Category: News

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has released the first draft of the passengers’ charter, spelling out rules for cancellation fee, compensation for missing connecting flight and plans to introduce wi-fi services in flights. The new regulations will come into effect after being approved by the Union Cabinet. If the passenger is informed about the cancellation of flights less than two weeks before and up to 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, the airline must offer alternate flight allowing the passenger to depart within two hours of the booked scheduled departure time or refund the ticket, as acceptable to the passenger. ... Read more

The implementation of value-added tax (VAT) doesn’t seem to trouble UAE’s hospitality and travel sector, as reports suggest the sturdy tourism sector is growing. Within few month of the tax implementation, the number of tourists rose to 4.7 million recording a growth of 2 per cent, while the accommodation rate reached up to 87 per cent indicating a growth by 0.7 per cent. The experts of hospital and travels industry mark the impact of tax as insignificant. The first year of tax introduction is expected to create a revenue of Dh12 billion and may rise up to Dh20 billion in ... Read more

With an aim to attract more Chinese travellers, Nepal has launched an interactive tourism website, in Chinese language to attract more Chinese tourists. Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari launched a customized website www.welcomenepal.cn which is an initiative of Nepal Tourism Board, the main tourism promotion body, to communicate in Chinese language. The website has information on various tourism destinations of Nepal, photos and videos, different activities and things-to-do, and necessary information for the Chinese nationals visiting the country. Appreciating the role and contribution of China in Nepal’s tourism, the country has prioritised promotion of Nepal ... Read more

Kerala’s serene hill stations, backwaters and beaches have been attracting tourists from all over the world. The tourism department’s efforts have always been to make Kerala as an ideal destination for Bollywood flicks. However, what always happen is that the directors end up in using the abandoned, fear-injecting guest houses and bungalows for the horror flicks. Finally, the tourism department has decided to put an end to this and promote these destinations in a proper way. As of now, the guest houses are mainly used by the government officials and local tourists. The tourism department’s plan is to make foreign ... Read more

The tourism ministry plans to accelerate India’s booming tourism sector by the introduction of long-term visas, which will increase the international tourist inflow significantly. The international tourist arrivals to India increased by 15.7 per cent in 2017 to top 10 million. The ministry also plans to ease travel restrictions in some areas, introduce more flights to trendy tourist destinations for boosting the international tourist arrivals. The tourism ministry had already proposed for better air connectivity to places like Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar and Guwahati to the civil aviation ministry last week. The ministry of home affairs has already accepted tourism ... Read more

Indian missions in the UAE have announced a total ban on satellite phones while travelling to India. The Indian diplomatic missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai issued an advisory to foreigners traveling to India, informing them about a ban on satellite phones to the country. The statement, published on all social media channels of the missions, said, “All foreigners who intend to go to India are therefore advised not to carry satellite phones to India.” Violators will face legal consequences. Providers of satellite phone services in the UAE have been advised to inform subscribers about the legal ban, reported Khaleej Times.

Jatayu Nature Park, one of the most anticipated tourism projects in Kerala, is all set to open its door for the public on July 4, said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.  The park, which was slated to be inaugurated officially on May 23rd, began its partial operation in the Adventure Rock Hill back in December 2017. The park situated at a whopping 65 acres of land holds the distinction of having the world’s first functional sculpture. It is also India’s first fully fenced park with all safety measures ensured for the visitors. The park also features 4 features and ... Read more

The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has issued an advisory for beachgoers. Based on the regulations for licensing, hiring and using personal watercrafts, “Operating a jet ski less than 200 metres from the beach” will attract a penalty. The Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, has announced that the first penalty will be Dh 500, whereas the second and third penalties will be Dh 1,000 and Dh 2,000, respectively. The third penalty will also incur the impounding of the jet ski for one month.  

The domestic air traffic grew at a robust rate of 26 per cent in April with various airlines together carrying 11.5 million passengers, up from 9.1 million in the same month last year, as per government data. SpiceJet holds the top position once again in terms of seat utilisation per aircraft with 95.5 per cent seats being booked. It was followed by IndiGo (91.9 per cent), GoAir (89.5 per cent), Vistara (88.8 per cent), AirAsia (87.5 per cent), Jet Airways (85.6 per cent) and Air India (84 per cent). As far as punctuality was concerned, IndiGo holds the crown with ... Read more

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is loosening its residency laws and is planning grant long-term visas for up to 10 years to investors and highly-skilled professionals. The 10-year residency visas will be granted to specialists in science, medicine and research, and to “exceptional students.” The plan aims to attract global investment and innovators. The UAE Cabinet approved the new rules yesterday, saying plans are also on track to allow foreign investors 100 per cent ownership of their UAE-based companies this year. Under current laws, foreign companies must have an Emirati owning 51 percent of the shares, unless the company operates ... Read more

Jet Airways has launched its first non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester, which will operate for four days a week including Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Jet Airways’ flight 9W 130 will depart from Mumbai at 02.30 am (local time) and will arrive in Manchester’s Terminal 2 at 07.55 am (local time). The return flight, 9W 129 will depart from Manchester at 09.35 am (local time) and arrive in Mumbai’s Terminal 2 at 00.40 pm (local time). “We are extremely pleased to begin a new chapter in our decade-long relationship with the United Kingdom. The new service will bring Manchester into our ... Read more

Till now tourists need to apply for travel documents such as the protected area permit (PAP) and the restricted area permit (RAP) before visiting Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim. And, now, as part of its plans to attract more tourists, the government is proposing to remove restrictions for foreigners who want to travel to these destinations. The restrictions can be removed only if the home ministry and the defence ministries approve the proposal since some areas in the north-east are considered sensitive due to a long history of insurgency in the region. “The ministry has proposed opening up the north-east for tourists. In ... Read more

Kerala tourism is targeting up to 15 per cent growth in number of tourist arrivals in 2018. The state witnessed overall growth of 10.94 per cent in tourist arrivals in 2017. Domestic tourists were up by 11.39 per cent, while the number of foreign tourists increased by 5.1 per cent in the period. “We are looking at an overall growth of up to 15 per cent in total number of tourist arrivals to the state in 2018. We are looking at a growth of 15 per cent rise in domestic tourists and 10 per cent rise in foreign tourist arrivals,” said P ... Read more

Your winter will be much more exciting this year. This is due to the fact that the tourists will be able to spend a good amount of time at Lambasingi, the ancestral village at the core of Chintapalle area in the Visakhapatnam. The village is a favourite spot for the travellers as single-digit temperatures are recorded during intense winters and is referred as ‘Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh’. The spot attracts lakhs of tourists from in and around the state every year. However, the main drawback cited by the tourists was the lack of enough accommodation at the village. Bringing a solution ... Read more

Registering a whopping sale of 38mn travel tickets this year, Digital wallet company Paytm is reported to have recorded 3x growth in this financial year when compared to last year. In less than two years since its inception, Paytm has registered a colossal growth in ticket bookings. It claims to be IRCTC’s largest re-seller of train tickets, the second largest source for bus tickets, and ranks among the top three in flight tickets. As per company’s reports, more than 85% of all travel bookings are done through the app and its travel services are vastly accepted across the metros, mini metros ... Read more