Category: India

The government already had plans to have seven main Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Now the government plans to expand the ‘Buddhist Circuit’ to other 21 states. The states included in the plan are Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal. The Ministry of Tourism has already identified stupas and viharas in these states and small intrastate Buddhist zones will be made around these. The Buddhist circuit is considered as India’s first trans-national tourist circuit. The plan is to promote tourism starting from Lumbini in Nepal, where Buddha was born, to the ... Read more

IndiGo is offering discounts for students above the age of 12 years on domestic flights. The customers can only avail the offer if the booking is made at least seven days in advance. For bookings made under the scheme, students are eligible for total baggage allowance of 25 kilograms. The discount is valid on both, one-way and round-trip bookings. Eligible student booking flight tickets under the scheme shall be required to furnish their valid school/ university ID card at the time of check-in at the airport. In case, the student fails to furnish their ID Card, the benefits will not be extended to the ... Read more

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has called for Swachh Bharat enthusiasts to join the summer internship to boost tourism. Modi has asked youngsters to join the Swachh Bharat Summer Internship 2018 launched by the central government. He also announced incentives, including credit point by UGC, for participants, saying it is an opportunity for those who want to make a change in the society. The Prime Minister has said this in his monthly Mann Ki Baat broadcast addressing the nation. He said three ministries of his government have launched an internship programme and it is an opportunity for those who want to work ... Read more

Goan Agriculture Minister Vijay Sardesai calls for an association with Maharashtra to explore the massive possibility of agro-tourism especially in the Konkan region. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Mango Conference held at the Regional Fruit Research Station in Vengurla organized by the Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth and Interdisciplinary Society for Advancements of Agriculture Sciences and Technology (ISasAT). He urged Maharashtra to follow Goa’s tourism model and in return they could share the particulars on the development in agriculture made by them. He believes this could be a major step in making Konkan region ... Read more

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) has asked the Finance Ministry to allot funds and special packages for the development of tourism in North Eastern states. The proposal for funds and package was confirmed by Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)  Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday after a meeting with Union Tourism Minister Alphons Kannamthanam. As per reports, the ministers discussed about recognizing new projects stressing the development of tourism in Northeastern states. The meetings are part of the regular Inter-Ministerial discussions regarding the development of the region. Minister Jitendra Singh said that the DoNER ... Read more

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is offering an 8-day trip on Maharaja Express. The trip, named ‘The Indian Splendour’, is offered at a starting price of USD 5,980. Passengers availing this trip will be visiting nine Indian cities. Indian and foreigners tourists can avail this package. The trip, which will start from October 2018 to April 2019, will take you to  Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Balasinor, and Mumbai. With an aim to attract more passengers, the Railways have decided to slash the tariff of its luxury trains. Haulage charges for royal trains such as ... Read more

It is reported that the aviation sector in India, currently growing at nearly 28 per cent, will see an investment of close to Rs 1 lakh cr in the next five years for capacity augmentation and development of new greenfield airports, according to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha. The Aviation ministry is planning to achieve 1 billion passenger trips per annum within the next 15-20 years. “The capacity addition will come with other amenities such as use of digital technology for passenger verification and bringing about a paradigm shift in airport designs,” said the minister. The Airport ... Read more

One more eco-tourist spot to be adorned in Tamil Nadu as the works for developing the Villivakkam lake into an eco-tourist spot officially began on Wednesday. The project was inaugurated by S P Velumani, the Minister for Municipal Administration. The lake that has of total area of 36.50 acres will have its 24.64 acres developed into an eco-tourist spot. The eco-tourist spot will be developed by The Greater Chennai Corporation at a budget of 16 crore as in their plan to restore 32 water bodies under Smart City project. The residual 11.5 acres of lake will be utilized to setup ... Read more

Smruti Mandir situated at Reshimbagh in Nagpur has been given grade-C tourism status. Known for the memorial of RSS founder Dr KB Hedgewar, the 78-year-old Smruti Mandir will now be able to get funding from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), central and state government on works in and around it. The status was given following recommendations of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the district planning committee. BJP city vice-president Bhushan Dadwe obtained copy of the notification under RTI Act on May 5. Dadwe, in a press release, said that the oral statement of the state government before the Nagpur bench of Bombay High ... Read more

To boost the tourism sector, Himachal government is planning to encourage ‘Heli-Taxi’ services at major tourist destinations, a senior official said today. Presiding over a meeting of the officials of aviation companies including Pawan Hans Limited, Skyone Airways, Ind Jet and hospitality players, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Manisha Nanda said at present the state has three functional airports at Gaggal, Shimla and Bhuntar. “Work was in progress to facilitate the tourists and common people at Rampur and Jhakri in Shimla, Baddi in district Solan, Pandoh in Mandi and Manali in Kullu under Uddan-II scheme,” she said. Manisha ... Read more

The Odisha government has formed a tourism promotion council to monitor the development of tourism and related issues in the state. The chief minister will head the council, which will also include two representatives from two major airlines operating in the state – AirAsia and Air India – apart from two representatives each from the hotel and travel industry. The secretaries of the home, finance, tourism, commerce and transport and handloom and textiles and handicrafts departments and the development commissioner, a senior representative from FICCI and CII will are be members of the council. Nominated members will serve for a maximum of ... Read more

IRCTC comes up with a striking escapade for everyone on this summer. The IRCTC tourism is offering a 6D/7N air package which will have the beautiful destinations Chandigarh, Shimla and Manali. The trip that starts on May 26th will include stays at deluxe hotels, breakfast, dinner and return airfare on Air India, as reported by IRCTC Tourism on their website. The starting fare of package is priced at Rs 32,937 per person. This rate is for triple occupancy, and the rates of double and single occupancy are priced at Rs 34,710 and Rs 45,660 per person respectively. Kufri, Shimla The ... Read more

As a tourist, you might have got stranded in the midst of the city you are visiting not knowing what to do, where to go, how to proceed etc. The risk is more if it is a bustling destination like that of Varanasi. But, you will not be stranded any more as the tourism department is launching a 24-hour helpline to answer all your queries related to the city. All you need to do is call on the 24-hour helpline. The state tourism department is yet to officially launch the helpline, but a trial of the helpline 18601801364 is underway. “The ... Read more

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) is planning to add 120 new boats, including kayaks, pedal boats, motorboats, outboard boats and water scooters. Tenders have already been floated to acquire kayaks, pedal boats and water scooters. TTDC has floated tenders for acquiring 120 boats, including five single-seater kayaks, five double-seater kayaks, 27 two-seater pedal boats, 35 four-seater pedal boats, six four-seater row boats, six eight-seater motor boats, two 15-seater motor boats, eight 15 HP outboard motorboats, four high-speed water scooters and two four-seater speed boats. The new boats would either be added to the fleet or would replace the existing boats being ... Read more

Myanmar Travellers from Myanmar to India have reportedly gone up by more than 10% last year when compared to 2016. The free visa to Myanmar citizens was declared by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Myanmar in last September and the free visa policy was initiated that month itself. Most travellers from Myanmar are reportedly visiting Bodh Gaya. Around 30,000 pilgrims used to visit annual Bodh Gaya festival every year and now more than 50,000 pilgrims from Myanmar came to attend the festival in 2017. According to ministry reports, Myanmar travellers are also coming for medical tours ... Read more