Category: News

Acclaimed *Ottanthulal artist Kalamandalam Geethanandan died on Sunday around 8 pm while performing at Avittathur Mahavishnu Temple at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur, Kerala. The 58-year-old, who had performed on more than 5,000 stages in India and abroad, collapsed on the stage and died during a stage performance. He was given first aid and taken to a hospital, but could not be saved. Geethanandan had been a faculty member at the Kalamandalam’s Ottanthulal department for more than 25 years. Geethanandan has also acted in many movies including Kamaladalam, Manasinakkare, Thoovalkottaram and Irattakuttikalude Achan. He won Veerasringala and Thullal Kalanidhi award and was the first artist ... Read more

Iran plans to promote Youth Tourism after the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, the event organized under the Cultural Heritage Handicraft and Tourism Organization of the country mainly focusing the youth and children as the key players behind travel. Pouyan Qaem-Maqami, executive director of the national base for youth tourism told that ‘the country would conduct touring camps for youth as well as recreational programs that will introduce Iran’s natural and historic attraction among youth as well as children. Youth tourism, nowadays, is the fastest growing segment of the industry that includes cheaper accommodation, customised travel for backpackers, educational travelling etc. ... Read more

Sheikha Hessa bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the mother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, has died. UAE would observe three days of mourning beginning Sunday. Sheikha Hessa was the first wife of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE when the federation of seven sheikhdoms became a country in 1971. She gave birth in 1948 to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who became president after Sheikh Zayed’s death in 2004. Sheikh Khalifa is also the ruler of oil-rich Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbanand Sonwal P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi inaugurated the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Integrated Terminal Building at LGBI airport in Guwahati. “Guwahati, our jewel of pride in the North-East, is all set to emerge as an aviation hub, augmenting the much needed capacity in the region,” said Ashok Gajapathi after the foundation stone laying ceremony. The terminal consists of the departure lobby, waiting lounge, check-in counters and boarding lobby. “This new terminal building will further boost regional and South East Asian connectivity,” said Sarbanand.

The Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) has decided to fund a new feature film ‘Unread Pages’ directed by Jahnu Barua. The first film under the state tourism policy will be produced jointly by Hollywood-based Ivanhoe Pictures and Mumbai-based Easterly Entertainment. The film’s main aim is to give exposure to the scenic beauty of Assam on an international platform. It will also be an official announcement of an India-US co-production of a story from Assam for an international audience. It will also be Barua’s first international film. The film, which will be both in Assamese and English, is said to be ... Read more

Telangana government is planning to set up amphitheatre, tribal museum, food court and cottages at Medaram and develop it as a permanent tourist destination. The State government had already brought up Haritha tourism hotel for Rs 7.5 crore and tribal museum for Rs 2 crore. “The tourists are coming to Medaram all along the year hence it has been decided to develop Medaram as permanent tourist attraction. We will bring up amphitheatre, tribal museum, food court, cottages for VIPs etc,” said Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari. Photo Courtesy: Telanganatoday The Museum would showcase the story of Sammakka and Sarlamma. About ... Read more

Yamunotri. Photo Courtesy: wiki The ancient route to Char Dham in Uttarakhand, which is said to have been used by the Pandavas of the Mahabharata some 3,000 years ago, is to be revived. The Char Dham are four places (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram) which is considered to be the places which will help them attain nirvana. The ancient pilgrim sites in Uttarakhand such as Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are considered chota Char Dham. The government plans to revive the ancient trekking trail that is said to have been used 3,000 years ago by the Pandavas, the five protagonist brothers ... Read more

പക്ഷി ടൂറിസത്തെ പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കാനൊരുങ്ങി ഒഡിഷ.പ്രമുഖ പക്ഷി നിരീക്ഷണ കേന്ദ്രമായ ചില്‍ക്ക തടാകം കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ച് പക്ഷി പ്രേമികളുടെ വിനോദ സഞ്ചാരം പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുകയാണ് ലക്‌ഷ്യം .ഇതിനായി മംഗല്‍ജോഡിയില്‍ ആദ്യ ദേശീയ പക്ഷി മഹോത്സവം തുടങ്ങി. കേരളത്തിലെ പക്ഷി സങ്കേതമായ തട്ടേക്കാടിനു അനുകരിക്കാവുന്നതാണ് പക്ഷി മഹോത്സവം.പ്രമുഖ പക്ഷി നിരീക്ഷകര്‍ മുതല്‍ സാധാരണ പക്ഷി പ്രേമികള്‍ വരെ മഹോത്സവത്തില്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നു.മികച്ച പ്രതികരണമാണ് പക്ഷി മഹോത്സവത്തിന് ലഭിക്കുന്നതെന്ന് ഒഡിഷാ ടൂറിസം സെക്രട്ടറി നിതിന്‍ ജവാലെ പറഞ്ഞു.   ഒരിക്കല്‍ വേട്ടക്കാരുടെ താവളമായിരുന്ന മംഗളജോഡി ഇന്ന് പക്ഷി നിരീക്ഷകരുടെ സങ്കേതമാണ് . സംരക്ഷിത തണ്ണീര്‍ തടമായ ഇവിടെ 250ലേറെ പക്ഷികളുണ്ട്.ഇതില്‍ 120ലേറെ ദേശാടന പക്ഷികളാണ്. പക്ഷികളുടെ സ്വര്‍ഗമാണ് ഇവിടം. അവ വെള്ളത്തില്‍ മുങ്ങി നിവരുന്നതും പറക്കുന്നതും മനോഹര കാഴ്ചയാണെന്ന് പക്ഷി സ്നേഹിയായ എസ്കെ ത്രിപാഠി പറഞ്ഞു. റഷ്യ,കിര്‍ഗിസ്ഥാന്‍,മദ്ധ്യേഷ്യ എന്നിവിടങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നൊക്കെ ദേശാടനക്കിളികള്‍ മംഗളജോഡിയില്‍ എത്താറുണ്ട്.

International tourist arrivals grew by 7 per cent in 2017 to a total of 1,322 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of 4 per cent-5 per cent. Photo Courtesy: TopYaps@topyaps Based on data reported by destinations around the world, it is estimated that international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) worldwide increased 7 per cent in 2017. This is well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4 per cent or higher growth since 2010 and represents the strongest results in seven years. Led by Mediterranean destinations, ... Read more

Turkey announced their new year 2018 as ‘The year of Troy’, with respect to celebrating the 20th anniversary of adding the old city of Canakkale on the UNESCO world heritage. Though Turkey has adopted various other possibilities in the field of tourism such as promoting their local cuisine, they have come up with a new approach to waking the global audience through the opening of Troy museum. The movie, which was a 2004 blockbuster and has fans from all over the world, generated with its distinctive characters featuring the history of Trojan War. The Turkish government thus predicts to draw ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images The President of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has always been in the limelight for the wrong words or usages. This time it has gone to an extent where he called tourists to his country saying virgins are waiting for them. He was referring to the purported Islamic State recruitment method of promising Islamist militants scores of virgins in the afterlife. Duterte, who is in India as part of the 2018 India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, was speaking at the Philippines-India Business Forum in New Delhi on the eve of the Indian Republic Day celebrations. Telling delegates about his Muslim ... Read more

Actress Parineeti Chopra, the first Indian woman ambassador of the ‘Friend of Australia’ (FOA) advocacy panel by Tourism Australia, has released a series of videos that narrate her holiday experiences in the Australian states. The actress shared her experience in the country in the form of a song. Parineeti released the videos on January 26, the day where India’s Republic Day and Australia Day are celebrated. Adding a personal touch to the video, the actress has sung the background score with lyrics that summarise the vibe of the places she visited. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Australia and the ... Read more

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has opened an information counter at the first platform of Tirupati railway station. The kiosk was inaugurated by APTDC Chairman V Jayarami Reddy in the presence of Tirupati Station Director K Satyanarayana. “The counter will be of immense use to pilgrims who visit Tirupati. They can get entire information about all tourism destinations in the state from the counter and plan their programmes during their pilgrimage,” Jayarami Reddy said. The display at the counter itself creates interest to the passengers in waiting to know more information. Tickets for all APTDC tours can be booked ... Read more

A new €1.8 million initiative specially designed to boost tourist numbers from Britain to the Wild Atlantic Way has been launched. The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin,  Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland’s Paul Keeley launched the new campaign. A €1.35 million marketing campaign in Britain will be complemented by Fáilte Ireland’s €500,000 programme to support businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way to position themselves to benefit from the campaign, as well as to boost its own marketing campaigns in Northern Ireland. The ‘campaign will be rolled out by Tourism Ireland in Britain in ... Read more

The ASEAN National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) have agreed on concrete initiatives to further expand tourism facilities and infrastructure by focusing on attracting investments to the regional grouping. Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the agreement reached by the NTOs was definitely the right direction for ASEAN as it is headed to the future. “With the ASEAN family now consisting of over 600 million people, we need to enhance our collaboration to achieve economic stability,” he said. In line with this collaboration, Malaysia would co-organise the first ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Investment Seminar in association with the ... Read more