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Monthly Tourism Newsletter from India |
October - 2007 |
| Permanent Feature - GOA | Contest |
| Special Feature | |
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Warm greetings from lovely Goa!
September was a month of celebration for India. Not another festival, but a series of accolades that would make any nation proud. She vowed audiences with the IncredibleIndia@60 campaign in New York, won the PATA Grand Award and has been voted the most favourite destination by readers of Conde Nast Traveller. The country's popularity ensures a spot in The World's Top 100 list too where it sits at number 4. Not just the country, its her hospitality sector too. Leela Ventures has also been voted amongst best business hotels in the world by the same magazine!
Cricket and India go together. Nothing unites the country like cricket and in this case the euphoric win of the Twenty20 world cup will remain with us for a while.
Indian-origin, NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams has done us proud again. It was only natural that she received such a rousing welcome on her visit to her motherland – India. RK Pachauri wins the Nobel peace prize, taking India to further heights!
“Harmony for Silvers” is acknowledging the invaluable contribution of Senior Citizens to the Country and Society at large. Eighty - year old Traffic Warden Nirmala Devi is one such silver lining in Indore.
The sun is ready to claim her rightful place once again as the monsoons beat a slow retreat. This promises to be a refreshing season in glorious India. See you in India! |
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AIRLINES UPDATE
JET AIRWAYS GRANTED TRAFFIC RIGHTs TO MIDDLE EAST FROM JAN 2008: Jet Airways have now been granted traffic rights on the India-Gulf / Middle East routes to Jet Airways with effect from January 1, 2008. With this approval the private airline will be able to operate on routes like Delhi-Kuwait, Trivandrum-Kuwait, Kochi-Kuwait, Kochi-Muscat, Trivandrum-Muscat, Calicut-Muscat, Mumbai-Doha, Calicut-Doha, Mumbai-Bahrain and Kochi-Bahrain.
JET AIRWAYS FLIGHT OF FANTASY FOR ‘APROCH’ CHILDREN: Proving once again the airline’s commitment to noble causes, Jet Airways recently operated a 60-minute ‘Flight of Fantasy’ in support of aProCh (a protagonist in every child). The flight was operated for the children of Ahmedabad in support of aProCh - a dialogue initiated by the Riverside School and the city of Ahmedabad to foster a partnership between the city and its children.
AIR DECCAN GIFTS JAMSHEDPUR AIRLINK TO KOLKATA: Jamshedpur, where Tata Steel was founded a 100 yeas ago, got a birthday gift in the form of an Air Deccan air link with Kolkata after a gap of over two decades when commercial flights went off air. A 48-seater ATR aircraft touched down at Jamshedpur marking the commencement of this service. The airline hopes to add links to New Delhi and other cities soon.
MDLR COMMENCES DELHI - JODHPUR FLIGHTS: MDLR Airlines, India’s and the world’s first vegetarian airline, commenced its return Delhi - Jodhpur flights in September (ETD: Delhi 0740 ETA: Jodhpur 0830 – ETD: 0900 Jodhpur 0900 ETA: Delhi 1000). Delhi – Jaipur - Delhi is the latest addition to its network, which will commence on 12 October (ETD: Jai 0700 ETA Del 0750, ETD: Del 1700 ETA: Jai 1750). It presently operates return flights on the Chandigarh - Delhi - Ranchi - Kolkata sectors.
AIR INDIA EXPRESS AUGUMENTS TRICHY-SINGAPORE FLIGHTS: Air India Express has launched six additional flights a week to Singapore from Trichy (Tiruchirapally). The airline is already operating three flights a week each in the Trichiy Singapore and Trichy - Dubai sectors. With this, the total number of Air India Express flights in the Trichy - Singapore sector will go up to nine.
SRI LANKAN CENTURY IN INDIA FROM OCTOBER: The airline will increase its weekly operations to 100 flights from October 28 this year. Currently, the airline operates 95 weekly flights to 10 Indian cities, including daily flights to Delhi and Mumbai. Taking advantage of the open skies agreement reached between India and Sri Lanka in October 2003, Sri Lankan Airlines has progressively increased its operations from 45 weekly flights. (The agreement allows daily flights between Colombo and Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata and unlimited flights to 18 other tourist destinations.) Sri Lankan Airlines is also examining the possibility of launching flights from Colombo to Kathmandu en-route to India.
SIR LANKA TO ADD COIMBATORE TO ITS NETWORK END OCTOBER: Coimbatore is its next destination in India. The operations will start from October 29. Initially the airline plans to operate four flights a week on this route i.e. on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, using Airbus A320 aircraft.
AIR ARABIA ADDS COMIBATORE TOO: Air Arabia has launched services to Coimbatore, making it the first international airline to fly to the city. Coimbatore is Air Arabia's eighth destination in India. The airline already connects Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram to the Gulf with 48 flights per week.
QATAR AIRWAYS MAKES PRESENCE FELT IN NAGPUR: Qatar Airways has launched scheduled flights to the central Indian city of Nagpur, the airline's seventh destination in India. Qatar Airways will operate twice-weekly flights between the two cities. The Nagpur route is being operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.
CHINA EASTERN FLIGHTS TO KOLKATA END OCTOBER: Starting October 30, 2007, China Eastern will add Kolkata as its new destination with thrice-weekly flights to Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. Initially, the airline plans to deploy a CRJ aircraft on this route, offering 49 economy class seats with no business class. The airline will switch to Boeing 737 aircraft in due course.
INDIA-CHILE SIGN OPEN SKIES AIR CARGO POLICY: India and Chile have signed a bilateral agreement for an open skies policy for air cargo and liberalizing passenger transport services. The new agreement grants cargo transport unlimited numbers of these services from and to India or Chile, using any type of aircraft and with full traffic rights to, from, or via any intermediary. TOP
HOTELS NEWS
LEELA GARDENS PLANS THREE / FOUR STAR HOTELS: Hotel Leela Ventures is planning to launch a series of three and four-star budget hotels in smaller towns all over the India. The chain is in the process of launching these under their brand name Leela Gardens in next couple of years.
LEELA VENTURES TO SET UP LUXURY VILLAS IN KOVALAM, GOA: Hotel Leela Ventures Ltd, one of India’s leading luxury hotels, is planning to set up 100 luxury villas around its hotels in Kovalam and Goa in the next couples of years with 70 top end luxury villas in Kovalam and around 30 in Goa.
MARKET ALLIANCE BETWEEN TAJ GROUP AND OKURA HOTELS: Taj Group of hotels, a part of the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., has recently signed a marketing alliance with Okura Hotels and Resorts of Japan. To begin with, the agreement between both the parties will be for a period of two years, which is extendable and would be applicable across nine properties of Taj and seven of Okura, which are like to be increased further.
OBEROI GROUP PLANS EXPANSION: The Oberoi Group of Hotels is planning a 60 per cent increase in capacity, which entails the addition of 2,700 rooms within five years. The number of rooms in India and abroad would increase to 6,800 from the existing 4100. The expansion plans, all through new projects, would include three new properties (hotels and service apartments) at Bangalore and Hyderabad, to be readied by 2010. A 440-room property would be completed by December 2008 in Bombay, followed by a luxury hotel in Gurgaon in 2009. International expansion plans include Dubai, Maldives, Cambodia, Abu Dhabi (a hotel and a resort), Oman, Egypt and Morocco. Two smaller hotels of 30 rooms each are proposed in Bhutan.
SAROVER HOTELS ON EXPANSION SPREE: A leading hotel chain in India, which currently manages 30 hotels and resorts, The Sarovar Hotel group has aggressive expansion plans on the anvil. The group announced the launch of 4 new properties by end of 2007. These include Hometel in Hyderabad (Ameerpet) in November 07, Hometel in Mumbai (Mallad) in December 07, a Grand Sarovar Premiere in Mumbai (Goregaon, West) in Nov 07, and Savannah Sarovar Premiere in Bangalore (Whitefield). They have further plans to open a total of 20 new hotels in the next three years. Under the Sarovar's portfolio of brands - Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico, Hometel, Park Plaza, and Park Inn, their properties will encompass the 3, 4 and 5 star categories.
WELCOME TO ORANGE COUNTY – KABINI, KARNATAKA: Whilst its flagship resort Orange County in Coorg, continues to draw tourists to its portals, Orange County Resorts & Hotels’ new resort – “Orange County – Kabini”, novel and superior in content is topping the charts since it opened on August 1. Built like a tribal village, it is bordered on three sides by the famous Kabini Reservoir. This self contained resort, with its spacious and luxurious private Pool Huts and Private Jacuzzi Huts, has a marvellous heated swimming pool and plenty of activities to keep the guests occupied.
UMMEID’S SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR MDLR TRAVELLERS: MDLR Airline passengers can now avail of a 60% discount on The Ummeid, Jodhpur’s rack rates on presentation of their boarding pass at the hotel’s reception. This will be accompanied with a welcome drink on arrival, cookies in the room and buffet breakfast. However, this special rate in on offer only till 31st October (except 28th and 29th) and is subject to availability of rooms. TOP
PUJAS AND FESTIVITIES MARK GOKUL ASHTAMI: The birth of Lord Krishna - Gokul Ashtami was celebrated on September 4. Devotees fast till midnight and when the birth of Lord Krishna is announced, they break fast by eating a festive preparation of rice, butter, yogurt, puris and potatoes. According to Hindu mythology this meal was relished by Lord Krishna and his playmates in Gokul. In the villages, at the Pola or the harvest festival bullocks are bathed, decorated and taken out in a procession to the accompaniment of drums. For the Dahi-Handi ceremony, a big earthenware pot is filled with milk, yogurt, butter, honey, fruits etc. and is suspended from a height between 20 to 40 feet. Young men come forward to claim this prize by forming a human pyramid by standing over each other's shoulders till the pyramid is tall enough to enable the topmost person to reach the pot and claim the contents after breaking it. Normally, currency notes are tied to the rope by which the pot is suspended. This prize money is distributed amongst those who form the pyramid. PUNE CELEBRATES CULTURAL FEST: Once again on September 21, Pune was host to the annual cultural extravaganza of culture, art, drama, dance, music and sports. The festival was inaugurated at the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. Actress Hema Malini and her two daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol enthralled audiences at the inaugural function with a special dance performance of Ganesh Vandana, while Pandit Jasraj paid tribute to the Country’s 60th Independence Anniversary with his soul stirring rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’. Danseuse Malika Sarabhai and her disciples presented ‘Megdhoot’ a ballet on the 22nd. The festival also witnessed stellar performances from other renowned artistes while several others were felicitated for their contribution to various cultural fields. Running into a few days the festival was a virtual feast for art and culture aficionados. ‘NUAKHAI’ - HARVEST FESTIVAL OF ORISSA: Devotees in Orissa offered the first crop of the season to their presiding deities in celebration of the Harvest Festival ‘Nuakhai’. Traditionally, the senior most member of the family distributes ‘nabarna’ (rice cooked from the new grain) to the family members. Thereafter people greet each other which is termed as ‘Nuakhai Juhar’. RAJASTHAN INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL 25-29 OCT: About 250 musicians from India and across the world will gather in Rajasthan from October 25-29 for the International Folk Festival. Against the backdrop of the unparalleled beauty of the Mehrangarh Fort, the festival will commence with a grand ceremonial procession. Whilst presenting musical notes from their own countries’ foreign artistes will collaborate with local musicians to create vibrant new sounds. Fifteen Rajasthani folk communities will also participate. The opening of the festival will coincide with ‘Sharada Poornima’, the brightest full moon of the year whose brilliant rays beautifully lights up all the monuments around the State. This celebration also coincides with the Marwar Festival which is a feast of music and dance. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (India)INCREDIBLEINDIA@60 TAKES NEW YORK BY STORM: The Ministry of Tourism and Culture and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) jointly organized IncredibleIndia@60 – a four-day celebration which commenced on 23rd September 2007 in New York to coincide with the September session of UN General Assembly. IncredibleIndia@60 had been conceptualized as a complete experience to showcase India’s economic dynamism and highlight its growth and vibrancy in the past 60 years. The programs included cultural performances from different regions of India, demonstration and display of Indian handicrafts, handlooms and textiles, fashion shows, music concerts, art exhibition, Indian food festivals, panel discussion on “Women and Global leadership” with Yale University; an interaction on “Brand India” at Harvard Club and a conference on Water: Challenges and Options with the Earth Institute, Columbia University. INCREDIBLE INDIA WINS PATA AWARD: India won PATA’s Grand Award for its very memorable Incredible India marketing campaign. The five-year Incredible India campaign has set the benchmark for destinations globally. At the recent Choice Awards, India was also voted as the Most Favoured Destination in the world, coming tenth in 2005, fourth in 2006 and now number one in 2007.Sets Up Office In Sydney: India also inaugurated their new office in Australia on September 11. The décor of the new office has been themed on a traditional Rajasthan Haveli and has incorporated ancient Indian “Vastu Shastra” architectural concepts. STAR CRUISES INCORPORATES INDIA WEBSITE WITH COMPANY WEBSITE: Star Cruises India website, www.starcruises.co.in, was integrated into the corporate website, i.e., www.starcruises.com, with effect from October 1, 2007 as part of its ongoing efforts to streamline and centralise dissemination of information. Customers can now log on to the corporate website and view the general highlights of Star Cruises which is linked to the special local promotions for India. Alternatively, customers can also log on to www.starcruises.co.in and check out the latest local promotions and enjoy special incentives. A MUDPACK TO BEAUTIFY TAJ MAHAL: India’s famous monument and one of the wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal is turning yellow. In an attempt to restore it to its former pristine splendor, she will be treated with a special mud pack – a sterilized version of multani mutti. This mud from Multan, fine lime-rich clay will be applied to the marble mausoleum to cleanse it of pollutants which have rendered it yellow. The packs will be left to dry for a couple of days and then washed off with salt-free water. ISRO HOPES TO HARNESS NUCLEAR ENERGY TO PROPEL FUTURE ROCKETS: As India’s space program gets into its second phase, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is looking to harness nuclear energy to propel its future rockets, which will explore distant planets and areas beyond the solar system. The technology would not be very different to what is used in nuclear power plants but the big challenge would be to package this into a small unit and make it completely safe. Though such an endeavour in outer space is envisaged only around 2030, ISRO will commence working on its technology shortly. SUNITA WILLIAMS GRACES THE 58TH IAC MEET IN HYDERABAD: The 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) was held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, with Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams gracing the occasion. About 2,000 delegates from 45 countries - rocket engineers, satellite-builders, astronauts from the US, China and France, specialists in space law and chief executive officers of space industries attended the conference. The Congress also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first artificial satellite, the 40th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year. BED AND BREAKFAST SCHEME TAKES ROOT IN DELHI: Delhi became the country’s first State to commence the Bed and Breakfast Scheme, launched earlier this year by the Union Ministry of Tourism. The Scheme classifies fully operational rooms of Home Stay Facilities under the “Incredible India Bed & Breakfast (B&B) Establishment”. The basic idea is to provide a clean and affordable place for foreigners and domestic tourists alike, including an opportunity for foreign tourists to stay with an Indian family to experience Indian customs and traditions and relish authentic Indian cuisine. Out of the 81 establishments registered under this Scheme in Delhi 23 are in the Gold category while 58 are in the Silver category. KARNATAKA’S GOLDEN CHARIOT TO ROLL FROM NOVEMBER: Karnataka is set to have its own luxury on wheels — the Golden Chariot. Designed on the lines of Palace on Wheels, Golden Chariot promises to be distinctive in covering two world heritage sites — Hampi and Pattadakal, covering destinations like Mysore, Kabini, Shravanabelagola. The seven day sojourn will start in Bangalore and end at Goa, with a return journey to Bangalore. It is likely to be launched sometime in November after a trial run this month end. The fare inclusive of all meals and taxes is expected to be around $325 (Rs 13,000) per person per night, with special packages for off-season travelers. Comprising of 19 coaches with 26 twin beds and 17 double beds and one cabin for the physically challenged, the Golden Chariot is designed to accommodate 88 passengers. Its other features include a lounge bar, fully equipped gymnasium, restaurants and a conference coach. Ayurvedic massages will also be on offer. KASHMIR’S MAIDEN TRAIN JOURNEY: The first train to run in Kashmir is expected to start operations by the end of the year. The train will commence its journey from Kashmir’s main railway station in Budgam, central Kashmir, 15 km from Srinagar, as part of its 35 km trial run between Budgam and Kakapora, southern Kashmir. NOW A HOUSEBOAT WITH A SWIMMING POOL: In a first of its kind, a houseboat with a swimming pool will soon be gliding over Kerala’s Alappuzha’s backwaters. The houseboat is 90 ft long and 16 ft wide and has two bedrooms on the ground floor with a swimming pool on the first floor. The pool itself is 12 feet long, 8ft wide with a depth of 4ft and is fitted with a Jacuzzi and its own treatment plant. TRIBAL ART WITH A MISSION: Tribal artists in Orissa are painting the walls of houses in and around Balasore town with pictures depicting lifestyles of tribal folk, their culture, flora, fauna and designs, with the aim to revive this ancient art form promote and popularise ancient tribal arts and crafts amongst people at large. MICKEY MOUSE TO ENLIVEN SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS IN RAJASTHAN: Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters will enliven Class 1 text books from the next academic year in Rajasthan, in a bid to get children more interested in studies. Mickey Mouse will be on the cover. Depending on the success of this venture, text books for Classes 2 and 3 would follow suit. INDIAN SCIENTIST HONOURED BY RUSSIAN ACADEMY: The Russian Academy has conferred the title of honorary academician to Dr. Goverdhan Mehta, Director of the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, for his outstanding achievements in applied chemistry. This is the first time a non-Russian has been awarded this title. The ceremony took place at the 18th Mendeleev Congress in Moscow. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (International)
HOLLYWOOD’S MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND CATHERINE ZETA-JONES TO SHOOT FILM IN INDIA: Hollywood’s super couple Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta Jones will co-produce and star in ‘Racing the Monsoon’ an action adventure about a diamond heist aboard an Indian Train. They will set up Camp in Mumbai to commence shooting sometime in December.
MUMBAI’S ‘MERMAID’ SWIMS GREEK GULF: At eight years and seven month Swapnali Yadav has become the youngest swimmer ever to cross the 30 km Messinikos Gulf in Greece. The ‘Little Mermaid’ represented India at the 19th World Swimming Marathon. Swapnali covered the stretch in an impressive 11 hours 10 minutes, instead of the allotted 12 hours. She was joined by an elite group of 16 swimmers from around the world. PRESTIGIOUS US ‘VICTOR COHEN’ PRIZE FOR INDIAN JOURNALIST: New York based Geeta Anand, a journalist working with the Wall Street Journal has been awarded the 2007 Victor Cohen Prize for excellence in medical science reporting. Her stories, covering biotech and drug industry coverage, display extraordinary narrative technique, emotional power with a sharp and intelligent analysis. CANADIAN 565 Mn. YR OLD FOSSIL NAMED AFTER DR MISRA: A 565 million year old fossil discovered by retired Indian geologist, Dr. S B Misra’s at Mistaken Point, Canada in the 1960’s, has been named ‘Fractofusus Misrai’ in his honour. This discovery was the oldest record of multi-cellular life on earth. Dr. Misra gave up his career in N. America to build a school in Lucknow India. ANOTHER INDIAN-AMERICAN BAGS EMMY FOR EDITING: American Indian Geeta Gandbhir is among this year’s winner of the prestigious 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing in Non-Fiction Programming. The four hour film looks at the devastation caused in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina left its trail of destruction in August 2005. TOP KASHMIR SINGS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RIVER VITASTA: Strange as it may sound, Kashmir did indeed celebrate the birthday of Vitasta (Jhelum). The ceremony gains special significance this year, as it is being celebrated after a gap of 18 years. This year the auspicious occasion fell on September 25 (Veth Truvaha) Religious fervor and mirth marked the celebrations with rites performed by Kashmiri pundits. Also known as ‘Veth’ (by Pandits) ‘Behat’ (by Persinas) and “Hydaspes’ (by Greeks), this river is worshipped as the place of Goddess Parvati.
SENIOR CITIZENS AWARDED ‘HARMONY FOR SILVERS’: An NGO, Harmony for Silvers founded by Ms. Tina Ambani honoured ten Silvers (Senior Citizens) for their irrepressible energy and enterprise, setting benchmarks for themselves and for society, at the First Harmony for Silvers awards held in Mumbai recently. The youngest at 57 and oldest at 90 won awards for achievements as varied as ‘Never too old to learn or too poor to dream’ to ‘taking the Jaipur foot to the world’ amongst others.
INDORE’S GRANNY TRAFFIC WARDEN: If you are driving in Indore you are unlikely to miss 80-yr old Nirmala Devi who for the past 25 years has volunteered as a traffic-controller. This zealous Warden on Special Duty is affectionately called ‘Nani Maa’ (maternal grandmother) by drivers and pedestrians alike. So impressed was the Traffic Commissioner with Nirmala’s work and track record that he had her designated “Traffic Warden.”
Trekking routes in Ladakh face garbage menace
By The Magpie Leh. Overland Escape, a travel company based in Ladakh, organized
a cleaning drive collecting tons of garbage along the trekking routes between
Lamayuru and Padum in Zanskar with a dual purpose of reducing the ever growing
garbage menace along this popular route and creating awareness among the general
public about the environmental hazards of piles and piles of rubbish trekking
groups leave behind them. ELEVEN NEW PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES DISCOVERED IN VIETNAM: Scientists have discovered 11 plant and animal species in tropical forests in Central Vietnam in the region known as “Vietnam’s Green Corridor”. These included a snake with a span of 79 cm, with a yellow white stripe sweeping across its head and red dots covering its body, while three of the new orchids are leafless. MIKE PANDEY RECEIVES RAJIV GANDHI WILD CONSERVATION AWARD: Icon of Indian nature films in India and winner of three ‘Green Oscars’ Mike Pandey was awarded the Country’s highest honour for his efforts towards promoting conservation of wildlife – ‘The Rajiv Gandhi Wild Conservation Award’. The filmmaker who was born in Kenya and trained in the UK and US has returned to India. His film ‘Shores of Silence – Whale Sharks in India’ not only won him his second Green Oscar, but also led to the ban on killing of whale sharks on Indian shores. ’ELEPHANT VILLAGE’ FOR MUMBAI’S STREET PACHYDERMS: Close on the heels of a ban on elephants on the streets of Mumbai, Maharashtra has planned to set up a sanctuary for these pachyderms in Kolhapur. These villages will also cater to the mahouts and their families. The shelter will initially shelter 30 elephants. VULTURES TO BE BRED IN CAPTIVITY IN ASSAM: Assam is setting up a special breeding to help boost the dwindling vulture population there. Being built near the Rani Forest Range near Guwahati by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), conservationists plan to breed, in captivity, at least 100 pairs in a span of 15 years. Four slender billed and white backed vultures have been transferred from Kaziranga National Park to BNHS for this project. BEAR CUBS WALK BACK TO FREEDOM IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH: Five Asiatic black bears cub are being taken for walks by a human surrogate mother in the deep jungles of Khari Pong in Arunachal Pradesh as part of a plan to release them into the wild. They would be radio-collared for post-release monitoring. These cubs were earlier rescued from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh where they had been kept as pets. ‘Walk the Bear Program’ helps the orphaned cubs to acclimatize themselves to the wilderness, where the keeper teaches them various survival skills. TOP
GOA’S BEACHES TO BE SAFER WITH LIFEGURADS: Goa's popular beaches, dogged by drowning incidents, will now be manned by 54 trained lifeguards. An initiative of the state-owned Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) these beach sentinels were appointed after a scientific analysis of data on drowning cases. The lifeguards have been trained at the National Institute of Water Sports in Panaji and are well versed with first aid techniques, adequately equipped with life saving equipment. They are also capable of swimming upto a stretch of 400 metres into the sea. Swimming and danger zones have been marked with yellow flags indicating safety while red flags will indicate that seas are rough and tourists should refrain from venturing into the water. The GTDC has also tied up with hotels, beach shacks, beach houses and village panchayats and the respective police stations to provide all necessary assistance to the lifeguards. The state government has also taken measures to educate visitors on the sea by distributing pamphlets, which lists the dos and don’ts on the beaches. INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR GOAN-WRITER FR. NASCIMENTO: Goan-born writer priest, Fr.Nascimento J. Mascarenhas, was recently honoured, in absentia, by the International Confederation of Christian Family Movement at the World Assembly at Fatima in Portugal. The award comprised of a citation and an engraved silver plaque. The award was an appreciation of his enduring love for families and total dedication to the Christian Family Movement. As a writer, with a special interest in history and research, he has penned three books and is currently working on two more.
GOANS CELEBRATE GANESH CHATURTHI: Ganesh Chaturthi, which pays obeisance to Lord Ganesh was celebrated with great fervor and pomp in the State. Commencing the festival with prayers and offerings on September 15, idols, made of clay, were immersed within one and a half day with some people extending it up to 11 or 21 days. Decorative lights, fireworks, distribution of sweets and various cultural functions around the State marked the festivities. Temples and shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesh witnessed a steady procession of devotees some of whom participated in the ‘abhisheka’ or holy bath for the deity.
CONDE NAST VOTES TAJ EXOTICA AMONST ASIA’S TOP 20 HOTELS: The Taj Exotica at Benaulim in Goa won a place of pride amongst the top 20 hotels in Asia. It was amongst four Indian hotels which were selected for the Readers Travel Awards by the Conde Nast Magazine. WENDELL WINS APPLAUSE FROM PARISIAN ELITE: Creations by Indian design maestro, Wendell Rodricks, took the Paris fashion world by storm when he displayed his ‘Goa Spa’ Collection at the Pret-a-Porter fair held there recently. His collections were also displayed at Buyant Park, New York during the Independence Day celebrations held in late September there. TOP
Just Answer Five Simple Questions to win a book on India:
1) Tiger Airways is a…… based airline a. Turkey b. Singapore c. Gulf d. Indian
2) Sudarshan Patnaik is a renowned a. Sand sculptor b. Dancer c. Scientist d. Musician
3) ‘Kurubala’ was recently sighted in a. Andaman & Nicobar Island b. Orissa c. Kaziranga National Park d. Kolkata
4) Fractofusus Misrai is… a. The harvest festival in Orissa b. A fossil c. A Fruit d. A Weapon
5) Where can one find an idol of Lord Shiva with an uncut diamond adorning his navel? a. Konark Temple b. Mamaleshwar Temple c. Mahalaxmi Temple d. National Museum, Delhi
LAST DATE: 05 Nov’07 to send your entries at the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net or pmaurya@indiainvites.com
ANSWERS TO THE LAST CONTEST:
1) Which airline sold its inaugural Airbus A380 tickets for charity? b. Singapore Airlines
2) IAF Pilots recently created a record by circumventing the globe in a.. b. Microlight Aircraft
3) Dharamsala is a town in… a. Kangra Valley
4) When Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World she was India’s ……. Contestant to win this coveted title. e. Second
6) The author of Harry Potter’s books is d. J K Rowling 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: Dimple Lath, Mumbai! Warm congratulations! The other participants with all correct entries are: Meena Chhichhia, Mumbai & Lianne Falk. 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 |