Page 9 - Tourism

Sikkim CM Tamang gives Rs 20,000 cheque to drivers of tourist vehicles

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang handed over Rs 20,000 cheque to drivers of tourist vehicles who were stranded in North Sikkim during the flash flood which hit the Himalayan state. Over 223 tourist vehicle drivers were stranded in Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang as the road connectivity to Mangan district in the northern part of the state was cut off due to the Testa river flash flood on October 4. Distributing the cheques to the drivers of tourist vehicles on Friday, the CM hoped that the relief provided by the state government would help mitigate the hardships faced by the drivers during this difficult time. Tamang said a donation of Rs 2 crore has been received by the Sikkim Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) from Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. He thanked Khandu and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma for their support during this challenging time. The Sikkim CM thanked several individuals and organisations which came forward and contributed to the Chief Minister's

Himachal govt identified 11 sites for developing eco-tourism: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has identified 11 sites for developing and promoting ecotourism in the state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. Presiding over a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh EcoTourism Society here on Monday evening, he said every eco-tourism destination will be developed in an area of one hectare. The sites identified include Swaar, Saurabh Van Vihar, Neugal Park, Bir-Billing in Palampur forest division, Kasol, Kheer Ganga and Sumarupa in Parvati forest division, Sojha in Seraj, Narkanda in Kotgarh, Shogi camping site and Potter Hill camping site under Shimla forest division. Himachal Pradesh is blessed with immense natural beauty and the eco-tourism would help in increasing tourist footfall and add to the state's revenue as well, Sukhu said, adding that it will also help in generating employment opportunities.

Special joyrides on Darjeeling toy trains during upcoming festive season

Special joyrides will be organised on Darjeeling toy trains during the festive season beginning with Durga Puja, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Saturday. The joyrides will be organised between Darjeeling and Ghum railway stations of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), NFR spokesperson Sabyasachi De said. He said that four diesel joyride services will operate daily between the two stations from October 13 to January 5 next year, during which heavy tourist inflows to the hill station are witnessed. The first train of the day will depart Darjeeling at 9.20 am and reach Ghum at 10.05 am. The final train of the day will leave Darjeeling at 3.30 am and reach Ghum at 4.15 pm, commencing its return journey at 4.35 pm to reach Darjeeling at 5.05 pm. The toy trains will have three first class chair car coaches, with a total of 89 seats.

PM's visit to Pithoragarh on October 12 will boost tourism: U'khand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Pithoragarh will give a boost to spiritual and religious tourism in the Manaskhand region. Modi will visit Adi Kailash, Parvati Kund, Gunji and Jageshwar Dham in the region besides addressing a public rally in Pithoragarh on October 12. Dhami who visited Pithoragarh to review the preparations ahead of the Prime Minister's visit said all his visits are eagerly awaited by the people of Uttarakhand. "The prime minister has a special sense of attachment with Uttarakhand and people of the state have similar feelings for him. All his visits to Uttarakhand are eagerly awaited," he said. After his visit, the land of Baba Kailash or Manskhand will see the same kind of development as witnessed by Kedarkhand after his becoming Prime Minister, he said. "The way Kedarkhand has seen the construction of the all weather char dham roads after his (Modi's) becoming Prime Minister, the

'Travel for LiFE' fantastic initiative, worth replicating: PATA chairperson

India's 'Travel for LiFE' campaign is a "fantastic initiative" and worth replicating as it addresses both the demand and supply sides of the sector, the chairperson of Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association said here on Wednesday. PATA chief Peter Semone was addressing a large number of delegates who have gathered in Delhi for the 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart being hosted at Pragati Maidan from October 4-6. At a formal opening of the global travel conclave, he congratulated India and the Ministry of Tourism for the 'Travel for LiFE' initiative. The opening ceremony was held at Hotel Ashoka here. The Ministry of Tourism, on the occasion of World Tourism Day on September 27, had globally launched the sustainable programme of 'Travel for LiFE, under the aegis of 'Mission LiFE', targeted towards the tourism sector, promoting tourists to follow responsible behaviour while travelling. "First of all I would like to congratulate the Governm

Sports tourism market improves strike rate ahead of Cricket World Cup

FMCG majors too have cashed in on the frenzy, sealing sponsorship agreements with the mega event

EaseMyTrip, Uttarakhand govt sign MoU to make state a global tourism spot

Online travel tech platform EaseMyTrip and the government of Uttarakhand have signed a memorandum of understanding worth Rs 250 crore to elevate Uttarakhand's tourism sector

Nepal's tourism bounces back, receives nearly 700,000 tourists in 9 months

Nepal received around 7 lakh tourists in the first nine months of 2023 as the Himalayan nation gradually recovers from the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic, according to official data. The data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said a total of 692,372 tourists entered the country by air from January to September this year. We have achieved 98 per cent recovery in tourist arrival in September this year, said Mani Lama, director of Nepal Tourism Board. The government has set a target of bringing in one million foreign tourists in 2023. In September alone, 91,012 tourists visited Nepal, of which 28,694 tourists came from India, 8,174 from China, 7,364 from America, and 3,716 tourists came from Bangladesh. Meanwhile, 3,685 tourists came from Australia, 3, 640 from the United Kingdom, 3,011 from Sri Lanka, 2, 852 from Germany, 2,018 from South Korea and 1,0734 from Israel visited the Himalayan nation in September. Last year, only 58,314 tourists visited during the same .

Rajasthan govt to boost tourism, improve infrastructure facilities

Special efforts will be made to improve road connectivity and provide last-mile connectivity

Tourism in Himachal's Shimla booms amid festive season and weekends

Bengali tourists, who typically visit Shimla during the Navratri festival have started arriving in the town

PM changed J-K from 'terror capital' to tourism hub: BJP's national secy

BJP's national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed Jammu and Kashmir, which was once known as the "capital of terrorism", into a hub of tourism and development. During the three decades of rule by parties associated with the families of Muftis, Abdullahs, and Gandhis, Jammu and Kashmir was known as the "terrorist capital of India", he alleged. Hitting out at the "three dynastic rulers", Chugh said, "Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the largest migration in the history of the country, mass massacres of Hindus, months-long curfews, and now, these parties are alleging that the BJP is responsible for terrorism in the Union Territory". "Prime Minister Modi has transformed Jammu and Kashmir into a hub of tourism and development. Since the BJP came to power, terrorism has almost ceased in the valley. The removal of Article 370 brought peace to Jammu and Kashmir, and development with peace has been ongoing since 2019. It has become a capita

Travel agents body calls to abolish TCS ahead of implementation from Oct 1

As the new Tax Collection at Source (TCS) on foreign remittances is set to become applicable from October 1, travel agents' body TAAI has made a last-minute plea to the government, urging them to abolish the decision or defer its implementation until the next fiscal year to allow discussions on overseas tour packages. The government has raised the TCS on foreign remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) from 5 per cent to 20 per cent. This will be applicable to international travel, sending money abroad and other remittances. Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, appealing to abolish TCS on overseas tour packages, highlighting the business loss and complexity of its implementation. In a letter to the FM, TAAI President Jyoti Mayal said the TCS is a huge challenge for the travel fraternity and would lead to a lot of business being diverted to overseas tour operators. Further, she pointed out that with GST alread

99% tourism resumes in HP as it recovers from nature's fury: Official

Bouncing back from being on the receiving end of nature's fury, Himachal Pradesh now plans to hold tourism festivals in all its 12 districts as 99 per cent of tourism activities have resumed in the state, an official said Tuesday. Raghubir Singh Bali, the vice chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board, also said district Tourism Officers would prepare the theme of festivals in their districts and school and college students and local representatives would be involved in various activities at the festival. Excessive rains and flash floods, triggering massive landslides had thrown normal life out of gear but the government actively carried out restoration operations and as on day roads are open, services have been restored and the state is fully prepared to receive tourists, Bali said in a statement issued here. Bali, who is also the chairman of HP Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), said Shimla Flying Festival would be organised at Junga near the state capital .

Tourism sector from across world to assemble in Kerala for travel expo

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will inaugurate the first edition of South India's prestigious travel expo Global Travel Market (GTM 2023) at Kovalam, near here, on September 27. State Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas will preside over the inaugural function of the four-day event at The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel, at 5 pm, an official release said on Monday. Kerala Chief Secretary V Venu will deliver the keynote address on the occasion. Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai will inaugurate the seminar sessions on September 27 at 6.30 pm. It will deliberate on various topics on the theme 'Experience the Essence of South India: Where Culture Meets Nature'. GTM 2023, an annual B2B travel and trade exhibition, is organised by South Kerala Hoteliers Forum (SKHF), Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industries (TCCI), Tavas Ventures, and Metro Media. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will inaugurate the travel and trade exhibition at Travancore International

Thailand eyes India to boost tourism recovery after waiving visa for China

Thailand PM Srettha said he plans to make a trip to India this year to meet his counterpart Narendra Modi and discuss increasing flight frequency between the two countries

Thailand eyes India to boost tourism recovery after waiving visa for China

Thailand may also mull other measures to boost Indian tourist arrivals, such as offering tax exemptions on jewelry imported for Indian weddings held in Thailand

With advanced navigation tech, Centre looks to tap heritage of lighthouses

A view of the Kovalam lighthouse in Kerala. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways is holding a lighthouse festival on September 23-25

Tourism in Kerala unaffected by Nipah as infection is contained: Minister

Despite the Nipah scare in the northern district of Kozhikode, tourism activities across Kerala have been continuing normally and safely, state Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said on Sunday. All events including the Champions Boat League (CBL) are taking place as per schedule, marking the commencement of the high inbound season, the minister said. "The situation is well under control in a few pockets of Kozhikode district from where some cases of Nipah virus infection were reported, thanks to coordinated and foolproof containment measures taken on a war footing," the minister said in a press release. He said the tourism department officials are in close touch with the travel and hospitality industry and service providers and that the feedback received is that all tourism activities are on track as planned. Riyas added that Kerala has always remained a safe destination for tourists due to the state's strong health sector infrastructure and history of effective interventions duri

Goa govt launches taxi service app to facilitate easy travel for tourists

The Goa government on Friday launched a taxi service app through which people can book a cab online to travel anywhere within the coastal state. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the "Goa Taxi App" in the presence of state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chairman Ganesh Gaonkar and director of tourism Suneel Anchipaka. Speaking on the occasion, Sawant said the tourist footfall in the state will increase, once visitors are assured of their safety, and the introduction of the taxi app is a major step towards it. The app will also help bring down the travelling cost for tourists, who have been complaining about exorbitant taxi fares in the coastal state, he said. Tourists were complaining that travelling to Goa from Mumbai by flight is cheaper than travelling to a hotel in the coastal state in a taxi, the chief minister said. Khaunte said "Goa Taxi App" has been operational at the Manohar International Airport (MIA), Mopa since the last

Champions Boat League to boost tourist footfall in Kerala: Tourism Secy

Kerala is banking on the innovative Champions Boat League to be held in the southern state later in September to further boost its tourism sector as a major all-season experiential destination, an official said here on Tuesday. Modelled after the cricket IPL, the snake boat race competition is being touted by the state as a major event that it is confident of attracting a large number of tourists. "After posting an impressive surge in domestic tourist footfall, Kerala has gained further traction as a major all-season experiential destination with its innovative products like the IPL-model Champions Boat League (CBL) races helping the southern state to scale up its standing as a highly-preferred tourist hub," Kerala Tourism secretary K Biju told reporters here. He said that the third edition of the annual CBL, starting later in September, is expected to boost domestic footfalls in all regions of the state. "Panned out in the backwaters across Kerala, CBL offers a rare visual treat .