Page 4 - Tourism Industry

Goa govt introduces regenerative tourism to focus on 11 spiritual sites

The Goa government has introduced the concept of regenerative tourism, which will revolve around 11 places of worship in the coastal state. Talking to PTI on Saturday, state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said the concept of regenerative tourism will redefine the approach towards travel and tourism. Our model of regenerative tourism will revolve around eleven spiritual sites or Ekadasha Teertha, he said. By involving local communities, especially women and youth, in exploring, understanding, and projecting their culture, cuisine, and lifestyle, Goa tourism aims to harness the commercial and economic potential of their history and heritage, the minister said. Regenerative tourism isn't a luxury but a necessity, a transformative approach that transcends the limitations of traditional tourism models, he said. This type of tourism isn't just about safeguarding the environment; it is about fostering a deeper connection between travellers and the places they visit, he said. It encourag

India-Maldives spat: Foreign tourists, locals vouch for Indian destinations

Amid the ongoing rift between India and the Maldives, the foreign visitors here shared the experiences of their visits to various Indian states and lauded Indian tradition, culture and colour

Airbnb, U'khand Tourism sign initial pact to enhance hospitality standards

Airbnb on Thursday said it has inked an agreement with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) to build host capacity in lesser-explored destinations. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Airbnb will undertake capacity building activities in the selected pilot locations to enhance local hospitality standards, the company said in a statement. This partnership will focus on onboarding homestays onto the Airbnb platform. "This partnership with Airbnb will further expand our efforts to promote homestay culture in our state. "Individuals in the tourism sector will receive training on responsible hosting which will unlock their potential to attract guests from India and abroad. Through this partnership, we're confident the travellers will be presented with enriching, immersive experiences," Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary and UTDB CEO Sachin Kurve said. Airbnb will conduct workshops in the identified pilot destinations to train 'model hosts', will conduct a thorough revie

Various initiatives taken to boost tourism in Andaman & Nicobar: Chief secy

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has taken numerous initiatives to attract more tourists to the archipelago, including granting access to uninhabited islands, allowing beaches to remain open till late night and reaching out to more airline operators, a top official said. Speaking to PTI, Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra said that there will also be eco-friendly tourism infrastructure in four islands and 11 tourist sites. "The administration has taken various initiatives towards promotion of tourism... like development of a five-star property at Megapode in Port Blair in PPP mode, leasing out land at Radha Nagar Beach in Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island)," he said. "Beaches are now being opened during late night hours for tourists to enjoy the heavenly sight of the landscape as well as the bio-luminescence. Efforts are being made to reach out to more airline operators that will lead to competitive and affordable pricing of tickets for tourists," he added. The administration is also

Chinese arrivals in Maldives rose to third spot in 2023, shows data

In CY 2023, Chinese footfall jump­ed to the third spot. They are very close to the numbers from India and Russia and may soon soar to the number 1 spot

Airport to new resorts, Lakshadweep tourism is in for an upgrade: Details

Lakshadweep tourism: Some of the key infrastructure development projects lined up in Lakshadweep include an airport upgrade, resorts, and improved utility services among others

Maldives president courts investors in China as ties with India sag

Muizzu said his government was keen to explore partnerships under Belt and Road, including the expansion of the country's central airport and commercial port

As India-Maldives row heats up, all you need to know about Lakshadweep

The Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India's smallest, is spread over an area of 32 sq km and consists of 36 islands and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea

'Boycott will hit hard as over 200,000 Indians visit Maldives yearly'

Over 2 lakh Indians visited Maldives annually in the last three years, the highest from any country post-COVID 19 pandemic, according to the official data amid calls from several quarters to boycott the island nation as a travel destination following a diplomatic row between the two nations. According to the Maldives Tourism Ministry statistics, over 17 lakh tourists visited the island nation in 2023, out of which more than 2,09,198 visitors were Indians followed by Russians (2,09,146) and China (1,87,118). The number of Indian visitors was more than 2.4 lakh in 2022 while over 2.11 lakh Indians flew to the Maldives in 2021. The Maldives was also one of the few countries open for international tourists during the pandemic and nearly 63,000 Indians visited that country during that period. In 2018, India was the fifth-largest source of tourist arrivals in the Maldives with 90,474 visitors. In 2019, India reached the second spot with 1.66 lakh Indians visiting that country. However,

Maldives as tourist hub: Its history and what lies ahead for island nation

Maldives, with a population of 550,000 people dispersed across 185 islands, has become a popular tourist hub in the last five decades and today attracts about 25% of its GDP directly from tourism

Hotel demand surge in HP; record 28,210 vehicle cross Atal Tunnel in a day

The craze to visit Atal Tunnel propelled hotel occupancy in key hill resorts of Shimla, Manali to 90 per cent, as a record 28,210 vehicles crossed the Atal Tunnel on a single day on Sunday (December 24). After snowfall at Atal tunnel on Saturday, tourists made beeline to the tunnel and a record number of 28,210 vehicles crossed Atal Tunnel on Sunday, according to Lahaul and Spiti police on Monday. The hoteliers are upbeat as the local MeT office has predicted rain in mid hills and rain and snow in higher hills on December 30 and 31. The occupancy is around 90 per cent and the Manali Carnival from January 1 to 6, which would showcase local culture and cuisines, would boost tourist arrival in the year-end, said President of Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur. "We welcome the tourists, who have come to the State in lakhs," said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding that Himachal has stood up again after the disaster to welcome th

Hyderabad most booked city, UP most visited state this year: Oyo Report

Hyderabad was the most booked city in India followed by Bengaluru in 2023, while Uttar Pradesh was the most visited state in the year, followed by Maharashtra, according to hospitality tech platform OYO's Travelopedia 2023. As per the year-end annual travel trends index, Travelopedia 2023, the period from September 30 to October 2 recorded the highest bookings among all long weekends in the year, OYO said in a statement. "Hyderabad emerged as the most booked city in India followed by Bangalore, Delhi, and Kolkata...Smaller towns like Gorakhpur, Digha, Warangal, and Guntur experienced the highest year-on-year growth in bookings compared to 2022," it said. Among leisure destinations, OYO said Jaipur took the lead as the most visited in 2023 followed by Goa, Mysore, and Puducherry. On the other hand, Puri secured the top spot as the most booked spiritual and pilgrimage destination, followed by Amritsar, Varanasi, and Haridwar. "Lesser-known spiritual destinations like Deoghar, Palani

Hospitality industry expects hiring to speed up after robust growth in 2023

The Indian hospitality and tourism sector is expected to see accelerated hiring going forward after witnessing a robust growth this year with domestic travels leading the way, according to industry players. With a report by the Hotel Association of India (HAI) projecting the hotel industry's direct contribution to India's GDP to reach USD 1 trillion by 2047, experts believe there will be a minimum of 25 per cent rise in the need for workforce, with the adjacent industries like travel, aviation, ticket booking, travel guides, and consultants to be increasingly in demand. "The hotel industry's direct contribution to India's GDP reaching USD 1 trillion by 2047 is a significant milestone. This substantial growth will undoubtedly bolster job creation within the sector, providing employment to millions of individuals across diverse skill sets," HAI Vice President K B Kachru told PTI. Kachru, who is also Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia Radisson Hotel Group, further said

94,332 Indians visit Singapore in October, highest after Indonesia, China

A total of 94,332 Indian tourists visited Singapore in October, up from 81,014 in the preceding month, according to a media report on Tuesday. India was rated as a third tourist-generating market for Singapore, overtaking Malaysia and Australia. "A total of 94,332 Indian tourists visited Singapore in October, up from 81,014 in the preceding month. It took over countries such as Malaysia and Australia," said the data released by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Malaysia, which came in fourth, with 88,641 tourist arrivals, down from 89,384 in September. Australia, which rounded out the top five, was the source of 88,032 visitors, down from 104,497 in the preceding month. So far in 2023, Singapore has welcomed some 11.3 million visitor arrivals, against the 12 million to 14 million arrivals that STB expects to hit in the full year, according to the media reports. Overall, Singapore's international visitor arrivals slipped month on month for the third consecutive month to 1,125,948

HP govt clears Rs 2,500-crore development project of tourism sector

The Himachal Pradesh government has given clearance to a Rs 2,500-crore project for the development of the tourism sector, the state's tourism development corporation's chairperson R S Bali said on Friday. He made the announcement while inaugurating the three-day Asian Rafting Championship in Nadaun in Hamirpur district. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) chairperson said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has entrusted him with a huge responsibility and that the project worth about Rs 2,500 crore, which will be executed with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been given clearance. Under the project, detailed project reports have been made for a tourism corporation hotel, wellness centre and water sports centre in Nadaun also, Bali said. Twenty-four teams, including from Nepal, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, the Indian Army, the Border Security Force, and several states such as Karnataka and Sikkim, are taking part in the championship, which ..

Younger travellers driving tourism rebound: Thomas Cook India's Menon

Madhavan Menon speaks to Akshara Srivastava about the drivers behind this growth and what lies ahead for the Indian travel and hospitality landscape

Global travel, tourism industry to achieve $15 trn mark in 10 yrs: WTTC

The travel and tourism sector has marked a robust bounce back to the pre-pandemic levels would generate USD 10 trillion by the end of 2023, and become a USD 15 trillion economy in the next 10 years, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said here. Speaking at the opening press conference of its 23rd Global Summit, WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson said the latest data highlights that the sector, which was badly hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now recovering faster than anticipated. We are in 2023 and I am delighted to say that we have recovered, and by the end of this year, the industry will be worth nearly USD 10 trillion. Despite China's full recovery potential yet to be realised, the sector's performance is exceeding expectations. But, we are practically there, Simpson said as the Summit commenced on Wednesday. In the next 10 years, the industry will go way ahead of the USD 10 trillion mark. This sector will be worth nearly USD 15 trillion, Simpson said. Though ...

India among San Francisco's top market for tourism growth recovery

The city witnesses a large number of Indian tourists visiting friends and relatives, staying in the nearby Silicon Valley

PM Modi lays foundation stone for new buildings in Udaipur, Jodhpur Airport

The city, with its rich cultural heritage, magnificent architecture, and booming tourism industry is set to reach new heights with this significant step

Tourism recovery in Asia-Pacific region strong, robust post pandemic: PATA

The recovery in tourism in the Asia-Pacific region after the COVID-19 pandemic has been "strong and robust" and the numbers have reached about 80 per cent of 2019's figures, the chief of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said on Thursday. Peter Semone was interacting with reporters during the second day of the 46th edition of the PATA Travel Mart being hosted here from October 4-6. The physical version of the PATA Travel Mart is being held after a hiatus of three years due to the Covid pandemic. "Recovery from 2019 numbers... in the Asia-Pacific region, we are running at about 80 per cent. So there is a recovery and I have to say its strong and robust recovery. "The quality of tourism, in terms of lengths of stays, is better. It seems, when people are travelling, they are travelling a little bit more seriously and in a bit more committed way," Semone said when asked about the recovery made in tourism sector in the Asia-Pacific region. Later on the sidelines, he also shared so