Page 159 - Hospitality Recreation
Trekkers delight Kurangani in TN
"Welcome to Kurangani Hills, the Western Ghats for a glimpse into the forces of nature," says a welcome signboard ahead of the pristine mountain ranges near here. It is an irony that it is the force of nature, a wild fire, that snuffed out 10 lives in the high hill ranges on the Western Ghats in this picturesque district, located over 500 kms from state capital Chennai and about 30 km from here. Seven women and three men, part of a trekking expedition, were killed in the devastating forest fire in the hills on March 11. The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a probe into the incident. Nestled atop the Western Ghats, Kurangani Hill range is a nature lover's paradise albeit not as popular as Kodaikanal or Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu. With its waterfalls, caves and rock crevices, diverse flora and fauna, tea, coffee and cardamom estates, Kurangani dotted by remote tribal hamlets is truly a paradise for trekkers. Kurangani hills, which has been attracting adventure tourists, ...
Selfie with century-old railway engine in Sambalpur
A heritage park in Khetrajpur area Sambalpur is the new selfie hub for the youths. The Sambalpur Railway Division of the East Coast Railway has installed a century-old locomotive engine in the park and made arrangements for the public to take photographs with it. "The good news is that people can take selfies with the engine in the heritage garden. In the next few days, old-style semaphore signals will also be installed in front of the engine," a senior railway official said. The Steam Locomotive was retrieved from the junkyard of Bankura Railway Station of ADRA division, under South Eastern Railway, and placed in front of the Divisional Railway Manager's office on December 31, 1999, after giving a new sleek and beautiful look. The engine was built by the North British Locomotive Co. Ltd, Glasgow (Scotland) in 1908. This steam locomotive, with a glorious history of serving Mail/Express Trains of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway company, will now make for a good selfie ...
These traditional Chhattisgarh dishes are in Gordon Ramsay's menu
Two of the tribal foods of Chhattisgarh's Bastar - Chapda chutney and Dona Pudga - have made it to the international food menu, thanks to, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who loved them so much he decided to add them in his menu!Chapda chutney is chutney made of red ant, which is deemed as not only healthy but also keeps diseases at bay. Dona Pudga is a dish wherein the chicken seasoned with basic spices is wrapped in a leaf and roasted over a fire. No oil is used in the cooking.A while back, Gordon was traveling across India for his documentary on Indian food when he decided to visit Bastar on the suggestion of his assistant Sarah.In the 12 minutes he dedicated to these dishes in the documentary, Ramsay termed Chapda chutney the world's best chutney and called both the dishes as healthy.Ramsay travelled in the Naxal-prone areas of Darba's Manjhipal on a bullet motorcycle and spent three days and two nights here.During his stay, he learned about the red ant. He got completely floored by
GST officials conduct raid at Meerut Hotelier property
The Goods and Services Tax (GST), officials conducted a raid at a property of hotelier Himanshu Puri, owner of Harmony Inn, who has been accused of fleeing the country after taking crores of rupees from banks.The GST officials conducted the raid on Monday and interrogated the hotel staffs and workers in the concerned matter.Puri and his family disappeared from the city in a suspicious manner and their phones have been switched off since then.As per reports, the hotelier took a loan in crores from banks and did not pay it back.
Trekkers delight Kurangani in TN, turns a nightmare
"Welcome to Kurangani Hills, the Western Ghats for a glimpse on the forces of Nature," says a welcome signboard ahead of the pristine mountain ranges near here. It is an irony that it is the force of nature, a wild fire, that snuffed out ten lives in the high hill ranges on the Western Ghats in this picturesque district, located over 500 kms from state capital Chennai and about 30 km from here. Seven women and three men, part of a trekking expedition, were killed in the devastating forest fire in the hills yesterday. Nestled atop the Western Ghats, Kurangani Hill ranges is a nature lover's paradise albeit not as popular as Kodaikanal or Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu. With its, waterfalls, caves and rock crevices, diverse flora and fauna, tea, coffee and cardamom estates Kurangani dotted by remote tribal hamlets is truly a paradise for trekkers. Kurangani hills, which has been attracting adventure tourists, including from overseas, is known for its quickly changing
Tourism Ministry considering night markets, restaurants: Alphons
Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons today said all night open restaurants and night markets are some of the proposals being considered by his ministry to promote tourism and clarified that by promoting "night-life" he did not mean just 'night-clubs' but wholesome entertainment. He said there was a need to have activities around monuments after sunset too. The ministry has taken an initiative to illuminate monuments after dark. The minister said by promoting "night-life" he did not mean "night-clubs" but wholesome entertainment and revenue generation for the tourism sector 24x7. "Night clubs are just a small part of the night life that we want to promote. We cannot have tourists go to their rooms and shut their doors at 7 pm. "We need to have clean entertainment like shopping, restaurants that's how you make big money. We cannot just earn through ticketing monuments, we need to have activities around the monuments too after dark," Alphons said. Tourism Secretary Rashmi Verma said
Tourism sites to be developed as iconic destinations: Minister
Prominent tourism sites, including the Taj Mahal, Kaziranga and the Somnath Temple, are to be developed into "iconic" destinations, the government informed Parliament today. Minister of Tourism K J Alphons told the Lok Sabha that an announcement on this had been made in the Budget of 2018-19. The ministry has identified the sites for development based on "footfall, regional distribution, potential for development and ease of implementation", he said. The sites include the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar and Red Fort (Delhi) and Colva Beach (Goa). The other tourism spots are Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar). The destinations would be developed under the ongoing Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the ministry, Alphons said. For its "iconic tourism ...
Urbanpod receives best boutique hotel award from ET Now
URBANPOD - Next Generation Smart Hotel received the 'Best Boutique Hotel of the Year' award at ET NOW - Rise with India - MODI Awards, 2018. The accolade to URBANPOD was presented under the category - 'Excellence in Hospitality, Hotels and Tourism' at a ceremony in Mumbai recently."We are humbled and honored for being recognized as the 'Best Boutique Hotel' from a reputed media organization like ET Now. The accolade is a great encouragement for us as we progress further in our mission of providing beautifully designed, comfortable, clean and safe accommodation with high service standards and affordable pricing," said Hiren Gandhi, Co-Founder and Director, Urbanpod."The credit for this award goes to all our customers and our committed and dedicated support staff. We are sure that the Urbanpod brand will continue to set new benchmarks as the most innovative and customer centric hospitality company in India," said Shalabh Mittal, Co-Founder - Urbanpod.Instituted by ET Now the "MODI ...
Tourism ministry all set to hire PR firm to promote India globally
The Tourism Ministry is soon going to hire a public relations firm to boost the country's image and to promote it as a safe destination for foreign tourists, a senior official of the ministry said. Tourism Ministry Secretary Rashmi Verma said that the ministry was speaking to stakeholders to finalise the RFP (Request for Proposal) document. "We will hire a central public relations firm to promote India, to promote its various facets as well as show the world that India is a safe destination. Its job will be to give out positive message about India, sell positive stories. It will be a private firm with credentials to promote India internationally," Verma told PTI. The ministry has also decided to go the whole hog for promotional activities globally, with the budget for the same being raised from Rs 400 crore in 2017-2018 to Rs 600 in 2018-2019. "We have completely changed the way we looked at promotional activities. While earlier we concentrated on promoting tourism seasonally, now we
The 2020 Tour de France to start from Nice
The 2020 Tour de France will start from Nice on France's Cote d'Azur, organisers announced today. The Mediterranean resort plays host to the so-called 'Grand Depart' for the second time after 1981, the year Bernard Hinault claimed the third of his five triumphs. "I reckon that lots of cyclists will greet this news with a big smile," said Tour director Christian Prudhomme. For Nice it will mean a welcome boost in revenue. "The Tour is the third (biggest) international (sports) event and as such means a sizeable economic boost for the whole of the region," said the city's mayor Christian Estrosi. The announcement was made less than 24 hours after the 2018 Paris-Nice stage race was won by young Spaniard Marc Soler. Prudhomme commented: "The last few editions of the Paris-Nice have shown that the variety of landscapes and reliefs in the region adds to the suspense, the attack, the show. "That's precisely what we want to give... to the 2020 Tour." This year's Tour, the jewel in cycling's ..
Culinary Art India to return with 13th edition
Culinary Art India (CAI) will return to the national capital for food lovers to witness live demonstrations by over 300 renowned chefs displaying their excellent cooking skills during its 13th edition.
Biker duo embarks on ride from Pune to Scotland
A mechanical engineer from Arrah, and a teacher from Canada have embarked on a unique journey to cover the distance from Pune to Scotland with the vision of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'- one world one family.Arrah's Prashant Kumar met Ben Reid-Howells at an art workshop in Pune last year.With the wish to help people, the duo decided to take a bike ride and carry out a series of projects under "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam".Talking to ANI, Ben said that he believes that the world is one and expressed happiness over the support their initiatives have received."We are from different countries still we are brothers. We meet in Pune, we were under different projects for peace and education. Right now we are going from Bihar to Nepal. We got a lot of support of the people," Ben said.Prashant said that as a human everyone has right to move around freely in the world, keeping that in mind they have undertaken this bike ride."We thought this would send a better message and decided to carry it forward. ...
Modi, Macron to visit Varanasi tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron will jointly inaugurate a solar plant in Mirzapur district and also visit the Trade Facilitation Centre here tomorrow, said an official here. Prime Minister Modi will receive the French President, who will arrive by a special plane at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International airport here tomorrow morning, the official said. From the airport, both the leaders will fly by a helicopter to Mirzapur ,where they will jointly inaugurate the 75-megawatt solar plant and then will return back to Varanasi. The two leaders are scheduled to visit the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Trade facilitation Centre at Badalalpur here. Both the leaders will also visit the Assi ghat, where they will enjoy a boat ride from Assi to Dashashwamedh ghat and will then head to the Taj Hotel , where Modi will host a dinner for the French president, the official said. Modi will leave the hotel for the DLW helipad and the French president will stay at the hotel for ..
Modi to host Macron in Varanasi; take boat ride on Ganga
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow host French President Emmanuel Macron in Varanasi, where the two leaders will participate in several programmes, including a boat ride on river Ganga. The two leaders will first leave for Mirzapur, where they will inaugurate a solar power plant, before returning to Varanasi, official sources said here. In Varanasi, the two leaders will visit the Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul and interact with artisans. They will also witness a live demonstration of their crafts. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron will then arrive at the famous Assi Ghat in Varanasi, where they will board a boat for a ride along the ghats of the Ganga. The boat ride will end at the historic Dashashwamedh Ghat. Modi will also host a lunch in the honour of the French President. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister will flag off a train from Varanasi's Maduadih Railway Station to Patna.
French President visits Taj Mahal
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited the Taj Mahal here, officials said.
'Village of books' aims to break language barrier
Bhilar, a small hamlet between the picturesque Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar hill stations in Maharashtra, turned into a paradise for bibliophiles last year after being declared as India's first 'village of books'. The artistically decorated libraries, spread across the 'Pustakanche Gaav', or the 'village of books', in Satara district are now set to cross the language boundaries and add books of Gujarati, Hindi and English languages to the shelves to cater to the non-Marathi tourists. The project, launched by the Maharashtra government last year to promote the "culture of reading" and lure tourists, was inspired by Britain's Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town known for its bookstores and literature festivals. The concept was mooted by the Marathi Bhasha department and Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, a government body. "Currently, we have 25 locations in the village displaying Marathi books - ranging from literature, poetry, religion, history, environment, folk literature to biographies
Munjal calls for better infrastructure to make golf popular
Hero MotoCorp Managing Director and CEO Pawan Munjal today called for better infrastructure and facilities for the growth of golf in the country. For starters, there is a dire need to have more public golf courses, which can be accessed by budding golfers," said Munjal, former Chairman of the Asian PGA Tour Board of Directors and the Past President of Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI). "Currently out of the 250-plus golf courses in India, only a handful is open to the public or walk-ins. The golfing infrastructure has to be made accessible and affordable to greater numbers. "That will kindle interest and love for the game in the general public and parents, who will then be motivated to let their kids take up the sport, said Munjal on the sidelines of Hero Indian Open today. Munjal agrees that the development of golf courses in India is on a rise but he feels that most of these are real estate led and tourism-oriented. No doubt, these aspects are important, but we need ..
Mixology - art and science at play in a glass
Cooking is an art for chefs, and when a mixologist readies a glass of drink to meet the customer's expectations and satiate his thirst, it's both art and science at play. While one may think of preparing a drink as a cakewalk for a bartender, mixology involves a good chemistry of ingredients to dish out innovative and classic cocktails - a masterpiece served in a glass, feel experts. "It's a very eminent and skilled profession across the globe where one needs a lot of potential to make things happen for me, it's an art and science behind creating something new inside a glass," New York-based mixologist Hemant Pathak tells PTI. A mixologist is pretty much like a well-trained chef. Before any new creation, they look into the freshness of ingredients, inspiration, technique and of course a flavour combination, he says. Noted Mumbai-based mixologist Shatbhi Basu says professionals like her have to take into account an understanding of the heritage of products they work with
Free wi-fi, other facilities at J-K Tulip Garden this year
Visitors to Asia's largest Tulip Garden on the banks of Dal Lake here can enjoy free wi-fi access, in addition to many other new facilities, when the garden opens to public later this month. The Tulip garden will be thrown open to public on March 25. "With the need of staying connected increasing by the day, the floriculture department, in collaboration with the BSNL, is providing free wi-fi connectivity to visitors," Floriculture Director Mathoora Masoom told PTI. Masoom said several other initiatives have been taken to make the visitors, a large number of whom are tourists, feel comfortable during their visit to the Tulip Garden. "We have added more green spaces inside the garden so that the visitors can rest and enjoy the beauty of the flowers in full bloom," she said. The official said this year, the department has planted 12.25 lakh Tulip bulbs over an area of 10 hectares. "We have added some other flower plants to the Tulip Garden this year which includes Hyacinths, Daffodils, ..
Kerala developing its port towns into tourist hubs: Official
People, who visit Kerala, usually hit the beaches or head for the hill stations, they are not much aware of the rich heritage of the port towns, a government official of the southern state has said. The state is now focusing on the development of its heritage sites in Malabar region as tourist hotspots, Jafar Malik, the additional director general of Kerala Tourism Department, explained. The port of Muziris and the historic towns of Kodungallur, Pattanam and Paravur were once the trade hubs for businessmen arriving from Rome and Greece and other parts of the globe, the official said. "The remnants of the port and the historic towns in North Kerala have been excavated and restored to a large extent as tourist spots," Malik, who was recently here to promote tourism in his state, said. Kerala wants to increase its domestic tourist footfall by 50 per cent in five years - from 1.31 crore in 2016 to 2.5 crore, the official said. Of the 1.31 crore domestic tourists, 1.31 lakh ..