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 Friday, 21 November 2008 |
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Written by Tourism of India
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Monday, 14 March 2005 |
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India Travel News
(an update of news from India)
Vol. VII No.
23
INDIA WINS SEVERAL PATA GOLD AWARDS
Bangkok: 24 Travel related organizations and individuals won the PATA
(Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Awards. The winners will receive their
awards during the 54th PATA Annual Conference in Macau April 17-21. The honors
list includes 2 Grand Awards and 28 Gold Awards. The 2005 PATA Grand Award for
Heritage has been won by the Department of Tourism, Government of India for its
?Ajanta Ellora Conservation & Tourism Development Project? campaign.
Other Gold Awards by Indian include:
Carrier (Domestic-Air) From Service Turnaround to Perception Turnaround-India Airlines;
Industry - Tour Operator/Travel Agent/DMC/PCO; Thomas Cook (India);
Environmental ? Corporate Environmental; Welcome Environ ITC Hotels, India;
Consumer Travel Brochure; India Quest, Premium Vacations SITA, India;
Travel Advertisement Awards - Print Media; Incredible-Taj, Department of Tourism, Government of India;
Industry Business Article - Consumer Publications; Domestic Tourism the Next Big Wave Mrs. Kamal Gill;
Today's Traveller, India;
E-Newsletter; Kerala Tourism Newsletter Kerala Tourism India
Honourable Mention Heritage & Culture - Culture A Day with the Masters, Kerala Tourism, India.
AIR-INDIA TO EXPAND US OPERATIONS
New Delhi: Air-India?s US operations are fast emerging as its second largest source of revenue (after the Gulf) recording a 20% growth in revenue in 2004. The airline is planning to connect Chicago and Los Angles with a daily frequency beginning 28 March (six and five service respectively at present). Three times a week Air India will fly Delhi - Los Angeles via Frankfurt while four flights will operate out of Bombay making it 28 services a week daily to all four US destinations (New York, Newark, Chicago and Los Angeles). Air-India will also add San Francisco, Houston and Washington to its network.
P. K. GUPTA IS NEW R.D. AIR-INDIA FOR AMERICA
New York: Mr. P. K. Gupta has been appointed Regional Director Air-India for the American region. He succeeds Ms. Seema Andhare who has returned to the airline?s headquarters in Bombay as Deputy Commercial Director. Mr. Gupta was Regional Manager in New York.
WORLD?S OLDEST DIAMOND DISPLAYED IN BOMBAY 4 MARCH
Bombay: A 300 carat stone, almost 3.3 billion years old was unveiled at the Hilton Tower Bombay on 4 March. It is reputed to be the oldest diamond discovered so far, making it older than dinosaurs and even some of the stars in the sky.
HOLLYWOOD TO FILM IN BOMBAY, GOA, RAJASTHAN
Bombay: Hollywood?s director Willard Carrol who has worked with greats like Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie is to start filming for ?Marigold? in Bombay, Goa and Rajasthan. Some famous Bollywood stars will also act in the film. This should certainly boost tourism to the area.
NATURALISTS LURE RARE BIRD WITH SONG IN ARUNACHAL
Itanagar: Two naturalists spotted the world?s rarest bird the rusty ? throated wren ? babbler on the slopes of the Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh. This species has never before been seen alive in the wild. In 1947 a dead bird was found by Mr. S. Dillion Ripley of the Smithsonion Institute in the same region. During a November expedition into the Mishimi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh (near the Chinese border) at an altitude of 8000 feet American ornithologists spotted the bird but had to chase it for over an hour before they could capture it on film and that too after playing a tape recording of bird calls to lure it into the open.
TAKE A ?HERITAGE RIDE? IN OOTY
Mysore: The former Maharaja of Mysore has converted his properties into heritage hotels, in Ooty in the Nilgiris. He has plans to offer ?heritage rides? in his numerous horse drawn carriages. So if you wish to be a Maharaja for a day you will soon be able to ride a royal horse drawn carriage, ranging from a Queen Victoria carriage to a Postillion Landau.
DELHI GETS A MUSEUM AT OLD FORT
New Delhi: A site museum at Purana Qila (Old Fort) exhibits objects uncovered during excavation there and elsewhere in the capital. Structures made of baked bricks of Mauryan (300-200 BC) Sunga (200-100 BC) Kushan, ((100 BC-300 AD), Gupta and Mughal period were excavated here. Terracotta human and animal figures, inscribed terracotta seals, ceramic ware etc are indicative of city life of the 6th to 2nd centuries BC. Two inscriptions of AD 1328 and 1327 in Hindi of Muhammod Tuglak?s period mention the name of Delhi. According to legend a Tomar ruler, founded Delhi (Dhilli) in 736 AD.
KERALA TO OPEN 250 HIGHWAY MOTELS
Cochin: Kerala, ?God?s own country? is constantly upgrading it?s tourism product. It wants land owners to build motels along highways as per design prepared by the Tourism Department Kerala. An investment of Rs 20 Lakh would be eligible for a government subsidy of 25% or Rs 5 Lakhs with an additional subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh for waste management. The Government is also setting up a facility in Aleppy to accommodate 600 houseboats as well as two waste management systems. Four special tourism zones have also been created; Munnar (hill station) Kovalam (beach resort) Kumarakom (backwater getaway) and Fort Cochin (heritage destination).
INDIA AND FRANCE LIBERALISE AIR LINKS
Paris: India and France have agreed to increase the number of existing flights between the two countries to 35 a week (14 at present) as per the new agreement signed in Paris. Both sides will have 35 flights a week into each other?s country. France wants to add Bangalore and Hyderabad to its existing destinations (Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras). The agreement will also allow private domestic carriers from India to fly to France. With increased frequencies fares should come down, benefiting travelers.
UTTARANCHAL PROMOTES GOLF TOURISM
Dehradun: On 20 February the Express Power Golf Tournament 2005 had golfers play at the FRIMA Golf Course. The event was sponsored by Uttaranchal Tourism which plans to build at least one international standard golf course in the Dehradun-Rishikesh-Haridwar triangle in the coming years. The next tournament is slated for Nainital in April.
FOOTSBARN TRAVELLERS PERFORM SHAKESPEARE IN DELHI
New Delhi: The Footsbarn Travelling Theatre Company performed ?Perchance to Dream? drawing on 4 of Shakespeare?s greatest plays. This was Footsbarn?s fourth visit to India. They performed in Delhi, Bombay, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Madras and Heggodu in Karnataka. Footsbarn travels in caravans, much like gypsies, across the globe and haven?t visited their native England since 1981 as they have been constantly on the move.
SUFI MUSIC FESTIVAL 4-6 MARCH
New Delhi: The 5th Sufi Music Festival, ?Jahan-e-Khusrau? enthralled music lovers yet again. Held 4-6 March in Arab ki Sarai (near Humayun?s Tomb), the festival is the only festival of Sufi music and dance in India, which brings together International musicians. This year it was dedicated to the Sufi saint Jaladuddin Rumi of the 13th century.
AIR ONE TO TAKE TO THE SKIES IN MAY
Bangalore: A no frills airline, Bangalore based, Air One is set to take to the skies in May. It will operate on non-trunk routes with leased 50 seater. Embraer ERL 145 aircraft. This will give Air Deccan some competition as will Kingfisher Air also set to take wing in May.
THAI AIRWAYS TO FLY CHARTERS FOR BUDDHIST CIRCUIT
Bangkok: Thai Airway?s first ever Charter flight (in over 30 years of doing business) will operate on the Buddhist sector in India. The Charter will operate between 11-13 March and will cover Bodhgaya (landing at Gorakpur) Sarnath and Varanasi (including a boat trip on the holy river Ganges).
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn a sanskrit scholar, on an official trip to India from 27 February is planning to extend her stay an extra 10 days after her official engagements for the Charter. She presided over the Phra Mahathat Chalerraj Sratha ceremony on 1 March at the Wat Thai temple in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh where Buddha attained Parinirvana (passed away).
AIR DECCAN BEGINS JAMMU-DELHI FLIGHTS
Jammu: Air Deccan has started flying Jammu-Delhi with tickets available on the internet. The no frills airline will be a boon for the pilgrimage and tourist traffic to Jammu.
SEMINAR IN NAGAUR ON ASIA ? PACIFIC CREATIVE COMMUNITIES
New Delhi: UNESCO, UNIDO, The World Bank, Asian Development Bank and INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage) together convened an. International Senior Experts symposium entitled, ?Asia ? Pacific Creative Communities. A strategy for the 21st century?. It took place in the desert area near Nagaur in Rajasthan with participants living in tents and meeting in the open. The idea was to brainstorm on strategy to preserve creative communities or ?culture industries? which may soon become ?extinct? with the spread of so called ?civilization?.
DHARAMSALA INAUGURATES INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CRICKET GROUND
Dharamsala: So far Dharamsala?s claim to fame has been the residence of the Dalai Lama. Its new cricket ground enables it to hold international matches. One such match was played between India and Pakistan 3-5 March. The snow capped Dhauladhar range in the back ground and prayer flags fluttering in the wind made it a memorable experience for the players and onlookers alike.
INDIA?S FIRST LUFTHANSA CITY CENTER OPENED IN NEW DELHI
New Delhi: Bird?s Wing a travel company under the umbrella of The Bird Group is India?s first Lufthansa City Center based in the heart of New Delhi located at E-9, Connaught House, Connaught Place. Mr. Axel Suess, Managing Director of Lufthansa City Center International and Mr. Gunnar Maier, Area Manager EMEA and Latin America of Lufthansa City Center International, inaugurated the premises by cutting the traditional ribbon in the presence of Mr. Werner Heesen, General Manager, Passenger Sales India & Director South Asia, Lufthansa. Mr. Vijay Bhatia, President, The Bird Group, remarked, ?Lufthansa City Center is a global phenomenon and we are extremely pleased to be the pioneers of this global makeover in India.?
THE OBEROI RAJVILAS AND THE OBEROI AMARVILAS NAMED AMONG TRAVEL LEISURE?S BEST
New Delhi: The readers of Travel & Leisure magazine have voted Oberoi Hotels & Resorts among the ?world?s best hotel values?. The March 2005 issue includes this year?s winners of the annual ?World?s Best Awards,? a survey in which the magazine?s readers were asked to rate hotels specifically for value, among other criteria. In the hotel category of ?Top 10 Hotels for Value Overall,? The Oberoi, Rajvilas in Jaipur is ranked third. It is the only hotel in India on this list. In the ?Worth the Splurge? category of hotels with rates averaging more than $400 per night, it is also ranked as the number one hotel in Asia that is ?Worth the Splurge?. The Oberoi Amarvilas also made the splurge worthy list, ranking fifth in Asia.
ORIGINAL COPY OF Guru Granth Sahib with Sodhi family
Amritsar: The original Guru Granth Sahib the scripture of the Sikhs is in the safe possession of the Sodhi family of Kartarpur (Punjab) and is in the Gurudwara Thum Sahib. The 40th installation anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib is being celebrated since 1 September 2004. The Adi Granth written by the 5th Sikh Guru Arjan Dev and the original scripture (also known as ?Kartarpuri Bir?) was installed in the Golden Temple (Amritsar) on 1 September 1604. The Sodhi family are descendants of the 5th Guru and display the Adi Granth for ?darshan? by devotes, once a year at the time of the Baisakhi festival (13 April).
STATE Tourism MinisterS meet in Delhi
New Delhi: The Tourism Ministers of the various states of India met in Delhi to discuss increasing tourism and development of infrastructure. Tourism Minister Mr. Renuka Chowdhury mooted levying a cess of Rs 1000 on every Indian traveling abroad to fund Tourism projects. Facility of Visa on arrival was also discussed.
ON 26 MARCH GULF AIR WILL PULL OUT OF SRI LANKA
Colombo: Effective 26 March Gulf Air will pull out of Sri Lanka citing network changes it is implementing in Asia and Africa. Casblanca in Morocco will also be struck off their route map. The airline is restructuring and increasing frequencies on high demand sectors.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 06 January 2006 )
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