Category: News

Bali is back after a massive fall

Web Desk ‘Paradise on Earth’ and the ‘Island of the Gods’ are not enough to describe the beauty of Bali. The land of unexplored treasures, has never failed to attract tourists till recently after a series of volcano eruptions late last year. Mount Agung. Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia Mount Agung’s eruption, which began in September, forced the island’s airport to close for two days last month, and visitor arrivals have dropped by more than 70 per cent. But, the island started to recover with arrivals of foreign tourists. The tourism sector faced $1 billion in loss in tourist revenue last year. ... Read more

Govt plans complete exit from ITDC hotels

Web Desk The Government of India is considering a complete exit from the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) by selling 87 per cent of its shares. As part of its disinvestment exercise, the Cabinet, in September 2017, has approved the transfer of Hotel Jaipur Ashok and Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, Mysore, to the governments of Rajasthan and Karnataka respectively. It also cleared disinvestment of ITDC’s 51 per cent equity in Donyi Polo Ashok, Itanagar, in favour of Arunachal Pradesh. ITDC currently runs 16 hotels in Delhi, Patna, Jammu, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Bhopal, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Guwahati, Mysore, Puducherry and Itanagar. The ... Read more

Wyndham to open 40 new hotels in India by 2020

Web Desk Ramada Khajuraho Wyndham Hotel Group has plans to 40 new hotels in India by 2020 as part of its robust expansion plans in the country. The company has opened 11 new hotels in the region last year. The company is also planning to introduce new brands to India over the coming years including Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Wyndham Grand and Wyndham. Wyndham has 35 operational hotels in India under the Ramada, Ramada Encore, Howard Johnson and Days brands. “India’s hospitality industry, especially the mid-market segment, is thriving from strong growth in domestic travel, an increase in foreign tourists, ... Read more

ibis debuts in Hinjewadi, Pune

Web Desk InterGlobe Hotels and AccorHotels jointly open ibis Pune Hinjewadi (IPH). To celebrate its opening, ibis Pune Hinjewadi is offering a special price of Rs. 3,699 per night, with breakfast for two until March 31, 2018. Featuring 136 well-appointed rooms, the hotel’s contemporary design offers unparalleled comfort and convenience with its range of in-room amenities and signature Sweet Bed (TM) bedding concept by ibis. The hotel also offers complimentary high speed Wi-Fi access to ensure that guests can enjoy a relaxing stay. For food aficionados, ibis Pune Hinjewadi features the signature ‘Spice It’ restaurant – a culinary concept tailor-made ... Read more

Hyatt opens first Hyatt Place in Hyderabad

Web Desk Hyatt Hotels Corporation opens the first Hyatt Place hotel in Hyderabad, Telangana, offering a fresh perspective on the uncomplicated stay experience that is a hallmark of the Hyatt Place brand. Photo Courtesy: Expedia “We are excited to introduce Hyatt Place Hyderabad/Banjara Hills as the third Hyatt-branded hotel to open in the city of Hyderabad, joining Park Hyatt Hyderabad and Hyatt Hyderabad, Gachibowli, which have already created a strong affinity for the Hyatt brand among travellers,” said Kurt Straub, Vice President (Operations, India), Hyatt. “Hyatt Place Hyderabad/Banjara Hills has been designed specifically with our guests in mind, blending comfort ... Read more

ixigo launches voice-based travel assistant TARA

Web Desk The digital world is ever changing and it’s very difficult to keep up with the pace of this ever changing world. Travellers are no exception. People are searching for new technologies which can satiate their needs. Realising this, ixigo launches TARA, a voice-enabled, AI-driven travel assistant of the future that helps users discover, plan, book and manage their travel. TARA helps travellers make planning and booking hassle-free as well as reduce the time spent in researching. TARA has features like emotive voice-based assistance, pre-emptive trip planning, automated frequent flyer programme management, seamless flight search and booking and automated ... Read more

Millennials spend more on travel than seniors

Web Desk Photo Courtesy: Alexfinds Millennials are willing to spend more on leisure trips as compared to people belonging to the older age group, reveals a survey conducted by Phocuswright study, which is co-commissioned by ixigo, a travel marketplace. Over 2,700 travellers took the online survey. Almost half (48 per cent) of the respondents were millennials. Around 22 per cent of seniors aged above 55 spent over Rs 6,000 per night for their most significant trip during the year whereas 34 per cent of the millennials, specifically in the age group of 25-30, spent this much or more. One out ... Read more

Solo Women Travellers above 25 can now travel to Saudi

International Desk, TNL Photo Courtesy: Emirates Woman Saudi Arabia all set to shed its ultra-conservative image, thanks to the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who is leading a massive drive to change the face of the Kingdom. The good news now is that the government has allowed women aged 25 and over to travel to Saudi without being accompanied by a family member. The government has announced its decision to grant tourist visa to solo women travellers above 25. However, women under 25 must be accompanied by a family member. Photo Courtesy: SeeSaudi The tourist visa will be a single-entry ... Read more

Dubai Frame; new tourist attraction of Dubai

360 degree view of the city, and Dubai's journey from past to future are the highlights of the ‘Frame’.

UAE Blocks skype

access to Skype is blocked since it is providing unlicensed VoIP service

Dubai welcomes New Year with a record-breaking light show

Dubai set the record for the largest light and sound show on a single building

What Indian travellers preferred this winter

Most popular overseas destinations are Thailand, Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia and London. In India, Goa, Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Manali are favourites.

Kerala State Tourism Awards 2015-2016 announced

22 awards presented in three categories for exceptional performance in the tourism sector

Israel expecting more Indian travellers, relaxes visa rule

e-visa processing as well as easing the group visa process are also under consideration of Israel tourism ministry

First Lady of Iceland appointed as Special Ambassador for Tourism

Eliza Jean Reid, after taking charge, underlined the relevance of sustainable tourism as a measure to build peace.