Category: News

Lavenders Bloom in Xianjiang (Photo courtesy: TravelWireNews) Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hosted more than 105 million tourists in the first eight months of this year, which is 40.93 per cent more than that of last year. The total tourist spent for the same period amounted to 171 billion yuan (around USD 25.1 billion), which is 43.18 per cent more than 2017. Development of attractive tourist destinations and the state-of-the art transportation networks are the main factor that makes Xinjiang a favourite tourist destination for visitors. Dancers perform for the tourists at Kashgar in Xinjiang “Xinjiang has been in ... Read more

Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Inaugurates the 53rd annual convention of FHRAI Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has announced that his state is envisaging becoming the country’s spiritual and wellness hub. The CM said the government is targeting annual investment of Rs 50 billion in the tourism sector. He was addressing the 53rd annual convention of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on 21st September 2018 in Lucknow “Under the central roadmap to boost domestic tourism, UP is having the maximum religious tourism hubs in the country, which includes the Ramayan Circuit, Buddhist ... Read more

Bond Safari Kovalam has bagged the Best Scuba Dive Centre award at the South Asia Travel Award (SATA). The SATA Awards ceremony was held at Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. The award was received by Jackson Peter, Managing Partner of Bond Safari Kovalam. “To be recognized as South India’s leading Scuba diving center is an incredible honor. We are really grateful to all our partners and the customers for the overwhelming support which helps to achieve this coveted award,” Jackson said after receiving the award. Bond Safari Kovalam, based in Kerala, is a team of the adventurist and experienced Indian ... Read more

Cultural event at Rajpath Lawn, Delhi The celebration of ParyatanParv (16th to 27th September 2018) organized by the Ministry of Tourism is in full swing with a series of activities and events being held across the country. The events with an aim to sensitize people about Sustainable Tourism, Swachatha (Cleanliness) and to promote tourism were organized in collaboration with the India Tourism domestic offices, Central and State Government organizations and other Stakeholders. Cultural Events at Rajpath Lawn, Delhi India Tourism Delhi organized an inter school drawing competition themed ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ (See our nation) in which 370 MCD Schools participated. ... Read more

B D Mishra, Governor, Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh’s Governer, to have B D Mishra on Thursday urged the Centre Ministry to formulate specific plans to promote tourism in the state. Mishra has visited K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism in Delhi on Thursday, 200th September 2018. During the meeting the he has requested for implementing eco-friendly and socially beneficial projects, as per official sources. Mishra accentuated the need of a holistic approach in exploiting the tourism potential of the state. Parsuram Kund Earlier, during his visit to the Parsuram Kund in Lohit district, he met the priest ... Read more

Shanghai City, China Shanghai in China is planning to open the doors of the industrial centers to the tourists. It was announced by the Shanghai Municipality on Thursday, 20th  September 2018. The three-year programme envisages development of industrial tourism, including in industrial sites with local characteristics. The objective behind the programme is to generate interest in students and young entrepreneurs and help them enrich their awareness levels on industrial processes and projects. At the same time, it will become a revenue earner to the municipality. Shanghai is the birthplace of China’s present-day industry and the modern industrial hub in the ... Read more

Celebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, has won the bid for the ground handling services of Kannur International Airport (KIAL). . This will be Celebi’s sixth airport in India including Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, which they won in June 2018. The other airports they are handling the ground operations in India are Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kochi. Ground handling services include baggage-handling, aircraft cleaning and servicing, loading and unloading of food and beverages and movement of cargo, among others. Çelebi has won the bid on the basis of a highly competitive international bidding process, ... Read more

Kathleen Pessolano, Destination Programme Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Managing tourism sustainably from an economic, social, cultural and environmental perspective is very important for every country, says Kathleen Pessolano, US expert and Destination Program Director of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). She was speaking at a programme at Puducherry, presenting the subject, ‘public-private partnerships for sustainable tourism’ on Thursday, 21st September 2018. The programme was organised by the Department of Tourism, Puducherry. “Sustainable destination management is a relatively new concept. With ever increasing domestic and international visitors to South India, it is essential for communities to establish policies and ... Read more

China to unveil the world’s tallest statue of Confucius in eastern China’s Shandong Province during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival on September 24 2018. The statue is 72 meter tall and is made of brass. The statue is installed near Nishan in the city of Qufu, which is the birthplace of Confucius. Confucius who lived between 551 BC and 479 BC, also known as Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure. His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family and public interaction and setting educational standards. Throughout history, Confucius is widely considered as ... Read more

Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica Tourism Minister will be participating in the Tourism Expo Japan 2018 and Visit Japan Travel & MICE Mart 2018, which happening from 20th to 23rd September 2018 in Tokyo. The ministry plan to strengthen ties with Japan on a sustainable manner and to increase the visitors from Japan to Jamaica. “Twenty years ago, Jamaica received around 20,000 Japanese visitors per year, but that has since decreased to roughly 2,000 per annum, due to the economic slowdown in Japan and other factor,” said Bartlet. Japanese tourists are the world’s fourth largest contributor to the tourism industry. Around 17 ... Read more

While Kerala is bouncing back from the havoc caused by the recent heavy rain and devastating flood, discussions are on regarding the rebuilding of Kerala with a new vision, than just mend the damages. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, has put forth the concept of a ‘Nava Kerala’ (New Kerala), while re-constructing the state and invited opinions and suggestions from people from all walks of life. E M Najeeb, President of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry and Senior Vice President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), has shared his views on rebuilding Kerala, with Tourism News Live. Being ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: The National Dubai is strengthening its ties with China for boosting tourism. It was announced by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, while talking in the Dubai China Conference, which is attended by more than 900 local dignitaries, stakeholders and Chinese partners. The tourism ministry is planning various activities to lure Chinese tourists to the country,  including city-wide Chinese New Year celebrations. Earlier this year, the Dubai Tourism authority has inked an agreement with one of China’s largest smartphone manufacturers, Huawei, to pre-load devices with both user-generated and official cinematographic content of Dubai. As per an ... Read more

With a total investment of 134 billion yuan (approx. US$19.5 billion), 17 major tourism projects with a focus on entertainment and culture were signed at South China’s popular tourist destination, Beihai. The projects include three with investment of more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), seven with investment of 2 to 10 billion yuan (US$300 million – 1.5 billion) and seven with investment of less than 2 billion yuan (US$300 million). The projects cover the whole range of facilities necessary for a successful holiday or travel experience, including five tourism complexes with an investment of 99.5 billion yuan (approx. US$14.5 ... Read more

With an aim to upgrade the elephant rehab centre at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram to international standards, the state Forest Department has inked an MoU with the Kerala State Housing Board. The project, to cost Rs 113 crore, is expected to be completed by October 2020. The project includes the construction of enclosures for keeping wild elephants in herds and in isolation, special care centre for the calves, ponds to harvest rainwater, veterinary hospital, office complex, training centre for the mahouts, elephant museum, biological park, accommodation for the staff and mahouts, ‘mess’ for the elephants, canteen for visitors, toilet block, modernisation of accommodation for ... Read more

Ai India Express flight lands at Kannur Airport Air India Express Boeing 737 flight which can carry 189 passengers has landed in Kannur airport today successfully completing the trial landing. This a major step before the scheduled inauguration of the airport by November 1. The aircraft has departed from Thiruvananthapuram at 9.30 am and reached Kannur by 10.30 am. The airport is ready for commercial operation, but the final licence would be issued after the trial landing using a commercial aircraft. Now that the trail landing is successful, the airport authorities will submit a report to the AAI and is expected ... Read more