Page 11 - Tourism

India emerges as top inbound tourist market for Nepal in February

India has emerged as Nepal's top inbound tourist market in February, the tourism authority here said on Saturday, as the key sector in the Himalayan nation is gradually witnessing recovery from the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the total 97,426 tourists arriving in the country by air route last month, 25,578 were from India, followed by China with 9,180 and the US with 9,089 visitors, according to data published by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). Thailand is in fourth place with 4,799 inbound visitors, while the UK and Bangladesh ranked fifth and sixth in the list with 4,571 and 4,099 tourists respectively. According to NTB Director Mani Lamichhane, though the data showed over 25,000 Indians visiting Nepal in February, the actual number is much higher as a large number of tourists from India visited the country via land route. In January, Nepal received 18,041 visitors from India. The number of tourists arriving via air route in Nepal in February is 33 per cent up from

Rajasthan government plans to announce a new policy to boost tourism

Depending on the tourism sector demand, some changes are made in the policy every year and, accordingly, new policies are introduced

UP religious tourism gets Rs 85K cr boost: Ayodhya, Varanasi top gainers

These projects - planned across leading religious tourism hotspots, including Ayodhya and Varanasi - pertain to hotels, resorts, guest houses, infrastructure development etc

Hong Kong lifts curbs on property market after home prices fell to 7-yr low

Hong Kong's government has lifted curbs on property deals after home prices fell to a seven-year low, adding to the Chinese territory's woes. Finance minister Paul Chan announced the move in a speech presenting the territory's budget, which also raised spending on tourism promotion. He said all curbs, such as extra taxes, imposed earlier to cool the property market would be lifted with immediate effect. Home prices have fallen for nine consecutive months and share prices have languished as a tightening of freedoms in the former British colony has rattled investors. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's tourism has not fully rebounded after it reopened to foreign travellers following the COVID-19 pandemic. China's slowing economy has also impacted Hong Kong's recovery. Chan said the limits on property transactions were no longer necessary amid the current economic and market conditions. The government lifted a 15 per cent stamp duty imposed on non-permanent residents who buy property in Hong Kong

Russia's luxury hotels eye Indian hospitality firms for revival plans

Traditional management contracts and franchising agreements are among the potential collaboration models being explored

Saudi Arabia eyes 7.5 mn Indian visitors by 2030, offers 96-hour free visa

When queried about the Indian market's role in Saudi Arabia, Aldabbagh asserted, 'India is a priority market for Saudi. Last year alone, we welcomed 1.5 million visitors from India

Homestays showing lot of promise with compounding growth: MakeMyTrip CEO

Magow talks about the travel boom in the country and the company's new avenues to drive growth

Visa applications to beat pre-Covid levels in 2024, says VFS Global

In 2023, visa application volumes saw a 16 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth compared to 2022, taking it to 93 per cent of pre-pandemic levels of 2019

Govt to turn spotlight on promoting Lakshadweep, domestic islands

The Union Ministry of Tourism will adopt a sustainable tourism development model to showcase Lakshadweep but is keen on not "overcrowding" the islands to preserve its ecology and ensure that the local environment is not spoiled, a senior government official said. Besides promoting domestic islands, less popular spots in India are being identified to develop tourism and smaller promotional programmes put in place, Director of Ministry of Tourism, Bengaluru office, Mohamed Farouk, said. He emphasised that the Ministry doesn't want to encourage mass tourism in these lesser known destinations at least for sometime so that the beauty and ecological sensitivity of the places are maintained. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's early January visit to Lakshadweep has drawn global attention to the archipelago and its immense tourism potential. He also posted pictures of his undersea exploration on X and shared his "exhilarating experience" after snorkelling in the islands located in the Arabian S

EaseMyTrip announces 5-star hotel in Ayodhya, expects 10x growth in tourism

The co-founder of EaseMyTrip further said that as the hospitality landscape evolves, EaseMyTrip is dedicated to delivering unparalleled travel experiences and improving India's tourism infrastructure

'Turkiye aims 30% rise in tourists from India in 2024, seeks partnerships'

Trkiye, a popular tourist destination, is eyeing a 30 per cent jump in arrivals of Indian travellers in 2024 and looking for partnerships for tourism growth in the two countries, a senior official said. In an interview with PTI, Turkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism Deputy General Director of Promotion Onur Gozet said that the country remains committed to foster bilateral ties in tourism and seamless travel experiences between the two countries. "We attach great importance to the development of our bilateral tourism relations. Therefore, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we are ready to support the Indian tourism authority to increase the number of Turkish visitors in India," Gozet said. He said they have been in close cooperation with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the biggest tourism association in India. Gozet said there is an increasing popularity of Trkiye among Indian tourists with arrivals growing by 17 per cent to an estimated 2.7 lakh visitors in 20

Mount Everest climbers must bring their excreta back to base: Nepal

In its bid to tackle the increasing environmental impact on Mount Everest, Nepal has announced a regulation requiring climbers to manage their own excreta and bring it back to the base camp for proper disposal, it emerged on Thursday. The Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, which covers most of the Everest region, has introduced the new rule as part of wider measures being implemented to combat the persistent problem of waste accumulation on the world's highest peak, the BBC reported. "Our mountains have begun to stink," the report quoted Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, as saying. Extreme temperatures on the world's highest peak at 8,848.86 metres hinder the natural degradation of excrement. "We are getting complaints that human stools are visible on rocks and some climbers are falling sick. This is not acceptable and erodes our image," Mingma said. Climbers attempting Mount Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse will be ordered to buy poo bags at base camps, whi

Lakshadweep to Digha: India's best beach holiday destinations beyond Goa

Dotted across India's vast coastline, these places are less crowded and culturally vibrant

Kerala to see Rs 3 trn investment in three years: State FM K N Balagopal

The budget has estimated the revenue for the financial year at Rs 1,38,655 crore and expenditure of Rs 1,84,327 crore

Domestic tourism in Rajasthan up 12 times, foreigners' numbers see spike

The number of domestic tourists visiting Rajasthan has increased about 12 times in the last four years, with the footfall of foreign tourists also witnessing a sharp uptick since the Covid-induced slump. According to the Tourism Department, in 2020, more than 1.51 crore domestic tourists visited the state. The number shot up to over 17.90 crore in 2023. A total of 32.44 crore domestic tourists visited Rajasthan from January 2020 to December 2023. On the other hand, over 22.20 lakh foreign tourists visited the desert state to witness its historical heritage during the same period. "Rajasthan has been a major tourist attraction among the tourists. After the corona pandemic, a large number of domestic tourists have started visiting the state. The number of foreign tourists have also significantly risen," Deputy Director of Tourism Department, Daleep Singh Rathore, said. The freshly elected BJP government's focus is to make the state a leader in the tourism sector in the country. Rece

After consecration ceremony, 2.5 mn devotees visited Ram temple in 11 days

After the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple on January 22, around 25 lakh devotees visited the temple in the past 11 days and the amount of offerings and donations has crossed Rs 11 crore. According to Prakash Gupta, office in-charge of the temple trust, in the last 11 days, about Rs 8 crore rupees were deposited in the donation boxes, while the amount received through cheque and online is around Rs 3.50 crore. He said that in the temple's sanctum sanctorum, where the deity is seated, four big size donation boxes have been kept near the 'darshan path' in front of the sanctum sanctorum, in which the devotees are donate the amount. Besides, people also donate at 10 computerised counters. He said that the temple trust employees are appointed at the donation counter and they submit the account of the donation amount received in the trust office after the counter is closed in the evening. A team of 14 people, which includes 11 bank employees and three from the temple trust, counts

Thailand airport operator expects 8 million Chinese visitors this year

The announcement comes after the two countries mutually waived visa entry requirements for their nationals effective in March. Thailand removed visa requirements for Chinese late last year

Tax roadblock to tourism drive: India isn't 1st choice for foreign tourists

India is still not the first choice for foreign tourists and operators because it levies higher taxes and Southeast Asian countries promote themselves more

Reached mutual visa cooperation deal with Maldives to boost tourism: China

China on Wednesday said it has worked out a comprehensive mutual visa cooperation agreement with 23 countries, including the Maldives amid Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's efforts to woo more Chinese tourists to the Indian Ocean island nation. Beijing is currently trying to work out either visa-free or liberalising visa procedures with various countries to boost the declining number of international tourists to China and to enable its citizens to travel abroad more freely. China's visa-free 'circle of friends' continues to expand, and more and more countries have officially entered the 'visa-free era'," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the media here. He said that so far China has concluded mutual visa exemption agreements covering different passports with 157 countries. So far, China has concluded mutual visa exemption agreements covering different passports with 157 countries, reached agreements or arrangements on simplified visa procedures with 44 countries, and .

Uber launches operations in Jammu & Kashmir; starting with Srinagar

Residents of Srinagar and visiting tourists can now book Uber Go and Uber Intercity rides for their mobility needs