 |
|
|
Destination News |
|
|
|
 |
Goa Tourism launches hop-on-hop-off bus tour service |
|
Panaji, May 13 Goa Tourism authorities on Saturday launched a unique hop-on-hop-off bus service for tourists, with a fleet of open-roof double decker and single decker buses plying through popular hotspots in Panaji and adjoining coastal areas.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the new service, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Nilesh Cabral said the service would offer tourists a unique experience of enjoying the natural architectural hotspots of Goa from open-roof buses, which would ply around a circuit with 19 halts.
“Right now, we have four buses in our fleet, which will cover Panaji and the adjoining areas. Soon the fleet will be extended by 15 more buses and more circuits will be created all over Goa,” Cabral said.
“The hop-on-hop-off circuit currently includes places of tourist interest in Panaji, like Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula cliff, the Miramar beach and other areas. It also covers the popular Calangute beach area,” he said.
After buying a pass, which is valid for 24 hours, tourists will be able to visit their locations of interest and hop off for an extended period of time and hitch a ride in a following hop-on-hop-off bus.
“This allows people to decide the amount of time they want to spend at specific tourist sites they choose,” Cabral said.
Goa is one of the top tourism destinations in the country and attracts more than four million tourists every year. |
|
|
|
|
 |
Taj Mahal ranks 5th on top 10 landmarks in world |
|
Iconic attraction of India Taj Mahal has emerged as the fifth most popular landmark in the world and second in Asia, according to the results of online travel portal TripAdvisor’s ‘Travellers’ Choice Awards for Landmarks’. Taj Mahal has also ranked first in the list of popular landmarks in India, followed by Amber Fort, Jaipur; Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi; Bandra Worli Sea Link, Mumbai; Qutab Minar, New Delhi; Agra Fort, UP; Golden Temple, Amritsar; Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi; Gateway of India, Mumbai; and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur.
“India has many incredible landmarks and paying a visit to them is a fantastic way to get acquainted with the country’s rich history. With summer being the peak travel season owing to the summer vacations, the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Landmarks list will help Indian travellers narrow down the attractions to visit during their trip whether in India or abroad,” said Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India.
Globally, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, Mezquita Cathedral de Cordoba in Spain, and St Peter’s Basilica in Italy, bagged the first four ranks respectively, placing Taj Mahal as the world’s fifth most popular landmarks, followed by Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, Russia; Great Wall at Mutianyu, Beijing; Machu Picchu, Peru; Plaza de Espana, Spain; and Duomo di Milano, Italy.
Whereas, the top 10 landmarks in Asia has been topped by Angkor Wat, followed by Taj Mahal on the second place. Great Wall at Mutianyu, Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine in Japan, Petronas Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur, Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar, Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, The Grand Palace in Bangkok, and Kinkakuji Temple in Japan, held the subsequent ranks.
Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for landmarks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period. The awards honoured landmarks across 82 countries. |
|
|
| |
 |
| Alleppey in Kerala is India’s favorite ‘Waterfront Destination’ |
|
The city of Alappuzha, still known locally by its British-era name, Alleppey, recently won the HolidayIQ Better Holiday Award for ‘India’s favorite Waterfront Destination’. The city’s network of canals and backwaters earned it the title of ‘Venice of the East’ centuries ago by the Viceroy of the British Indian empire, Lord Curzon. This most recent award conferred to Kerala Tourism shows that Alleppey still holds on to its old-world charm. Over the years since Curzon visited the place and remarked on its beauty, Alleppey has grown to become a bustling city with the usual hustle and commotion usually associated with a modern Indian city. But the canals and backwaters remain just as they were; calm and relaxing.
Head to the houseboats along the backwaters of Alleppey, and you would forget that you were in a city. The urban jungle gives way to lush greenery, villages and homes by the waterfront and local toddy shops. The quintessential Kerala experience, it’s no wonder that Alleppey was chosen for the award. Dr. Venu V, Kerala Tourism’s Principal Secretary, said, “This award reiterates the popularity of the state tourism as it was chosen by over 15 crore Indian travelers. Kerala Tourism department is always keen in implementing new and innovative ideas and projects for the growth of Kerala as the best destination. Prestigious awards like these are an inspiration to raise the benchmark in taking up new initiatives.”
Kadakampalli Surendran, the state’s Minister of Tourism, said, “Getting an award for another individual feature of the state in itself shows how versatile our state is as a tourist destination. And I’m so overwhelmed by the fact that Kerala is gaining popularity and is preferred by people all over.” |
|
|
| |
 |
|
India jumps 16 places in world
tourism ranking |
|
With the inclusion of non- resident
Indians among international
tourists, India has jumped 16 places
in the revised World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) rankings to
settle at 24th for 2014 and 2015.
Earlier, it was ranked 41st and 40th
in 2014 and 2015, respectively, as
per the global ranking.
The rank of India in international
tourist arrivals (ITA) in both 2014
and 2015 in the latest UNWTO’s World
Tourism Barometer, as of March 2017,
is 24th as against the previous
ranks of 41st and 40th in 2014 and
2015, respectively, as per a press
release issued by the Ministry of
Tourism. UNWTO is the United
Nation’s agency managing promotion
of responsible, sustainable and
universally accessible tourism and
its barometer ranks countries in
terms of their ITAs- comprising both
foreign tourist arrivals as well as
non- resident arrivals.
So far only the figures of foreign
tourist arrivals (FTAs) were
compiled in India. However, now
India has started compiling the data
arrivals of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)
also. “Due to this inclusion,
India’s improved rank reflecting the
true and comparable scenario has now
been acknowledged by the UNWTO,” the
release said. With this inclusion,
the share of India in the ITAs has
also increased from 0.68% (based on
FTAs) to 1.12% in 2015.
In fact, India has taken huge
strides in the tourism sector in the
last year with its rank in the
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness
Index (TTCI), 2017 had also shown 12
places jump from 2015. Rank of India
in TTCI Report of 2017 was 40 as
compared to 52 in 2015, 65 in 2013
and 68 in 2011. While UNWTO gives
ranking in terms of numbers of ITAs,
TTCI is composed of 14 pillars
organised into four sub-indices of
‘Enabling Environment’, ‘Travel and
Trade Policy and Enabling
Conditions’, ‘Infrastructure’ and
‘Natural and Cultural Resources’. |
|
|
| |
| Munnar picked as best destination for romance |
|
| Amid controversy over the land encroachments in Munnar, the hill station has brought some glory to Kerala Tourism by winning the 'Best Destination for Romance' category in the Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Awards 2017.
Tourism director P Bala Kiran received the prestigious award from Bollywood actress Diana Penty at the sixth edition of Lonely Planet India Travel Awards held in Mumbai. "It is overwhelming to know that Kerala has been gaining popularity as India's most preferred destination among the Indian travellers. The tourism department will continue to keep up the positive momentum," the tourism director said after receiving the award.
Such awards, he said, will inspire other travel enthusiasts to visit and experience unexplored destinations in the state. Moreover, as India's greenest state, Kerala has been witnessing constant progress in foreign as well as domestic tourist arrivals since 2011, he added.
|
|
|
| |
 |
| This monsoon, tour South India in a luxury train |
|
The rains paint South India in some of the most refreshing colours on Earth, and IRCTC wants you to view it in style by hopping aboard a luxury train. The Maharajas’ Express will run two new circuits this rainy season, cutting through this gorgeous part of the country.
While The Southern Sojourn journey starts in Mumbai and ends at Thiruvananthapuram, covering Goa, Hampi, Mysuru, Kochi and Kumarakom in between, The Southern Jewels connects Thiruvanthapuram to Mumbai via Chettinad, Thanjavur, Mahabalipuram, Mysuru, Hampi and Goa. Each trip is 7N8D long; the train departs from Mumbai on 24 June and from Thiruvananthapuram on 1 July. Regular services commence from September.
Besides savouring lavish fare at the two onboard restaurants and sipping your choice of poison at the two bars, you’d get to watch cultural performances in Kochi, cruise along Alleppey’s backwaters, relish the famous Chettinadi cuisine, and of course, frolic on the beaches of Goa.
Tickets for each journey start at US$7,530 (Rs4.9 lakh) per adult for a Deluxe Cabin on twin-sharing basis. The cost includes onboard accommodation, all meals and spirits from house brands, guide charges, butler service, complimentary tea and coffee, and porter charges. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Contact Us |
|
|
|
Head Office - 283 Udyog Vihar Phase II, Gurugram, Haryana 122016. India | Tel: +91 124 4567777
Registered Office - Creative Plaza, Nanakpura, Moti Bagh, New Delhi 110021. India | Tel: +91 11 26872257 |
|
| Email: engage@creative.travel | Website: www.creative.travel | www.junglesutra.com |
|
| Global Sales Offices : Creative Travel has network of sales teams around the world to assist you in your region. Specialists are available to assist you with information on leisure travel, special interest trips, corporate, meetings & incentive travel and wildlife products. |
|
| International Sales offices in Argentina Belgium Brazil Canada Germany Indonesia Mexico Philippines Poland Russia South Africa Spain & Portugal Turkey United Kingdom United States.
For details please visit www.creative.travel/contactus |
|
|
|
| This is a formatted HTML email. If you receive it in a unreadable / garbled form, please let us know. To keep the message size low, some images are linked to the internet and would show only when you are on-line. If you would like to be removed from this mailing, please follow instructions at the bottom. This mailing is going out to individuals we have met over the years or to people whose names have been obtained from various lists provided to us by various trade shows. We do not mean to be intrusive to anyone. |
|
|
|
|
© Creative Travel. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
