Page 41 - Hospitality Recreation

SpiceJet to launch 8 new domestic flights, frequencies

Low-cost carrier carrer SpiceJet on Thursday announced the launch of eight new direct flights and frequencies on domestic routes from March 1.It is the first Indian carrier to introduce direct flights on the Kochi-Tirupati route.The airline will also introduce a new direct flight on the Vijayawada-Tirupati route.SpiceJet will enhance frequencies on the Kochi-Chennai (3rd frequency) and Vijayawada-Bengaluru (4th frequency) routes..

Uber, Cabify stop services in Barcelona due to tighter laws

Ride-hailing companies Uber and Cabify say they will stop operating in Barcelona after the regional government in northeastern Spain passed tighter regulations. Uber says in a statement Thursday that the law requiring users of the ride-hailing apps to contract services 15 minutes beforehand was "totally incompatible with the immediacy of on-demand services." The regional government of Catalonia is imposing the restriction after taxi drivers went on strike for several days in Barcelona. The protest included taxi drivers blocking a major boulevard and trashing cars used by ride-hailing companies. Cabify says that it is disappointed that authorities "gave in to the pressure and demands of the taxi sector." Taxi drivers are striking in Madrid for similar restrictions on ride-hailing services.

Artworks by anganwadi worker's son find place at Dandi museum

Two artworks on Mahatma Gandhi made by a 36-year-old artist, son of an anganwadi worker from neighbouring Navi Mumbai, have found a place at the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial and Museum at Dandi in Gujarat. The memorial and museum was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday on the 71st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Ravikiran Parmeshwar, whose mother works as an anganwadi worker at Airoli in Navi Mumbai, said he feels proud that a painting and a mural made by him on the Father of the Nation are put on display at the museum. The memorial has statues of Mahatma Gandhi and 80 'satyagrahis', who had marched with him during the historic Dandi Salt March (also called Dandi March). It also has 24-narrative murals depicting various events and stories from the march. Parmeshwar is one of the 16 artists, including one each from Japan and Portugal, whose artworks have been put on on permanent display at the museum. After completing his primary education ..

High import duty restraining India's potential in fine wine market: experts

India is a large market for global wine makers but the high import duty is playing a spoilsport, according to Philip Staveley, head of research at Amphora Portfolio Management."India's wealth is increasing, as it is in China. Amphora who has been active in India since 2014 noted an uptick in interest in the last two years where client acquisition overtook that of China and Hong Kong combined in 2018," Staveley said.He further stated that wine remains exclusive for high net-worth individuals, as the import duty currently sits at 160 per cent. It implies that buyers have to store wine in the UK or Dubai and carry an allowance back into India when they travel.According to Staveley, if and when the import duty is reduced, a significant restraint on local demand will help open up the market.The fine wine market has long attracted investors from Europe and the US, who have a long legacy of winemaking, because of strong returns over the last decade. Adding to this is a growing theme of ...

Hong Kong gifts Pakistan a culinary star

A pair of his father's old tandoor ovens helped Hong Kong restaurateur Asim Hussain achieve a dream -- the world's first Michelin star for a Pakistani restaurant, an accolade he hopes will fire interest in the country's often overlooked cuisine. Like many of Hong Kong's 85,000 strong South Asian population, Hussein's family trace their lineage in the bustling financial hub back generations, when the city was a British colonial outpost. His great-grandfather arrived during World War One, overseeing mess halls for British soldiers while his Cantonese speaking father owned restaurants in the eighties and nineties. Hussein, 33, already had some twenty eateries in his group when he decided to embark on his what he described as his most personal and risky project yet, a restaurant serving dishes from Pakistan's Punjab region, the family's ancestral homeland and where he was packed off to boarding school aged six. His father, a serial entrepreneur and even once Pakistan's ambassador to South

Goa govt brings bill to ban drinking on beaches

With the intention of making tourist hot-spots nuisance-free, the Goa government introduced a bill Wednesday which bans drinking and cooking in open spaces including on the beaches. Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar introduced the legislation in the Legislative Assembly. The bill provides for a fine of Rs 2,000 for an individual and Rs 10,000 for a group of persons for violation of the law. Interestingly, the bill, which amends the Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, puts the onus of ensuring that the new rule is observed on liquor vendors. No person engaged in the business of sale of liquor "will allow its customer to carry bottles/cans containing liquor in tourist places", the bill says. The introduction to the bill says its objective is to protect and preserve tourism potential of tourist places in Goa and keep them clean and free of nuisance. Ajgaonkar also introduced an amendment to the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 2019, which makes .

Alphons praises Sikkim for development & infrastructure for

Union Minister K.J Alphons on Wednesday praised Sikkim for development and creating infrastructure for promotion of tourism sector in particular. "Sikkim has made commendable growth in creating tourist spots and activities in all corners to broadbase destinations for the visitors," the Union Minister of State for Tourism said at a function after inaugurating Swadesh Darshan Project here. Alphons said that Sikkim was also an ideal place for promotion of wellness tourism in view of natural ambience. He emphasised on development of trekking trails so that the people can experience nature from as close as possible. Alphons, who had taken a walk on MG Marg Walkways last evening on his visit to the state after 38 years, appreciated the efforts of the State Government for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, communal harmony and efficient administration. "Sikkim is the best state in the North-East region," he said, referring to development, security and stability. He thanked ...

India's rich textile heritage our biggest strength: Gen Next designers

Indian fashion scene has come a long way from being avant-garde to focusing on country's vast textile heritage, which served as the inspiration for four young designers at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019. The designers -- Madhumita Kath, Amrapali Singh, Sunaina Khera and Ujjwala Bhadu -- who were a part of Gen Next show on Wednesday and presented their collection at the fashion gala for the first time, believe India's cultural diversity unites them through fashion. "Every part of our country is rich in textile and crafts. We have so much to soak in and create. Another plus is that there is no dearth of skill... We can and we are creating more refined products. We have been exposed to such diverse cultural mix that fashion is one space where every influence comes together," Madhumita told PTI. For her label, Ek Katha', Madhumita created a collection called Bliss" where she used a combination of textures that were created with herringbone and diamond weaves. Ujjwala, whose ...

National cyclists opt to sleep in cold stadium, say expensive equipments might get stolen

Cyclists from various states who have arrived in Jaipur to take part in the National Cycling competition would rather brave the bone-chilling cold and sleep on the ground inside the venue stadium, than be parted from their "way too expensive" cycles and other precious gear.The city is hosting the National Track Cycling Championship from Wednesday after a gap of 15 years and with cutthroat competition expected in the event, participants say they would rather sleep, in hardship with a close watch on their gear, than enjoy luxurious sleep in hotel rooms which do not have provisions to allow the cycles inside.Bhagirath, a national gold medalist cyclist from Bikaner said equipment cost anything between Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 9 lakhs and once damaged was difficult to repair."We don't want to stay in the hotel as our cycling equipment are very expensive. Once the equipment are damaged, they become non-repairable. This is why riders want their cycles to be kept near them. We opted to stay out of ..

Goa tourism master plan does not envision new casinos: Minister

The upcoming draft tourism master plan does not envision new casinos in Goa, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar told the legislative assembly on Wednesday.

Ordeal for four Delhi friends ends at Chakrata

After remaining trapped in heavy snowfall for more than a week, four friends from Delhi were rescued late Tuesday evening from an Uttarakhand hotel, police officials said on Wednesday.

Cong targets Goa tourism minister over beach cleaning contract

Opposition members on Wednesday targeted tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar in the Goa Assembly over a contract to clean beaches in the state. Congress members, including Philip Neri Rodrigues, Digambar Kamat and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, claimed that Ajgaonkar allowed a private firm Drishti Lifesaving Services Private Limited to continue the beach cleaning task for two years without issuing a tender for the work. However, Ajgaonkar said his department had already initiated the process to appoint a new agency to clean the state's beaches and that it will be completed soon. "The state government is committed to keep the beaches clean. A fresh tender for the beach cleaning work was issued on October 20, 2018 and technical bids were opened on December 5," he said. The minister said the tendering process was taken up as per the Central Vigilance Commission's guidelines. He said the private firm, which was assigned the beach cleaning task on December 17, 2016 as a "stop-gap

Russians tops list of foreign tourist arrivals in 2018: Goa Minister

Russians continued to top the list of foreign tourists to Goa in 2018, with British tourists ranking second, according to statistics tabled during the ongoing budget session of the Goa Assembly on Wednesday.

Kerala eyes over 20 lakh foreign tourist arrivals by 2020-end

Kerala is targeting to double the number of foreign tourist arrivals to over 20 lakh by the end of 2020 as it undertakes a number of initiatives to hard sell the state as a preferred tourist destination, a senior government official Tuesday said. The state is expecting a footfall of over 10 lakh foreign tourists in 2018. "We are targeting to double the number of foreign travellers to the state to 20 lakh by 2020 end," Kerala Tourism Tourist Information Officer B S Biju told PTI. To achieve the target, the state is taking a number of initiatives, he added. "We are doing various campaigns in our core foreign source markets --UK, USA, Germany, France and Middle East-- to attract more visitors," Biju said. For the promising markets such as Malaysia, China, Japan and Australia, the Kerala Tourism is doing campaigns there, including participating in fairs and organising business meets, he added. For domestic tourists, "we are taking initiatives such as TV and print campaigns, airport ...

Costly fittings inside Nirav Modi bungalow slow down razing

Ongoing demolition work at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam accused Nirav Modi's posh bungalow in Maharashtra's Raigad district has been stopped since January 27, two days after the razing process started, as authorities wanted to remove the valuable fittings inside safely to ensure that they recover the maximum cost from the property. District authorities have said the reports sought by them from structural engineers of the civil engineering department on how to proceed further, have been received, and they would now resume pulling down the bungalow. Raigad district collector Vijay Suryavanshi had last month ordered demolition of 58 unauthorised structures, which are located in Kihim along the Alibaug beach, over 90 kms from here, including one of Modi. The demolition order was passed following rebuke from the Bombay high court for failing to initiate action against the illegal structures. The property, allegedly located within the low tide and high tide area, was ...

Snowfall may be your nightmare in Uttarakhand hills

Snowfall is not revelry all the time in the hills. It may be your nightmare also.

China World Hotel, Beijing - an icon re-defined

China World Hotel, Beijing, a landmark hotel in China's capital city, today unveiled 126 newly refurbished Horizon Club rooms and suites, after a much anticipated renovation that began in early 2016.The hotel is located in the heart of the China World Trade Centre, the focal point of Beijing's business - Central Business District (CBD).The newly refurbished club rooms on Level 18 to 20 enjoy superb city views of the CBD skyline, the 3rd Ring Road, and Chang an Avenue. New multi-function rooms on Level 19 and 20, can now offer large delegations greater privacy and convenience. Guests staying on the Horizon Club floors will have exclusive access to the new club lounge on Level 3.This is in addition to enjoying exclusive privileges and benefits, such as a separate hotel entrance, a selection of revitalizing detox juices, daily American buffet breakfast and evening cocktails.From the iconic and timeless lobby, the discovery of the new icon begins. Detailed attention was dedicated to the ..

Margot Robbie's trainer reveals secret to her figure

Actress Margot Robbie's personal trainer David Higgins has revealed how she maintains her incredible figure.

Swasth Bharat Yatra to culminate in Delhi on Tuesday

Swasth Bharat Yatra, the cyclothon organised by the FSSAI to nudge people to 'Eat Right will culminate in the national capital on Tuesday after more than 100 days since its flag off, a statement said.

Efforts underway to rescue stranded tourists; Kedarnath reconstruction work halted

Reconstruction work in Kedarnath area has been suspended in the wake of heavy snowfall having lashed Uttarakhand last week, even as the authorities launched efforts to rescue the tourists who are stranded due to roadblocks.