Page 88 - Hospitality Recreation

Goa govt to allocate beach shacks before Sept 15: Minister

The Goa government has decided to complete allocation of beach shacks by September 15, ahead of the arrival of foreign tourists in October, a state minister said Tuesday. The first chartered flight of the season is arriving in Goa in the first week of October. Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said allotment of shacks would be done in a time-bound manner before September 15. Beach shacks are palm thatched structures that serve liquor and food to tourists. Tourism department allots shacks during tourist season every year. Around 900 charter flights from different countries, including Russia and the UK, land in Goa every tourist season--typically between October and June every year. Cruz Cardoso, president of Shack Owners' Welfare Society of Goa, has welcomed the government's move to allot shacks before October and said it would ensure good business. "The first chartered flight is arriving in the first week of October. Demarcation of shacks will be done from September 20 .

'You've got to commune with your food, get your spirit into it' (Foodie Trail-Delhi)

If the ultimate test of good cooking is how easily mutton comes off the bone, the tony Indian Accent here, set amongst waterbodies and immense greenery, is way ahead of the pack.

Refused a drink, man opens fire in Goa bar

A person was arrested on Monday for opening fire in a bar in South Goa after he was refused more drinks by the staff, police said.

Major tourist attractions, offers showcased at India Travel Mart in Agra

Gearing up for a new tourist season, state government tourism departments, hoteliers and travel agents showcased major tourist attractions, plans and offers for customers at the India Travel Mart (IMT). The three day event was opened for the public here. Tourism departments likeUttar Pradesh Tourism (host state),Gujarat Tourism(partner state), Himachal Pradesh Tourismand West Bengal Tourism (feature states), andseveralhotels, travel agents, tour operators, travel mailfrom various citiesareactively showcasing their products and destinations at ITM Agra. India Travel Mart owes its success to an attempt at pacifying the city's interest for travel and adventure. With country's top domestic and international travel operators and hotels participatingunderone roof caters to all the needs of the travellers. "With the kind of stressful lives that we lead, a person tends to looks for refreshing holidays and unique travel destination to unwind,to simplify this need, we are organisingITM-Agrafor .

180 tourists rescued; flooded Kempty Falls temporarily closed for pubic

Around 180 tourists stranded at the Kempty Falls near Mussoorie were rescued after it was flooded due to a spell of heavy rain even as the popular tourist spot has been temporarily closed for public. The tourists had been left stranded after downpour on Sunday evening and were rescued by the police and SDRF personnel. "The Kempty Falls was flooded suddenly due to heavy rain on Sunday evening, leaving around 180 tourists stranded at the popular tourist spot near Mussoorie," Kempty police station in-charge Prakash Pokhriyal said. "The flooding of the waterfalls and the lake beneath it, which crossed the danger mark due to incessant showers, had breached the road used by pedestrians to reach the spot and besides inundating the roadside shops and stalls," he said. However, all the stranded tourists were safely rescued by police and SDRF personnel, the officer said. Kempty Falls has been temporarily closed for tourists in view of the MeT department's prediction of heavy rains in various ...

Linen Club has a new address in Assam

Linen Club, the premium linen fabric brand from the Aditya Birla Group, has announced the launch of its exclusive store in Guwahati.A pioneer in the industry, Linen Club, is India's largest linen fabric brand and is synonymous with the finest quality linen. This is the 1st store for the brand in North east India and 174th store overall in India."We are absolutely delighted to launch our first exclusive store in North East India. We are positive that the style connoisseurs of the city will welcome the finest European Linen fabrics. The distinctive look and comfort sets linen apart from any other contemporary fabric. All our fabrics are made from raw material sourced from France and Belgium and processed at our state of art facilities to ensure the highest quality standards," said Thomas Varghese, Business Head - Textiles, Acrylic Fibre & Overseas Spinning, Aditya Birla Group."With this premium store, our goal is to create a rich consumer experience and ensure that linen lovers ...

OYO launches first Townhouse in Jaipur

Hotel chain, OYO on Monday announced the launch of its mid-market offering 'OYO Townhouse' in Jaipur.The 44 room property located in C-Scheme, Ahimsa Circle was inaugurated by Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Honourable Minister for Industry, Government of Rajasthan. The launch further reinforces OYO's commitment to the beautiful state of Rajasthan, by providing the customers with an offering that combines experience and value at a scale that has never been attempted before in the hospitality landscape."With this launch, OYO has further strengthened its commitment towards creating beautiful living spaces and offering them to customers at an affordable cost. OYO Townhouse defines a unique hospitality experience as it combines our state-of-art technology and designed processes," said COO OYO Townhouse, Ankit Tandon."It is my utmost pleasure to launch OYO's first Townhouse hotel in Jaipur. OYO has established itself as a force to reckon with and we are happy to see it grow in Rajasthan. I am glad

Mauritius expects 89,000 Indian tourists in 2018

Island nation Mauritius is expecting about 89,000 Indian tourists this year and several Indian movie makers to take advantage of its expense rebate scheme for shooting there, said a top official of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) here on Monday.

Larsen & Toubro wins orders worth Rs 2654 crore

Across various segements

Sofia Richie rocks low-key look

Model Sofia Richie kept things casual in cargo pants and a fitted white vest for a cook-off.

Woman entrepreneur promotes dragon fruit cultivation in Nagaland

The state of Nagaland is not only known for its rich heritage culture and festivals but is also famous for horticultural and botanical diversity.The northeastern state is a hub of nutritious organic fruits. Some fruits found here are rare to find in other parts of the country. One such fruit is the dragon fruit or 'Pitahaya'.The round giant kiwi-like fruit has a juicy fresh taste and has high medicinal values. In order to make the healthy fruit available to all, Lucy Ngullie Thomas, a woman entrepreneur has started its production in Nagaland on a big scale under her farm 'Dream Dragon Fruit Farm'.Besides many other exotic fruits, she has been growing red, white, and yellow dragon fruits since 2013."When the monsoon starts, it gets blooming. The dragon flower will bloom only when it rains. It starts budding in May and June and you get your first harvest and it will go on until November," Lucy said.The farm located at Shitovi village in Dimapur, which is about 25 km away from the ...

Early starts and green veg: how China became diving greats

Platefuls of green veg, no sleeping in and barely an afternoon to hang out with friends -- life for China's 14-year-old Asian Games diving champion Zhang Jiaqi doesn't seem like much fun. Zhang, who secured victory in the synchronised 10 metre platform in Jakarta, is now part of China's extraordinary diving history that has seen them win every Asiad gold going they first joined the Games in 1974. But there is no secret to their colossal success, the Chinese divers say -- their enormous medal haul is simply the result of lots of hard work. "The reason why the Chinese team is so good is that we work really hard. Harder than any other country in the world," said Si Yajie, 19. "We have to get up very early every day and train all day," added Si, a two-time Asian Games champion and Olympic silver medallist. The elite squad of Chinese divers, who all live together at state-run facilities in Beijing, rise at 6.00 am every day apart from Sunday, their 'rest' day. Still, no day is completely ..

Adventurous chefs, yummy food, four-hands tandem massage - bliss at Sheraton Grand (Foodie Trail-Chennai)

Star hotel chefs are of two kinds -- one who turns adventurous at the request of a guest who says he is game for new dishes, and the other who does not like to veer away from the restaurant's menu card. At the newly opened Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa near here, one encounters chefs of the former kind.

Indian Museum Kolkata exhibits rare objects online

The Indian Museum here has put for online display of some rare ornaments, including a bow ring studded with emerald of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan,its Director Rajesh Purohit said. Six per cent of 14,383 objects in the arts section of the museum, one of the oldest and largest museums in south west Asia, have been on online display, Purohit told PTI. Some archaeological and anthropological objects are also on display, he said. The ornaments include an 18th century necklace with exquisite floral design of Myanmar, one 18th century musical instrument 'Mahakachhapi Vina', one 18th century crown of goddess Lakshmi studded with rubies, emeralds, turquoises, corals, pearls of Nepal and a goblet studded with emerald and gold and ruby belonging to the Mughal period, a museum official said. In the archaeological section, 17 objects dating back to the 4th millennium BC to 7th century AD are on display. The art objects include pottery, earthen vase and female figures. In the ...

Rahul Gandhi skips Pashupatinath visit, reaches Lhasa

Kathmandu [Nepal], Sept 1 (ANI): Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is on a 12-day trip to Kailash Mansarovar, has skipped his visit to the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu and reached Lhasa in Tibet."Rahul Gandhi was here in Nepal for a personal visit and had planned to visit Pashupatinath, but he directly flew to Lhasa on Saturday afternoon," a source inside the Indian Mission in Nepal told ANI without giving details.The Gandhi scion, who arrived in Nepal on Friday en route to Kailash Mansarovar, was expected to visit the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited on Friday before flying back to India."This was his personal visit and he was here en route to Kailash Mansarovar. We gave him the security in addition to those whom he brought along from India. We are also not aware of his schedule and it has been kept confidential," the spokesperson of the Nepal Police, Sailendra Thapa Chhetri, told ANI while responding to queries on Gandhi's ...

Milind Soman doles out fitness mantras

Supermodel-actor-fitness enthusiast Milind Soman says he doesn't ignore his fitness regime even if he is on a holiday.

Mauritius plans to attract 1.2 lakh Indian tourists in 2020

Mauritius is aiming to attract 1.2 lakh Indian tourists in 2020, up from 88,000 people expected to visit the island nation this year, a senior official from that country said Saturday. Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority Director Arvind Bundhun said that 80,000 tourists from India had visited his country last year. He was talking at a road show, part of a four-city initiative, organised here Saturday by the MTPA India. "In the last four years, Mauritius tourism has seen double digit growth, with Indian tourists contributing significantly to this. We are looking to attract 1.2 lakh Indian tourists to our country in 2020," Bundhun said. He said that Mauritius has positioned itself as an "affordable luxury destination" which offers tourists different activities like golf, spa, sky diving, zip-lining among others. "In order to create more visibility, we are inviting celebrities and top CEOs from India to Mauritius. Special packages are being offered to promote incentive ...

4 children drown in Vietnam's river

Four children from Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province drowned while bathing in a river here, the provincial police said on Saturday.

Five rules to choose best festival shoes

Merely possessing a pair of classic, high-quality mens shoes will bring the wearer happiness, but true exuberance and appreciation comes when he learns how to properly carry them with elegance and class.

British couple on honeymoon hires special train to Nilgiris

A young couple from England became the first to charter the special train, introduced by Southern Railway, for a one-way trip from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam, to spend their honeymoon in the hills. Graham William Lynn (30) and Silviya Plasic (27), who got married recently, paid around Rs 3 lakh to travel by the train to the iconic Nilgiris hills, railways sources said. The couple had booked the entire train through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation website. As part of efforts to promote hill tourism, the Railway Board had approved the Salem division to operate the special train with a seating capacity of 120, in the Nilgiri Mountain railway section. The couple was the first to avail the chartered service, the sources said, adding that they were accorded a rousing reception by station managers at Mettupalayam and Coonoor on their arrival on Friday, the sources said. The train left Mettupalayam at 9.10 am and reached Ooty by 2.40 PM, they added.