Category: News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed the Non Resident Indians (NRIs) to contribute for the growth of the country when it is on the ‘rapid path of progress.’ He was addressing Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj of the US via video-conference. PM urged each NRI to inspire five foreign families to visit India to give a boost to tourism.  He said the Gujarati Patel community in the US, popular as “hotel motel Patel wallas” can contribute much for the promotion of India’s tourism among their guests by putting slides about the our country on their hotel TVs. “Whenever you get a guest in ... Read more

  The draft bill of Tourism Regulatory Authority of Kerala (TRAK) put forward by the Kerala State Government should be revised with some major amendments as suggested by the proponents of tourism industry. It was raised from the meeting of Confederation of Accredited Tour Operators (CATO) on 6th July 2018 at Le Meridian Hotel, Kochi. “Mandatory registration for all those working in the tourism industry is welcomed. However, some of the conditions in the draft bill cannot be accepted as it is,” opined the CATO members. The main points set forth by the meeting are: The term ‘tourist’ should be ... Read more

Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam, told the media that the Central Government is willing to build a high-security underground museum near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram so that devotees can have ‘darshan’ of the treasure. The minister has met Travancore royal family members Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvathi Bayi and Avittom Thirunal Aditya Varma on Sunday and expressed his ministry’s willingness to bear the cost of the museum, which is proposed to be Rs 300 crores. “The museum will be in the typical Kerala architectural style with high security system better than that of the Reserve Bank ... Read more

Uzbekistan will start issuing an electronic visa for citizens of 51 countries, including India, from July 15. It also announced a 5-day visa-free transit regime for 101 countries. An electronic visa will be issued for a period of 30 days in the territory of Uzbekistan with a single entry. The issued electronic visa will be valid for 90 days from the date of its issuance. The time for consideration of applications for registration and issuance of an electronic visa is two working days, excluding the day the application was filed. Therefore, the application for processing an electronic visa must be ... Read more

The world’s first Angry Birds World entertainment park has opened its doors to residents and visitors to Qatar. Located in Qatar’s largest fashion, dining and entertainment destination, Doha Festival City, the 17,000 sq.m park comprises an indoor space of 6,500 sq.m. The park also has an educational attraction, the Big Tree, intended for children to learn about science and express themselves creatively and musically. There is also the world’s first indoor and outdoor, multi-level karting track. An impressive 261 meters long, the track is modeled after “Angry Birds GO”. The tree also houses “Own the Sky”, a 106-metre zip line that ... Read more

The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) is all set to tour four Indian cities between July and August, with an aim to attract Indian tourists to the country. The campaign, which will feature roadshows in the cities, will highlight the West Asian nation as an attractive tourist destination. The Ministry will begin its maiden roadshow in Nashik on July 19 followed by Ahmedabad on August 27, Kolkata on August 29 and concluding in New Delhi on August 30. With an aim to enhance commercial ties with the Indian travel fraternity and strengthen media relations, the events will start off with ... Read more

Around 300 million photos get uploaded on Facebook every day and every second, at least 26 Instagram uploads. This photography bug seemed to have catch hold of everyone. Thanks to mobile phones or smartphones, every other person you meet on the road, or on the cafe, or anywhere for that matter, seem to be capturing one or the other moment around them. Privacy has become a strange term once you are in public space. But, if you are in any chance anywhere in the UAE, don’t try to focus your camera on others. If you do, it will end you ... Read more

National Advisor Bureau Limited, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) firm, has launched an official website for a project to tow icebergs from Antarctica to the UAE coasts during the first quarter of 2020 “to leverage them as new sources of water in the region”. The National Advisor Bureau Ltd put forward the UAE-Iceberg Project to highlight the upcoming stages and benefits in environment and economy. The project is estimated to cost $50-60 million. The pilot phase of the project will kick off during the second half of 2019 towards the coast of Perth in Australia, or the coast of Cape Town ... Read more

Emirates will be operating extra flights to Jeddah and Medina to help facilitate travel for pilgrims heading to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Hajj. Emirates will be operating 33 additional flights to Jeddah and Medina from 6 to 31 August to support the journey for pilgrims expected to travel to the Holy City of Mecca during Hajj this year. The services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina. These additional flight services are available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa. This year, top inbound destinations Emirates is expecting Hajj pilgrims to ... Read more

The UAE has launched National Ecotourism Project, with an aim to position the country as a leading green holiday destination. The project launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE), is aimed at promoting the country’s eco-tourism attractions in three phases that focus on environmental, economic and social factors. “Over the past few years, the pioneering vision and directives of the UAE leadership have enabled the country to consolidate its leading global status across diverse sectors, with travel and tourism at the forefront,” said Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment. Last year, the UAE recorded ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has always been lauded for its thought-provoking, creative social media campaigns. And, this time, the Tourism Department is competing in SAMMIE- Best Social Media Brand Award. Announcing this, P Bala Kiran IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism, has tweeted saying,” Our Kerala tourism is a big contender in the running for the prestigious SAMMIE- Best Social Media Brand Award, this year. Together, let us ensure Kerala Tourism’s win by casting our votes right away. Everyone, flock this way to vote: https://newsfeedsmartapps.com/BSMB/2018/index.php#/userSelection/2101020858/Travel/Kerala%20Tourism“. The second edition of Best Social Media Brands is looking for human brands, managed to have disrupted a fairly new ... Read more

Sri Lanka has recorded a growth of 15.3 per cent in tourist arrivals during the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year. According to the statistics from the Tourism Ministry, 1,164,647 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka between January and June. 1,010,444 tourists visited the country during the same period previous year. In June, 146,828 tourists arrived in the island country, registering 19 per cent increase from the arrivals recorded in June 2017. India remains the largest market for Sri Lanka in June, followed by China and Britain. Visitors from India grew 18.4 per cent to 32,971, and arrivals from ... Read more

Emirates has announced that it will deploy a one-off A380 service to Islamabad on 8 July 2018. The airline’s iconic double-decker will make its inaugural arrival in Islamabad on a special flight EK2524/EK2525. The A380 flight will depart Dubai on 8 July 2018 at 08 am and arrive in Islamabad at 12.10 pm. The flight will depart Islamabad at 15.40 pm arriving in Dubai at 17.45 pm on the same day. “We are proud to bring our flagship A380 aircraft to Islamabad, and we look forward to showcasing our innovative products on-board this iconic aircraft with the signature Emirates service. ... Read more

A private tourist bus operator – Chikkoos Travels- at Varkala in Kerala has painted his buses with the pictures of famous porn stars Johny Sins, Keiran Lee, Ava Addam, Mia Malkova and Mia Khalifa. A twitter user Alok Sharma tweeted the pictures of the buses saying, “The tourist buses in Kerala are way too BOLD with their art. From JohnnySins to KeiranLee AvaAddams to ALETTAOCEANXXXX to MiaMalkova and miakhalifa they’ve got’em all covered. Its like Brazzers on Wheels!” Lots of people shared and re-tweeted the message and in due course it came into the notice of Johny Sins himself. In ... Read more

Macau Tourism has a new mascot, ‘Mak Mak’, which will guide travellers to explore Macau. The new mascot was designed by Tou Chon Wai, winner of ‘Design Contest’ conducted by Macau Government Tourism Office  (MGTO). ‘Mak Mak’ encourages travellers to explore Macao, a city of Chinese and European cultures woven together in harmony, while searching for its own meaning on the journey and bringing back all valuable experiences to its most beloved home – Macau. MGTO Director Senna Fernandes presenting a trophy to Tou Chon Wai  Inspired by the Guia Lighthouse, Mak Mak is a black-faced spoonbill with hues of red, yellow ... Read more