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Saudi is no more a conservative land as it is witnessing some massive social changes as part of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud’s ambitious drive towards a more prosperous future. Especially, the steps taken towards empowering women politically, economically and socially is laudable. Now, as part of the vision, 41 Saudi women have taken up hospitality jobs in Makkah hotels. From now onwards, we can see Saudi women adorning the reception, human resources departments, reservations and the catering areas. “Opportunities become available to us as women when we are armed with knowledge and determination,” said a very confident Receptionist Reem Bakatian. ... Read more

Ola, in association with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), is planning to reduce the commuting difficulties of passengers through the IRCTC app. The new proposal will enable the passengers to directly book Ola taxi directly from the IRCTC app. The tie-up is first launched as a pilot project for 6 months, said IRCTC in a statement. Meanwhile, the new feature won’t provide conventional discounts offered by Ola and can choose Micro, Mini, Auto and Share options with advance 7 days booking. The new move thus hopes to reduce waiting for cabs, followed by long queues outside the railway station. ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: @elquestro The eight Australian State and Territory Tourism Offices in partnership with Tourism Australia has relaunched the award-winning Aussie Specialist Program in New Zealand, providing a dedicated free online training resource for frontline travel sellers. The updated programme has been designed to equip agents with more relevant, up-to-date and targeted information and showcase new regions, destinations and experiences within Australia previously unfamiliar to most Kiwi travellers. The programme offers tailored interactive training modules, itinerary suggestions, fact sheets, industry updates, destination FAQs, an interactive map and monthly email updates covering what’s new. Photo Courtesy: @wilkography “A key objective in ... Read more

As per the latest HSBC report on climatic change, which was published on Monday, India would face a huge climatic change in the near future. The Bank has accessed over 67 nations in terms of sensitivity to extreme weather, exposure to energy transition and the responding ability to face the climatic change. The report further states that the neighbouring countries of India namely Pakistan, Philippines and Bangladesh are also prone to climatic vulnerability. Among other nations, India would face the most hazardous situation that could affect agriculture due to decline in rainfall. On the other hand, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippines ... Read more

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 Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is planning to conduct the 64th Annual Convention at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) at Srinagar on 27th March. “The primary focus of this cultural extravaganza is to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and reinforce its position on the tourism map as a major draw for travellers,” said Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI. The programme is scheduled for three days. “On the first day (March 27), a mini-golf tournament will be held in the morning at the Royal Springs Golf Course, followed by the inaugural event at the SKICC. On the second day, ... Read more

Russian fan can visit the country visa-free for the World Cup this summer. To encourage attendance, organizers have created a special Fan ID pass that will allow foreign soccer fans to visit Russia between June 4 and July 15 without having to apply for a separate tourist visa. Along with access to the stadiums, the card also entitles the holder to free public transport on match days in host cities. Those who have purchased a ticket to a World Cup match can obtain the pass. The ticket holders have to register on the website and fill in their personal details to ... Read more

Film tourism in the Philippines is gaining popularity as it creates significant impact in connecting audiences to destinations used as film locations. Realising the potential of film tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), launched Cine Turismo, a new campaign which seeks to promote Philippine destinations through films. As part of its launching activity, Cine Turismo recognized select films which best promoted the Philippines in their filming. Eight Filipino-made films and two foreign films and two South Korean films were awarded. TPB Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano and Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda ... Read more

Indians like travelling more with an average 5.6 trips annually, significantly above the global average of 4.2 trips, according to the Global Travel Intention survey report by Visa. The report revealed that trips taken by Indians were largely contributed by business travel at 2.6 trips compared to APAC (1.6 trips) and global (1.4). The GTI study was conducted in collaboration with research and business intelligence firm ORC International and collected data over the course of 12,400 interviews in 27 markets. The study found that Indians are good spenders doling out an average of USD 2,334 against APAC’s USD 1,677. Indians plan to ... 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

The fifth edition of the much awaited, annual two-week-long bus trip, the Kerala Blog Express, organised by state Tourism Department has been flagged off from Mascot Hotel by Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran. “The two-week journey by ‘Kerala Blog Express’ would cover all the important destinations in Kerala and would conclude the trip in Kochi on 1st April. The event is aimed to promote Kerala Tourism on a global perspective, through the views of bloggers,” said Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Around 30 bloggers from 28 countries – US, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Venezuela and Peru, will be ... Read more

With an aim to adapt to the security concerns and challenges linked to migration and technology, the European Union is planning to update its common visa policy. “With the reforms we propose, it will become easier and faster for legitimate travellers to obtain a visa while security standards will be enhanced. “The new rules will also help improve cooperation with non-EU countries when it comes to return of irregular migrants,” said Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship. Proposed amendments to the EU Visa Code would be a first step in reform of the common EU visa policy, with an update ... Read more

As part of its new promotional offer, GoAir is offering domestic flight tickets starting at an all-inclusive price of Rs 991 on select routes. The new offer is available till March 20, 2018. If you are booking the tickets via SBI Bank credit cards by using promo code GOSBI10, you can avail an extra 10 per cent discount. GoAir is offering domestic flight tickets starting from Rs. 991 from Bagdogra to Guwahati. The airline is also offering discounts on domestic flight tickets from Chennai to Kochi (starting at Rs 1,120), from Lucknow to Delhi (starting at Rs 1,205), from Chandigarh to Delhi ... Read more

The 8th Bhoj Adventures Fest kick starts in Bhopal featuring sky diving for the first time. The 16-day event at Kaliyasot ground near Pt Khushilal Ayurvedic College, Nehru Nagar Road, will give a chance for around 1000 students from various schools to learn adventurous sports in the free adventure camp. Full length bungee jumping, sky diving, inflammable rock wall, paintball arena with 12 paintball shooting rifles, hot air balloon, paramotor riding, parasailing, reverse bungee jumping, ATV bike, Burma bridge, ziplining, Rifle shooting, aeromodelling training and aeromodelling shows, Science fest and various other adventures rides will make the event lively throughout. Sky diving ... Read more

The state government is planning to develop the picturesque Umrangso as an international tourist destination. The state Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also said that the government would enhance development activities in Dima Hasao district. There are also plans to set up Assam Civil Service Training Centre and a Horticultural College at Umrangso. The CM announced the plans  while attending the 168th birth anniversary programme of Dimasa freedom fighter Veer Sambhudhan Phonglo. “Umrangso is a very scenic place and the state government is keen to develop it into an international tourist destination along with the development of the entire district,” Sonowal said. The ... Read more