Category: News

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has inaugurated the 5th North East Connectivity Summit at Tawang, organised  by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The theme for this year’s summit is ‘Tourism Connectivity’. “North East has unique and distinctive culture.The people are known for great hospitality.The Ministry of tourism wants to advertise it globally and put everything related to North East on the Global Map. Let #NorthConnectivitySummit be a good start #SustainableTourism,” tweeted Alphons K J, Union Minister for Tourism. The two-day summit is being attended by representatives and delegations from neighboring countries such as Bhutan and Bangladesh, ... Read more

Photo courtesy: Travel to Blank Colombian tourism sector is in a coming back after the peace agreement signed by Juan Manal Santos, the President in 2016 to end five decades of violent civil war, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos receives 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. Though the country is still struggling to carry out the agreement amid a new government, Colombia is seeing massive growth in its tourism sector. As per reports from the trade ministry more than 3 million people visited Colombia in 2017, marking a 200 per cent hike since 2006, as ... Read more

The state government of Tamil Nadu has banned trekking between February 15 and April 15 every year in the aftermath of the Kurangini forest fire, which killed almost twenty tourists earlier in March this year. The rules have been notified based on an expert committee report on the Kurangini fire. According to ‘Spatial and temporal analysis of decadal forest fire data (2006-2015)’ released by the Tamil Nadu Forest department, forest fires start in January, increase in February and reach its highest point during March. Nearly 48 per cent of forest fires in Tamil Nadu were reported during March and February, which ... Read more

Indian passport holders, who are eligible for Turkish e-visa, will have to obtain their visas before their departure to Turkey as the e-visa kiosks are not operational at airports in Istanbul. The Embassy of Republic of Turkey had recently scrapped its policy of visa-on-arrival for a number of nationalities, including India. Indian citizens are eligible for e-visa if they have a valid US, UK, Ireland and Schengen visa. Those who don’t have any of these valid visas, will have to apply for a Turkish via through its embassy. The Turkish embassy in New Delhi posted a message on its website saying that, ... Read more

Radisson Collection has opened the Nofa Resort Riyadh, a Radisson Collection Hotel in Saudi Arabia. Built in African style, the resort has 57 bungalows and villas overlooking Nofa Wildlife Park. Nofa Resort Riyadh features three on-site restaurants – the Tswalu restaurant, Butcher’s Den and Al Fresco restaurant. Tswalu restaurant features African-style interiors, serves international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner whereas the Butcher’s Den features grilled specialties, outdoor terrace seating and lake views. Al Fresco serves Italian classics including stone-fired pizzas. The hotel also features a tailored private dining service for special occasions or business events. Guests can also enjoy the Hookah Lounge, a tea ... Read more

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation offers special discounts to students on the occasion of Children’s Day on 14th November 2018. As per sources, children can have 15 per cent discount on food items in all its hotels and restaurants in the state. The discount offer is applicable for all students of colleges, universities and other educational institutions, provided they should present their ID cards at the counter. HPTDC also arranges demonstration of cooking skills at home for visually or hearing impaired children and offer them with complementary foods. As per Kamad Singh, Managing Director of HPTDC, the initiative has been ... Read more

Flash floods caused by heavy rain across Jordan have killed eleven people and forced hundreds of tourists to seek higher ground in the kingdom’s ancient city of Petra, as per the government spokesperson. About two dozen people were injured and dozens more evacuated from their homes in several locations in the kingdom, as floodwaters rose rapidly. In Petra, floodwaters in some areas rose up to 4 meter as reported by the  state TV. Amateur video posted on social media showed a powerful torrent rushing through a steep, narrow canyon in Petra, as several hundred visitors crowded on a patch of ... Read more

As a part of the beautification programmes, Akkulam Tourist Village to have a Kiran Aircraft of the Indian Air force. Kerala Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran dedicated the aircraft to the public on 13th November 2018. “Having this aircraft at the tourist village to be considered an appreciation from the Indian Air force, to the various developmental activities carried out by Kerala Tourism in the tourist spot,” said the minister. Since 1968, Kiran MK1 has been the training aircraft for the Hyderabad Air force Academy. “We hope the aircraft will attract everyone coming to the tourist village,” said B Suresh, Air ... Read more

In yet another positive initiative, a team of volunteers from All Ladakh Tour Operators Association (ALTOA) with support of Stakmo villagers set off on a trekking recce from Sabu to Egoo village on November 12, 2018. This trek can be further extended to Sachukul near Pangong Lake. Post flash flood the trek route needs restoration at few places. The main idea is to sustain the trekking culture in Ladakh and to promote inbound business. Next summer ALTOA has a few more plans to explore virgin trek routes and peaks since Ladakh is the hub of adventure tourism in India. ALTOA believes that by ... Read more

Bangkok is awarded “Best City – International Category” by Travel + Leisure India’s Best Awards 2018. Travel + Leisure India & South Asia announced the results of its seventh edition of the India’s Best Awards at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi on 12th November, 2018. Bangkok has won top honour as Best City – International category at the ceremony. In 2017 Thailand has received the Best Honeymoon Destination (International) and 2011,2014, 2015 and 2016 Thailand has received the best wedding destination and 2011 and 2015 as the best country awards from Travel + Leisure. The polling was conducted as a ... Read more

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said it is delighted to welcome the government’s decision to grant a visa-on-arrival fee waiver for tourists from 20 countries. From 15 November, 2018, to 13 January, 2018, citizens of Andora, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China including Taiwan, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan will be exempted from the 2,000 Baht visa-on-arrival fee for the purpose of touring in Thailand not more than 15 days. “This is good news for Thailand’s tourism industry as we’re preparing a range of year-end activities ... Read more

A weekend of celebration has kicked off on November 7 at the Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino as it brought together guests, customers and locals to unveil its extensive transformation. Having been ingrained in the city for over four decades, Sheraton Cairo was not only an iconic venue but also one that has deep roots into the local community, which made it a natural host for Sheraton’s “Heart for the City” experiential tour’s third stop. The immersive experience captures Cairo’s heritage and brings to life legendary monuments that make Cairo magical. The Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino has stood as a ... Read more

The fifth edition of International Mountain Cycling Contest to be held at the hilly district of Wayanad in Kerala on December 8. MTB Kerala-2018 will be held at the Priyadarshini Tea Estate in Mananthavady. The logo of the event was released by Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran by handing it over to E M Najeeb, Senior Vice-President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). Tourism Additional Director Raghudasan, Cycling Federation of India Treasurer Jayaprakash, Magazine editor of Tourism India, Ravi Shankar and KATPS CEO Manesh Bhaskar were also present at the event. The event organized by Kerala Tourism, in association with Kerala ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, marked 15 years since its inaugural commercial flight to Beirut on 12 November 2003. In a fitting tribute to the first flight, guests travelling on flight EY535 to the Lebanese capital enjoyed a cake-cutting ceremony at the departure gate this morning. The airline also presented each guest with a limited-edition cabin crew scarf and tie set, designed by iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, while younger flyers were gifted Etihad teddy bears by cabin crew wearing the airline’s first ever uniform from 2003, in addition to its current style. More than 400 employees ... Read more

As the busiest days of the travel calendar approach, travellers can ‘fly better’ with Emirates as well as enjoy a stress-free experience even before boarding their flight during the festive period with Home Check-in. With convenience in mind, customers in Dubai booking their travel across any class with Emirates can now take advantage of Home Check-in for just AED 250 for up to seven pieces of luggage. The rate of AED 25 will be charged for every additional piece of luggage. Customers can book the service on emirates.com 12-48 hours before departure. Home Check-in agents will come to a customer’s ... Read more