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Monthly Tourism Newsletter from India |
November - 2007 |
| Permanent Feature - GOA | Contest |
| Special Feature | |
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Warm greetings from lovely Goa! Ushering in the Hindu New Year, Diwali, the festival of lights, illuminated and united the country with a thousand lights. As start of many auspicious new beginnings, it has already blessed us with an abundant start of the tourist season with foreign tourist arrivals already registering an increase of 12.3%. Thanks largely to all major airlines which are all boosting their flights to India with daily operations. Come November/December, Goa will be welcoming a majority of these happy travelers. Setting the stage once again for the International Film Festival which kick-starts on November 23, this most favoured destination is immersed in frenzied activity as she lays down the red carpet to welcome her favourite movie stars from near and far alike. The Incredible India campaign is gaining momentum, this time making a very credible impact in the land of the Great Wall – China. On the other hand, homing in on the immense outbound travel potential from India, France, Italy and Ireland are now promoting their countries as ‘great tourist destinations’ in a series of road shows in India – if it’s a sampling of Europe you want, these countries are promising to lay it out in style for you! Eco-Tourism and nature in India get a further fillip. ‘The Rainbow Warrior’ a Green Peace ship docked at the Sundarbans is ensuring that this UNESCO Heritage site is getting all the protection it needs from the adverse effects of global warming. See you in India! |
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AIRLINES UPDATEJET AIRWAYS COMMENCES DAILY NEW DELHI-NEW YORK FLIGHTS: Effective October 28, Jet Airways started plying a daily flight from New Delhi to New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport via its hub in Brussels. Jet Airways already operates daily flights on the Mumbai-Brussels-Newark sector.
COCHIN GETS FOURTH DIRECT JET AIRWAYS FLIGHT TO MUMBAI: The country’s largest private airline Jet Airways has introduced its 4th direct flight on the Mumbai – Cochin- Mumbai route. Jet Airways passengers now have the option of four flights a day from Mumbai to Cochin in the morning, afternoon, evening and night. JET AIRWAYS CREATES MORE LEG SPACE: Now as you fly to destinations either locally or internationally, Jet Airways is promising you a more comfortable flight. The airline will discard one row of seats in the business and economy class to provide more space to its domestic passenger. The decision is likely to see 6 to 12 seats being discarded in each Boeing 737 aircraft as the airline has six seats in each row in the economy class and four seats in each row in the business class. The roll out of the aircraft was expected to be completed in a phased manner by November this year. BANGLADESH NOW ON JET AIRWAYS NETWORK: The airline is also working on operating direct flights between India with Bangladesh from both Delhi and Kolkata. The launch of the service would make Jet Airways the only Indian private sector airline to operate flights to Bangladesh. China is next on her network.
BOEING-JET AIRWAYS DEAL: The Boeing Company and Jet Airways have finalized an order for 20 gen-next 737-800s. All twenty 737-800s will be equipped with performance-enhancing Blended Winglets, which improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by four percent. Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 50 classic and next-generation Boeing 737-400/-700/-800/-900 airplanes. KINGFISHER AIRLINES LINKS THREE KERALA AIRPORTS, DAILY: Kingfisher Airlines has become the first airline to launch domestic services linking all three Kerala airports daily. Cochin International Airport, which is India’s first corporate airport, will be the regional hub of the airline which uses ATR type aircraft with 66 seats to link Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Kozhikode. They have also introduced a first regular flight operation connecting Cochin to Mangalore. KINGFISHER AIRLINKS CHENNAI AND KOLKATA TO PORT BLAIR: Kingfisher Airlines has recently connected Chennai and Kolkata to Port Blair, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with daily flights. The airline also introduced a new flight between Chennai and Kolkata. With these new services, Kingfisher links 34 cities with over 208 flights a day with a fleet of 34 aircraft. KINGFISHER LAUNCHES LOTS OF NEW FLIGHTS FOR TOURISTS THIS WINTER (FROM 1 & 15 DEC): They have also started their flights Delhi – Varanasi - Khajuraho – Varanasi – Delhi and Agra – Jaipur sectors, which is going to be very useful for tourists. First time any airline has connected Udaipur directly with Aurangabad, avoiding a halt in Mumbai. Besides remote Jaisalmer would be connected with Jodhpur and Jaipur. First time in India they also are starting Agra – Jaipur – Agra flights. VIJAY MALLYA OF KINGFISHER BUYS STAKE IN EPIC AIRCRAFT: Vijay Mallya, Chairman, Kingfisher Airlines and part owner of Air Deccan has bought a 50 per cent strategic stake in Epic Aircraft of USA. Mallya’s initial focus would be on the US market, which is the largest in the world. NOW ‘FLYBUYSMS’ FROM KINGFISHER: Kingfisher Airlines announced the launch of ‘Flybuysms’. This service innovation is the result of a strategic alliance with PayMate. With the introduction of Flybuysms, Kingfisher Airlines introduces an SMS-based service which allows customers to ‘search, book and pay’ for tickets start-to-finish on the mobile itself. Being an SMS-based service, it is easy to use and works on any handset model or operator. AIR INDIGO CONNECTS GOA WITH COCHIN AND HYDERABAD BY DAILY FLIGHTS: As a welcome step, Indigo has started daily flights to reap the benefit of ongoing tourist season. Until now Indian airlines used to have twice a week flights only, which stand withdrawn now. SPICEJET TO CONNECT MADRAS TO COIMBATORE, PORT BLAIR: Indian domestic budget carrier SpiceJet is launching daily flights from Madras to Coimbatore and Port Blair. The airline will also launch daily flights from Coimbatore to Bombay, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Madras will now be a new base station from next month and two Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be stationed here. DECCAN TO ADOPT GDS NETWORK: With a view to broadening its distribution network and matching its expanding operations, low cost carrier, Deccan is planning to adopt a GDS network. At present, the airline has over 7,000 ticketing outlets. The airline recently launched m-commerce initiative called ‘m- fly’ empowering its passengers to book, pay and generate an e-ticket on their mobile phones.
AIR-INDIA RESUMES DIRECT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - KUWAIT FLIGHTS AFTER TWELVE YEARS: Air India resumed direct flights on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kuwait sector from October 29 this year after a gap of almost 12 years. The heavy demand for seats in this sector and the arrival of new aircraft in the fleet has led to the commencement of direct flights again to Kuwait. Air-India will operate flights from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to Kuwait on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. AIR-INDIA EXPRESS FLYING HIGH: Air-India Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air-India, has inducted a third owned 737-800 aircraft into its fleet. Commencing operations on April 29, 2005 with three leased B737-800 aircraft, the Air India Express fleet today comprises of seven leased and ten owned B737-800 aircraft. Their operations cover the cities of Trivandrum, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Madras, Trichy, Amritsar, Nagpur, Calcutta, Bombay and Delhi and offer International flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah in UAE and Oman, Bahrain and Doha, as well as to Singapore and Colombo. Earlier on 24th September this year, the airline commenced a tri-weekly direct flight from Nagpur to Dubai, with a similar frequency from Calcutta to Singapore. Plans are also on the anvil to introduce direct flights from Calcutta to Dhaka, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Madras to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, from Lucknow, Jaipur and Ahmedabad direct to Dubai, from Bombay to Male via Kochi and Bombay to Colombo direct. AIR INDIA COMMENCES FLIGHTS FROM KOZHIKODE - SHARJAH: Air India operated its first leased wide-body A330-200 aircraft on the Kozhikode-Sharjah sector on November 10. The 279-seater aircraft will operate four times a week on Mumbai-Kozhikode-Kochi-Sharjah route, thrice a week on Mumbai-Goa-Kozhikode-Sharjah and twice on return sectors. SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES NEW DAILY ZURICH – NEW DELHI SERVICE WEF NOVEMBER 25: With the introduction of the new service, Delhi becomes the second destination in India after Mumbai to have daily flight bringing the total number of flights between India and Switzerland to 14 weekly frequencies. Combined with its partner Lufthansa, customers will now have a choice of 59 weekly departures from India to its three European hubs at Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich. EMIRATES SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER: Emirates begins flying non-stop between Dubai and Houston on 03rd December 2007 and has already started operations from Dubai to Toronto on 29th October’07. To celebrate the launch of the new routes, the airline is offering a special return fare in Economy class from Cochin to Toronto. To qualify for the introductory offer, the outbound travelling must commence before 15th February 2008 and tickets purchased before 15 December ’07. NEW ICE DIGITAL WIDESCREEN ON BOARD EMIRATES AIRLINES: Emirates Airlines has introduced a new movie subtitling and ‘closed caption’ technology to its latest in-flight entertainment system - Ice Digital Widescreen. Emirates’ travelers will now have the option of viewing subtitles in various languages for selected films. WORLD’S LARGEST JETLINER MAKES DEBUT FLIGHT: The world’s largest jetliner Airbus A380 made aviation history recently, completing its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney with 455 passengers, some of them ensconced in luxury suites and double beds, on board Singapore Airlines. The double-decker plane, powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines took off from Changi Airport without a hitch and landed about seven hours later in Sydney to launch a new era in air travel. A string quartet gave them a farewell in Singapore and a jazz trio welcomed then in Sydney. Flight attendants handed out champagne and certificates to passengers, some of whom paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction for the seats, to be part of aviation history. JAPAN AIRLINE LAUNCHES DAILY TOKYO-DELHI FLIGHTS: Launching their daily operations between the two capital cities on October 28 , JAL is providing their guests with additional comfort in the new award winning Shell Flat seat in C-Class cabin. This launch comes on the heels of the growing economic and trade relationships between the two countries. ETIHAD AIRWAYS INTRODUCES DAILY COCHIN-ABU DHABI FLIGHT: Following the successful launch of its Cochin and Trivandrum services, Etihad Airways, continues to attract growing numbers of Kerala-based customers. The airline has introduced its direct daily services to Abu Dhabi from Cochin and Trivandrum. In addition to the two Kerala flights increasing to daily in October, Etihad is also looking to start services to other major Indian destinations including Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CONNECTS DELHI – CANTON: China Southern Airlines has recently commenced direct thrice-weekly flights on Delhi–Canton sector, deploying its Boeing 757 – 200 aircraft on this route. Canton is famous for the bi-annual Canton Trade Fair held there. AIR ARABIA COMMENCES FLIGHTS TO COIMBATORE: Air Arabia, the Gulf based low-cost airline has launched services to Coimbatore its eighth destination in India. The airline flies to Ahmedabad, Bombay, Jaipur, Cochin, Madras, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram from the Gulf with 48 flights per week. FROM NEW YORK TO MUMBAI ON CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: Continental Airlines recently inaugurated its daily, non-stop service between Mumbai and its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. The flights are being operated by a 285-seat Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 50 passengers in the Business First cabin and 235 in Economy. The service will initially operate four times a week. ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES FOCUSES ON INDIAN PILGRIMS: The Royal Jordanian Airline is targeting Christian, Leisure and Muslim pilgrimage from India. The airline facilitates the Indian travellers with Indian meals on board, Indian movies, wide screen and music. The airline is already operating with Airbus-340 and is soon to introduce Boeing-737 which is expected to arrive in 2010. TOP
HOTELS NEWSTAJ HOTELS WEBSITE TO HOST LIVE PRESS ROOM: Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has launched its redesigned Press Room on its website www.tajhotels.com. The Press Room has been enhanced taking into account the increasing worldwide presence of Taj Hotels. Apart from the media, travelers and other visitors would greatly benefit in traversing the Press Room as it gives in depth information on Taj Hotels and the finer elements of luxurious hospitality. TAJ EXOTICA IN THE LIST OF TOP 20 HOTELS IN ASIA: Readers travel Awards by Conde Nast were announced on 12 Sep and 4 hotels from India made it to the coveted list of 20. The Imperial in Delhi, Raj Vilas in Jaipur, Taj Exotica in Goa and Wildflower Hall in Shimla were the ones selected. While the spa at Taj Exotica stood no 6th best spa in Asia. ‘WHITE ORCHID’ UNVEILED AT KATRA, JAMMU: The Orchid Group recently unveiled their new 5-star 200-room multi-facility property at Jammu which is located at Katra, just at the foot of Vaishnovdevi, one of India’s most popular and revered pilgrim locations. With facilities like a swimming pool, beauty parlour, gymnasium, banqueting and transfers to Ban Ganga guests are ensured of a comfortable stay. Interestingly, the property is earthquake resistant and has its own in-house helicopter facility to ferry guests for the darshan (visit to shrine) at Vaishnovdevi. ISTA UNVEILS TREND SETTING HOTEL IN HYDERABAD: Spread over 16 acres, the ISTA Hyderabad hotel offers panoramic views of the city, set amidst beautifully landscaped surroundings with ornamental trees, natural rock formations and several water bodies that combine to give a feeling of harmony and relaxation. ISTA located in the new IT and financial hub, Gachi Bowli, next to Microsoft and Indian School of Business is a trend setting concept that believes that business hotels can be both, chic and luxurious, while focusing on everything that a business traveller would need, including international standard Spa facilities that add to the feeling of it being a resort hotel. The hotel has 166 rooms and 9 garden suites. Adjoining is The Ananda Spa Institute, offering – International body treatments, Ayurvedic therapies and Advanced Teacher Training programe in Yoga. Three more ISTA hotels are likely to open in Amritsar, Pune and Ahmedabad. Ananda – in the Himalayas, India's premier destination spa is the company’s flagship property. WYNDHAM INTERNATIONAL GROUP HAS 50 HOTELS ON ANVIL: The Wyndham Hotel Group International plans to open over 50 hotels in next few years in India. The group recently tied up with construction major Gammon India, which is diversifying into hospitality. It plans to set up 38 hotels under the economy brands Super 8 and Days Inn with an inventory of 2,000 rooms. CARLSON HOTELS TO EXPAND PRESENCE IN INDIA WITH 52 NEW HOTELS: The US-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide has aggressive expansion plans for India. Besides launching its luxury brand Regent in the capital region, the company plans to add about 52 hotel properties by 2009. Twenty six properties will be added by the end of this year and another 26 hotels by 2009. The company also plans expansion of its mid-market hotel brands — Park Inn and Country Inn in India. Carlson’s expansion will be in state capitals, upcoming industrial towns and SEZ areas. ITALY’S DOMINA HOTELS GROUP TO MAKE PRESENCE FELT WITH 25 HOTELS: The Milan-based Domina Hotel Group has plans to set up 25 hotels in India, through a joint venture with real estate firm Shristi Holding. Domina Hotel Group has three distinct brands: Domina Prestige, Domina Hotel and Domina Inn. Its first hotel in India is already under construction and will be marketed under the new brand Vedic Domina Hotels & Resorts. The first four Vedic Domina hotels are expected to be ready in five years. The hotels will be constructed using eco-sustainable materials, and will follow holistic precepts and Indian traditions. MARRIOTT MAKES INDIA ITS KEY HUB FOR ASIA: With 10 million Indians likely to travel abroad by 2010, India is emerging as an important hotel market Marriott International with 2,900 hotels worldwide, including six in India, has moved in some of its senior executives from its global operations to Bombay and has made India its key hub. The new regional office in Bombay will handle Marriott's operations in India, Malaysia, Maldives and Pakistan. Earlier Marriott's operations in these four countries were handled out of Hong Kong. TOP DIWALI’S MYRIAD FORMS OF CELEBRATION: Diwali the country’s biggest festival is celebrated differently all over India. For Kashmiri’s, Diwali comprises two main occasions Dhanatrayodashi and Sukhasuptika. Gujaratis and Marwaris mark the day after Diwali as the beginning of a new year (this year on 8 Nov). Chhath puja, six days after Diwali, is important for Biharis who mark the occasion by making offerings to the setting sun. Bengalis celebrate Kali Puja a day before Diwali, while Orissa celebrates Boita Bandhana 15 days after Diwali. In this age old tradition, symbolic ships are set sail in a water body and worshipped. It commemorates the day mother bade farewell to their sons who ventured out into the seas for trade with Indonesia and Thailand. The festival of light is traditionally an elaborate five day affair for the Maharashtrians. In Delhi, festivities are reduced to a day or two but celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm nevertheless and to the deafening sound of fireworks. JODHPUR HOSTED INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL FROM 25 – 29 OCT: About 250 artiste from India and across gathered in the desert city for a 5 day festival. Several interactive educational events, stage performances, late night jam sessions with the unparalleled beauty of Mehrangarh fort in the backdrop took place. It featured lots of singers, dancers, musicians, story tellers, etc. This coincided with the traditional Marwar festival. It was jointly organized by Jaipur Virasat Foundation and Mehrangarh Museum Trust. GOLDEN THRONE GLITTERS AT MYSORE DUSSEHRA: The ‘Golden Throne’ and ‘Howdah’ with a history dating back several centuries was the cynosure of all eyes in Mysore during the 10 day world famous Dusshera Festival which commenced on October 10 and concluded on Vijyadasami on October 21. Thousands throng to the Wadiyar house to have of a glimpse of the hallowed relic – which belonged to the Pandavas. The throne was recovered from Tipu Sultan’s palace at Srirangapatanna after his fall. It was then used in the coronation of Raja Wadiyar III in 1799 and has remained with the Wadiyar family since then. KHOJ ARTISTS PARTICIPATE IN FRIEZE ART FAIR, LONDON: The Delhi based Khoj artists association rubbed shoulders with 151 art galleries from across the world to showcase contemporary Indian art of some of India’s well known artists at the famed Frieze Art Fair held in London from October 11-14. An annual affair, the Fair at London’s famous Regent Park displayed works of over 1000 global artists. DELHI WITNESSES INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL HALF MARATHON: On a cool Sunday morning, the sports lovers of Delhi witnessed some of the top runners of the world sweat it out in the third Vodafone Delhi half-marathon. Rwanda's Diudone Disi ran shoulder to shoulder with Kenya's Isaac Macharia to finally edge him out and win the title and a sum of $20,000. The tussle to finish first was more intense in the women's section. Ethiopia's Deriba Alemu, compatriot Atsede Habtamu and Kenya's Alice Timbilil competed amongst each other till the very end, when Alemu finally surged ahead to take the title and a winning purse of $18,500. Disi set a meet record of 1:00.43 seconds in the men's category, while Alemu clocked 1:10.30 to raise the bar for the women. LONDON CELEBRATED DIWALI AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE: The historic Trafalgar Square came alive with the sights and sounds of India on 28 October. Thousands gathered to witness the annual Diwali spectacle organized by the Mayor of London. The enthusiastic audience, both British Asians and hundreds of tourists, braved rain to enjoy Indian food and music. Though it was a celebration of an Indian festival with Indian themes, the event had a hybrid feel to it as East met West and Bollywood dances mixed with American hiphop. The fountains in the square shimmered with ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps) and lanterns while some participating groups distributed Indian sweets. The event, that included Indian dances such as garba and bharatnatyam, ran from midday until 8 pm. ANNUAL PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR FROM NOVEMBER 17-24: From mid November Camels will vend their way to Pushkar in Rajasthan for the annual Fair to be held there, culminating on the day of the Kartick (November) full moon. It is the World’s biggest camel and livestock Fair and draws thousands of visitors every year. HERO 4X4 EXPLORERS CLUB ON GRAND TOUR OF INDIA: A group of 33 four-wheel drive vehicles, carrying 72 enthusiasts consisting of rugged Land Cruisers, powerful Pajeros, firm-footed Cherokees and other luxury SUVs began a Grand Tour of India moving through 23 cities across 12 states in 30 days, covering a distance of over 7500 km (4660 miles). This group of travel enthusiasts, mainly from the UK and other European countries, US and Mexico, are members of the UK-based driving club – the HERO (Historic Endurance Rallying Organization) 4x4 Explorers Club. The Club enables and encourages owners of luxury 4-WD vehicles to travel on long distance journeys of discovery to specially selected destinations. In previous years, this event has taken place in South America, Africa, Russia, China & Mongolia. GRAND KERALA SHOPPING FESTIVAL: Kerala Tourism Department will organize a festival in all its district head quarters from 01 December to 31 January ’08, specifically showcasing its traditional, commercial and industrial products like coir, cashew, spices, handloom, marine products and handicraft. A Cashew fest in Kollam district, Spice fest in Idukky and Wayanad, Handloom fest in Kannur, and Coir fest in Alappuzha will be conducted in connection with the mega event. It has also decided to offer attractive packages and prizes to encourage customers and attract more tourists to visit to Kerala. Scheduled as an annual event, the festival will showcase the strengths of Kerala as a shopping destination. FESTA ITALIANA ROAD SHOWS IN INDIA FROM NOVEMBER: The Italian State Tourist Board (ENIT) is organizing ‘Festa Italiana’ from November 15 to 17 in a bid to promote tourism and cultural exchanges between India and Italy, highlighting its food, fashion, art and technology. Besides the cultural shows, workshops, exhibitions and B2B meetings will also be conducted. The Hindi version of ‘The Little Book of Italy’ will also be launched during this event. ENIT’s road show, Fascinating Italy, will be held across three cities Bangalore (Dec. 7), Delhi (Dec. 10) and in Mumbai (Dec. 12). TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (India)KERALA VOTED AS ASIA’S THIRD MOST POPULAR DESTINATION: In a recent survey by Smart Travel Asia magazine Kerala was voted as the third most popular tourist destination in the Asian continent, the leading two being Bali and Phuket in Thailand. Kerala came to the forefront leaving behind Rajasthan and Ladakh which were the leading tourist destinations in the last survey being conducted by the magazine. TAJ MAHAL TO GET MUD PACK TREATMENT: Taj Mahal will now get a beauty mud back treatment to restore its pristine beauty, which is turning yellowish due to the change of times. Soon a sterilized version of Multani Mitti (mud from Multan) will be applied and it will be left to dry for a few days. Later it would be washed off with the salt free water. This is a non abrasive formula which will not damage the monument and will remove only the accretionary deposits. MONUMENTS ENTRANCE FEES IN INDIA NOW TO HAVE FLAT INDIAN RUPEES RATE: All the monuments in India managed by Archaeological Survey of India, would not be charging only in Indian Rupees and no foreign currency (USD) would be acceptable. The rates in Indian Rupees are same as before which is Rs 250 and Rs 100, depending upon the category of monuments. At the same time, the fort at Orchha has a new entrance fees now which is Rs. 250 (instead of Rs 30 before) for all foreign tourists. TULIP GARDENS, NEW TOURISM MANTRA IN KASHMIR: With an eye on tourists and film makers, Jammu & Kashmir government is working overtime to put in place the tulip gardens in the state before the next blooming season in April. Souce PTI KERALA’S BACKWATERS NOW HAVE HOUSEBOAT WITH SWIMMING POOL: Kerala’s backwaters are all set to welcome tourists this season with a houseboat that boasts of a pool too. Mr. Tomy Pulikattil is the inventor of the new boat. Boat is 90 feet long and 16 feet wide. It has two bedrooms on the ground floor and pool on the first floor. It is fitted with a treatment plant and a Jacuzzi, water pumped at a high pressure. Tariff is likely to be approx Rs 15000 a night (US$ 400). He has to his credit a houseboat with conference facility for 100 people as well as an Ayurveda treatment boat! Source: IANS INDIA RE-ELECTED TO ICAO: India got re-elected to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council on 23rd September 2007 during the 36th ICAO Assembly session being held here. India has been elected consistently to the ICAO Council since its inception and the elections are held once in three years. MAHAPARINIRVAN TRAIN FLAGGED OFF: Mahaparinirvan a special train, which is a part of the Walk with the Buddha Campaign was flagged off in the capital recently. The entire journey from Gaya, Rajgir-Nalanda, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Lumbani in Nepal, Gonda, Agra and return New Delhi will be covered in eight days. The fare from October 2007 to March 2008 will be US$ 150, 105 and 88 for 1st AC, 2nd AC and 3rd AC respectively per person per night on twin sharing basis. In other words, the total individual fare for seven days will be US$ 1050, 735 and 616 respectively. SHIMLA’S HISTORIC EDIFICE-BARNE’S COURT TURNS 175: The historic edifice of Barnes Court, the oldest surviving heritage building of the British era has completed 175 years. Currently the Governor’s House (Raj Bhawan), this timber-framed structure is the oldest specimen of colonial architecture in Shimla, the erstwhile summer capital of India during British rule. It celebrated its anniversary in style with a commemorative special cover being released by the postal department to mark the occasion. Major repair and renovation work over the past one year has helped restore the original glory of this elegant building. In the post-Independence era, the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan was signed here. SHILLONG STRUMS ITS WAY INTO WORLD RECORD WITH BIGGEST GUITAR ENSEMBLE: Playing Bob Dylan’s “Knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door”, Shillong strummed its way into another world record with the biggest guitar ensemble. This will be officially ratified by the Guinness Book of World Records shortly. With 1,730 guitars, Shillong overtook Kansas City, (US), which held the last world record with a 1,721 guitar ensemble on June 4 this year. RAJASTHAN DANCERS PERFORM TRADITIONAL GHOOMAR: In a bid to showcase and promote the Ghoomar, a traditional folk dance of the desert, Over 4,000 women performed the Ghoomar dance on 3 November night at the beautiful Tripolia Gate in the Walled City to a large gathering of tourists. KONARK TEMPLE TO BE RENOVATED: The famous Sun Temple at Konark is set to get a major makeover. The government of Orissa in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India has decided to renovate the 13th Century World Heritage temple and add a few more structures to the temple complex, revealing her glory at night to better advantage. The renovation is scheduled to begin in December with the project likely to be completed within two years. TRAINING CENTRES FOR LOCAL ARTISANS: As an incentive to local artisans, a training centre and outlet was inaugurated in the capital recently. Run by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) it houses about 200 items of stonework, papercraft, paintings and terracota manufactured by craftsmen and artisans from across the country. Many such centres are planned across the country to encourage local artisans, who will be the direct beneficiary of their own sales. JACOB’S DIAMOND DAZZLES DELHI: The Nizam’s collection of jewellery diamonds, Colombian emeralds, Burmese rubies, bracelets, bangles, armlets, and earrings are on display at National Museum, New Delhi for the second time in six years. The piece de resistance though is the US Dollar 100 million Jacob diamonds. At 184.75-carat Jacob Diamond is the sixth largest diamond in the world. RUDYARD KIPLING’S BIRTHPLACE TO GET A FACELIFT: A century-and-a-half-old wood and stone building located in the dense green sprawl of Sir J.J. School of Art, where Rudyard Kipling was born, is to be restored and converted into a museum. The bungalow is an excellent example of a blend of Britain and Indian architectural design. INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION OPENS OFFICE IN LEH: The IMF has opened its branch office in Leh to enable local travel agents to get speedy clearances for expeditions to Stok Kangri and adjacent peaks. The one-room office leased by J&K Tourism Department of Leh will be run under the Everest Hero Sonam Wangyal. IMF has also reduced the clearance fee to Rs. 2000 per head to be levied on foreigners only. LEH TRAINING FOR ECO-TOURISM: A two week training course on eco-tourism was organized by the department of Wildlife protection Leh, for young people living within the premises of the Hemis National Park. A total of 25 students belonging to the villages of Rumbak, Chiling, Sku, Kya and Shang participated in the program. Training included flora and fauna, culture and computer training and eco-tourism development. The National Park, with its high passes, pastures, nomadic and wild life is an ideal trekking place for tourists and will greatly benefit from such seminars. BUDDHIST HERITAGE TOURISM IN KASHMIR VALLEY: The scenic Kashmir Valley has finally woken up to its lesser-known Buddhist legacies to attract tourists from across the world. Officials plan to revamp the Buddhist heritage of the valley and develop a similar ‘Buddhist Circuit”. The idea is to open up the centuries-old Buddhist places of worship in the valley to foreign and Indian tourists who throng the Buddhist-dominated region of Ladakh. The first phase of preservation and developmental plans will include two monasteries at Harwan in Srinagar and Ushkura in Baramulla. TOP
NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (International)
BOBBY JINDAL ELECTED GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA: On October 20th, the Indian-American community achieved another milestone with the election of Bobby Jindal to the governorship of Louisiana, the highest US political post any community member has won. Louisiana voters chose Jindal, handing the 36-year-old Republican an electoral prize that eluded him four years ago. Jindal, 36, will also be the youngest governor in the US and the first non-white to rule Louisiana since the end of the US civil war. He served two successful terms as a member of the lower house of Congress - only the second Indian-American to serve in Congress and the first since 1963. INCREDIBLE INDIA MAKES A CREDIBLE IMPRESSION IN CHINA: Spread over 225 sq m area, the Incredible India pavilion has received tremendous response at the ongoing China International Travel Mart (CITM) at Kunming where it is showcasing the diversity of Indian tourism with 17 participating tour operators from the country. Apart from the usual Mehndiwalis and Churiwalis, a group of Chhau dancers are adding colour to the festivities. India is the ‘guest Country of honour’ at this event. EXPERIENCE INDIAN SOCIETY PRESENTS ‘FLAVOURS OF INDIA’ RECEPTION IN NEW YORK: The Experience Indian Society coordinated the grand reception held at Lincoln Center New York for the Incredible India @ 60 Show. Master Chefs from the Hyatt, Oberoi, Taj Group and ITC Welcomgroup flew in to display their gastronomic expertise for the elite of the Big Apple. Experience India Society is a public private partnership of airlines Indian hospitality chains, tour operators and Ministry of Tourism. ROCK LEGEND MICK JAGGER SMITTEN BY RAJASTHAN: Rock Legend Mick Jagger has been smitten by the culture and beauty of Rajasthan. In India recently on a private trip, he attended some of the performances at the Rajasthan International Folk Festival held there in the latter half last month. IRELAND JOINS THE BANDWAGON Tourism Ireland recently hosted a marketing and promotion campaign in the capital as part of their ongoing travel promotion drive in India. Delhi was the second city after Mumbai to witness ‘Dance of Desire’, a musical extravaganza by Eric Cunningham, renowned Irish musician and executive producer, which left audiences spellbound with their magnificent performances. FRENCH CONNECTION: France is not too far behind either. Maison De La France (French Tourist Office) will also showcase France as a tourist destination in India through road shows - ‘French Connection 2007’ – to be held in Mumbai and Delhi next week. A tourism delegation of 28 leading French companies like Rhône Alpes Tourism, Chamonix Tourism , Lyon Tourist office to name a few, covering a cross section of products and services, will participate at French Connection 2007. SPAIN TO OPEN NTO IN MUMBAI: As India emerges as one of the top priorities among the emerging markets for Spain, the Tourism Board of Spain is all set to open an NTO in Mumbai. The main activities to be undertaken by the new NTO will be marketing activities, promotional campaigns to final consumers, travel agents, MICE, etc. The new office will be the 4th office in Asia and the first one in South Asia of Turespaña (Spain Tourism Board). TOPDALAI LAMA PUBLIC TEACHING IN FEBRUARY 2008: His Holiness, the Dalai Lama will be giving public teachings from 21st Feb to 3rd March 2008 at Mc Leodganj. Those who wish to enroll for the teachings should do so personally at the Dalai Lama’s security office, along with an original passport and copy, visa and two passport size photographs. Registrations, which are free of charge, commence 2-3 days prior to the event at the venue. Participants are advised to carry a cushion, an FM radio (to listen to translations), a cup and a sunhat. TOP BANDHAVGARH UPDATE FROM JUNGLE MANTRA RESORT: Bandhavgarh has set out to prove that when it comes to Tiger Reserves in India there's none better - with amazing sightings, fabulous drives into a gorgeous park and now a breathtaking surprise at the Fort which is accessible to everyone. The big cats have got their act together. On the 29th September a leopard appeared in full view of our Chakor Ghar - lazily dropped from one tree branch to another and wove his way back into the jungle- Fantastic! The next day who do we find waiting alongside the main road but the notorious Chaubera cubs, with the resigned elephants and mahouts playing nanny to them whilst they wandered about to their hearts content. One great development has been that visits to the Bandhavgarh Fort, which is now open for everyone. The Park authorities have licensed 5 vehicles which can ferry tourists to the top of the Fort. The charges are reasonable and well worth the trip, at Rs. 2500 plus entry tickets. (Rhea Ramji). KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK OPENS FOR THE SEASON: Opening to about 150 tourists including 30 foreigners on November 1, the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) saw a flurry of activity on the first day itself with elephant and jeep safari rides making a good run in three ranges of the National Park — Agaratoli, Kaziranga and Bagor.. The gates of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district were also opened the same day. Pobitora has the highest concentration of rhino population in the world. Migratory birds from different parts of the world have also started arriving at the Park. ANDAMAN’S MANGROVE CANOPY WALK: A 240 metre long mangrove canopy walk has been set up at the Barantang Islands in Middle Andaman. A first of its kind in the island, the canopy is a wooden structure, about one or two metres high and passes through thick mangrove forests on each side. The Barantang Islands, famous for the Mud Volcano and Lime caves, attract hundreds of tourists every year. GREENPEACE ON MISSION TO SAVE SUNDERBANS MANGROVES: The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace Ship, has docked at Sagar Islands in the Sundarbans to campaign for firm action to protect and preserve the world’s largest mangrove forest, and a UNESCO Heritage site in Coastal West Bengal, from the adverse effects of global warming. HOSPITAL FOR DONKEYS IN RAJASTHAN: Donkeys in Rajasthan now have a hospital exclusively for themselves, thanks to the ‘Donkey Sanctuary’, a United Kingdom based organization. An ambulance is also available on call to reach wounded or injured donkeys anywhere in the region and treatment is free of charge. The hospital also assists owner to repair carts drawn by these donkeys so as to avoid injuries. VILLAGE FOR AMBER FORT ELEPHANTS: Elephants used to ferry tourists up the steep slope to Amber Fort in Jaipur are going to have a special village for themselves. The complex which aims to be a tourist attraction in itself will lodge about 50 elephants. Akin to a park, the village will also have a wallowing pond and rooms for the mahouts in addition to a museum, veterinary hospital and restaurants for the tourists. The Amber Fort has over 115 captive elephants. TOP FIRST CHARTER FLIGHT FOR SEASON TOUCHES DOWN: The first chartered flight carrying about 250 passengers from Frankfurt, Germany, arrived at Dabolim airport on October 11, kicking-off the charter-tourism season in the State. Incidentally, most of the tourists were hairdressers from Germany, who had traveled to attend a hairdressers’ conference, organised by Wella Professionals of Germany. The conference was a part of their weeklong holiday. This year, the number of charter flights is likely to exceed the 800 mark in comparison to last year’s 776. Flights are expected to come in from Frankfurt, Gatwick, Manchester, Zurich, Helsinki, Baku, Arinda, Copenhagen, Birmingham, Moscow, St Petersburg and the Middle East. By now all the charter flights have started operating in full swing.
SHAHRUKH KHAN TO INAGURATE IFFI 2007: Goa is laying down the red carpet to welcome her favourite stars at the ten day International Film Festival which commences on November 23, and none other than Bollywood superstar, Shahrukh Khan, will grace the inaugural function. ‘Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days” which won the Golden Palm award at Cannes this year will be the opening film, while Spanish film ‘Fado’ will bring the curtains down on the festival. IFFI 2007 will be the first edition of the festival to have an entry from Pakistan “Khuda ke Liye”. ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN DECEMBER: Besides, IFFI, Xmas and New Year Festivities, there will be another reason for tourists to visit Goa this year. India's first 'electronic dance music (EDM) festival,' “Sunburn”, will be held in Candolim beach, adjacent to the famous Calangute and Baga beaches. Goa's Ministry of Tourism along with VJ/DJ (video jockey/disc jockey) Nikhil Chinappa and PDM Entertainment will be hosting the two-day EDM festival on December 28 and 29 on the sands of the famous beach.Some of the best DJs of the world are expected to participate in the Sunburn festival, which is being promoted on the lines of some of the largest international music festivals, such as the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in England. GOA IS GOING BROADBAND: Bangalore based United Telecom Limited (UTL) has laid nearly 250 km (155 miles) of cable and has completed the first phase of the project – linking the government’s headquarters to district offices via a ten gigabits-per-second network. By December, district and village administrations will have one gigabits-per-second connectivity and within five months 320,000 households will have access to speeds of up to ten megabits per second. Initially, the aim is to sign up 80,000 homes to bundled access to voice, data, high - speed internet and television services for about 500 rupees a month – a significant discount to buy cable TV, telephone and internet separately. Users will be able to pause and fast-forward live television, hold video-conferences with friends and colleagues and file tax returns straight to the government server. GROVER VINEYARD LAUNCHES TWO NEW WINES: The Grover Vineyards Ltd, Bangalore recently launched Sante Chenin Blanc and Sante Shiraz, at Sinquerim. Both wines are made of grapes sourced from the exquisite vineyards of the Nasik valley, Maharashtra. While Sante Chenin Blanc possesses the freshness of lemon and apricot, Sante Shiraz is fruity in nature with aromas of red sherry, black pepper and chocolate along with spicy tones. The other wines of the Grover Vineyards Ltd include La Reserve and Cabernet Shiraz which are red wines, Sauvignon Blanc, white wines such as Viognier Clairette and Shiraz which is a rose wine. Grover Vineyard is the only winery in the country, which has retained Michel Rolland, the internationally acclaimed French wine-maker as its consultant. TOP
Just Answer Five Simple Questions to win a book on India:
1) Wendell Rodricks recently displayed his ‘Goa Spa Collection” in a. Paris & New York b. Gujarat c. Indonesia d. Austria
2) Nirmala Devi is… a. Indore’s ‘Nani Maa’ Traffic Warden b. Classical Singer c. Special delegate at UN d. Green Peace activist
3) Luxury Boat ‘Lake Palace’ will cruise the waters in… a. Goa b. Udaipur c. Kerala d. Andaman & Nicobar Islands
4) Kollam District in Kerala will be hosting the… a. Big Saree Festival b. The Cashew Fest c. The Go-Karting Championships d. International Film Festival
5) To which country has Air India resumed its flights from Thiruvananthapuram after a gap of 12 years? a. London b. Singapore c. Dubai d. Kuwait
LAST DATE: 10 DEC ’07 to send your entries at the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net or pmaurya@indiainvites.com
ANSWERS TO THE LAST CONTEST:
1) Tiger Airways is a……based airline b. Singapore
2) Sudarshan Patnaik is a renowned a. Sand sculptor
3) ‘Kurubala’ was recently sighted in b. Orissa
4) Fractofusus Misrai is… b. A fossil
5) Where can one find an idol of Lord Shiva with an uncut diamond adorning his navel? b. Mamaleshwar Temple
WINNER OF LAST CONTEST: We received a good response and there were quite a few all-correct answers, however the lucky winner out of the lot is Ms. Anita Gibson, Australia! Warm congratulations! The other participants with all correct entries are: Meena Chhichhia & Dimple Lath, both from Mumbai. We thank all of you for your participation – better luck next time!!! TOP |
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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is currently being sent to about 4000 select tour operators, individuals, friends, tourist offices, and other organizations. The news contents of this are compiled through various resources, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, books, etc and are being customized to suit our needs of balanced information in tourism and its related field. The newsletter itself does not carry any commercial value and the sole purpose is to increase the awareness and disseminate the available information in a fast manner to the people concerned in the trade. We try to provide the news as authentic and correct as possible, however, there might be errors sometimes. TOP |