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'Namo ghat' to emerge as tourist attraction in Varanasi: Official

The renovated 'Khidkiya ghat', popularly known as 'Namo ghat' because of three large sculptures in the form of hands folded in a 'namaste', will soon emerge as a major tourist destination here, an official said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may inaugurate the renovated ghat in his Lok Sabha constituency soon, according to the official. The INR 34-crore project which is nearing completion, will become the 85th ghat in Varanasi. "It is in sync with modernity while the traditional ethos have been maintained," the official said. The sculptures of folded hands greeting the sun have become the new identity of the ghat. The statues, two 25-feettall and a smaller 15-feet-tall, are a salutation to the Ganga river, he said. "There is also a proposal to install a similar 75-feet-tall metal sculpture at the ghat," he added. D Vasudevan, Chief General Manager of Varanasi Smart City, said that the ghat is being developed in an area of about 21,000 square metre. He said the project is in line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Make in India' and 'Vocal for Local' initiatives. Here tourists will get a view of Subah-e-Banaras and can participate in the famous Ganga aarti, he said. In addition, they will be able to enjoy water adventure activities and have space for walking, exercising, and yoga, the chief general manager said. There will also be an open theatre, library, food court serving Banarasi cuisine, a multipurpose platform to organise various events and a helipad, he said. A ramp right up to the river has been built for people with disabilities and the elderly. Kashi Vishwanath Dham tickets for 'Sugam Darshan' will also be available here and pilgrims will get the facility to go to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham by boat from the jetty, he said. A floating CNG station for CNG boats is also being built at the ghat to make Ganga pollution-free. There will also be a facility to visit other nearby cities through a cruise, he said.

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Bagdogra airport springs back to life with 26 flights after a fortnight

Bagdora airport buzzed back to life on Tuesday, providing the much needed relief for tourists, traders, tour operators and cab operators, as 26 flights - packed with tourists rushing to the north Bengal or Sikkim hills - operated through the day. Celebrating the occasion, the airport organised a water cannon salute for passengers reaching the airport in the day's first flight - an A320 operated by Air Asia from Bangalore - that touched down at 8.02am. "I was booked on a flight to Bagdogra on April 19 but when the airport closed for repair works, we rescheduled our flight to April 26. We are happy to finally escape from Kolkata for our trip to Darjeeling and Chitrey," said Souvick Basu, who is on a five day trip to the hills with his friends. Operational between 8am and 5pm, there were 26 flights on Tuesday, seven from Kolkata, eight from Delhi and three each from Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad as 4,297 passengers reached the airport and 3,509 departed on the first day of reopening. "The resumption was smooth after resurfacing of the flexible portion of the runway and we will continue to operate 28 flights from tomorrow till the capacity is increased post October," said Bagdogra Airport Director P Subramani. However, Subramani said that the closure has impacted the airport financially. "During the shutdown we incurred a loss of INR 7 lakhs per day as this is the peak season for tourism and Bagdogra is the region's only airport. We had no option as the runway work was necessary. We hope to have good traffic through the next few weeks," said Subramani. Tour operators too hoped to recover the losses in quick time. "We are expecting a good summer season after two years . We already have tourist arrivals in the coming days. The footfall during the airport closure went down to 20 per cent. But after a few days we touched 50 per cent occupancy level as tourists came by trains and other modes. From April 26 onwards till the month of May we have an occupancy level of 85 per cent. We are flooded with enquiries for both Sikkim and Darjeeling," said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network - an apex body of tourism stakeholders in north Bengal. The 1,000 odd cab drivers too were happy seeing tourists at the airport."During this season, we get a minimum booking of INR 3,500 per day. We already lost a chunk of the month because of the closure. But the bookings were good on the first day of reopening," said Siraj Bhowmik, president of Bagdogra Taxi owner welfare association.

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India remains a key market for Saudi Arabian tourism

Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious programme to boost inbound tourism and considers India a key market, said Saudi Tourism Board CEO Fahd Hamidaddin. Hamidaddin, who has been the chief of investment, strategy and tourism marketing for the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, spoke to PTI on the sidelines of the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in Manila. "We went on a road trip to India, met a lot of travel agents there and have some promising partnerships. Now, our focus is on air carriers. We want to develop routes from India and grow these routes. We want to promote the destinations with our trade partners from India," Hamidaddin said. "I am expecting a lot (of bilateral agreements) to be signed this year. Because we feel India is definitely a key market for Saudi. The government is also addressing the issue of accessibility with visas and air connectivity for leisure, business and religious travel," said Hamidaddin, who is in charge of the Visit Saudi destination brand. He also referred to efforts to make Umrah more accessible and less expensive for travellers from the Muslim world. "We found out that some brokers are marking up the cost of getting to Saudi for Umrah (pilgrimage made by Muslims to Mecca), and that should not happen," he said. "Historically, Saudi Arabia has dedicated a certain number for Umrah to dedicated travel agents," Hamidaddin said. "Now, we are going to open up for all the travel industry, so that any travel agent can offer Umrah packages," he said. Indian travellers are very well acquainted with the Middle East, he said. "There are people who come to Saudi historically, the Muslims. We are trying to make it a lot easier as far as access is concerned. The message is that we welcome everyone," he added. The appetite from Indians is very promising, he said. Asked about restrictions for foreign tourists in his country, Hamidaddin said, "We have started lifting so many restrictions. In the past, women (tourists) were asked to wear abaya (loose-fitting full-length robe). We no longer ask them to do so. As long as they wear modest (clothes) it is fine. "Earlier, (foreign tourist) couples (staying at a hotel) needed to prove they were married. A marriage certificate was required while checking in. We don't ask for that anymore," he said. Hamidaddin said Saudi is delivering on its ambitions to open up to a new tourist market and grow travel and tourism into one of its biggest earners following the pandemic. "Saudi is the latest large destination to open up for the world. I say large as in with the number of cities, destinations and very diverse culture it has. We started opening tourism in 2019 but then the pandemic came," he said. "A key learning was about accessibility, which needs to be eased to the maximum," he said. "We started with e-visas for 49 countries around the world, as well as allowing citizens of any country holding a valid US, UK and Schengen visa to get a visa on arrival. Tourist visas are available through Saudi consulates worldwide and we are continuing to work on further facilitating access for people who are eager to visit Saudi," he said. Hamidaddin said the Saudis are looking at creating "easy and digitally trackable measures" so that people can get visas electronically. "This is what we are now studying and it should be addressed later this year," he added. By the end of last year, inbound tourists to Saudi were 72 per cent of the prepandemic levels, outperforming any other country, he said. We are expecting the second-quarter results to reach 150 per cent, he added. Saudi is going through an amazing transformation and tourism is at the forefront, he said. Saudi Arabia combines authentic Arabian culture, pristine nature, diverse landscapes and culture, and a rapidly expanding entertainment offer, he added. There are six UNESCO World Heritage sites and over 10,000 archaeological sites, including the pristine Red Sea, home to coral reefs and huge biodiversity. Saudi is recognised as the most exciting investment opportunity in tourism today, he said.

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MSC Cruises announces summer 2023 program

MSC Cruises revealed the details of its Summer 2023 program, with an incredible choice of modern, glamourous ships sailing to more than 140 destinations around the world. The selection includes a ship and itinerary for anyone looking to get away next summer, whether they want a quick mini-cruise or a vacation at sea lasting as long as 21 nights. Cruises are available to book now on MSC Cruises’ website or through Travel Agents. Once guests have selected their dream itinerary, they can look forward to stepping aboard one of MSC Cruises’ beautifully designed ships where around-the-clock entertainment and activities, grand scale original theatre productions, live music, authentic international dining, award-winning family offerings, luxurious spa and wellness facilities, boutique shopping and much more are waiting to be explored and enjoyed. MSC Seascape—the cruise line’s upcoming U.S. flagship—will offer alternating seven-night Caribbean sailings from Miami, Florida (USA) with itineraries including a call to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ stunning private island in The Bahamas, as well as calls to spectacular destinations in The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cayman Islands and Jamaica. MSC Meraviglia will inaugurate year-round service on a variety of itineraries from New York City, covering the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada. MSC Seaside will bring take Caribbean cruising to the next level with cruises from Port Canaveral. Plus, MSC Magnifica will offer shorter Caribbean itineraries from PortMiami. Rubén Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA, said, “We remain committed to growing in North America and the Caribbean, which is why we’ll have more options here next summer than ever before—more ships, more homeports and more amazing destinations. We want our guests to relax and enjoy an unforgettable vacation at sea, whether that means experiencing the unrivalled natural beauty of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve on our Caribbean itineraries or exploring the North Atlantic with a breath-taking cruise through New England and Canada.” North America and Caribbean highlights MSC Meraviglia – Sailing year-round from New York for the first time, starting April 2023, with a wide variety of itineraries ranging from six to 11 nights: Caribbean itineraries of either seven or eight nights, featuring calls to Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve – MSC Cruises’ beautiful private island (The Bahamas). Bermuda itineraries lasting six nights and offering three days docked at King’s Wharf combined with several relaxing days at sea. Northern itineraries of either ten or 11 nights, featuring calls to Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. (11-night itineraries include an additional call in Newport, Rhode Island). MSC Seascape – Offering two different seven-night itineraries from PortMiami: Eastern Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau (The Bahamas), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic). Western Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (The Bahamas), Cozumel (Mexico), George Town (Cayman Islands) and Ocho Rios (Jamaica). MSC Seaside – Homeporting in the Orlando, Florida area with options from Port Canaveral: Three and four-night cruises to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (The Bahamas). Seven-night sailings to Cozumel and Costa Maya (Mexico), Belize, and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (The Bahamas). MSC Magnifica – Sailing new short cruises from PortMiami of three or four nights in length on Fridays and Mondays to Key West, Florida; and Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (The Bahamas). MSC World Europa, the line’s first LNG powered ship, will spend her first summer season in the Mediterranean offering guests a spectacular experience both on board and ashore. The 7-night itineraries feature the region’s most popular destinations – Genoa, Naples and Messina in Italy, Valletta in Malta, Barcelona in Spain, and Marseille in France. With embarkation possible in multiple ports, sailing aboard this ground-breaking ship will be convenient and easy. Western Mediterranean highlights include: MSC Seashore from Genoa (Italy) on Saturdays will call to destinations including Civitavecchia (Rome), Palermo (Italy), Ibiza and Valencia (Spain) and Marseille (France). MSC Seaview from Barcelona (Spain) on Saturdays will call to destinations including Cannes (France); Genoa, La Spezia and Civitavecchia (Italy); plus Palma de Mallorca (Spain). The perfect itinerary for sunseekers. MSC Opera from Genoa (Italy) on Sundays will call to destinations including Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), La Goulette (Tunisia), Palermo (Sicily) and Naples (Italy). MSC Orchestra starting in June will begin ten-night cruises from Genoa (Italy) to destinations including Marseille (France); Malaga, Cadiz for Seville (Spain); Lisbon (Portugal); Alicante/Costa Blanca and Menorca (Spain), and Olbia (Italy). MSC World Europa will offer the most popular destinations in the Western Mediterranean, sailing from Genoa (Italy) on Sundays and calling to destinations including Naples and Messina (Italy), Valletta (Malta), Barcelona (Spain), and Marseille (France). Eastern Mediterranean highlights include: MSC Divina from Civitavecchia for Rome (Italy) on Fridays will call to destinations including Siracusa, Taranto and awe-aspiring beaches in Puglia (Italy) and Santorini and Mykonos (Greece). MSC Lirica from Venice on Mondays and Bari (Italy) on Sundays will call to the Greek Islands of Cefalonia/Argostoli, Santorini and Crete. MSC Sinfonia from Venice on Sundays will call to destinations including Brindisi (Italy), Greek island of Mykonos and the Greek mainland destination of Piraeus for Athens, as well as Split or Zadar (Croatia). MSC Armonia from Venice on Saturdays will call to destinations including Kotor (Montenegro), the famous Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini (Greece), and Bari (Italy). MSC Musica from Piraeus/Athens (Greece) on Sundays will call to destinations including Santorini (Greece), Kusadasi (Turkey), Haifa (Israel), the islands of Limassol (Cyprus), plus Mykonos (Greece). MSC Splendida from Trieste/Venice (Italy) on Saturdays will call to destinations including Ancona (Italy), the picturesque city of Dubrovnik (Croatia), Bari (Italy), Corfu (Greece), and Kotor (Montenegro). Northern Europe highlights include: MSC Euribia will perform spectacular seven-night itineraries sailing to the Norwegian Fjords with weekly departures from Kiel (Germany) with calls including Copenhagen (Denmark); Hellesylt (Norway) for the Geirangerfjord; as well as Alesund and Flaam, also in Norway, among others. MSC Fantasia from Kiel (Germany) will offer two alternative itineraries between seven and 11 nights in length to either the Norwegian Fjords or Baltic capitals. MSC Grandiosa from Southampton (UK) will offer itineraries between seven and 15 nights to the Norwegian Fjords, Sweden and Denmark, the Atlantic coast of Europe, plus longer cruises to the Canary Islands (Spain) and the Mediterranean, along with some short three and four-night breaks. MSC Poesia from Warnemunde/Berlin (Germany) and Copenhagen (Denmark) will offer itineraries between seven and 21 nights in length to Baltic capitals and four Norwegian Fjords. Longer cruises include an epic 21-night cruise with calls to several destinations in Iceland and Greenland. MSC Preziosa from Hamburg (Germany) will offer itineraries between nine and 15 nights in length to North Cape and Spitsbergen in Norway or Iceland cruises with calls to Reykjavik (overnight), Isafjordur and Akureyri, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands in United Kingdom. The ship will also offer Ireland cruises with calls in Cork and Dublin (Ireland), along with Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh (UK). Starting from September 2023, MSC Preziosa will offer seven-night cruises visiting five of Europe’s most popular cities – the Northern Pearls. The ship will call Hamburg (Germany) on Sundays, Zeebrugge for Bruges and Brussels (Belgium), Rotterdam/Amsterdam (Netherlands), Le Havre for Paris (France), and Southampton for London (UK) on Fridays. With extended stays in port of up to 12 hours, guests can really make the most of their time ashore. Long cruises and mini cruises highlights include: MSC Divina – From Genoa (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain) will offer 11-night cruises to the Canary Islands, Morocco and Madeira in October and November. MSC Poesia – From September 25 to November 19, 2023, will offer 11-nights from Genoa (Italy) to Greece and Turkey. Key highlights include Kusadasi/Ephesus, a full day visit in Istanbul (Turkey), Piraeus/Athens (Greece), and Palermo/Monreale and Civitavecchia/Rome (Italy). MSC Sinfonia – October 2023 availability of 11-night cruises from Genoa (Italy) to Civitavecchia/Rome; Messina/Taormina/Etna Volcano (Italy); Limassol (Cyprus); Rhodes/Lindos and Heraklion/Crete (Greece); and Haifa (Israel). Those looking for shorter cruises or weekend breaks of three to five nights in length can choose from a series of cruises with multiple ports of embarkation with MSC Orchestra in May and June, and MSC Euribia and MSC Seaview in Autumn.

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Air Arabia Abu Dhabi to add flight services to Ahmedabad from May 13

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first low-cost carrier, has announced the introduction of a new service to Ahmedabad, the largest city in the state of Gujrat in India, starting from May 13, 2022. Schedule to Ahmedabad, effective 13 May 2022 (all times local) Ahmedabad is the seventh city in India that Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flies to after Mumbai, Calicut, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Trivandrum. The new service represents the 21st route for Air Arabia Abu Dhabi since the launch of the carrier’s service from Abu Dhabi International Airport in July 2020. Customers can now book their direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Ahmedabad by visiting Air Arabia’s website, calling the call center or through travel agencies.

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Koo's 'India Spiritual Journey' to digitally connect temples with devotees

Through its 'India Spiritual Journey' initiative, Koo, a Made-in-India social media platform, has enabled devotees to connect digitally with temples and spiritual centres across India. The first leg of the Journey, covering 4000 kilometres, will bring prominent temples and spiritual centres from Uttarakhand closer to devotees digitally. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative by an Indian social media platform. Over the last two years, e-darshans have increased significantly on social media as a result of pandemic-induced lockdowns and temporary closures of temples. With spirituality and related topics being among the most searched topics on the internet, this campaign will enable spiritual leaders and temple trusts to connect with devotees across India, share updates, and engage with followers in their native language - all in real time. Pratik Khedkar, an avid biker and Koo employee, will ride 4000 kilometres from Madhya Pradesh to Uttarakhand. Pratik will visit key pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan state, including Haridwar, Rishikesh, Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Badrinath, as part of Koo's Operations Team. The journey will come to an end at Gaurikund, the base camp for the Kedarnath trek. This campaign, which has the support of Uttarakhand Tourism, aims to assist temple trusts and spiritual centres across the state in harnessing the social media revolution that is currently transforming the world. The 'India Spiritual Journey' will be gradually expanded to pilgrimage sites throughout India. Pratik said as he rode his bike around the region, "I am grateful to Koo for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this campaign." 'India Spiritual Journey' has helped me rediscover myself and connect with spiritually inclined people. We hope to bring this experience to millions of Koo users through this campaign. The experience of travelling through some of India's most remote areas, surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains, pine forests, and ancient temples, has been nothing short of divine." On the platform, Koo has over 100 verified spiritual accounts, including those of prominent gurus such as Swami Avdheshanand Giri, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. In the last quarter, the platform saw a 50 per cent increase in verified spiritual accounts. By utilising the platform's unique multi-lingual feature, spiritual leaders actively koo and interact with their followers in local languages. The feature enables real-time translation of messages across the platform's current slew of languages, thereby broadening reach. Chat Rooms and Live features contribute to a stronger digital connection between temples and devotees, with over 47 per cent of spiritual accounts gaining more followers on Koo than on any other microblogging platform in India

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