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J&K refreshes bond with Gujarat for tourism promotion

Srinagar March 04 (KNS): To strengthen and refresh the age-old bond between J&K and Gujarat, the J&K Tourism Department held a road show at Ahmedabad as part of its promotional campaigns across the country to attract tourists. Director Tourism Kashmir Dr. GN Itoo led the delegation of the representatives of local travel and hospitality sector for the promotion of the J&K’s vast tourism potential and invited travellers to the union territory. Leading tourism operators, travel agents, destination management companies besides regional and national media were invited at the promotional evening on Thursday who networked with the J&K’s travel agents for business opportunities and promotion of the varied tourism products. While appreciating the travel fraternity from Western coast of India for their continued promotion of Kashmir in travel packages, Director Tourism Kashmir said Gujarat has remained one of the major markets where a large number of travellers visit J&K. In his detailed PowerPoint and video presentation, Dr Itoo highlighted the steps taken by the J&K government in mitigating the Covid19 threats and assuring safe journey for the travellers with the implementation of the set SOPs and guidelines. He assured them that Kashmir is safe for tourism activities and hundreds of tourists are already enjoying their holidays at prime resorts like Gulmarg, Srinagar and Pahalgam. The Director Tourism also highlighted the huge participation of over 2000 athletes and players in the recently concluded 2nd Khelo India National Winter Games which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narindra Modi virtually. He informed them that the JK and Union Government have already taken up with the airlines the direct flights to Srinagar from major cities including Ahmedabad to facilitate easy connectivity between the regions. Various short films on known and off-beat destinations were also screened on the occasion. The J&K Tourism Department also held a separate media interaction in which representatives from over 50 popular media houses attended and interacted with travel fraternity from JK. During the interaction, the media was also briefed about various steps JK Administration has taken to ensure travellers’s safety post Covid pandemic. They were also informed of various promotion activities conducted and the upcoming events and festivals so that travellers can align their tour programmes as per the festivals. The travel show was organised in collaboration with J&K Pilgrim and Leisure Tour Operators Forum. Additional Secretary Tourism Waseem Raja, CEO Tourism Dev. Authorities, Mansar Gurvinder Jeet Singh were also present on the occasion. Chairman PILTOF Showkat Pakthoon besides various office bearers of the Forum who were present on the occasion had a fruitful interaction with their counterparts. Ajay Modi - a leading travel agent from Gujarat - hailed the efforts of JK Tourism in opening the region for tourism activities. He said J&K is one of the prime destinations of the country where travellers always return back with beautiful memories. The department has already organised several shows at other major cities including, Kolkata, Pune, Puri, Jaipur, Amritsar. The department will also organise more road shows in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal and Bangalore on March 6 followed by Indore on March 8, Chennai on March 12, Raipur Varanasi & Lucknow on March 13, Nagpur on March 17, Mumbai & Hyderabad on March 19, Delhi on March 25, Cochin on March 26 and Mysore on March 27 besides it will also participate in major travel marts like OTM, SATEE as part of its aggressive marketing campaign.

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Jumeirah Group appoints Connect Worldwide as GSA in India

Jumeirah Group has appointed Connect Worldwide (CWW) as its global sales agent (GSA) in India. The partnership will include sales and marketing management for clients from the corporate, MICE and leisure segments, and support services for the luxury hotel Group from the Indian market. Alexander Lee, Chief Commercial Officer, Jumeirah Group, said, “Indian guests have always been of great importance to Jumeirah as one of our top source markets across the global portfolio. We see Connect World wide’s appointment as a reflection of the immense efforts invested in this market, and as a further step to ensuring our exemplary offering is aligned with their unique needs, whether that’s for leisure, dining or family experiences or the crafting of unique, personalised stays. We see great potential in India – a market that has always appreciated the luxury hospitality that Jumeirah offers, and our attention to personal touches, especially when it comes to sentimental lifetime special events such as weddings. The decision to appoint Connect Worldwide as our sales partner in India signifies our continued focus on this region, as well as the promising future that lies ahead for the Jumeirah Group in India.” "We welcome Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as our newest travel partner," said Eric Otto President and CEO of Connect Worldwide. "We are proud to partner with such an iconic hotel group and our experienced team is excited to represent and enhance the brand further within the Indian travel market.” "The CWW India team with its robust sales and distribution support looks forward to re engaging the market with Jumeirah's portfolio of hotels", said Vasudha Sondhi, MD CWW India. CWW is a global sales, marketing, and digital services company with a focus on international market expansion and revenue development. Their clients include tourism destinations, independent hotels, hotel brands, and travel-related companies.

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To boost tourism, Srinagar govt officials have started beautification of Valley

In an effort to boost tourism in Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has begun beautification work in Srinagar under the Smart City project. Dazzling paintings are being painted on flyover pillars above the Jehangir Chowk, showcasing the culture and picturesque scenes from around the Valley. According to Rizwan Khurshid, Project Coordinator of the Srinagar Smart City project, the images of tourist spots will draw the attention of new visitors and give tourism a boost. "This project is for the city and these scenes are a part of pedestrian movement in the bustling city. These paintings are also likely to attract tourists to other places around the Union Territory," said Khurshid. Local residents have also lauded the move, saying it will help in boosting tourism. "This is a very good step as this will develop the city. They are making a parking space as well. I hope that this gives tourism a boost. These things should continue in the future," said a local resident named Jahangir Beig.

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Centre plans tourism push to mark 75 years of Independence

The Centre has decided to launch a grand celebration to mark 75 years of India’s independence with events, exhibitions, rallies and a tourism outreach with Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicking off the festivities on March 12, the 91st anniversary of the historic Dandi March, officials said on Wednesday. The culture ministry is the nodal point for all events, which will include exhibitions on freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose, said the officials quoted above. All government departments and state governments will come up with their own plans to mark the occasion. India will also promote tourism by celebrating 2022 as the Visit India Year through a promotion campaign highlighting India’s strengths like heritage, culture, art, wellness and yoga. Specific sites will be identified in each state to be developed and promoted under the Dekho Apna Desh scheme, said a document prepared by the Union tourism ministry and seen by HT. The programme,called Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav will commence 75 weeks prior to August, 15, 2022 -- the day independent India turns 75 -- and end on August 15, 2023. PM Modi is likely to hold a meeting early next week, after which the final plan will be unveiled, said officials.

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Vistara starts operating flights on Mumbai-Male route

Vistara today operated its inaugural flight on the Mumbai-Male route, according to a company statement. The inaugural flight departed from the Mumbai airport at 10.10 AM, the airline`s statement noted. "The airline will fly three times a week on the route under India`s transport bubble agreement with the Republic of Maldives," the statement noted. Commenting on the launch of the new routes, Mr. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “Our new service to the Maldives will give travellers greater access to one of India’s most-preferred holiday destinations. We are delighted at the opportunity of taking India’s Best Airline to more places and offering the very best of air travel to people flying between India and the Maldives while maintaining the highest standards of safety and hygiene." All tourist establishments in the Maldives have been regulated to ensure that they are in line with the COVID-19 safe tourism guidelines issued by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism along with a certification program to uphold high standards of safety and hygiene. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating since July last year under air bubble arrangements formed with more than 24 countries.

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After Economy AC, Indian Railways to roll out new airconditioned general second class coach; details

Indian Railways is working on a project that will change the way common man travels in trains! By the end of this year the prototype of a new airconditioned general second class coach will be rolled out, learns TOI. After introducing an Economy AC 3-tier coach, Indian Railways is now looking to revamp unreserved second class coaches by making them airconditioned. A host of other changes are also being planned in the coach to make train travel comfortable for the common man. The new AC general second class coach will be manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala. "This project will change the face of rail travel in India for the common man. Air conditioned general second class travel will become comfortable like never before," Ravinder Gupta, GM of RCF told TOI. The layout for the new AC general second class coach is being finalised and RCF is hopeful of rolling out a prototype by the end of this calendar year. At present the general second class coach can seat up to 100 passengers and costs around Rs 2.24 crore to make. The new AC general second class coach is expected to accommodate more passengers while offering better passenger amenities as well. These coaches will be used for long distance Mail/Express trains that can travel at 130 kmph. Non-AC coaches cannot take speeds of more than 110 kmph. Indian Railways is upgrading the Golden Quadrilateral and its diagonals to take train speeds of 130 kmph. In line with that vision, sleeper and general coaches are being air-conditioned. Recently RCF rolled out the prototype of an Economy AC 3-tier coach that will replace sleeper class coaches in Mail/Express trains. The Economy AC coach recently achieved speeds of 180 kmph during its trial. Indian Railways will manufacture 248 Economy AC 3-tier coaches by the end of FY22. The production plan for AC general second class coaches will be finalised once the layout and other designs are approved by the Railway Board. The last time Indian Railways upgraded its general second class coaches was with the introduction of Deen Dayalu coaches for unreserved passengers in 2016. Deen Dayalu coaches offered several passenger amenities such as cushioned luggage racks, padded seats, coat hooks, aqua-guard style water filtration system, bio-toilets, more mobile charging points, toilet occupancy indicators, water level indicators etc.

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