Category: News

The last couple of months have been testing times for Indonesia as the South East Asian nation was facing good number of natural disasters. But, Nia Niscaya, Deputy Minister of Tourism Marketing, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia (MoTRI), said that it was Indian tourists who supported the disaster-hit nation. “Due to Mount Agung eruption last year in Bali, Indonesia has suffered a loss of over one million tourists but it was the Indian market that helped the country resurrect its position in the global tourism market. There was 30 per cent year-on-year increase in terms of Indian arrivals in 2017, ... Read more

Manuj Ralhan joined JW Marriott Hotel in Pune as the Director of Operations. Manuj, primarily responsible for overseeing smooth functioning of the hotel, has over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. In his new role, he will be leading business and strategic operations of the property.  Manuj comes with experience that will help implementing the brand service strategy and initiatives. During his 16 years in the hospitality industry, he has been responsible for Food & Beverage assets of a number of leading luxury hotels in India. He began his journey with The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra; Taj Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, and was ... Read more

Monic and Marly of Holland hand over the relief materials to Shaji Sebastian, Pala SI, in the presence of A B Jose, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation Chairman and other dignitaries. Kerala has been receiving relief aids from around the world, on the event of the devastating floods that affected many lives. In Kottayam, two Holland nationals have come forward to extend their helping hands to the flood affected people. Monica Venena and Marly Vo Di Gomtter, studying at the Shanthi Yoga Center at Pala, were those compassionate foreigners, who have shown mercy to the miserable. They came to Pala to learn ... Read more

Hampi, Karnataka Karnataka tourism is introducing Augmented Reality (AR) technology in 20 major tourism centers. As pilot projects, AR interventions are already active in heritage sites in the city such as Cubbon Park, Bangalore Palace, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, Bangalore Fort, Lalbagh and some old structures on MG Road. Budgeted cost for implementing the project in 20 identified sites is around Rs 120 crores. “The programme will be carried out by private companies. While the research works are going on with the existing facilities, the department will formulate a master plan and look in to the provision of other infrastructural ... Read more

The Signature Bridge of Delhi is all set to open by the end of October this year. The Signature Bridge is looked upon as one of the next top tourist hotspots in the city, which will have a 154 m high glass box to allow visitors get a bird’s eye view of the city. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia recently said that the construction work on the bridge is almost complete and it will likely be opened for public use by October 31. The bridge is said to be the first asymmetrical cable-styled bridge in the country, it will ... Read more

Satish Dhawan Space Center Andhra Pradesh government ventures to redesign the concept of tourism in the state. The government is planning to explore the potential of industrial tourism, other than site seeing and adventures.  Sri City, the integrated business city in Chittoor and Nellore districts and the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota are some of the places they have identified as industrial tourism spots. The objective behind the new idea is to generate interest in students and young entrepreneurs and help them enrich their awareness levels on industrial processes. At the same time, it will become a revenue earner ... Read more

Tourist arrivals in Greece jumped 22.3 per cent in June compared with the same period last year, with tourism revenues rising 16 per cent, Bank of Greece (BoG) data on the current account surplus released Monday show. In the first half of the year, tourist arrivals and revenues rose 19.1 per cent and 18.9 per cent respectively, against the first six months of 2017. Tourism revenues increased to 2.33 billion euros in June from 2 billion in the same month of 2017. Greece’s current account balance showed a smaller surplus in June compared to the same month of 2017 on ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Reuters A flash flood has killed at least 10 hikers in southern Italy on Monday when they were hurled over rocks by a raging white-water creek in a deep mountain gorge, a popular aquatic trekking spot. Eighteen people were rescued and six of those were injured in the flash rush of water in the Calabria region. There were at least 36 hikers in two organised groups inside the seven and a half mile long gorge. The number of missing trekkers are still unclear. The nationalities of the dead and injured were not immediately known, but most tourists and trekkers ... Read more

Art work by Georg Lowit The 17th edition of Sculptour, the renowned art event of Belgium, has been commenced on 1st May and will conclude by 23rd September 2018. The annual art event is happening at Kluisbergen municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Sculptour is an art event aimed at professional artists from around the world to display their artworks. Several prominent sculptors from different countries have been taking part in this unique event.  It offers a big platform to the artists to draw the attention of a large amount of public who love contemporary arts. The focus ... Read more

Rescue-cum-relief operations are going on in full swing in Kodagu, which is reeling under rain havoc. In view of the rain fury, the Deputy Commissioner has banned entry and stay of tourists in Kodagu till August 31. In a circular issued on Sunday, DC P I Sreevidya has prohibited tourists from staying in hotels, resorts, home stays, guest houses and other private lodges and boarding homes, till the end of this month. A copy of the circular has been forwarded to Kodagu District Hotel and Resort Owners Association and Kodagu District Home Stays Association. “The landslides and flooding is unpredictable in ... Read more

Aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked domestic airlines to operate additional flights to Kerala and cap fares as the state is affected by one of the worst floods in the history of the state. The flood situation has forced its busiest airport in Kochi to shut operations till August 26. The DGCA after holding talks with the carriers, said it is constantly monitoring airfares on 32 direct routes operating to/from Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Coimbatore and Mangalore. “Spike in airfare on a few routes have been observed. Airlines concerned have been advised to cap the airfare on these ... Read more

New Zealand is becoming one of the favourite destinations for Indians. During the past four years, number of Indian tourists to New Zealand has doubled from 33,000 to 66,000. Considering this remarkable growth in the inbound tourists from India, New Zealand tourism has expanded its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year. “It is a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market perceptions in the tourism sector,” said Steven Dixon, Regional Manager, South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, on his recent trip ... Read more

The Kurdistan Region is expected to receive some 200,000 tourists over the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, a Kurdish official told Kurdistan 24 on Monday. “The Directorates [of Tourism] have been told to be present at tourist destinations on Eid [al-Adha] to welcome visitors and address any shortcomings in the services provided,” said Nadir Rosti, the spokesperson for the Board of Tourism. A few days ahead of the Islamic “Festival of Sacrifice,” set to be held on Tuesday, Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials reopened the Kirkuk-Erbil road as the newly-built temporary bridge, replacing the one in Altun Kupri (Pirde) that was ... Read more

Tourism has excelled the construction industry in Spain in terms of employment generation. As per a recent survey by the Spanish Institute of Tourism, 2.65 million people are engaged in different sectors of tourism, which represent around 13.7 percentage of the total population of the nation, meanwhile construction sector account for around 13.1 per cent. The demand for workers in the tourism sector has been steadily rising year by year. According to the survey, more than 2.2 million people were employed in tourism in the second during 2014, which has increased to 2.6 million now, depicting a hike of nearly ... Read more

Meghalaya, a place known for its scenic beauty, is home to some of the country’s majestic caves. Now, they have a “golden cave” as well. Krem Liat Prah, Krem Puri, Krem Mawsmai, Siju, Krem Mawjymbuin and Krem Kotsati are some of the renowned caves found in the enchanting Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills. In the village of Jalaphet, lies a newly discovered cave which awaits promotion to a tourist destination. Jalaphet, a village situated 15km away from the district headquarters, Khliehriat (East Jaintia Hills), comprises two villages, Jalaphet Bri-Sutnga and Jalaphet Bri-Sumer. In March, the villagers discovered the cave in ... Read more