Category: News

Photo Courtesy: IG/nuchienuchiee The UAE has announced a change in visa rules for tourists and free transit visas to all passengers flying through Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Emirate has introduced a new two-month exemption for dependents of tourists travelling to the country on holidays. Now, tourists can also obtain a fee-free visa for children under the age of 18 years during the summer period from 15th July to 15th September of each year. The UAE government has also announced that it will be setting up several express counters at the passport control halls at airports across the Emirates to allow ... Read more

“Improved road and air connectivity is necessary for the state to connect with other states and thus attract more tourists,” says Kerala Governer P Sathasivam. He was inaugurating the Nishagandhi Monsoon Music Fest at the Nishagandhi Auditorium at Kanakkunnu, Thiruvananthapuram. He also recommended the state government to utilise the Centre’s ‘UDAN’ (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme aimed at improving rural airports and connectivity. He also offered his willingness to follow up the actions, if the state makes any requests to the Union Government in this regard. Citing the example of Puthuchery, he said despite its small size, they have ... Read more

The two companies, leading the quest of space tourism revealed that they are just months away from their first space travel, carrying tourists; the date is yet to be confirmed. Virgin Galactic Spacecraft Virgin Galactic, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, and Blue Origin, by Amazon creator Jeff Bezos – are striving to be the first to finish their tests. However, both the companies are using fundamentally different technology. Space tourism by both the companies does not mean to carry the passengers along the orbit of earth. Their weightless experience will last just minutes. The experience will be different from ... Read more

With an aim to attract the leisure travellers out of India, Vistara plans to connect Sri Lanka and Maldives from Delhi and Thailand from Delhi and Kolkata before October this year. Vistara has applied to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for permissions to launch flights to connect these destinations. The airline plans to connect destinations in Bangladesh, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to Delhi and Singapore to Pune in the next phase. The new services will be through an Airbus 320 family aircraft. Vistara has announced firm orders for 13 Airbus A-320 Neo family and 6 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth ... Read more

Indian airline Vistara is in the processes expansion in term of domestic and international flights. As part of their growth plans, they have placed orders for six Boeing Co 787 Jets and 13 Airbus SE A320neos valued at $3.1 billion at list prices. Vistara joins rival Jet Airways and low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet that have plans to grow their international operations to offset a highly competitive, price-sensitive domestic market. "India`s position as the world`s fastest growing domestic aviation market and its impressive growth in air passenger traffic that has more than doubled over the last decade makes us confident ... Read more

Photo Courtesy – REUTERS A huge iceberg has drifted close to a village in western Greenland, prompting a disaster in case it splits and the resulting wave swamps homes. The iceberg is looming over houses on a cape in the Innaarsuit village, but is grounded and did not move overnight, local media say. Local officials say they have never seen such a big iceberg before. Last year in northwestern Greenland, four people died when a landslide resulted in a tsunami that inundated a number of homes. That disaster is fresh in peoples’ minds, says glaciologist Anna Hogg at the University ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Tanzania Safari Supremacy The government of Tanzania is planning to establish a beach management authority to improve beach tourism in the East African nation. Hamisi Kigwangalla, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, said, “Beach tourism is not being promoted on mainland Tanzania with its abundant potential.” He was talking in a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. He said the government will formulate strong strategies to exploit the potential in beach tourism to contribute to the national economy. “The beach management authority will manage and improve all beaches to attract more tourists and investors,” the ... Read more

Emirates has unveiled its 42nd dedicated lounge across its global network at Cairo International Airport (CAI). The lounge is now open to Emirates First Class and Business Class customers as well as Platinum and Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s loyalty programme. Reflecting the airline’s ongoing commitment to Egypt, the Emirates Lounge in Cairo represents a US$ 3.6 million investment to provide premium customers with a seamless and enjoyable journey. Catering to three daily flights, the lounge offers customers even greater levels of comfort, hospitality and convenience as they start their Emirates experience in Cairo. Located at Departure Terminal 2, ... Read more

The Archaeological Survey of India has issued orders to allow photography within the premises of centrally protected monuments lifting the photography ban instituted earlier. The decision came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the logic behind the existing restrictions at an event. Photography will be allowed in all of the monuments and archaeological sites administered by the ASI, except the mausoleum at Taj Mahal, the Ajanta Caves and the Leh Palace, the order said. The Archaeological Survey of India administers and manages 3,686 ancient monuments and archaeological sites, and remains of national importance. “Inspired by the vision of hon’ble PM ... Read more

Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh to conduct International power boat racing championship in Krishna River in November. The event will be conducted on November 9, 10, and 11. Nine teams and 19 drivers from 12 countries will contest in the championship along with team Amaravati. The government of Andhra Pradesh, represented by Himanshu Shukla, CEO, AP Tourism, F1H2O Promoter Management and India Xtreme Adventure Activities have entered into a memorandum of understanding to conduct the 6th round of F1H2O power boat racing in Krishna River in November. The F1H2O World Championship will take place in Amaravati with the support of United Internationale Motonautique. ... Read more

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan Kama inaugurated the world’s largest integrated Indian Visa Application Center at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka. The ministers launched the new integrated state-of-the-art Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC), by handing over passports with Indian visas to a couple of visa applicants. Rajnath Singh handed over a five-year multiple entry tourist visa to Mohammad Nazrul Islam (freedom fighter category), while Asaduzzaman Khan Kama handed over a five-year multiple entry tourist visa to Amal Chandra Natta (senior citizen category).  Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla handed over a one-year ... Read more

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa. The airline already flies to Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar, and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Recently it has launched a four times weekly service to Casablanca in Morocco. The Network and Planning team is working hard to assess the viability of other new routes. Khartoum in Sudan is considered to be a potential addition. Considering the large number of Sudan migrants in Oman, Khartoum is a strong favourite to be amongst the new additions ... Read more

Israel has witnessed a record breaking growth of 82 per cent in Indian tourist arrivals to the country from January to June, 2018, in the last three years. More than 40,000 Indian tourists visited Israel in the last six months as compared to the 22,000 footfall during the same period in 2015 as per the statistics released by Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT). Israel also witnessed a whopping 17,800 Indian arrivals with 115 per cent growth in May alone as compared to 8,300 visitors in May 2015. “We have been witnessing a steady year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals to Israel ... Read more

Around 387,000 tourists visited Red Sea in June this year, in which 300,000 were foreign tourists, according to the Red Sea governorate’s statistics. German tourists recorded the highest number among other nationalities with 110,655 tourists. Egyptians came second with 82,640. Czech tourists came third with 27,852 visitors, while the British came fourth with 22,527 and the Polish ranks fifth with 20,238 tourists. As per records, tourists from the Arab countries show a downward trend. Only 1506 tourists from Arab countries visited Read Sea during this period. Domestic tourism in Hurghada hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 100 per cent, despite ... Read more

The Delhi government is all set to re-brand the city for tourists with an aim to double its revenue through tourism. The emphasis would be on creating specialised itineraries and conducting regular cultural events around the history of the capital. Currently, a traveller spends 1.8 days on an average in Delhi, and the aim is to increase this to 3.6 days.  According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Delhi is the largest and busiest international airport, handling 58 million passengers in 2016-17. Research by the WTTC also found that the city generated Rs 320 crore in tourism in 2016, but ... Read more