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Monthly Tourism Newsletter from India |
June 2005 |
| Permanent Feature - GOA | Contest |
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Greetings from rain & cool Goa!
Though the monsoon in India got delayed by almost 10 days, finally it has set in full swing in entire south India including Goa & Maharashtra. By early July, it should cover entire country and bring a new lease of life to the country as some parts are reeling under heat wave! Hotels in Goa are doing booming business these days, with the honeymooners & nature lovers!
As you must have heard the buzz, a lot, really a lot is happening at the aviation front in India! Probably aircraft manufacturers never had it so good, they have received bulk orders from India. Travelling by air in India is slowly getting every body’s business! So do take advantage of that!
And do remember, because of India’s vast expanse, we are a year round destination. Do take advantage of rather cheaper rates during the months of April – September and at the same time, be treated as a Maharaja! See you in India! |
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AIRLINES UPDATEWadia’s GoAir picks Airbus for start-up fleet: The Mumbai based Wadia family owner of Bombay Dyeing and Britannia has decided to induct 20 used Airbus A320 planes on lease and launch its domestic budget airline, GoAir this October. The airline is also preparing a mega plan to buy 20-40 brand new planes. The carrier plans to take on rivals in the crowded market with regular fares that will be at par with or even lower than air-conditioned train fares. The airline is evaluating both Airbus and Boeing to finalize its plan to buy 20-40 new aircrafts. InterGlobe to launch domestic airline in India INDIGO: InterGlobe has announced its plans to launch IndiGo, its nation-wide low-cost airline venture. IndiGo has committed for 100 firm A320 aircraft with Airbus, which is the largest number in India’s history.
JET AIRWAYS ORDERS 30 AIRCRAFTS: Private carrier Jet Airways signed deals with leading aircraft manufacturers Airbus Industrie and Boeing to acquire 30 new aircraft, with options to buy 20 more, to feed its expansion plans. The deals are worth over $4 billion as per the catalogue price of the planes. It will would acquire ten A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft from Airbus, with options to acquire ten more and 20 aircraft from Boeing, including B-777s with options for ten more. Orders have been placed for acquisition of six Boeing 777-200 LR (long range) worldliners, four Boeing 777-300 ER (extended range) and ten next generation Boeing 737-800s. The deliveries of the A330-200/300 would commence in the first quarter of 2007 and that of B 777s would begin 2006. AIR DECCAN ANNOUNCES Re 1 TICKETS: India’s first low-cost carrier Air Deccan has announced an offer to sell 1,000 tickets a month for as little as Re 1 per ticket. Also, Air Deccan’s peak fares of Rs 4,600 on Delhi-Bangalore and Rs 2,600 on Bangalore-Mumbai are lower than Kingfisher’s fares on these routes. The Re 1 tickets will be on offer for travel between 7th of June to 31st of July 2005. These would be applicable on all of its sectors serviced by Airbus. Jet AIRWAYS withdraws Delhi - Kathmandu flight: Domestic carrier Jet Airways has temporarily discontinued its flights on the Delhi-Kathmandu - Delhi sector for the month of June, usually considered as a peak tourist season. The airline has suspended its daily flights due to “operational reasons” and poor passenger load factor. Jet AIRWAYS gets government nod for 4 extra flights to US: The airline told the Bombay exchange that it had received permission from the government to operate four additional services a week to the USA. Bombay based Jet Airways said it could now operate seven flights a week from Bombay to Newark via Brussels, instead of three flights per week. India, Germany agree to operate 100 flights/week: The liberalized bilateral agreement between India and Germany allows operations of 100 flights per week between India and Germany compared to just 28 now. The move come close on the heels of similar pacts with various countries, including the US, UK and France. Lufthansa can now touch down at Hyderabad, Goa and Kochi. Indian Airlines will get landing rights at three new points in Germany. The government has been given the option to select these three points. All designated carriers of India can use the facility and the eligible candidates are Air-India and Indian Airlines along with private sector rivals Jet and Sahara. Lufthansa already operates to Hyderabad on the basis of a provisional permission. Jet AIRWAYS launches Mumbai-London flight: The airline is latest to take off from Mumbai to London, the sector that has seen in recent weeks a sudden spurt in the number of flights with the Virgin Atlantic launching its services. Jet has more plans to expand its services in the UK and Europe. It will be looking at the feasibility of flying to Manchester in the UK and to Rome, Milan, Zurich and Amsterdam from London. The airline intends to start flights from Heathrow to Mumbai using A340-300 aircraft on the route. It is the only airline starting the Mumbai-London service with a brand new aircraft.
IA goes low-cost to slash fares 20%:
KINGFISHER BECOMES
FIRST INDIAN CUSTOMER FOR A380, A350 AND A330: Kingfisher Airlines has become the first Indian
carrier to sign a firm contract with Airbus for the A350 and A380 – the
Company’s newest and largest aircraft, respectively – as well as for the A330.
The order is for five A350-800s plus five A380s for intercontinental services,
and five A330-200s for regional routes. Deliveries of Kingfisher’s Airbus A330s
are due to begin in the third quarter of 2007, those of the double-deck A380s in
2010, and those of the A350s in 2012. Air India resumes operations to canada after 20-year hiatus: Air India’s first service from New Delhi via Amritsar and Birmingham to Toronto was flagged off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on May 14, 2005. The first flight landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on the evening of May 15. QATAR AIRWAYS TO DELHI: In a move that is likely to bring down air fares in the India-Gulf sector, the government has allowed Qatar Airways to launch flights to Delhi and increase capacity on the Mumbai-Doha sector. The Doha-based airline, which has aggressive expansion plans for India, has also been permitted to deploy additional capacity on various other routes, including Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. Since the entry of Air-India Express and Air Arabia is already leading to a southward movement in air fares on the India-Gulf sector, the additional capacity is granted to Qatar Airways is expected to benefit customers further by intensifying competition. Pact on 25 more flights to Canada: As per the new agreement designated carrier of the two countries can operate 35 flights per week in each direction, from any point in India/Canada, to six cities in either of the two countries In light of the potential for rapid expansion of air services between India-Canada, the new agreement will give a boost to the expansion pans of Indian carriers like Air India, Jet Airways and Air Sahara. These carriers would now be allowed to operate a total of 35 flights per week to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver and two other cities to be notified later. AI EXPRESS NOW FLIES FROM DELHI TO WEST ASIA: Air India’s low cost subsidiary Air India Express has started to flights from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi at US$ 65 (Rs 2750). It will operate 3 flights a week on the Delhi – Abu Dhabi route which will go up to 6 services a week from next month. The airlines ticket Trivandrum to Abu Dhabi is just US$ 75 (Rs 3250). The budget airline offers only free snacks, juice and water. The carrier has already received 90,000 on line bookings besides bookings from travel agents and the airline directly. The airline proposes to operate flights to Bahrain, Doha, and Kuwait besides Muscat. Malaysia Airlines, Austrian Airlines look to cash in on tourism boom in India: Malaysia Airlines is set to expand its services from India by adding three more destinations and starting three additional flights between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur this winter. Their next step in the expansion plan would be to launch services from Amritsar from October followed by Kochi and Thiruvanathapuram early next year. Austrian Airlines is also attracting Indian tourists with a package of fare discounts and low-cost offers like cheaper food at Indian restaurants located in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. The airline is running a companion-free discount. The second ticket is issued at just 10% of the normal business class fare. DIRECT FLIGHT FROM EUROPE: The German based Lufthansa Airlines is now permitted to operate direct services to Kerala from Europe. Lufthansa is the first to operate direct services from Europe to Kerala. Initially, the services would be from Frankfurt or Munich to Kochi. JAPAN AND FRANCE TO DEVELOP NEW SUPERSONIC PASSENGER JET: Japan and France are planning a successor to Concorde the Anglo-French aircraft that has been withdrawn. The new supersonic passenger plane is likely to have three times-as many seats as Concorde and will be able and to fly from Tokyo to New York in about six hours. Kerala to start itS own airline: Kerala has announced plans to start a low-cost airline to the Gulf countries. The plan is in a nascent stage and it could take time before it takes a concrete shape. The plan envisages floating of a government-run airline and also construction of one more international airport on the lines of the successful Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). The plan is to not only operate an airline but also to woo low-cost airlines like Air Arabia and to encourage Air India’s new low-cost airline Air India Express to operate more flights. DELTA LAUNCHES DIRECT AIR SERVICE NEW YORK – MADRAS: Delta is the only American Carrier connecting US with South India with its New York – Madras service which was launched on 12 May. The flight operates via Paris and connects with Delta’s flights from Atlanta and Cincinnati Delta is operating the flight with Boeing 767-300 ER which has a capacity to carry 204 passengers. CLUB ONE AIR OFFERS FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP OF A PRIVATE JET: Much like a time share arrangement in a holiday home anyone can now own a piece of a private jet. Club One Air is offering just that. You can buy into a private jet for the right to fly between 50 to 200 flying hours in a year. This market, say analysts, is stated to grow in the next 5 years into a $ 5 billion market with at least 100 aircraft in the corporate jet and helicopter category coming into the country. BRITISH MIDLAND STARTS BOMBAY-LONDON SERVICE: Sir Michael Bishop Chairman BMI (British Midland) was in Bombay for the inaugural flight of his airline. The first flight took off on 14 May from Heathrow for Bombay. The airline will operate four times a week from London-Bombay-London (Heathrow). TOP HOTELS NEWSCOUNTRY CLUB OPENS BUSH BETA RESORT IN KARNATAKA: Country Club India, the flagship company of Amrutha Group built its first club in Hyderabad in 1989 and now it has diversified into adventure and wildlife tourism . It launched a new resort located in the wild forests of Karnataka, next to Bandipur wildlife national park, offering 60 cottages and plans to add another 10 rooms. The club plans to include many properties at Ooty, Goa, Khandala, Shimla, Kodaikanal and Kerala. TAJ HOLIDAY VILLAGE GETS NEW LOOK: part Built in 1981, this 143 rooms (including superior rooms, cottages, deluxe cottages, villas & suites) has undergone a major renovation and now wears a Goan-Portuguese village look. All furnishings are locally produced, serving as a means to revive the arts and crafts of Goa. The first phase of renovation was completed last year in October and balance 58 rooms would be done up by October’05. RENOVATION OF MANY OTHER HOTELS: Taking advantage of relatively lower turnout of tourists, many hotels are undergoing renovation to gear up for the next winter and offer a better product. Dona Sylvia in Goa is closed for 2 months from mid June. The Park, Delhi is renovating some of its floors to turn most of the deluxe rooms into luxury ones. Le Meridien Delhi is also undergoing a major renovation. Same goes with many Taj hotels including Jai Mahal Palace, Umaid Bhawan Palace, etc. For more details of renovations at Taj group, please write to us.
RCI AFFILIATION FOR CLUB MAHINDRA KODAGU VALLEY RESORT, COORG: RCI has affiliated this resort situated 4000 feet above the sea level, set amidst the serene coffee plantation and lush valleys.
Jaypee Hotels reveals major expansion plans: Jaypee Hotels, a part of the Rs 3,000 crore strong conglomerate of Jaypee Group, has drawn up an ambitious expansion plan. The plan includes a 150-room hotel in Gangtok. The other venture would be the creation of a 150 room world-class spa and a state-of-the-art convention centre at Greater Noida. They are also including an additional 90 rooms in its leisure property — Jaypee Residency Manor, Mussoorie. All these projects are expected to be completed by 2007 year end. The Leela Kempinski Bags Bombay Chamber Civic Award: The Leela Kempinski, Mumbai, bags the Bombay Chamber’s Civic Award for environmental excellence 2004-2005. The occasion was held on the 169th annual general meeting of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Leela has put in tremendous and consistent efforts in greening and beautifying acres and acres of land from the international airport at Sahar to the domestic airport. Capt. Nair is responsible for transforming barren land in Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa into a green paradise, personally supervising the landscaping and plantation of exotic and rare plants and deploying over a crore of rupees annually for this purpose. Leela Ventures plans to take over Kovalam hotel from Galfar: The controversial hotel property on the famed Kovalam beach in Kerala is changing hands, with the Hotel Leela Ventures negotiating its purchase from the M Far group, a subsidiary of the Galfar Group. But the deal excludes the Halcyon Castle, which has been caught in litigation. The Galfar had purchased the former ITDC property in July 2002 at Rs440m and renamed it Kovalam Hotels Pvt Ltd, entrusting it to the Le Meridien group. The Halcyon Castle is the hottest property, with a room in the castle fetching Rs. 15,000 plus 15 per cent tax for a single-day occupancy. ITC MAURYA SHERATON STARTS EVA FLOOR FOR LADIES ONLY: The ITC Maurya Sheraton has taken its Single Lady program one step further. The 23rd floor at the Sheraton Towers at ITC Maurya Sheraton is for Ladies only. You gain access to the floor by swiping a special Eva card in the elevator. The rooms have special facilities for women. The Maurya’s Eva floor has received a certificate of accreditation as a “Woman Aware” hotel by Expotel Hotel Reservations. ITC plans to replicate this in their properties across India. Kenilworth To Set Up Business Hotel In Hyderabad: The Kolkata-based Kenilworth Group has announced its plans to set up a business hotel in Hyderabad. Though the project is in the drawing board stage now, it is likely to be a greenfield project. It will be a 100-120 room business hotel. The modalities for the project like investment and precise inventory etc are yet to be worked out. They earlier tried to acquire Amrutha Castle in the city but later backed out. Presently, The Kenilworth Group owns two properties, namely, the four-star hotel The Kenilworth-Kolkata and the 91-room The Kenilworth Beach Resort at Utorda Beach in Salcete, South Goa. TAJ TO MANAGE Four Seasons Hotels Inc. new york: The world’s largest manager of luxury hotels, will stop operating the money-losing Pierre in New York after its negotiations to revise the lease failed. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces will take over Pierre’s management. This was once owned by US oil billionaire John Paul Getty. Four Seasons is selling hotels and exiting leases to focus on its management business. It had run the Pierre, situated on Fifth Avenue near Grand Army Plaza. Leisure Hotels launches eco-friendly luxury tents at Char Dham: Leisure Hotels, a major player in Uttaranchal’s tourism sector, has launched eco-friendly luxury tented accommodation for tourists visiting the holy shrines at Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The shrines, known as the Char Dham, attract thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year to the eco-sensitive region of Garhwal for four months beginning in April. The valley is located 45 km from Joshimath, the base camp for Badrinath. The four shrines attracted 1.27 million visitors last year. This was up from 1.03 million visitors in 2003. HERITAGE HOTELS GROW THREEFOLD SINCE 1991: Heritage numbers hotels have gone up from 51 in 1991 to 154 in 2004, as per the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA). The number may be higher as some heritage properties function independently without being part of the Association. WelcomHeritage of ITC group has the maximum number (35) operating under its WelcomHeritage banner. Most of the 154 heritage hotels are in Rajasthan, Gujarat and north India with only a few in the South and East of the country. PLANET HOLLYWOOD TO SOON OPEN IN INDIA: Hollywood’s Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone will visit India later this year to launch the Planet Hollywood chain of restaurants in India. This chain was started by Robert Earl and is supported by Hollywood biggies like Willis, Stallone and even Arnold Schwarzenegger (now Governor of California). In the first instance five Planet Hollywood franchises are planned. Arch Millennium Corp the largest franchise of Planet Hollywood in the world is to bring the chain to India according to President and CEO of Arch Millennium India, Siddharth Mobar. BHARAT HOTELS PLAN TO INVEST IN 7 PROJECTS: Bharat Hotels owners of the Grand Group of Hotel have plans to add seven 5 star hotels over the next 3 years. The total investment is set at US $ 230 million (Rs 1,000 crore). Budget hotels are also on the cards. The 7 luxury hotels are planned for Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Madras, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Bekal (Kerala). MAYA HOTEL JALANDHAR ADDS WIFI: The Maya Hotel, Jalandhar is the first hotel in North India to offer Wi-Fi (wireless) broadband high speed internet access. The hotel is also looking at opening a 100 room property in Amritsar or Ludhiana in Punjab. WELCOMHERITAGE TARAGARH PALACE ADDS ROOMS: Located in Palampur, in the picturesque Kanga Valley of Himachal Pradesh surrounded by tea estates, WelcomHeritage Taragarh Palace has added a new wing with 10 deluxe rooms and 4 suites. A conference hall has also been added which can accommodate 150 persons in classroom style seating. Other new additions are a well-equipped gym and sauna bath. TOP DATES FOR ARDHA KUMBHA FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED TO BE HELD IN ALLAHABAD IN JAN-FEB’07: Important dates are: 03 January, PAUSH PURNIMA; 14 &15 January, MAKAR SANKRANTI; 19 January, MAUNI AMAVASYA (Main Bath date); 23 January, VASANT PANCHAMI; 02 February, MAGH PURNIMA & 15/16 February, MAHA-SHIVRATRI GOA SAN JOAO FESTIVAL: The same takes place on Friday 24 Jun in the rains. We shall feature details in next issue with the photos. DURGA PUJA (DUSSEHRA) IN CALCUTTA OCTOBER 9-12, 2005: Durga Puja is an unmatched, unique and unforgettable event taking place from October 9-12, 2005. The world has seen countless events, innumerable carnivals and an abundance of happenings. All have one thing in common - sharing of happiness and godliness expressed through local customs and hospitality. It is an event that has an unbroken run of three centuries and is completely spontaneous. The Pujas are a synergy of explosive energy and enthusiasm bottled up during the entire year in the hearts and minds of millions of people of Calcutta. What enthralls the visitors is the creativity and inventiveness of the festival, which celebrates the basic human tenet of victory of good over evil. Mahamastakabhisheka IN FEB’06 AT SHRAVANBELAGOLA: The Planning Commission has agreed to provide Rs. 75 crores as a one-time grant to the State for the Mahamastakabhisheka from February 10 to 19, 2006 at Shravanabelagola. Development works will be taken up in Hassan district in view of the Mahamastakabhisheka. Many health camps will be organised before the commencement of the Mahamastakabhisheka. Around 1500 patients have been checked for the condition in the last week and of them 633 have undergone surgery.
Onam
Festival
on
15 Sep, 2005 in KERALA:
A festival immersed in myths, folklore and traditions Onam is an occasion for
Keralities to celebrate plenitude and togetherness. The ten-day Onam
celebrations begin on the Atham asterism of the Malayalam month
Chingam (August-September). Onam the harvest festival of Kerala which tells
almost all the cultural and ritual activities practised during the Onam days. Aranmula Boat Race Aranmula, Pathanamthitta On 19 Sep, 2005: Venue: Pampa River, Aranmula, Chengannur (115 km from Trivandrum): One of the traditional spectacles of Kerala, the Aranmula Boat Race is a world renowned and highly popular event, held on the Pampa River near the Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula. Held during the harvest festival of Onam, majestic and elegantly decorated snake boats take part in the boat race, which is also an occasion for grand social get together. The race is preceded by several traditional practices in the form of offerings and prayers to Lord Krishna, the main deity of the Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula. Prior to the race, the snake boats participate in a grand procession with oarsmen and singers on board holding colourful and sequined parasols and festoons. Each snake boat is about 100 feet long and accommodates four helmsmen, nearly 100 oarsmen and a group of singers who provide rhythm to the oarsmen helping them to maintain the pace while they paddle. (Source Kerala Tourism website www.kealatourism.org) FILM FESTIVAL IN TRIVANDRUM: Come September, it would be festival time for film lovers. A Travel film festival will be held in Thiruvananthapuram featuring short films on travel, art forms and culture, travel related documentaries and ad- films. The festival is conducted to encourage the growth of travel and tourism media in the country. The festival is organised jointly by the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies, Institute of Journalism and the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (India)INDIA CELEBRATES 1965 CONQUEST OF EVEREST BY INDIAN TEAM: The Government along with the Himalayan Environment trust celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Indian team’s conquest of Mount Everest (20th May 1965) led by Captain MS Kohli. The 15 living members of the 1965 summit team were invited to the two day mountaineering and tourism meet in Mussoorie (26 – 28 May). The conference opened the tolling of a Himalayan bell and was attended by over 25 living legends of world mountaineering including Junko Tabei (first woman to climb Everest) and Maurice Herzog (first man to climb a 8000 meter peak), the President of the International mountaineering and climbing Federation Mr. Alan Blackshaw, the Vice President of the Chinese Mountaineering Association among others. The two day retreat ended with the screening of a film on the 1965 Everest Expedition. DUAL CITIZENSHIP APPROVED: India approved dual citizenship for its vast diaspora who migrated after January 26, 1950, when the country became a republic. Dual citizenship will not be extended to those who migrated to Pakistan or Bangladesh after January 26, 1950. It will be extended to all persons who meet these criteria, as long as their home-countries allow dual citizenship in some form. INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCERS TO PERFORM IN HOUSE OF LORDS: For the first time ever, on 20 June, Odissi and Manipuri dancers gave a one hour long lecture – demonstration in front of the who’s who of British Society in the House of Lords. This coincided with a Dilli Haat at London’s Trafalgar Square, Madhavi Mudgal (Odissi) and Priti Paul (Manipuri) took the two dance forms to the London audience for the first time. Garba and Raas performers from Porbundar (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace in Gujarat) added to the festivities at the Haat. SILK ROUTE FROM SIKKIM TO TIBET TO REOPEN AFTER 43 YEARS IN SEPTEMBER: The traditional Silk Route between India and China via the Nathula Pass in Sikkim is set to open from September. The entry point will be Shera Thang near the Nathula pass, a distance of 7 km/4 miles from the Pass. On the Chinese side Shera Thang will be connected by road to Tibet.
KEDARNATH AND
BADRINATH SHRINES OPEN AFTER WINTER BREAK:
After being closed for the
winter the holy shrine of Kedarnath in the Garhwal Himalayas opened on 12 May,
Thursday, amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns and blowing of Conches. The famous
“Char Dham” pilgrimage (to the four holy temples in the Garhwal Himalayas) began
on Wednesday 11 May with the opening of the Gangotri, and Yamunotri Temples. The
Kapat (portals) of the Badrinath temple were opened on 13 May. TEA TOURISM IN WEST BENGAL: The West Bengal government has decided to boost tea tourism by developing the tea gardens of Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars as tourist’s hotspots. As a first step they decided to develop six gardens in Dooars and turn it into a tourist’s attraction. This will draw foreign tourists who will be taken around to see all the stages of tea production. The tourists will be accommodated in bungalows situated in the tea gardens. Apart from tea tourism, the tourists could enjoy wildlife in Dooars, which is home to the one-horned rhinos, Royal Bengal Tigers and reptiles. The visitors would also be taken to Siliguri and Jalpaiguri tea auction centres. In West Bengal, the number of domestic tourists had increased by 25 lakhs from 88.4 lakhs in 2002 to 113 lakhs in 2003. Foreign tourists had increased from 5.29 lakhs in 2002 to 7.05 lakhs in 2003. MANALI-LEH ROAD OPENED: The Manali-Leh highway has been opened by the Border Roads Organisation to traffic. The 465 km/300 miles highway is closed in winter as it becomes snowbound. This is a popular and alternative route to flying to Leh. Overseas recognition to Goa Portuguesa RESTAURNAT, MUMBAI: More than a decade-old Goa Portuguesa and its sister-concern Restrobar Culture Curry were featured as the best specialty restaurants of India in ‘The Washington Post-USA’ recently in a researched article. The metamorphosis to 150 seater twin Restobars with exhaustive and revamped menu with kitchen has increased the popularity and traffic towards these Restobars. They are one of the largest foreign exchange earners in Mumbai. In May, 2002 Goa Portuguesa had a rave review in ‘Sunday New York Times. Best things about these restaurants are that when one dines at Goa Portuguesa and Culture Curry one also does a noble deed of donating to Muktangan Charitable Institute. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (International) NEPAL TO PROMOTE HISTORIC ASHOKA PILLAR AT LUMBINI: Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) has asked the government to promote the historical pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka at Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha during the 5th century B.C. The Ashoka Pillar needs to be publicized internationally along with the evidential and official description of the inscription written on it. EGYPT TOURISM OPENS ITS OFFICE IN MUMBAI: Owing to the sudden surge of international tourism boards in India and the recognition of Indian tourists as high spending tourists, now Egyptian Consulate tourism office has been set up in Mumbai. In 2004, a total of 45000 Indian tourists visited Egypt and the country wants this number to get doubled in next two years. SANSKRIT HYMNS CHANTED AT MIT: Sanskrit hymns reverberated across America’s premier Masachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, when over 2,000 students chanted the sacred words during their graduation ceremony. MIT’s Hindu Chaplain Swami Tyagananda offered an invocation in Sanskrit and in English that reflected the large international crowd’s spirit of unity and goodwill as 2,308 men and women received 1,107 undergraduate and 1,464 graduate degrees at the 139th MIT commencement exercises, the institute said in a report on its website. “May we come together for a common purpose. Common be our prayer, common our goal. May the one and the same divine reality lead us. May we be granted clear understanding and the courage to pursue the goals of social justice, nonviolence, harmony and peace,” he said. The event was also marked by the presence of Indian students in leadership roles. Rohit Gupta, president of the senior class, presented MIT president Susan Hockfield with the senior class gift, $31,000 for a new student lounge. FRENCH PILOT LANDS HELICOPTER ON MOUNT EVEREST: A French pilot became the first to land on Mount Everest from the Nepal side. Test pilot Didier Delsalle achieved this on 14 May becoming the first to summit the peak from the Nepal side this season. His helicopter sat on the summit for 2 minutes as required by the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) and then flew back. He did a repeat act next day before flying back to France. BEIJING WANTS TO TAKE OLYMPIC TORCH TO EVEREST: China wants to take the Olympic flame to the top of the world (Mount Everest) and across Taiwan en route to the 2008 Beijing Games. Beijing is figuring out how to take the torch to the summit of Everest. Of course a lot will depend on the weather at that time. TOP Air passengers to have it easy soon (PTI): Long queues at the immigration counters in international airports in India, especially in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, could become a thing of the past when a new system is introduced later this year to provide hassle-free entry to foreign and Indian passengers coming from abroad. The Home Ministry has issued a notification to introduce the 'Advanced Passenger Information System' (APIS) from October 1. Under the scheme, passenger manifest would be sent by the airlines to the immigration authorities in India as soon as a flight takes off for an Indian destination. This could help pre-checking of the passengers and their faster clearance even before the flight lands in the country. Moves are also afoot to integrate the passport, visa and immigration services in a gradual manner. All these steps together would reduce the immigration clearance time and ensure better security checks. Training programme for immigration officials have already been initiated to enable them provide service with a smile without compromising security. There are about 67 immigration checkposts (ICPs) in the country at 22 airports, 30 land ports and 15 sea ports. The Bureau of Immigration controls these posts at Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Amritsar, Wagah and Attari. The hardware to provide expeditious immigration clearance has been upgraded at Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore airports and work was in the process of completion at Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, Trivandrum, Cochin, Kozhikode, Ahmedabad airports. Passport reading machines are to be installed at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, as also in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode in a phased manner. The future plans of the government include introduction of bio-metric smart cards for frequent flyers. These cards, which would have information about the passenger on the chips, would be issued to Indian nationals. The smart card holders would be able to pass through the immigration counters without human intervention. TOP Solar lanterns light up fishermen's lives: Tsunami-hit families accommodated in temporary shelters benefit CUDDALORE: Tsunami-hit fishermen families accommodated in temporary shelters in nine coastal villages in Cuddalore district have something to cheer about: they have been provided more.... The Hindu WESTERN GHAT HILLS: UNESCO plans to declare the Western Ghats, straddling several southern Indian States, a world heritage site.The Wildlife Institute of India has started a survey to identify a national park in the 1.5 lakh sq km Western Ghats spread across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu to be declared a natural heritage site. As per the preliminary survey, Kudremukh is one among the 10 such potential areas in the Western Ghats. DRAWING VISITORS BY ITS BEAUTY: The beautiful village of Verna, situated 10 km from Margao in Goa, is rich in water resources with numerous lakes, ponds, tanks and springs that it has in abundance. This has certainly been very rewarding for local farmers to cultivate paddy and vegetables. The village can undoubtedly be a hot spot for water harvesting projects which could save litres of water that pours down in the lakes and ponds from hills and the rocky terrain of Verna. The ward Ambllor, surrounded by thick trees and knolls, has a spring covered with rocks, which forms a very impressive spectacle for visitors thronging the place. By Roque Dias in Navhind Times. TOP
SPANISH CHARTERS TO GOA: Spain’s Club de Vacaciones’ first charter to Goa, scheduled to touch down on August 3, has the tourism industry here excited about the prospects of new markets for charter tourism to India. Club de Vacaciones, in collaboration with Spanair, plans a weekly charter to Goa from Madrid. The charter’s local handlers, Travel Corporation India (TCI) expects 120 passengers a week on the long-haul flight. What’s exciting about this charter is that it is a new market altogether. It starts in the off-season, and will operate till May 10 next year. HIGHEST PEAK OF GOA: Sosodurg or Sosogad in Sattari stands tall as the highest peak of Goa in the Sahyadri range. Half of it is in Karnataka. Sosodurg is a great asset of our natural heritage. At the foot of this great peak flow the majestic Mhadei, having her origins in the Degao village of Karnataka. Sosogad forms a beautiful part of Mhadei Valley of Sattari. The height of the Sosogad is 3,827 feet and 1019 metres. The height in metres was measured by wildlife expert Nirmal Kulkarni, director of the Wildernest. The second highest Sahyadri or western ghats peak in Goa also lies in Sattari. It is known as the Katlanchi Malli with a height of 3,633 feet. Prajal Sakhardande in Panorama - Navhind Times TOP
Just Answer Five Simple Questions to win a book:
1) Taj Mahal is closed on which day of the week a. Open all days c. Wednesday b. Saturday d. Friday
2) Which natural region in India is likely to get world heritage site status in near future a. Western Ghat Hills c. Goan beach b. Bandipur sanctuary d. Thar desert
3) Who is the architect of Taj Mahal a. Shah Jahan c. Ibn Batuta b. No one knows d. Amanat Khan Shirazi
4) In which month does the Hemis festival take place and where
5) In which year Portuguese came to Goa
a. 1598 c. 1510 b. 1610 d. 1961
LAST DATE: 10 Jul’05 to send your entries at the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net
ANSWERS OF LAST CONTEST:
1) Star cruises has included which Asian country on its itinerary recently? a) India 2) Lufthansa which now owns Swiss International, will soon be starting its operations to which city of India? b) Trivandrum - actually now it is Kochi 3) Bhimbetka is a world heritage site in India, famous for what? a) Drawings in cave 4) Who said, “There are two types of people on this earth – ones who have seen Taj Mahal and the other ones who haven’t!” c) Bill Clinton 5) When does usually monsoons hit the coast of Goa? a) 7 Jun
WINNER OF LAST CONTEST: There was no all correct entry. TOP
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