 hours and 330 hours, respectively and are open to youth in the age group of 18 to 28 years. Education qualification for the same is SSLC. “Tourism is an important source of employment & foreign exchange earnings in India. It has great capacity to create large scale employment of diverse kind – from the most specialized to the unskilled and hence play a major role in creation ... Read more

Luxury train of India, Palace on Wheels, has won the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) award under the category ‘Tourist Train of the Year’. The award was declared at the recently concluded ITB Berlin event in Germany. One of the prestigious luxury trains of India, Palace on Wheels started its maiden run on January 26, 1982. The train was incepted with an aim to boost tourism in Rajasthan. Since then, it is treating its passengers with a royal ride showing various hues of the vibrant state. Palace on Wheels Train boasts of the royal coaches of the erstwhile rulers ... Read more

ബര്‍ലിന്‍ മേളയില്‍ തിളങ്ങി ഇന്ത്യ. രാജ്യത്തിന്‍റെ ‘ഇന്‍ക്രഡിബിള്‍ ഇന്ത്യ’ പവലിയന്‍ മികച്ച പ്രദര്‍ശനത്തിനുള്ള പുരസ്ക്കാരം നേടി.  രാജ്യത്തെ പ്രതിനിധീകരിച്ച് ടൂറിസം മന്ത്രി കെ.ജെ. അല്‍ഫോന്‍സ്‌, ജോയിന്‍റ് സെക്രട്ടറി സുമന്‍ ബില്ല, ടൂറിസം വകുപ്പിലെ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്‍ എന്നിവര്‍ മേളയില്‍ പങ്കെടുത്തു. കൂടാതെ നൂറിലധികം രാജ്യങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നുള്ള ടൂറിസം മന്ത്രിമാരും ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥരും മേളയില്‍ പങ്കെടുത്തിരുന്നു. രാജ്യത്തിന്‍റെ 5000 വര്‍ഷം പഴക്കമുള്ള നാഗരികത, മനോഹരമായ കടല്‍ത്തീരങ്ങള്‍, കായല്‍, മരുഭൂമി, ഹിമാലയം തുടങ്ങിയവയിലെ ടൂറിസം സാധ്യതകളെ കുറിച്ച് മന്ത്രി മേളയില്‍ സംസാരിച്ചു. ഇന്ത്യയിലേയ്ക്കുള്ള വിദേശ സഞ്ചാരികളുടെ എണ്ണം 10 മില്ല്യന്‍ ആയി വര്‍ധിച്ചു. 2017ൽ വിദേശ വിനോദ സഞ്ചാരികളുടെ വരവോടെ 27 ബില്യൺ ഡോളർ (1.80,000 കോടി രൂപ) രാജ്യം സമ്പാദിച്ചു. ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ ഇത് ആദ്യമായാണ്‌ സഞ്ചാരികളുടെ എണ്ണം 10 മില്ല്യന്‍ ആകുന്നതെന്നും മന്ത്രി പറഞ്ഞു. ടൂറിസം മേഖലയിലെ മൊത്തം തൊഴിൽ വിഹിതം 43 മില്യൻ ആണ്. തമിഴ്നാട്, മഹാരാഷ്ട്ര, ഉത്തർപ്രദേശ് എന്നീ സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളാണ് വിനോദസഞ്ചാരികളെ ആകർഷിക്കുന്നതെന്ന് ... Read more

The Incredible India pavilion won the Best Exhibitor Award in the ITB Berlin 2018 convened at Berlin, Germany from 7th March to 10th March, 2018. India was represented by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism K. J. Alphons along with Joint Secretary Suman Billa and a couple of Tourism Ministry officials. More than 100 countries participated in the ITB- Berlin meet with their respective Tourism Ministers. India’s Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) presented its short film named “Yogi of the Racetrack ” in the meet, which has got 3.2 million hits in 60 hours. At the event in ... Read more

India won the best exhibitor award at the ITB Berlin. For 17 years now, the Best Exhibitor Award (BEA) is considered as a quality indicator for an attractive performance at ITB. This year, the BEA was awarded to India at the Palais am Funkturm. “India has truly arrived on the international stage. Congrats to the entire team that’s been working their hearts out to showcase India as the best destination in the world,” said Alphons KJ, Minister for Tourism after receiving the award.   More than 10,000 exhibitors are divided into a total of 11 categories, each of which is ... Read more

Minister for Tourism KJ Alphons has tweeted that Incredible India’s new ad ‘Yogi of the Racetrack’ could get 3.2 million hits in 60 hours. The new ad was released by the minister at the ITB Berlin on March 7, 2018. The new TV commercial titled ‘Yogi Of The Racetrack’, shows the effect of yoga and its techniques and how it can be related to even the toughest race positions. India, the birth place of yoga, has lots of opportunity to develop yoga tourism and to capture a big share of tourism industry. With the current tourism plans, Incredible India is ... Read more

Mysore is going to be well connected by air with Goa, Mumbai and Kochi, under the UDAAN scheme, promised K J Alphons, Union Minister for State for Tourism, while addressing the inaugural function of Mysuru Travel Mart 2018. The minister also said Dussehra, celebrated at the end of Navratri every year in October-November, would be celebrated as a global festival. “Our aim is to double the travel annual economy of India in 3 years. We are capable to rise up to global standards, with much cleaner cities/destinations compared to the ones earlier,” said the minister. “Mysore, which is known for its ... Read more