Page 10 - Tourism

Emirate of Ajman records 7% growth in tourism revenue in Q1 of 2024

In 2023, October recorded a 5 per cent increase in tourism activity, leading to a significant 11 per cent rise in visitor numbers

Taliban working to attract tourists to Afghanistan despite challenges

Around 30 men are crammed into a Kabul classroom, part of the debut student cohort at a Taliban-run institute training tourism and hospitality professionals. It's a motley crew. One student is a model. Another is 17 and has no job history. The students vary in age, education level and professional experience. They're all men Afghan women are banned from studying beyond sixth grade and they don't know anything about tourism or hospitality. But they are all eager to promote a different side of Afghanistan. And the Taliban are happy to help. Afghanistan's rulers are pariahs on the global stage, largely because of their restrictions on women and girls. The economy is struggling, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is rife. And yet, foreigners are visiting the country, encouraged by the sharp drop in violence, increased flight connections with hubs like Dubai, and the bragging rights that come with vacationing in an unusual destination. The numbers aren't huge they never were but ..

Travel, tourism sector expected to add 58.2 mn jobs by 2033: NLB Services

With a continued growth momentum, the travel and tourism sector is all set to add 5.82 crore jobs across the country by 2033, a top executive of global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services said on Monday. "The growing synergy of the sector has led to steadfast employment generation across the country both in tier I and II locations. In the pandemic year 2020, the tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, constituting 8 per cent of the nation's total workforce. Post the pandemic recovery tenure, this was one of the sectors that saw the quickest recovery," NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug said in a statement. Incidentally, talent demand in tourism recorded a 44 per cent spike in August 2023, and 1.6 million additional jobs were expected to be added in the calendar year 2023, he said. With the continued growth momentum, the travel and tourism sector is all set to add 58.2 million jobs by 2033, throughout the country, he added. Serving as a crucial source of ..

Singapore aims to cross pre-Covid levels of Indian tourist arrivals: STB

Singapore is hoping to cross the pre-Covid level of tourist arrivals from India this year, with a strong focus on family, MICE and film tourism segment, a top official of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has said. In 2023, Singapore saw a footfall of 1.07 million visitors from India, which is 76 per cent of the pre-Covid era. During January-March, 2024 over 2,45,380 Indians have already visited Singapore, which is 81.8 per cent recovery from the pre-Covid period. The 'Garden City' had received 2,99,990 Indian tourists during January-March 2019. "It's not difficult to achieve (pre-Covid levels of tourist arrivals from India this year) with an increase in the number of Indian passports, the rise of the middle class and strong connectivity between both the countries," STB's regional director - India, Middle East, South Asia and Africa, Markus Tan told PTI over a telephonic conversation. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is also focusing on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition

Venice imposes world's first tourist entry fee: All you need to know

Venice is overwhelmed by tourists - around 30 million arrive each year, dwarfing the less-than 50,000 residents

Gen Zs, millennials prioritising travel, spending more on experiences

The survey identified an emerging generation of travel-focused, value-driven 'savvy explorers' in APEC who seek to maximise their travel dollars and unique travel experiences

Tourism economy swells for cities in the total solar eclipse path

Various indicators suggest the eclipse will bolster the economies in the path of totality, a roughly 110-mile-wide belt that will stretch from Mazatlán to Montreal

Goa, Puri or Dubai: Where Indians are travelling this Good Friday weekend

As the extended weekend looms ahead, thanks to Good Friday, Indian travellers are seizing the opportunity to escape the daily grind

Hospitality industry plans to promote unexplored regions of Rajasthan

Tribal areas of the state like Dungarpur, Banswara, Jhalawar, and Pratapgarh can be developed into tourist destinations

Australia registers over 6% growth in Indian tourists arrivals in Jan

Australia witnessed over 6 per cent on-year growth in Indian tourists arrivals in January this year, with 26,200 Indians travelling to the country, Tourism Australia said on Tuesday. Moreover, India has also significantly improved its ranking to be the fifth largest inbound market for Tourism Australia in 2024, from seventh in 2019. "In January we did extremely well with 26,200 Indians travelling to Australia, compared to 24,700 during the same month in 2019, a growth of 6.07 per cent. "If we calculate from February 2023 till January 2024, the total number of Indians visiting Australia has crossed the 4,00,000 arrivals milestone to reach 4,02,200," Tourism Australia Country Manager - India and Gulf - Nishant Kashikar told PTI. This growth in footfalls is mainly due to Tourism Australia's joint endeavours with its airlines, key distribution partners, and over 5,000 Aussie Specialist Agents in India to drive consideration and conversions, he said. "The number of airlines connecting

Singapore expects over 1.5 million tourists from India in 2024: STB

Expecting over 1.5 million Indian tourists this year, Singapore is focusing on increasing its hospitality infrastructure such as hotel rooms, and working on seamless and easy visas for them, a senior tourism official said on Wednesday. Before the pandemic-induced lockdown, Singapore had received 1.4 million tourists from India in 2019, which then recovered to 1.1 million in 2023. In 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects the number to go past the 2019 strength even as it acknowledged the potential of getting over 1.5 million visitors though it has not set any target given the huge tourism potential of the Indian market. With three offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, the STB is working on getting seamless and easy visas for Indian tourists, Poh Chi Chuan, executive director of Exhibition & Conference at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) told PTI. The island state is building infrastructure for tourists and business travellers, such as 9,000 new hotel rooms that are being

CM Mohan Yadav inaugurates 2 air services to promote tourism in MP

Under the two services, two twin-engine aircraft will be operated for an affordable journey, said MP's Tourism, Culture and Religious Trust Minister Dharmendra Lodhi

Indian tourists shun Maldives, island nation feels the pinch: Reports

Indian tourists, who used to flock to the Maldives, are now shunning the island nation and its tourism industry is already feeling the pinch of declined revenue, prompting calls for mending the fence with New Delhi. India has slipped to sixth position in 2024 compared to being a topper in visitor numbers in 2023, prompting voices from the local tourism industry to flag the danger for the tourism-dependent economy of the archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean. A full-blown backlash was directed at the Maldives following derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three Maldivian officials after Modi posted photos and video of the pristine Lakshadweep Islands on India's west coast on January 6 on his X handle. 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 .

21 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka for working on tourist visa: Report

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 21 Indian nationals for illegally operating an online marketing centre in the island nation, violating the relaxed tourist visa norms, a media report said on Wednesday. The 21 Indian men in the age group of 24 to 25, who were in Sri Lanka on tourist visas, were taken into custody on Tuesday by the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. After a preliminary inquiry, the department raided a rented house in Negombo city, where those arrested were found operating an online marketing centre. The house had been converted into an office space where computers and other devices had been installed, the report said. Under Sri Lanka's law, those who visit the island nation on tourist visas are prohibited from engaging in any paid or unpaid work. The Indian nationals had used the free-of-charge visa condition that Sri Lanka has granted to a set of countries till March 31 as part of an ongoing pilot project to promote ..

India a travel powerhouse; Agoda will continue accelerated expansion: CEO

Global digital travel platform Agoda will continue the accelerated rate of onboarding of accommodation properties in India, its fastest-growing market and a global travel powerhouse, its CEO Omri Morgenshtern said on Tuesday. The company is also looking to enhance partnerships with local firms in the travel and hospitality sector in the country to tap the huge potential of inbound and outbound traffic from the country. "India is the fastest growing country for us, by far, faster than anybody else. So, we are acquiring (onboarding) properties in India much faster than anywhere else," he told PTI in an interview from Bangkok. On the significance of adding more accommodation properties, he said, "We recognise that bringing more properties in, is a part of localisation because if you want to cater to more Indian travellers from different geographical areas and also from different income levels, then you need to grow". Beyond the metros with four and five-star hotels, he said Agoda is .

ITC inks pact with Narne Hotels and Resorts to open Welcomhotel in Coorg

ITC Hotels on Monday said it has signed a management agreement with Narne Hotels and Resorts to open a 150-key property under Welcomhotel brand at Madikeri hill town in Coorg, Karnataka. "Madikeri is an important market for us. Over recent years, this region has grown in popularity and we saw a niche space for leisure travel. Through Welcomhotel Madikeri we bring the signature hospitality of ITC Hotels to this beautiful city," ITC Hotels Divisional Chief Executive Anil Chadha said in a statement. With this agreement, ITC Hotel group further strengthens its presence in Karnataka, where it currently operates 11 hotels and over 1,300 rooms under various brands including ITC Hotels, Welcomhotel, Fortune and Welcomheritage, he added.

PM Modi spends time at tea estate in Assam, promotes tourism around it

Taking to his X handle, he urged tourists to visit Assam's tea gardens during their visits to the state

$1,780 to spend night in a 'cocoon'? Hotels now betting on sleep tourism

AI-assisted beds, on-call hypnotherapists are taking sleep tourism to the next level

Kerala sets record with 21.8 mn domestic tourist arrivals in 2023

Kerala has set a new record in domestic tourist arrivals in 2023 with 2.18 crore tourist footfalls, a 15.92 per cent increase from the previous year, Minister for Tourism and Public Works P A Mohamed Riyas said on Monday. In 2022, Kerala witnessed 1,88,67,414 domestic tourist footfalls. Significantly, domestic tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 18.97 per cent compared to 2019, the minister told a press conference here. In 2023, Ernakulam district witnessed the highest influx of domestic tourists with 44,87,930 visitors, followed by Idukki (36,33,584), Thiruvananthapuram (35,89,932), Thrissur (24,78,573), and Wayanad (17,50,267). The state also witnessed a healthy increase in international tourist arrivals with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023, as compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 per cent. Ernakulam district was visited by 2,79,904 tourists from abroad, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (1,48,462), Idukki (1,03,644), Alappuzha (31,403), and

State govts can develop dharmshalas at religious places in MP: CM Yadav

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday invited governments of other states to build dharmshalas (lodging facilities) at prominent religious spots in Madhya Pradesh for the visiting devotees. Yadav chaired a cabinet meeting before leaving for Ayodhya where he, state ministers and their wives are scheduled to offer prayers at the Lord Ram temple later in the day. The chief minister termed the Ayodhya visit a "very important occasion" and said the government will expedite the implementation of various decisions regarding the development of religious spots in MP. "Our government will also make efforts to build a dharmshala (lodging facility) in Ayodhya for pilgrims of Madhya Pradesh. We will also try to provide land to governments of other states for (constructing) dharmshalas at prominent religious places in MP for pilgrims from their states," Yadav said. Since a large number of people from various parts of the country visit the famous temples in Ujjain and Omkareshwar in MP, government