News

The famous Maya Bay in Thailand featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's 'The Beach' is all set to reopen to tourists

Every Leonardo DiCaprio fan must have seen his famous movie The Beach. The movie was largely shot in Thailand's famous Maya Bay, which is a beach cove. Good news is that after remaining shut for around three years, the place is all set to welcome tourists from January 1, 2022. The beach cove hit fame after being shown in Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach in the year 2000. But due to over tourism, the place was closed in 2018. The natural ecosystem and cove's coral reef was getting brutally destroyed. Later, scientists took the responsibility of restoring the place and regrowing coral. After much effort, the place is all set to reopen and restart tourism in the region. However, this time there will be a few conditions. 1) As of now, just eight speed boats and 300 tourists will be allowed to dock by the cove at any one time. And each visit will be only for an hour. 2) The timings will be between 10 AM to 4 PM each day. 3) The boats will drop passengers off at a nearby pier and not on the actual island. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-Archa in a statement said, "Maya Bay has been continuously receiving interest from tourists around the world. But this has also caused (the natural area) to deteriorate, especially the corals. After shutting down Maya Bay to revive and restore it, up until the present, it has returned to a good condition." More about Maya Bay For those who don’t know, Maya Bay is one of the most Instagrammed beaches in the world! Located off the coast of Phuket, it is a part of the Phi Phi islands in Krabi province. The move comes after the Thailand government announced to start welcoming foreign visitors once again.

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Odisha: Increase in footfall buoys tourism sector

BHUBANESWAR: A significant drop in Covid-19 cases and increased vaccination pace has led to a rise in tourist footfall in the state. Industry insiders said they are very happy that normalcy is returning and hoped for a fast recovery in business. "It is indeed a brilliant start to the tourist season with rooms almost full during the weekend and a sizeable number of domestic visitors flocking to spots. If the current trend continues, we are hopeful that by the end of the year we may reach the pre-Covid business levels," said Debashis Kumar, a hotelier in Puri. After the prolonged curbs for over 18 months for the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists are showing a strong desire to travel helping in registering a month-on-month increase in demand. "We were really fed up with Covid restrictions and staying at home for close to two years. During the pandemic, someone sent me a link of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Puri. After watching the video of Rath Yatra, the travel bug bit us again and we decided to make a trip to Odisha," said Usha Reddy, member of a 12-strong all-women's group from Bangalore. Reddy said they have named their group Savari (ride) and plan to travel and visit one state every year. But they had cancelled their tours for the last two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. "Nothing like a vacation to recharge you after the bad experience of the pandemic. The trip to Odisha was the most memorable and we fell in love with Puri and most of the tourist places we visited so far. The beaches, the temples, the lakes, the art and culture here, everything is breath-taking. We also found the tourist places to be safe and the people very friendly," said Uma, another member of the group. Coinciding with the upbeat mood of tourists, the state government is planning to organise a series of exciting events, including glamping at seven Eco Retreat sites. The locations are Konark, Pati-Sonepur, Bhitarkanika, Hirakud, Satkosia, Daringibadi and Koraput. Booking for the glamping sites started from November 20.

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Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels And Laxmi Nivasam Developers Sign Term Sheet

Laxmi Nivasam Developers and Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels have announced their collaboration for developing, Zone Connect Yadagirigutta, an upscale hotel at the pilgrimage destination in Telangana, 60 km from Hyderabad. Zone Connect Yadagirigutta is being developed by Laxmi Nivasam Developers, a real estate company based out of Hyderabad. The hotel will be developed in phases and will feature 400 suites, Café C, an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, 10000 sq. ft. of banqueting space, and a host of leisure activities for all age groups. Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels will be managing the property and the first phase with 150 rooms is expected to be operational in 2022. Speaking on the occasion of singing at THE Park Hyderabad, Rajendra Prasad - Chairman, Laxmi Nivasam Developers said “Honorable Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao has a special focus on the development of the destination and has been very supportive in guiding and creating world-class facilities for the devotees. We are excited to take this vision forward by developing this property. We are happy to partner with Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited which has experience of over 50 years in developing and managing hotels in the country, to manage Zone Connect Yadagirigutta. We are looking forward to taking this relationship to other religious destinations across the country.” Commenting on the signing, Vikas Ahluwalia - General Manager & National Head, Zone by The Park Hotels, “We are delighted to expand our presence in the state of Telangana and the religious tourism sector, and extremely excited to partner with Laxmi Nivasam Developers. We are thrilled to bring to the city our social-catalyst brand Zone Connect. Zone Connect is conceived as the nucleus of all things social for the modern corporate travelers. It is the social catalyst that connects you to the city and to all things urban and modern. We are looking forward to bringing Zone hospitality to the divine destination of Yadagirigutta."

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Namaste Holidays Forays Into Hospitality, Opens Namaste Dwaar

Namaste Holidays has announced the opening of its latest Hospitality venture Namaste Dwaar - The Gateway to Rural India, between Delhi & Uttarakhand on NH-58. An eco-friendly, luxury, wellness destination providing ancient Indian natural healing therapies with rural life experiences. Arvind Rathi, Founder Promoter, Namaste Holidays “We created Namaste Dwaar with a purpose. With Namaste Dwaar, we have made a sanctuary to help people on their unique wellness journeys by providing individualized treatments that combine the most powerful Indian healing systems of Ayurveda, Vedic Acupressure, Naturopathy and Yoga.” Aiming to become a wholesome family destination, the boutique luxury hotel features 45 guest rooms, including 4 suites, all with an amazing farmland view. The plan is to make Namaste Dwaar as a gateway to the therapeutic countryside experience of Rural India. “We wanted to showcase the most authentic experiences of the local area, such as rural living activities, farming, and handicrafts. We are combining this with tourism opportunities in the locality. This we hope will boost the local economy and provide employment opportunities, and our property will serve as a platform for women in the villages to gain independence and financial support for their families.” further added Rathi.

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Maharashtra Eyes Medical And Wellness Tourists From UAE And The Gulf

The Indian state of Maharashtra’s Directorate of Tourism and Medical Value Travel Council of India (MVTCI) have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE, Bangladesh and Oman in the Gulf to bring the West Indian state’s wellness and healthcare tourism offerings to citizens and residents in these countries. The event took place at the World Expo 2020 Dubai, on 20th November. Maharashtra is showcasing its culture and tourism potential in addition to trade and commerce, as part of the presence in the India pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai. The state tourism department aims to explore long-term collaborations with organisations in the UAE and the region in the areas of business, investment, trade, and medical & wellness tourism. The state, home to the best clinical outcomes in India, is positioned itself as the national leader in healthcare services guiding hopeful patients towards a better clinical experience. Speaking at a media round table in Dubai, Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State Tourism, Government of Maharashtra said, “The Government of Maharashtra provides world-class health amenities with 50 per cent lesser cost. We strive to provide quality, comfort and affordability in medical care.” The Maharashtra Government’s Tourism Directorate and MVTCI have created a roadmap towards encouraging patients from foreign countries to seek out services in the State since the international travel market resumed recently. Milind N Borikar, Director of Directorate of Tourism, said, “Maharashtra is the one-stop destination for end-to-end healthcare services and specialised healthcare providers, diligently creating a healthy ecosystem.” The state of Maharashtra has been recently recognized at World Trade Mart – London for eco-village and tiger conservation projects, in addition to winning global responsible tourism awards, and the prestigious International Agro Tourism Award for having over 1000 Agri-Tourism centres. Maharashtra attracts a very high share of domestic and foreign tourists visiting India owing to some of the most famous heritage destinations such as Ajanta and Ellora (Aurangabad) as well as the 720-kilometre coastline. Maharashtra, where cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur are located, is well connected by roadways, railways, waterways and airways with a road length of over 300,000 kilometres; and with a railroad density of 6,209.98 kilometres; 720 kilometres of coastline and 14 airports including three international airports. Maharashtra has the largest network of highways in India with 18 national highways of 17,757 kilometres in length. Maharashtra also has the maximum number of domestic and international airports. Furthermore, Maharashtra has an attractive wildlife tourism potential with around 63 forest reserves, national parks and sanctuaries. The state also has the maximum number of UNESCO World heritage sites when compared to other Indian states. Maharashtra is the most economically developed state of India with an economy of more than USD 400 billion. Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is the capital of the state. Maharashtra alone contributes more than 15 per cent to the GDP of India, more than 20 per cent to India’s export and has attracted almost 30 per cent of the nation’s Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) over the last two decades. Under the Regional Tourism Development Scheme (RTDS), more than 250 destinations are being developed under which Maharashtra Tourism has already spent approximately 3,000 crores in the past five years, for various projects. The state’s responsible tourism policy ensures optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. It also respects the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserving their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contributing to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

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Mumbai-Nagpur ​Bullet Train: Travel in 4 hours! DPR being prepared for another high-speed rail corridor project

For the Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train project, a series of surveys, including the aerial survey, lidar survey, social impact assessment (SIA) as well as environmental impact assessment (EIA), have been completed. Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train Project: Soon, the cities of Mumbai and Nagpur in Maharashtra are likely to see high-speed rail connectivity! A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the proposed 766 kilometre long bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Nagpur. The DPR for the high-speed rail corridor is likely to be submitted to the government in early next year. According to officials, for the Mumbai-Nagpur bullet train project, a series of surveys, including the aerial survey, lidar survey, social impact assessment (SIA) as well as environmental impact assessment (EIA), have been completed. The collected data is being analyzed for the Detailed Project Report, an official was quoted saying in an IE report. The Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train project will pass through as many as 10 districts. In some districts, land would be needed to be acquired for the project, according to officials. The Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train project is aimed at reducing the time of travel between the two cities in Maharashtra by over 50 per cent. At present, it takes nearly 12 hours to reach Nagpur from the financial capital by road, and the high-speed rail corridor project is expected to reduce the travel time to four hours, an official said. Once the project is sanctioned by the government, the further procedure will be decided, the official added. According to officials, the possibility of running high-speed trains parallel to Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg are being explored as well. Currently, a six-lane 700 km of expressway between Mumbai and Nagpur is being constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. A few days ago, an MoU was signed between NHSRCL and Japan Railway Track Consultant Company (JRTC) for the Designs of HSR Track works for the T 3 package (covering 116 Kms distance between Vadodara and Sabarmati Depot and Workshop Gujarat), for the country’s first Bullet Train project, connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

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