Category: News

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is all set to organise Ayurstart, a startup challenge programme to lure young entrepreneurs into Ayurveda medicinal and therapeutic industry. CII said it will work with the Kerala Startup Mission to identify and support the best ideas that are generated through Ayurstart 2018. The programme will be held on the second day of the Global Ayurveda Summit scheduled to be held at Le Méridien, Kochi from November 21 to 23. “There were 1,150-odd manufacturers in the Ayurveda domain a decade ago, but the numbers have declined to around 650 now. We have to promote innovative startups ... Read more

Denarau Island Convention Centre The Fiji Hotel & Tourism Association’s (FHTA) organizes the annual industry trade show – “HOTEC 2018” on November 1st and 2nd at the Denarau Island Convention Center (DICC) in Nadi, Fiji. “This year, along with exhibitor booths, a range of tourism specific interactive programmes are planned for industry participants to attend and learn from it,” said Fantasha Lockington, FHTA’s Chief Executive Officer. HOTEC is organized so that suppliers to the industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners, customers and competitors and get first hand updates on the latest market ... Read more

“Cultural diversities and their richness have put northeast altogether on a higher position,” said Jagdish Mukhi, Assam Governor.  He was speaking at the 2nd Regional level National Song Competition organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad at Shilpagram, Guwahati on 7th October 2018. The Governor said that it is because of the unique cultural qualities of the northeast, the region can claim to be a treasure trove and epicenter of cultural tourism of the country. He congratulated the participants for their delightful display of different cultural facets of the region and advised them to dedicate themselves for the art forms and ... Read more

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the state was in the process of developing 13 new hill stations to give a boost to tourism as older destinations such as Nainital and Mussoorie had reached saturation. The minister was speaking at an investors summit in Dehradun in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “From the point of view of tourism, the 170-year-old Nainital and the around 200-year-old Mussoorie have reached saturation point. We have started working on 13 new destinations in 13 districts. We have also identified the locations and to develop the infrastructure a detailed project planning is being ... Read more

Nature, adventure, culture, yoga, meditation— Uttarakhand has all that it needs to be a complete tourism package, an ideal destination, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Uttarakhand investors’ summit. “And now, with the introduction of a separate tourism policy by the Uttarakhand government, tourism has gained the status of an industry,” he said. “During the last four years, many efforts have been made to increase connectivity in Uttarakhand. Highway, railway, airway – Uttarakhand is being connected in every way. Chardham all-weather road and Rhishikesh-Karanprayag rail projects have been progressing at a fast pace. Proper connectivity in the state will have ... Read more

Meghalaya, the northeast state of India, is planning to explore the potential of Ayush treatment in the state to promote tourism. It was informed by the Health and Family Welfare Minister Alexander Laloo Hek, after his recent visit to Kerala, where he has discussed with the Kerala government the prospects of Ayush in promotion of tourism, “Meghalaya government would like to take up Ayush treatment in a big way like Kerala and the idea is to attract more tourists to the state,” said Hek. The state envisages promoting Ayush by way of developing hospitals and clinics of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, ... Read more

Uttarakhand has immense possibilities in yoga and adventure tourism activities, said Union Minister of State for tourism, K J Alphons. “Trekking, river rafting, water sports, paragliding, skiing and bungy jumping are some of the activities with immense potential,” he said while speaking on the sidelines of the Destination Uttarakhand Investors Summit-2018. The minister also said that developing adventure sports activities and yoga in the state will provide employment to the locals. Alphons urged the investors to come forward to invest in the adventure tourism sector and asked the State Government to stand motivated to develop the sector appropriately. “Tourism sector has generated ... Read more

The sun shines over the God’s Own Country, not knowing about the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) weather warning issued across the state sighting chances of incessant rains. However, looking at the clear sky, the IMD withdrew red alert for rains and landslides across Kerala, which they had issued earlier this week. The IMD had predicted excessive rainfall across Kerala, followed by which red alert have been issued in Palakkad, Thrissur and Idukki districts of Kerala. However, with the IMD withdrawing the warning, the red alerts issued in these districts were also withdrawn. The district administration has banned all tourism-related activities and imposed ... Read more

Dubai is all ready to host a massive yoga festival at the Dubai Internet City Amphitheatre from November 15-17, 2018. The event comes with a jam-packed schedule of free-to-attend yoga sessions, meditation circles and yoga-related activities for fans of all ages. The festival begins on Thursday evening in the meditation tent, and continues with two full days of sessions led by some of Dubai’s best-known yoga and meditation practitioners along with visiting guest teachers. Healthy food and exciting retail spaces round out this holistic weekend festival. “Yogafest is about connecting you to nature, to yourself and to like minded people in ... Read more

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), the largest shopping and entertainment extravaganza, is starting on 26th Dec 2018 and will last for one month long. Last day of the festival is 26th Jan 2019 There will be retail sales, deals and discounts from top global brands, and there will be mega prizes up for grabs, from luxury cars, gold and cash. Aside from opportunities to save money and win prizes, DSF organizers have also lined up activities to up the stake in entertainment during the month-long festival, further reiterating the event as a global attraction. Details of the exclusive offers will be ... Read more

Kerala Tourism department is inviting application for tour guide training programmes at state and regional levels. There are 50 seats available for the state level course and 200 seats for the regional level. Training centers will be in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Thalassery. Last date to submit the application is 22nd October 2018. Duration for the state level course is 9 weeks and 4 weeks for the regional level. Course fees is Rs 25,000 for the state level and 9,000 for the regional level; 50 per cent of the fess will be borne by the tourism department. Selection will be ... Read more

Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a new T&T Power and Performance Report, ahead of the annual World Tourism Day celebrations. China, the USA and India take the top three spots in the new Power Ranking which combines growth over the past seven years in tourism’s contribution to GDP, international visitor spend, domestic tourism spend and capital investment. “World Travel & Tourism Council ranks Incredible India at No 3 after China & USA as countries powering travel & tourism growth in the world.Will have a huge multiplier impact on jobs! Gr8 achievement!,” tweeted Amitabh ... Read more

Shanghai Tourism Festival 2018, which concluded on Saturday 7th October 2018, saw a record 12.75 million visitors from China and abroad, which is more than five percent from the previous year, as informed by the organizers. The festival witnessed performances by more than 1,300 performers came from 25 countries and regions in the parade held at the opening ceremony of the festival on September 15, 2018. This year the European Union has made its debut float in the parade and received a reward for its special effects. “We hope the float can help attract more Chinese to visit European destinations,” ... Read more

S R Mahesh, Tourism and Sericulture Minister of Karnataka said that the state would take all the measures to develop the State as the second best tourist hub of the country. He was speaking after inaugurating Travel log’18, a two-day National Seminar on ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation,’ organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Pooja Bhagavath Memorial Mahajana Education Center at Metagalli in Mysore. As per records, the State has been attracting around 22 lakhs visitors – both foreign and domestic- every year. “Karnataka State Government has been making all efforts to give boost to tourism. ... Read more

Etihad Airways has decided to increase frequency to London for the festive season. Effective 15 December 2018 – 13 January 2019, Etihad Airways will increase its flights from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, from three to four daily services, to meet peak demand this festive season. The flights will be operated by a two-class Boeing 787-9, featuring 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. “We are thrilled to announce more flights to London over the festive period. This is a busy time for local guests travelling between both capitals and the extra service will allow more choice and flexibility in ... Read more