News

Delhi Zoo to be upgraded soon with virtual-reality technology

The National Zoological Park in Delhi is planning to introduce virtual reality technology to enable visitors to get closer to animals and a GPS-based mobile application to make zoo visits more engaging and interactive. Aiming to be among the top 10 zoos of the world, Delhi zoo is up for a technical makeover, if everything goes as planned. Virtual headsets will let visitors see animals up-close, which means people will find themselves hugging a deer, standing next to a tiger, or caressing an elephant, as per Delhi Zoo Director Suneesh Buxy. He also added that this enhanced feature will enable them to see a lion playing and hunting in front of them. Currently, boards present outside every enclosure carry only limited information, and that too in the form of text and pictures, whereas the mobile application will engage visitors with text, video content, and pictures, about the inhabitants of the zoo. Top zoos around the globe have nowadays embraced the virtual reality technology to make visitors' experience better. Therefore, the Delhi Government is now planning to introduce the high-end technology to enter into the elite list.

Read more

Despite Brexit, tourism to the UAE to remain steady.

In spite of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, tourism experts and officials are of the opinion that there would be a limited and short-term impact on tourism to the UAE, since it is a popular destination among travelers from the UK. Lewis Allsopp, the CEO of Allsopp & Allsopp, said that the UAE is a tourist haven, and that UK citizens would love to discover what the country has to offer. According to Dubai Tourism, despite the depreciation of the pound against the dollar, and continued Brexit uncertainty, the UK remained Dubai’s third largest source market with 1,086,000 visitors dropping in from January to November 2019 period. Arrivals from the UK to the GCC are expected to increase 22 per cent over the 2018 to 2024 period, driven by new and direct flight routes, competitive air fares and a growing number of leisure travelers.

Read more

Eurail Global Pass now includes 2 more destinations for you to travel to

After adding Great Britain, Lithuania, and Macedonia to its network of countries to visit in Europe, Eurail has now added Estonia and Latvia, as of January 2, 2020. The Eurail Global Pass is an amazing opportunity for travellers to experience Europe’s alluring destinations; as of now, the total number of Eurail destinations stand at 33 countries. The Eurail Global Pass can be used by travellers to board local trains, high-speed trains, and even night trains across 33 destinations. The Eurail Global Pass will take you to all the three Baltic countries, namely, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, apart from 30 other countries. Furthermore, Eurail is also going to introduce a new Latvia One Country Pass and an Estonia One Country Pass; so yes, good things are coming up for travellers going to Europe. But that is not all, travellers can also take discounted ferry rides from Riga to Stockholm and Germany. You could also take one from Tallinn to Stockholm, and Helsinki. You can also save up to 50 per cent on the ferry rides. With the help of this Eurail Pass, you can take the train to all the major European destinations and can hop on and hop off at any given time. This provides greater ease to travellers, and is really an unlimited train ticket to explore the vast European continent. The pass is available for only non-European residents, as European residents can travel with Interrail Pass. Youths, Seniors, and Families can get extra discount on the ticket.

Read more

Skip travelling to Himachal this weekend; temperature dips below zero degrees

The Shimla Police posted a message on its Facebook page, stating that all roads leading to the city are blocked. Shimla Superintendent of Police Omapati Jamwal further added that it will be inappropriate to travel till the roads are opened. Authorities also advised people against travelling to popular tourist spots, i.e., Manali and Shimla as more than 250 roads have been blocked in Himachal Pradesh due to heavy snowfall. And now, as per the latest reports, the weatherman has forecasted more snowfall and rainfall in the state this weekend. The Met department also stated that the chances of snow in the upper regions of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul, Spiti, and Chamba districts are more likely. The police have also advised people not to drive on Kufri and Mashobra roads as the roads have turned slippery due to snowfall. Officials also added that Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, and Pangi and Bharmour areas in Chamba are still cut off from the rest of the roads and efforts were being made to reopen them. The areas that are, reportedly, under threat now are Kalath, Nehru Kund, Palchan, Kulang, and Kothi in Kullu, and Tandi, Darcha, and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti. The minimum temperature recorded in Manali of Kullu district was minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Kapla in Kinnaur at 6.4, Shimla was at minus 1.3, Palampur at minus 1 degree Celsius, and Kufri went as low as minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Read more

Rome bans souvenir stands around its famous sites.

The city has now banned souvenir stands located near its famous sites. Not only souvenir stands, but snack carts are also going to be banned in the city. These sites include places such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish steps. According to reports, 17 of these stalls are being closed down, and only eight of them are allowed to remain open. The ban has been put in place in order to protect the heritage of Rome, according to the city’s mayor, Virginia Raggi. The crowd surrounding such stalls can dampen the experience for a lot of travellers, and significantly reduces the importance and beauty of the sites. However, some of us do like to buy souvenirs and tiny replicas of these heritage buildings. The ban was put in place on January 1, 2020, and is supposedly going to save Rome’s reputation from getting ruined. According to the Mayor, "For years, the monuments of the city have been tarnished by vendors who sell drinks, panini and trinkets in front of Rome’s architectural jewels. This is no longer tolerable." Recently, Rome has taken some steps in order to clear the cluster and help travellers get a better experience of the place. You cannot sit on the Spanish steps anymore; you cannot walk bare-chested; eat near the popular heritage sites of the city; and more.

Read more

Goa looks at China to shore up falling foreign tourist numbers.

In order to boost the falling tourism numbers, stake-holders in Goa tourism are looking at China to tide over the slump in foreign tourists. Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Savio Messias on Wednesday said that there is a downfall in international tourist arrivals in Goa by almost 30-40 per cent. Messias said that China offers a lot of potential for Goa markets. The TTAG chief, who had participated in a Travel Mart at Chengdu city in China, said many Chinese are unaware about Goa. “Promotions in China are different from the rest of the world. They don’t use Facebook, Google or Whatsapp. We will have to design websites in the Chinese language to reach to them,” he said. Goa attracts around four lakh international visitors every year, whose number has gone down significantly in the last two years. Russia and Britain are two long time markets for Goa.

Read more