Category: Top Stories

Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat on Wednesday inaugurated a bird- watching facility at the Pakhro range of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. Speaking on the occasion Rawat said bird watching has been added to tourism in Uttarakhand for the first time. “There are around 500 bird species in Corbett. The addition of a new feature like nature trail bird watching will attract more and more bird lovers to Corbett besides giving a boost to homestay facilities in adjoining villages,” he said. Four gates have been built in Kotdwar area through which tourists can now enter Corbett, he said, adding it ... Read more

Union Minister for Commerce, Industry, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal on Monday virtually launched India’s first Food Museum here and said measures were on to make the country go up the ladder from currently being the fifth largest agricultural exporter in the world. Highlighting the importance of focussing on quality and productivity in taking the farmers’ produce to the world to become a global supplier, the Minister said “we are already the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world and we are aspiring for more.” “By adopting global best practices, we will improve our processes, bring about system changes, ... Read more

The 10th edition of Kerala’s largest annual entrepreneurship conference ‘TiEcon Kerala 2021’ will be held here from November 25 to 27 to figure out the opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs in the post-pandemic scenario. Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve would inaugurate the three-day ‘phygital conclave’ on November 25, TiEcon said. “Around 200 participants are expected to attend the physical event while over 1,500 delegates will join the programme virtually making it a phygital’ event. TiEcon Kerala 2021 will feature more than 30 speakers from across the globe,” it said in a press release. The conference is organised by Indus Entrepreneurs ... Read more

Live Fusion Yoga performance by practitioners from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, free medical consultation by experts of various Ayush streams and display of various food items that promote nutrition and good health were the major attractions at the pavilion of the Ministry of Ayush on the first day of the India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan on Sunday. The activities at the pavilion revolved around the theme of ‘Holistic health, Nutritious Diet’, which the Ministry of Ayush propagates through various Indian traditional medicine systems. Various institutes and research bodies of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and ... Read more

The Dudhwa National Park is set to open for tourists from November 15, a senior official said Sunday. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) Field Director Sanjay Kumar Pathak said tourists wishing to visit the rhino area in south Sunaripur range will have to wait for a few days more as the rhino area is still swampy and not fit for elephant movements. “As per government directives, the Dudhwa National Park would now be opened for tourists from November 15. However, due to heavy water-logging still prevailing in Sathiyana, the area would not be allowed for tourist activities till further instructions, he ... Read more

Within the framework of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP26, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Panama and the business group NOAH agreed to work together for the implementation of the United Nations Fund for Climate Neutrality of Tourism. The Fund represents an innovative financing instrument promoted by UNWTO to respond to threats posed by the climate emergency. In recognition of the existential threat posed by the climate emergency, UNWTO, the government of Panama and NOAH (Network of Ocean Ambassadors Headquarters) will support the creation of a Capital Fund that will make possible the UN Fund ... Read more

Over the course of one year, from November 2021 – November 2022, the project will support the tourism sector in placing women’s empowerment and gender equality at the heart of recovery plans following the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will be piloted in four participating Member States in collaboration with the National Tourism Administrations of Jordan (MOTA), Costa Rica (ICT), the Dominican Republic (MITUR) and Mexico (SECTUR). The impact of COVID-19 on women in tourism Women make up more than half of the tourism workforce at a global level (54%), according to the Global Report on Women in Tourism, Second Edition. ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism in association with Ministry of Information & Broadcasting organized a Symposium on Film Tourism at Taj Lands End, Mumbai, on November 8, 2021. The symposium was jointly chaired by Secretary Tourism, Shri Arvind Singh and Secretary, Information & Broadcasting , Shri Apurva Chandra.  The symposium aimed to promote Film Tourism by exploring opportunities available in the states for conducting film shootings. What is Film Tourism? ‘Film Tourism’ is when a viewer gets induced to visit a particular location after seeing it in a movie. It refers to the growing interest among general public for the places ... Read more

With the rise in tourism and the beginning of party season, many people are seen planning trips to far lands. Being the land of clear water and white beaches, Maldives has become one of the top favourites among Indians. According to the recent survey, out of the total tourist footfall in the Maldives, 23.3% were from India, hence the highest. While you may think that your plan of jetting off to the Maldives might be interrupted by your budget, and experiential travel company Thrillophilia has come up with five new luxury resorts in the Maldives which will make your vacation ... Read more

Aymanam Responsible Tourism Village Project implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission of the Department of Tourism has won an international award. The Aymanam Tourism Project has been recognized in the Rapid Diversification category in the tourism sector at the Indian Responsible Tourism One to Watch Award in the World Travel Market. The activities of the Responsible Tourism Mission in Kerala are attracting world attention. The projects were implemented in such a way as to attract international attention to Kumarakom. Minister Mohammad Riyaz said that after this, Aymanam also came to the world’s attention. There are various homestays in Aymanam as ... Read more

With the onset of winter, the sacred portals of the Gangotri shrine in Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand were closed on Friday amid Vedic hymns and elaborate rituals. Gangotri Mandir Samiti co-secretary Rajesh Semwal said the temple gates were closed at 11.45 am. The idol of Goddess Ganga was then taken on a palanquin decked with flowers for Mukhba village, her winter abode, he said. Over 32,948 pilgrims visited Gangotri this season after the temple was opened for devotees in September amid Covid restrictions such as a limit on the number of devotees. The daily limit was lifted in October by ... Read more

Following KSRTC, the water transport department is also gearing up to attract tourists. The Department has taken steps to launch more passenger-cum-tourist services. The Vega-2 tourism service launched by the Water Transport Department from Alappuzha to Kumarakom was a great success. The acceptance of KSRTC’s tourist services has also been a motivating factor. The Vega-2 service, which has been in service for over a year, was packed with passengers just before the second covid wave. Even after the service resumed after this, there was no big drop in people. Water taxis of the Water Transport Department are very popular in ... Read more

The Glasgow Declaration recognizes the urgent need for a globally consistent plan for climate action in tourism. Signatories commit to measure, decarbonize, regenerate and unlock finance. Additionally, each signatory commits to deliver a concrete climate action plan, or updated plan, within 12 months of signing. Speaking at COP26, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that “while many private businesses have led the way in advancing climate action, a more ambitious sector-wide approach is needed to ensure tourism accelerates climate action in a meaningful way”. He added that “the Glasgow Declaration is a tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions ... Read more

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday announced that the state-of-the-art ‘Dastaan-e-Shahadat’ theme park, depicting the glorious history of Sikhs, would be inaugurated by mid-November. Chairing a high-level meeting on the matter, the CM said the theme park would contain 11 galleries equipped with ultra-modern gadgets such as revolving theatre, dome, static set, live-action studio, mixture of set and live shoot, 270-degree screen projection screen with double screens. In an official release, the Chief Minister said that the inauguration would be marked with full religious fervor and prominent personalities from all walks of life besides representatives from other religions ... Read more

The Kerala government is planning to open pubs in the state’s IT parks. Replying to a question in the State Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that many IT firms, keen to establish their units in IT parks in the state, have pointed out the lack of facilities like pubs there. He said the representatives sent by such IT firms for studying the facilities in the IT parks have reported to their management about the lack of such facilities. The CM said the government had considered the matter but could not materialize it due to the lockdown induced ... Read more