News

New Year to bring more snowfall to Himachal Pradesh, plan a getaway soon

Those seeking a snowy New Year’s to ring in 2020 should definitely book a trip to Himachal Pradesh, as the weather reports are promising a white new year this time. While intense cold has most of the northern plains shivering, Himachal Pradesh, as well as the upper reaches of Uttarakhand, are taking the winter game a notch up. As per the predictions made by the meteorological department, Himachal Pradesh is all set to receive more snowfall on December 31 as well as January 1 and 2. There is a chance of rainfall as well at a number of places in the lower areas of the state. Keylong in Himachal recorded a temperature reading of minus 11 degree Celsius on Sunday, while places including Kalpa, Manali, Solan, Bhuntar and Sundernagar shuddered at sub-zero temperatures. Kalpa recorded a low of minus 1.6 degree Celsius, Manali shivered at minus 2.6 and Sundernagar recorded minus 1 degree Celsius. There is also a prediction of dense fog in most parts of the state, thus those planning a road trip to the hills need to stay cautious. Uttarakhand, on the other hand, has left travellers surprised as the upper reaches are basking under sunlight even with the snowfall! Its plains are, in fact, colder than the hilly places.

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Etihad Airways and Kuwait Airways Launch New Codeshare Partnership.

Subject to regulatory approvals, Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on Kuwait Airways operated flights from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, Najaf and Dhaka. In turn, Kuwait Airways will place its ‘KU’ code on Etihad flights from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Casablanca, Rabat, Khartoum, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Male in the Maldives, and Mahe in the Seychelles. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This is a great first step in what we hope will be a mutually beneficial and growing relationship between Kuwait Airways, one of the region’s oldest and most experienced airlines, and Etihad, one of its youngest and most acclaimed. The joint network and product advantages of our codeshare collaboration with Kuwait Airways will create tangible benefits for our customers, building on the strong relationship between our two nations, while providing greater convenience and superior in-flight service and hospitality. Kamel Al-Awadhi, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Airways, said: “We welcome Etihad as a codeshare partner. This new partnership will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our customers, who can expect the same level of impeccable service that they receive from our airline when they travel on codeshare flights to and from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi and beyond. Etihad Airways currently operates five return daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, and Kuwait Airways serves Abu Dhabi with a daily service.

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Nepal bans entry of Indian vehicles ahead of New Year.

Nepal has banned the entry of vehicles with Indian number plates in Pokhara ahead of New Year. As per the reports, the said decision was taken by the Pokhara Tourism Council in consultation with the district administration of Kaski to avoid traffic congestion during the celebrations. This move has, however, sparked an uproar among tourism entrepreneurs. Former chairperson of Western Regional Hotel Association Hari Gaire, while talking about this issue, stated that the decision taken ahead of the New Year is ‘fatal’. He is of the view that the move sends out a wrong message as vehicles from other countries will be entering the country. Pokhara Tourism Council Chairperson Chiranjivi Pokharel, referring to this ban, defended it citing the positive effects that this benefit the local business of entrepreneurs, travel agencies, and cabbies. He further added that only public vehicles have been banned, and not private ones. He stated that Indian vehicles don't know the parking system and routes here, which eventually causes a number of traffic problems. Records stated that in 2018, around 200000 Indian tourists visited Nepal by air. But Nepal does not have an appropriate system to count the tourist number that are entering the country by road. Nepal Tourism Board has also launched the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign in June to reach the target of 2 million arrivals from across the world by 2020.

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SATTE 2020 set to Deliver the Best of Travel and Tourism Line-up for the Industry

Informa Markets in India (formerly UBM India), India's leading B2B exhibition organizer, is all set to bring in the 27th edition of SATTE (South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange) from the 8th to 10th of January, 2020 at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi - NCR. This year, over 1,050 exhibitors and buyers and travel professionals from over 50 countries and 104 Indian cities, are set to visit the show. The expo continues to provide a comprehensive platform to the professionals from all segments of travel, tourism and hospitality industry from across the globe. The show equally offer platforms to players of the inbound, domestic and outbound markets. With a focus on building new business partnerships and announcements, the three-day expo promises to deliver and discuss current trends in the industry. Keeping up with their annual promise, SATTE 2020 will host an exciting line-up of conferences to enlighten the industry by addressing the challenges and opportunities that India tourism offers. At SATTE 2020 we are looking at growing our network, building relationships with our existing partners, finding collaborators and gaining an overall sense of the market.

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India's tourism industry hit hard by citizenship law protests.

India's tourism industry has been hit by a wave of violent anti-government protests across the country against a new citizenship law, with at least seven countries issuing travel warnings. Officials estimate that in the past two weeks, about 200,000 domestic and international tourists cancelled or postponed their trips to the Taj Mahal, one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. A group of European tourists travelling across India said they now planned to cut short their 20-day trip.The Taj Mahal, situated in the town of Agra, attracts more than 6.5 million tourists every year, generating nearly $14m annually from entrance fees. A foreign tourist pays 1,100 rupees (about $15) to enter the grounds, although nationals from neighbouring countries get a discount. Jayanta Malla Baruah, the head of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation, said the state, home to the world's largest concentration of one-horned rhinoceroses, is visited on average by 500,000 tourists during December.

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Last-minute Winter getaways with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ sailings departing over the next couple of months…with enticing prices, from a five-night European city break, with fares from as little as £629 per person to island-hopping Caribbean adventures, there is bound to be an itinerary to capture the imagination. The following five Fred. Olsen sailings all depart between January and February 2020: – Braemar’s 14-night M2003 ‘Western Caribbean & Central America’ fly-cruise, ex London Gatwick / Manchester on 30th January 2020, via La Romana, Dominican Republic, returning to Bridgetown, Barbados.Prices start from just £1,907 per person. Port calls: La Romana, Dominican Republic (overnight stay) – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Cozumel, Mexico – Belize City, Belize – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica – Colon, Panama – Cartagena de Indias, Colombia – Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles – Bridgetown, Barbados For further information: See ‘Western Caribbean & Central America’ – M2003 – Black Watch’s 14-night W2003 ‘Northern Norway with Sami National Day’ cruise (adult-only), ex Southampton on 31st January 2020. Prices start from just £1,399 per person. Port calls: Southampton, UK – Ålesund, Norway – Trondheim, Norway – Tromsø, Norway (overnight stay) – Alta, Norway (overnight stay) – Kristiansund, Norway – Southampton, UK For further information: See ‘Northern Norway with Sami National Day’ – W2003 – Black Watch’s five-night W2004 ‘City Break in the Netherlands & Belgium’ cruise, ex Southampton on 14th February 2020. Prices start from just £629 per person, based on an Ocean View Room. Port calls: Southampton, UK – Cruising North Sea Canal, The Netherlands – Amsterdam, Netherlands (overnight stay) – Antwerp, Belgium (overnight stay – Southampton, UK For further information: See ‘City Break in the Netherlands& Belgium’ – W2004 – Boudicca’s 28-night D200405 ‘Ancient Sites of Oman, Jordan & the Med’ fly-cruise, ex London Heathrow / Manchester / Scotland on 20th February 2020, via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, returning to Dover, UK. Prices start from just £2,899 per person. Port calls: Dubai, United Arab Emirates(overnight stay)– Muscat, Oman – Salalah, Oman – Aqaba, Jordan (overnight stay) – Cruising the Suez Canal, Egypt (overnight) – Ashdod, Israel – Limassol, Cyprus – Heraklion, Greece – Piraeus, Greece – Valletta, Malta – Palma, Spain – Cartagena, Spain – Malaga, Spain – Leixões (for Oporto), Portugal – Dover, UK For further information: See ‘Ancient Sites of Oman, Jordan & the Med’ – D200405 – Braemar’s 30-night M200506 ‘Caribbean, Central America & the Azores’ fly-cruise (adult-only), ex London Gatwick / Manchester on 27th February 2020, via La Romana, Dominican Republic, returning to Southampton, UK. Prices start from just £3,257 per person. Port calls: La Romana, Dominican Republic (overnight stay) – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Cozumel, Mexico – Belize City, Belize – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica – Colon, Panama – Cartagena de Indias, Colombia – Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles –Bridgetown, Barbados – Castries, St. Lucia – Basseterre, St Kitts – St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda – Philipsburg, St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles – Ponta Delgada, The Azores – La Coruña, Spain – Southampton, UK All prices shown are based on two adults sharing an Interior Room, unless stated otherwise, and include accommodation, and all meals and entertainment on board, plus port / airport taxes, flights and transfers, as applicable. Fred. Olsen is so committed to helping guests to enjoy the perfect getaway from the moment that they book, without having to worry about the uncertainties of Brexit, that it has launched its pioneering ‘Brexit Promise’, believed to be the first of its kind within the industry. If a cruise is cancelled owing to the UK leaving the European Union, Fred. Olsen guarantees to give guests a full refund on that sailing, PLUS a free cruise.

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