News

Indonesia to turn East Jakarta lake, reservoirs into tourism destinations.

The Jakarta administration has planned to conduct various events next year at Rawabadung Lake in Cakung, East Jakarta, to get potential tourists to visit it and other lakes in the city. East Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency head Iwan Henry Wardhana said the agency had long aimed to hold entertainment activities as part of efforts to transform Rawabadung Lake into a local tourist destination. “We have prepared different activities to increase the tourism potential of Rawabadung. Besides entertainment activities like festivals, there will also be some bazaars there,” said Iwan on Tuesday, as quoted by a website. He went on to add that the events were aimed at drawing people’s attention to the lake, which had potential for tourism, thanks to its fishing spots and wisata apung (floating huts for entertainment and eateries). To transform the site into a tourist destination, Iwan said, the East Jakarta administration would collaborate with various stakeholders in the local community. “The plan to make Rawabadung a tourist area was initiated by the locals themselves. They were the ones who first believed that Rawabadung was worth preserving,” Iwan said. He further said that, besides Rawabadung Lake, the administration was also eyeing about 25 reservoirs and lakes in East Jakarta that had similar potential to become local tourist magnets.

Read more

Telangana tourism has developed tourism facilities in Somalisa.

Telangana Tourism is taking new initiatives to promote eco-tourism and tourism in general in the state. The state tourism body has opened an air-conditioned two-storey ferry, and ten three-star cottages at the backwaters of Krishna River towards this initiative. Located in Somasila, Kollapur, which is about 250 km away from Hyderabad, these tourist facilities were inaugurated by Srinivas Goud, Tourism and Culture Minister of State. The three-star cottages have splendid views of the river, and have been constructed in room and dormitory-style. The air-conditioned ferry, on the other hand, has an open-air cafe and an air-conditioned restaurant on the upper deck, so it is set to attract tourists. According to reports, the tourism body is soon going to start a package service from Somasila to Srisailam. According to reports, the authorities are also looking to identify trek routes and water-sports zones that can be developed in the area. You can book an air-conditioned room at Somasila for INR 999, and a non-ac room for INR 500.

Read more

PNR linking feature by IRCTC makes it easy to connect two train journeys.

Passengers using the train services offered by the Indian Railways can now use the IRCTC mobile app, which offers the feature of linking PNR numbers of two interlinked train trips. By using this facility, the passengers can easily get a refund on their train ticket in the event of a missed train. In addition, passengers can also use this feature when no direct train is available to reach from one station to another, and also, if the passenger has booked a ticket for connecting trains to arrive at the desired destination. In case the first train is late and the connecting train is running timely, it is likely for the passenger to miss the second train. Therefore, if the passenger has linked the PNR numbers of both the trains, it is possible to get a refund for the second train he or she missed. PNR linking facility is available on the IRCTC app and website. To link the tickets using PNRs, visit IRCTC's official webpage and click on the 'connecting journey booking' option under the 'Trains' tab. Now, search for the right trains on the website to reach your destination. For the verification of the connecting journey, IRCTC will give an OTP number to the registered mobile number of the passenger.

Read more

Bhutan to charge tourists from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

The Royal Kingdom of Bhutan has recently announced that it would be levying charges on tourists from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. Previously, entry was free for all of them. Tourism levies are not new for Buddhist Bhutan, which charges other countries a minimum of $250 per person per day to enter the country. The new fee for these three countries includes a $65 daily Sustainable Development Fee along with a $40 visa fee. These might seem expensive for tourists who are unused to them, but Bhutan sees them as necessary for maintaining its sustainability efforts. With its growing economy, the Kingdom remains concerned about reducing carbon emissions for residents and visitors from all countries. While Bhutan is expecting tourism from India to remain high, newly imposed fees are a risky move, considering that around 65% of tourists in Bhutan are from India alone. Indian tourists might decide to vacation elsewhere, Bhutan is hopeful that the new fees will recompense for potentially lost tourism. Bhutan is aiming for a sustainable tourist business as well as a sustainable, eco-friendly environment at all costs.

Read more

Kazakh Tourism launches tour for Chinese travel bloggers.

The tour, initiated by Kazakh Tourism with the support of Capital Partners Real Estate and Air Astana, the nation’s largest carrier, was aimed at highlighting the country, particularly Almaty and the Almaty Region, as an ideal destination for Chinese travellers. The decision to invite them was not a random one. According to global data, Chinese tourists spend approximately $280 billion on travel, including winter tourism, which is actively promoted by popular bloggers. To attract Chinese tourists, the Ministry of Culture and Sport intends to extend the visa free transit stay up to 120 hours. The five-day period will allow visitors the opportunity to travel to several cities or tourist destinations. Last year, Kazakh Tourism invited four bloggers to visit Almaty, Shymkent and the East Kazakhstan Region. The travellers spent nine days in Kazakhstan, expressing their emotions online in videos and social media posts followed by 145 million viewers.

Read more

Mumbai might very soon boast of a Bangkok-style multi-level aquarium.

Mumbai might very soon boast of a multi-level aquarium, which will be built on lines similar to that of Bangkok-based Ocean World, a famous tourist hotspot in Thailand. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently ordered the Tourism Department to draft a proposal regarding developing a high-end aquarium in Mumbai. While talking about this, the Chief Minister told the officials that Mumbai, being the city of international standards, needs to be developed further by adding new attractions to woo tourists. He stated that the government had already built a cruise terminal that matches international standards, and that building a high-level aquarium would further enhance the long list of popular tourist attractions in Mumbai.Also, as per an official press release, the CM stated that Mumbai is now attracting several foreign dignitaries and investors being a commercial capital. And therefore, tourist places in Mumbai needs to be developed, for which a separate action plan needs to be put into place. Apart from this project, the Chief Minister also discussed other tourism concepts, such as sea tourism, night safari in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and flamingo tourism. Since Mumbai is surrounded by sea, the minister is focussing more on water tourism activities, which will be implemented in phases. Moreover, existing caves, such as the Mahakali Caves, Kanheri Caves, and Elephanta Caves etc., will also be developed from a tourism point of view.

Read more