Page 13 - Tourism

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

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

Lakshadweep plans tourism expansion amid row over remarks against PM Modi

According to officials in the Union Territory, several proposals have been sent to the Union government to harness the latent tourism potential in the island cluster

Backlash in paradise: Maldives tourism dips after comments on PM Modi

Former Member of Parliament from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bishnu Pada Ray, condemned the unjust criticism from Maldivian ministers

Highlights on Maldives row: MakeMyTrip launches 'Beaches of India' campaign

Highlights on Lakshadweep issue: Catch all the latest developments on the India-Maldives row here

Hotels, restaurants in Rajasthan to serve millet dishes to tourists

The move comes after a delegation of the Hotel Federation of Rajasthan recently met Chief Minister (CM) Bhajanlal Sharma

Maldives govt suspends 3 ministers over derogatory remarks against PM Modi

The Maldivian government Sunday suspended three ministers who posted "derogatory remarks" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it distanced itself from their comments on social media and said these opinions are "personal and do not represent the views of the Government". The development came after opposition leaders slammed the "appalling language" used by the officials against the Indian leader. "Government officials who posted derogatory remarks about neighbouring India have been suspended, state broadcaster PSM News reported, citing the President's Office. The Maldives government has affirmed its commitment to taking swift action against individuals on social media whose conduct undermines international relations, it added. The Sun Online identified the officials who were suspended over the posts as three deputy ministers from the Youth Ministry; Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid. Earlier on Sunday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said they were aware o

Ayodhya & India's new tryst with destiny

UP's economic rise will be, in part, driven by religious tourism, and that is a welcome development

LIVE news: Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu joins YSR Congress

Catch all the latest news updates LIVE from across the world

Rajasthan tourism on rise as New Year nears, hotel tariffs skyrocket

Even budget hotels may go out of tourists' reach between December 30, 2023 and January 2, 2024, hoteliers said

NE festival kicks off: Region safe, its infra tourism-ready, says minister

Lekhi said this while inaugurating the three-day North East Festival at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday evening, promising the visitors a memorable outing with varied artefacts

MP steps up efforts to boost tourism, develops several pilgrimage sites

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently said his government was working on a roadmap for the cultural revival of religious places

Heliport services in Agra, Mathura to take off soon for tourism boost

UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said the introduction of this epoch-making heliport service would open new vistas of tourism growth and development opportunities

Iran waives visa requirements for Indian citizens, 32 other nations

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Zarghami said the decision is aimed at boosting tourism arrivals and attracting more visitors from countries around the world

IATO seeks PM Modi's intervention to revive in-bound tourism in India

In-bound tour operators' body IATO on Friday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in reviving in-bound tourism in the country, saying the number of foreign tourist visitors remains "way below" pre-pandemic levels. In a letter to Modi, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) also requested for financial succour to its members by way of certain incentives. Drawing his attention to a recent statement made in Parliament by Union Tourism Minister G Krishna Reddy that only 85.9 lakh foreign tourists visited the country in 2022 as compared to 3.14 crore in 2019, the association listed various reasons for the decline in foreign tourist visitors volumes and suggested steps that can be taken to revive the segment. The association claims to be representing over 1,700 in-bound tour operators in the country. "Foreign tourist visitors number falling during the Covid (pandemic) was understandable but now things are absolutely normal but our numbers are nowhere near the 2019

Foreign tourist arrivals in India yet to reach pre-Covid levels: Reddy

Foreign tourist arrivals in India are yet to reach the pre-COVID-19 levels, with 85.9 lakh of them visiting the country in 2022. According to the data of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) during the 2018-2022 period, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on Monday, 2.88 crore foreign tourists visited India in 2018 and the number increased to 3.14 crore in 2019. However, in 2020, the footfall was 71.7 lakh and it further fell to 10.5 lakh in 2021. In 2022, 85.9 lakh foreigners visited the country. The data was presented along with a written reply to a question by Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy. On whether the tourism ministry is contemplating to launch pilgrim tourism circuits in various parts of the country, Reddy said under its schemes, such as "Swadesh Darshan", "Prashad' (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive)" and "Assistance to Central Agencies", the ministry provides financial assistance to the states and Union territories for the ..

Tourists to be allowed to visit Sikkim from Friday after Oct flash flood

The popular north Sikkim tourist destination, Lachung, which was affected by flash floods in early October, has been made accessible after the restoration of road, an official said on Thursday. The tourist spot will be open for visitors from Friday, he said. "Lachung is now accessible after successful completion of road restoration efforts. The scenic destination can be reached through an alternative route via Dzongu-Shipgyer and will be open for tourists from December 1," Tourism and Civil Aviation Department Secretary Prakash Chettri said. Extending a warm welcome to all tourists intending to visit Lachung-Yumthang in the northern part of Sikkim, he said that the alternative route, via Dzongu-Shipgyer, will have an additional 16-17 km to reach Lachung. He, however, said the Lachen-Gurudongmar point would remain closed until further notice as restoration work in the region was underway in the aftermath of the flash floods. The decision to allow tourists to visit Lachung comes nea

More visa-free travel for Indians beneficial for Goa tourism as well

Visa-free entry is a carrot to expand $28 billion that 27 million Indians spent overseas in 2019. Those numbers had swelled eightfold and sixfold, respectively, in the two decades before the pandemic

Sri Lanka implements free tourist visas for India, six other countries

Aimed at boosting the tourism sector, Indian tourists the largest inbound group to Sri Lanka, would receive free tourist visas with immediate effect, the Department of Immigration and Emigration has announced here. The facility follows a Cabinet decision from October to issue free tourist visas to travellers from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand amidst efforts to rebuild the debt-trapped island nation's tourism sector that had slumped since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The pilot project to offer free visas for the first 30 days would be in force till March 31, 2024, the announcement said. The travellers would be given dual entry status on arrival and the visa validity would be limited to 30 days' stay in the island nation. India is traditionally Sri Lanka's top inbound tourism market. In October 2023, arrival figures for India topped with over 28,000 arrivals or 26 per cent with Russian tourists trailing at over 10,000 arrivals as the second lar