Category: News

Lemon Tree Hotels said it will be operating 85 hotels with 8,674 rooms across 57 cities by 2021, said Rattan Keswani, Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels and Director, Carnation Hotels. “This year, we have enjoyed very high occupancy, close to 79 per cent. We have opened a few properties this year, including Dehradun, Pune, Siliguri and Morjim. We should be able to open an owned hotel in Mumbai, followed by Kolkata. Then we should be able to open a managed property in Kalina, Mumbai,” he said.

Venice The local government in Venice is planning to charge day-trippers for access to the city’s historic center, as a way to help defray the considerable costs of maintaining the popular tourist destination. It is as per the new budget law of Italy. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has tweeted on Sunday that the new ‘visitors tax’ would allow them to manage the city better and to keep it clean.  “It will allow Venetians to live with more decorum,” he added. The City Council will be responsible for setting the charge and determining the collection method. The mayor’s office said it ... Read more

At present there are 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management (CIHMs) in the country including one in Odisha as well as a State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM) at Balangir, Odisha. The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) under the Ministry of Tourism at Gwalior also has a center at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. This was informed by K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism, in the Lok Sabha. The Ministry of Tourism has been extending Central financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for establishment of Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Food Craft Institute (FCI); broad-basing of ... Read more

Khajjiar in Chamba is a less explored tourist destination of Himachal Pradesh. Known among the tourists as the ‘Mini Switzerland of India, the hill station is nestled at 6500 feet from sea level and amid dense pine forests and surrounded by mountain ranges. Blessed with tranquil charm and natural beauty, the hill station will spellbound anyone visit it for the first time. Khajjar is suitable for trekking, relaxation and pampering in the bliss of mountains. Whether traveling in a group or with your family and friends, a holiday in Khajjiar one of the cherished experiences of your life. Khajji Nag ... Read more

Hoysaleswara Temple in Karanataka is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Halebidu (Halebeedu or Halebid), Hassan. The temple is located at a distance of 150 kms from Mysore. The construction of the temple began in the 12th century by the King of Hoysala. This temple was then looted in the 14th century and it fell into ruins after that It is said that the temple got its name from the King Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleswara, who built the temple. A large amount of contribution was received from the Shaivas (Shiva devotees) for the construction of the temple. It was built ... Read more

Japan Tourism is targeting LGBT tourists from abroad to take advantage of their tendency to spend more than average tourists. Tourism industry all over the world strive to attract LGBT travellers, who have considerable purchasing and spending power. It was opined by Shintaro Koizumi, chief executive of Out Japan Co., a Tokyo-based marketing firm conducting seminars and other programs to support corporate clients seeking to learn how to handle issues involving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. As per statistics available, LGBT tourists spend about twice as much as average travellers, which encourage hotels and other accommodation facility providers in ... Read more

Qianqing Palace There’s one more reason to visit the forbidden city in Beijing. The corridors of Qianqing Palace, also known as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the largest hall of the inner court of Beijing’s Forbidden City, was brightly decorated by the Palace lanterns were hung up after 200 long years. The palace lanterns, a must-have decoration for the traditional Spring Festival during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1369-1912), finally returned to restore a cultural atmosphere to the former imperial palace complex. The lanterns will form part of an exhibition which is scheduled to open on January 6. Dubbed “Celebrating the ... Read more

While the entire world is about to bid adieu to year 2018, the people of Kerala are also getting ready to celebrate the last night of the year and to welcome 2019. Probably December 31st will be the liveliest night in Kerala, where the party may continue even after midnight. Thousands of foreign tourists have have also arrived in Kerala and getting ready to celebrate New Year in different popular destinations. While everyone getting ready for the New Year frenzy, the police department have been taking all the necessary arrangements to ensure safe and peaceful New Year celebrations across the ... Read more

After a slowdown, following the flood during August, the tourism sector of Ernakulam is going to gain momentum in the coming year. Lots of tourism projects are in progress and some in pipeline. Ernakulam Children’s Park is among the projects to be completed in 2019, expected to be completed before summer vacation. As per records from the tourism department, 8 tourism-related projects are in the implementation stage. “The development and renovation of a number of tourist places will be completed in 2019,” said S Vijay Kumar, Ernakulam DTPC secretary. “The prime project is the on-going renovation of the Children’s Park ... Read more

One of the coldest times of the season, the temperature of Ladkh has not been going above the freezing point from the beginning of December. The nights are chilling and temperatures hover around -20°C. Days are still bearable with 2°C as average temperature. Today, 29th December, the temperature is -17 °C Most highways are closed and Ladakh remains practically inaccessible during these months. Frostbites are common and most locals develop scales and cracks on their skins. The freezing temperature is making favourable environment to promote winter sports as well as winter tourism in the region. Ice Hockey has been played commonly ... Read more

The Belum caves, one of the longest caves on the plains of India, are located approximately 275 Kms from Bangalore, in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. With total length of approximately 3,300 meters, the caves have long passages, spacious chambers, fresh water galleries and siphons. The constant flow of underground water helped forming caves that have their deepest point at 150 feet. Belum, which is said to be derived from the Sanskrit word bilum, which means hole, were formed by the action of water flowing on limestone deposits over millions of years, forming stalactites, stalagmites, siphons, sink holes, and ... Read more

As part of the new funding scheme of ‘Strengthening the Establishment and Operation of New Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises’ 2014-2020, an amount of  411.5 million euros will be allocated to 2,527 small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in Greece. It was announced by the Greek Economy and Development Ministry. The awardees of the fund were selected after evaluating 7,297 investment plans for various objectives like hotel ventures, furnished rooms or apartments etc. Out of the 2,527 SMEs, 1,786 are part of the ‘Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ operational program and 741 are part of the regional operational programs. The program was ... Read more

Severe winter storm in the central US has killed more than 3 people and lead to 500 flight cancellations. Around 5,700 delays were also reported on December 28. The north central plains and the Midwest of US were reported to be covered with eight to 12 inches (20-30 centimeters) of snow. The heavy snow and high winds snarled air and ground transportation during this busy holiday travel period. The condition is expected to be worsen in the coming days in the southwestern state of New Mexico, along with a deluge of rain in some southern and eastern states — ruining New Year travel plans ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: CGTN A three-storey highway bridge is built near Taiyuan city in China. It is located in Tianlong Mountain, 1370 meters high in Shanxi province of north-western China. Bridge height is 350 meters. The total length of this bridge in the circle is 30 kilo meters in the mountain. Photo Courtesy: CGTN This highway bridge with box girder has 7,000 tonnes of steel. Its construction is almost complete. Soon it will be opened for general traffic. Several stages of the trial have been completed here. At present, this bridge has become a new hot spot for the locals, where ... Read more

Indian space agency ISRO plans to deploy its biggest rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III), to send three Indians into space for seven days by 2022. Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of the programme. The Union cabinet has approved a budget of Rs 10,000 crore for the programme. ISRO’s Gaganyaan will help India become the fourth nation to independently send humans to space. The announcement of the Gaganyaan project was first made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India’s 72nd Independence Day – his fifth and final address ahead ... Read more