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Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas is offering people to get married with their favorite celebrity as a witness!

If the idea of calling a celebrity to your wedding excites you, then this story will definitely interest you! Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas is providing people a golden opportunity of getting married with their favorite celebrity as their witness! But the celebs will be present in their wax forms, of course. How does it work? Well, you can choose a wax replica of your favorite celebrity who will attend your wedding. The museum is offering two different and very exciting wedding package deals for celeb-loving couples. With both the packages, the newlyweds will get a collection of digital photographs. 1) By paying $199.99 (INR 15018), couples can choose the Walk-Up Wax Wedding package which has a wax statue of George Clooney as your witness in the museum's pretty white chapel. The package includes wedding music, bride and groom sashes, and a mini bottle of champagne. 2) By paying $25 (1878) more, couples can get a VIP Walk-Up Wax Wedding package, which gives them the option of expanding their celebrity selection beyond Clooney. Couples can choose their witnesses by their choice of the wax figures present in the museum in the. With this package, the newlyweds also get to take home their own wax hand. How to book? In order to book these interesting packages, one will have to visit the museum and ask for the package as there’s no advance notice or booking required. Once you book your package, everything will be arranged for your wax wedding by the concerned department. The very famous museum boasts wax statues of some eminent personalities, including Beyonce, Zach Galifinakis, Michael Jackson, among others.

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Hotel development in Middle East remains robust

Despite the pandemic headwinds that the global hospitality industry has had to contend with, new hotel development in prime spots in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE remains substantial. According to new research commissioned by Arabian Travel Market and conducted at the end of 2021 by hotel market intelligence and global benchmarking company STR, Makkah and Doha are both expanding their hotel room inventory by 76 per cent. This is followed by Riyadh, Medina and Muscat with 66 per cent, 60 per cent and 59 per cent growth respectively. In Dubai, rooms growth stands at 26 per cent, which is still “extraordinary,” researchers said, considering its existing base and following years of continuous hotel development. The figure is still more than double the global average. Danielle Curtis, exhibition director, Middle East, Arabian Travel Market, said: “With the global average sitting at 12 per cent we are witnessing multiple GCC destinations growing at six times those rates. “These figures coupled with the ongoing relaxation in travel restrictions, will undoubtedly encourage travel professionals throughout the Middle East and further afield. “As such we are expecting a substantial increase in the number of participants at our live event this year, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE,” she added. According to the report, there are almost 2.5 million hotel rooms currently under contract around the world, 3.2 per cent or 80,000 rooms of that supply is taking place in Saudi Arabia alone. Furthermore, although Expo 2020 in Dubai is now drawing to a close, the mega event has been the catalyst for accelerated hotel room growth in the UAE with almost 50,000 rooms still due to open across the emirates. Following closely behind is Doha with final preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 now being put in place. Doha is on track to deliver 23,000 hotel rooms pre- and post-World Cup 2022, adding to the country’s burgeoning hotel property portfolio. “Whilst the actual numbers may not seem particularly significant in comparison to the global hotel room pipeline, the growth above existing supply is staggering and underlines government strategy to diversify their economies away from hydrocarbon receipts and their confidence in the growth of tourism throughout the region,” said Curtis.

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Boosting Connectivity For Tourism Growth

Connectivity and tourism go hand in hand. It is proven that a stronger connectivity network fuels the tourism growth of the county. India, which had been facing constraints to connect to its tourism destinations and hinterland, has adopted a multimodal approach to bridge this gap. Connectivity is the key to unlocking many new tourism opportunities hitherto underdeveloped. The recently concluded 36th Annual convention IATO brought together stakeholders from railways, airlines, sea and river to discuss the potential and contribution of these sectors in tourism growth. During the discussion, the spotlight was put on the nascent sea cruise and river cruise along with the opportunities through the railways and air travel. Moderated by Ashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH, the panelists were Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust; Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer, IndiGo Airlines; Rajiv Jain, AGM (Tourism), Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), and Raj Singh, Founder, Antara Luxury River Cruises Gupta asked that how can these sectors work with IATO and its members for the growth of inbound tourism at an industry level to have better partnership and more products, not only to create the arrivals but also from long term perspective? What followed was some critical sectoral insights and ways on how these sunrise sectors can leverage inbound trade for mutual growth. In India’s tourism eco-system, cruising could undoubtedly emerge as the leading sub-sectors. This is evident in the growth that the sector witnessed prior to the pandemic. “In fact, in cruise per se, India was leading when covid hit us. Year 2019-20 was the peak year for cruise tourism for us. Indian Port Association had instituted a study that had projected India to reach 2.2 lakh cruise passengers by 2019-20 but it grew to 4.67 Lakhs passengers in 451 cruise calls, including over 107 international cruise calls before the pandemic brought all kind of travel to a halt,” Jalota said. Although there are signs of revival, but international cruise liners aren’t coming in hordes any time soon. However, domestic market has shown immense promise. Domestic cruise started from September from Mumbai, covering Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Diu, Mumbai-Cochin, Mumbai-Lakshadweep and in the harbors. “Up till now (From September 2021 to mid-December 2021) almost 40 cruise calls have happened with 80,000 passengers using those services,” informed Jalota. The above-mentioned study also projects India to reach over 40 lakh cruise passengers by around 2042 growing at over 12% CAGR. The mid-term growth was predicted at 27 lakh driven by domestic cruise market at an estimated 20 lakh passengers with the other 7 lakh being international. Jalota further said that if the industry wants to tap the market, then now is the time and invited IATO with ideas and partnership on expediting the growth and development of the cruise sector. There are 110 rivers which have been designated as national waterways in India. Many of them are navigable and can handle river cruise. India does have a few vessels on the Ganges and Brahmaputra, but that’s about all of what we have in the name of River cruise in the country. Rivers like Chambal, Jhelum, Narmada or those in Goa are just a few examples. River cruise has been immensely popular and commercially successful in Europe and similar success stories can be replicated in India as well. River cruise, says Singh, has immense growth potential, both as a sector and also in terms of growth for the trade and creating gainful employment all along the hinterlands of the country. He however insists that each river has its own character, and the ships have to be made keeping in mind the individuality of those rivers the ships will sail on. Experiences like the unexplored hinterlands, pristine countryside, taste of India’s rural landscape and the culture, cuisine and heritage en route can be its biggest draw.

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Get FREE Entry to Taj Mahal on these three days

On the occasion of the 367 'Urs' of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, tourists will get free entry to the Taj Mahal from February 27 to March 1. This exemption is given every year to commemorate the death anniversary of the Mughal emperor. Raj Kumar Patel, Superintending Archeologist of ASI, Agra Circle, told PTI, "There will be free entry for the tourists at the Taj Mahal from February 27 to March 1 on the occasion of the annual Urs." On 27 and 28th February, the tourists will be allowed from 2 pm till sunset and on March 1, the free entry will be from sunrise to sunset, Patel said. "We will follow the COVID-19 protocols on all three days," he added. Shamsuddin Khan, president of the approved tourist guides association, said, "various rituals such as 'chadar poshi', 'sandal', 'gusul', 'kul' and others will be performed during the Urs to commemorate Shah Jahan's death anniversary." Shakeel Rafiq, a tourist guide said, "It is only time in a year when visitors are allowed to enter in the basement to see the original graves of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaj."

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Kerala’s first caravan park to open in Idukki, to offer house-on-wheels experience

Good news for all those planning to visit Kerala in the near future. As per the reports, Kerala is all set to open its first caravan park in Idukki, one of the most sought after hill regions in the state. As per the state Tourism Minister PA Mohannad Riyas, the park will be opening to visitors from February 25 as a part of the state government’s new Caravan Tourism policy. Tourist caravans are vehicles that are designed specifically for pleasure, travel, and lodging. If reports are to go by, these customised and attractive automobiles will come equipped with all required amenities to ensure a pleasant travel and stay. So, the next time you visit Kerala's hill station, you can get onboard a cosy caravan here. Kerala will be launching such caravan parks, with the first one set to open in Idukki. These caravan parks will be developed keeping in mind safety, sanitary, and security requirements of travellers. Reportedly, these customised vehicles will offer visitors a house-on-wheels experience, apart from offering travel, luxury, and stay, all combined into one. Further, Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission will be offering Village Life Experience (VLE) packages which will allow travellers to explore the scenic and rustic environment of God’s Own Country in a luxurious caravan. Caravan tourism will also allow visitors to explore untapped destinations of the state, further offering employment opportunities to local communities. These caravan parks will come enhanced with surveillance cameras, strong fencing, and other safety measures. Also, there will be two kinds of caravans available, for two people and family. They will feature a dining table, a sofa-cum bed, GPS, toilet, internet connectivity, kitchenette, fridge, microwave oven, and more.

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Upcoming Mumbai-nagpur Expressway To Feature First Flyovers For Wildlife In India

In a bid to avert accidents caused due to wandering animals on highways and also to save them from getting mowed under the wheels, the Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway will get nine green bridges and 17 underpasses for the safe movement of wildlife. According to a report by the Times of India, the 701 km long and 120 m wide expressway is being constructed between Nagpur and Mumbai. The road passes through 10 districts of Maharashtra and 117 km of it also cuts across wildlife habitats, tiger corridors, and eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) of three sanctuaries. The expressway which cuts the travel time by two hours will witness cars speeding at up to 150 kmph. This makes it all the more important to make infrastructure like the green bridges to prevent any untoward incident. Reportedly, a total of 1,797 structures will be constructed which include minor bridges, culverts, cart tracks, vehicle overpasses (VOPs), viaducts, minor and major bridges, tunnels, and canals among others. Apart from this, the leopard-proof fence will be installed along the highway to prevent animals from jumping onto the high-speed expressway. Bilal Habib, a scientist with Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun told TOI that besides the other structure, 7 eco bridges in wildlife-focused areas (WFA) and 2 bridges outside WFA will be built. In addition, there will be 17 wildlife underpasses inside WFA and 25 outside it. Habib highlighted that construction of such wildlife underpasses is important as several hillocks had to be cut while making the road. He said that these hillocks are often used by animals to move and thus the green bridges will ensure smooth wildlife movement. “This is for the first time in the country that any highway will have so many wildlife structures and green bridges,” claimed RL Mopalwar, managing director of MSRDC, the agency building the expressway. Mopalwar further said that the structures are 32, 45, and 60 metres wide and some of them have also been completed. Talking about the significance of the infrastructure, Suresh Chopne of the Regional Environment Committee (REC) said that it is a unique project which is needed for the future to save wildlife. He underscored that these can be used by carnivores and mammals and will prevent a vehicle-animal collision.

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