Pilgrim travel: On the road to Bodhgaya

EAST India is home to rich ancient civilizations, culture and the sacred sites with links to Buddhism, but in the past poor infrastructure and facilities to cater for tourists held the destinations back.

Most of the problems have been solved led by the private sector that invested heavily in the region. An important component supporting tourism development in the region is the Confederation of Indian Industry’s B2B event– Destination East, which was initiated in 2010 to encourage international tourism through the gateway city of Kolkata in West Bengal, the largest city in the region.

Kolkata is the only international airport in this heavily populated region of India with the exception of Bagdogra in Darjeeling but the only regional airline using the airport is Druk Air of Bhutan.

Read more

Nepal tourism peaks

KATHMANDU, 6 January 2012: Nepal had its best ever year for tourism in 2011, with most of the growth coming from neighbouring India and China, according to official figures released earlier this week.

Once a must-see destination on the famed “hippy trail”, Nepal was dealt a severe blow during the decade-long civil war that ended in 2006, with tourist numbers dropping dramatically.

But the new data show a marked recovery, with tourism accounting for seven percent of gross domestic product — more than US$1 billion — last year. Read more

Kolkata’s eye is on London

NEW DELHI, 3 August 2011 – The local government in Kolkata, once capital of British India, is to kick off plans Tuesday to transform the congested city into a “second London” replete with a London Eye ferris wheel.

Mamata Banerjee, the feisty newly elected chief minister of the state of West Bengal, made an election pledge to transform the dysfunctional and poverty-stricken Indian metropolis into a world class city.

“Kolkata was the second city of the British empire. Why can’t our Kolkata be a second London?” Banerjee told AFP ahead of the official ceremony launching the project later on Tuesday. Read more

Travel warnings ease on Kashmir

SRINAGAR, 27 July 2011 – In a boost to insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir’s tourism industry, Germany said on Monday it had changed its travel advisory for its nationals to say foreigners were not a “target”.

Germany has become the first foreign country to amend its travel advisory following a sharp decline in militant violence in the scenic Himalayan region.

“The travel advisory issued by the FFO (Federal Foreign Office) for German nationals travelling to the region (Kashmir) has been revised,” German embassy spokesman Jens Urban said said in a faxed message. Read more

Dress up or stay out says church

PANAJI, 13 July 2011 – Goa’s most historic church is to follow the example of some Hindu temples in the Indian state and enforce a dress code for tourists, following complaints over foreigners’ inappropriate clothing.

The rector of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Father Savio Barretto, said officials will screen pilgrims and visitors coming to the 16th century church from this September.

Anyone “improperly dressed” will be given shawls to cover up, he said. Photography would also be banned inside the church, he added. Read more

India strengthens links with ASEAN

NEW DELHI, 3 March 2011 – India and the 10-nation ASEAN bloc aim to increase trade 40% by 2012 on the back of a free trade pact and push for deeper economic integration, an New Delhi said on Wednesday.

Asia’s third-largest economy has long courted its eastern neighbours under its “Look East” policy, hoping for increased commerce and investment with the ASEAN zone of nearly 600 million people.

India is already a strong business partner with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand but is keen to expand its presence in Indonesia and Vietnam. Tourism is a strong component in trade talks due to India transformation into a major supply market for ASEAN destinations.

Read more

Casinos in Nepal may close

KATHMANDU, 16 February 2011 – Nepal’s casinos, which draw thousands of foreign tourists each year, are under threat after tax investigators recommended eight out of 10 of them be closed, an official said Tuesday.

Gambling is illegal in Nepal, but eight hotels in the capital Kathmandu and two in the resort town of Pokhara operate casinos under special government licences that only allow them to admit foreign customers.

“We have recommended the tourism ministry revoke the licences of eight casinos that have failed to pay the dues worth 30 million rupees (US$4.9 million),” said Department of Revenue Investigation director general Mahesh Dahal.

Read more

Sri Lanka plans hotel on army site

COLOMBO, 26 January 2011 – The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday it was relocating the defence ministry and main army headquarters in Colombo to make way for a billion-dollar hotel project.

An information department statement said the cabinet had decided to shift the military facilities from their prime, seafront location in the capital to the eastern edge of the city.

The move would accommodate “two giant foreign (hotel) projects that will bring in a direct investment of US$1 billion,” an information department statement said.

Read more

India’s aging airports stiffle growth

NEW DELHI, 14 January 2011 – An upstart Indian carrier’s US$15 billion order with Airbus is a bold bet on travel demand in the fast-growing country. But ageing airports and over-ambition could yet clip the industry’s wings.

IndiGo, which was launched in 2005, on Wednesday stormed onto the international stage by announcing a deal for 180 new aircraft, the largest number of Airbus planes ever bought in a single order.

“We are putting our money where our mouth is,” IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh boasted after sealing the deal at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, southwest France.

Read more

IndiGo good to go with Airbus

PARIS, 13 January 2011 – Airbus on Wednesday celebrated a record-breaking deal with Indian budget carrier IndiGo worth US$15.6 billion, a welcome fillip after a difficult 2010 and proof of the growing power of emerging markets in the aerospace industry.

“It is very good news. This order, it is the equivalent of six months of production, of course spread out over several years. This is considerable,” Airbus Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier said.

“It is a great present for the start of the year,” he added.

Read more

Next Page »