Tourism

The Union government is increasingly bulldozing through policies and Bills – in a tearing hurry. The latest, following on the heels of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, is the National Tourism Policy (NTP). The Union tourism ministry put up a draft of the policy on its website on April 30, and gave the general public only 10 days to respond. The policy may be unveiled as early as May 15...

The drop in the value of the rupee has not been auguring well for Indians. During 2013, travellers from India paid more for their hotel rooms as the drop in value of the rupee made traveling abroad more expensive. In fact, Indian travellers paid more for hotel rooms in three out of every four destinations abroad, according to latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). On the other hand, global travellers on an average paid 2 per cent more on hotels in India in 2013 as compared to 2012 (a...

When the swank, new terminal of Bengaluru International Airport opens for the public sometime soon, it will cater to rich taste. And the flavour of the new airport will be a brand new brand — the Malgudi Tiffin Centre restaurant. The ethnic South Indian restaurant in the middle of one of the most modern airports in India has been planned and positioned (both physically and otherwise) as a pleasant surprise to the visitor. It's the first thing that meets the eye after one exits the security check...

A conservationist, just recognised for his untiring efforts in saving the biodiversity-rich and ecologically-important Bhadra-Kudremuch landscape, says 'low-impact tourism' is the need of the hour. DV Girish, a coffee grower from Chikmagalur, has just been awarded the 'Protect the Tiger' award under the RBS Earth Heroes Award for 2013. Girish has been working closely with forest officials in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve area, and has emerged as an influential community leader in protecting the...

So, we have been told that Bangaloreans are increasingly travelling to foreign destinations for vacations. And today we have been told that Bangkok is one destination. If one is looking for indicators, one of the best would a low-cost carrier(LCC) launching a direct flight to Bangkok. SpiceJet on Thursday became the first airline to gauge and act on the trend by launching a service that will operates on four days in a week. There's a rationale to it. V Raja, senior vice-president (commercial)...

You can describe it as an achievement against all odds. In spite of all the civic problems, from potholes to water scarcity, the city ranks the #1 business travel destination in the country. In fact, Bangalore ranks #12 worldwide. Bangalore emerged as the most visited city in India for business travel among the 25 most-visited cities worldwide followed by Mumbai at 20 in terms of number of overnight hotel stays, according to the latest release of Concur Expense IQ Report. Concur is a leading...

Unbridled tourism in the Western Ghats will be a thing of the past if the Union government accepts the recommendations of an expert panel that was formed to look into the environmental aspects of the ecologically-fragile region. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), which submitted a comprehensive report to the government in August 2011, has noted that some of the environmental footprints relate to the uncontrolled growth of tourist establishments in the Western Ghats leading to...

The online travel audience in India is rising, according to comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world. It found that the number of visitors to travel sites increased 32 per cent in the past year to 18.5 million visitors as more Indians are turning to the web for their travel needs. “The online travel category continues to show strong growth in India,” Kedar Gavane, comScore Director for India said on Friday. “The convenience of booking trips and locating travel information online...

Over 200 of the world's most significant cultural heritage sites are at risk and in need of immediate intervention to stem irreparable loss and destruction, says a new report, Saving Our Vanishing Heritage. These damages can cost developing nations over $100 billion in lost revenue. The years spanning 2000 to 2009 have been highly destructive—one of the most damaging decades in recent history except for periods of major war and conflict, the report says. Five manmade threats are the cause of 90...

Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot at a tourist bus on Sunday near the historic Jama Masjid in old Delhi area, injuring two Taiwanese nationals. The gunmen randomly opened fire near the mosque, hitting tourists who were in a bus parked nearby. Eyewitnesses told the CNN-IBN news channel that the attackers wore helmets and raincoats and escaped on their motorcycle after firing seven rounds. A red alert has been sounded for the two suspects who are still absconding. The police have recovered .38 bore...