News

Taj Mahal is the most Googled landmark in the world

One of India’s finest monuments, the world-renowned Taj Mahal tops the list of most Googled landmarks in the world. The Taj Mahal topped the list by beating other important monuments such as the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, London Eye, Stonehenge, etc. The result has emerged after research was conducted by Columbus Direct, a travel insurance company. The researchers looked at Google’s keyword planner, and deduced this. The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known as the Symbol of Love. The study showed that the Taj Mahal has 1417650 monthly searches across the world, beating Machu Picchu in Peru that gets 1269260 monthly searches worldwide. The Taj Mahal was built in 1632 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, whose wife Mumtaz Mahal is buried in a tomb inside it. The white marble structure attracts people from around the world, including celebrities and heads of states. Other monuments in the list: Burj Khalifa in the UAE is on third place with a monthly search of 1103950; Niagara Falls in the border of the USA and Canada gets 945810 worldwide searches in a month; and the Eiffel Tower in France stood fifth with 916270 searches worldwide each month. Nepal’s Mount Everest stood seventh in the list, behind UK’s Stonehenge, while America’s Statue of Liberty was 8th. The Great Wall of China was ranked 27th in the list, and Mount Fuji stood 35th. The beautiful Sistine Chapel in Vatican City was ranked at the bottom, holding the 50th position. How many of these have you been to? Let us know in the comments.

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Coronavirus outbreak to cost airlines almost $30bn

Airlines stand to lose $29.3bn (£23.7bn) of revenue this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the global airline industry body has warned. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts demand for air travel will fall for the first time in more than a decade. Airlines in China and other parts of the Asia Pacific region are expected to take the vast majority of the impact. It comes as carriers around the world have been forced to reduce flights. In total, airlines in the Asia Pacific region are set to see a $27.8bn revenue loss in 2020, while those outside Asia are expected to lose $1.5bn in revenue, IATA has forecast. Of that figure, IATA predicts that carriers in China are set to lose revenue of $12.8bn in their home market alone. IATA said it had based its estimates on the slump in demand that was seen during the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003. That was characterised by a six-month period that saw a sharp fall in demand followed by an equally quick recovery. That year Sars was responsible for the 5.1% fall in demand for airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. It also assumes that the virus remains centred on China, but warned the effect could be far worse if the infection spreads further in the region. IATA has previously forecast that Asia Pacific would be the biggest driver of air travel demand between 2015 and 2035, with four of the five fastest-growing markets in terms of passengers being from Asia. Yesterday two major airline groups warned of a severe financial impact as the coronavirus outbreak dampens demand for travel in Asia. Australia's Qantas said the outbreak would result in a 100m -150m Australian dollar hit for the financial year, once it had accounted for cutting flights. European carrier Air-France KLM estimated the coronavirus would cost it between €150m and €200m between February and April.

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Goa Carnival 2020 is around; here’s what you need to know

There is surely something magnetic about the Goa Carnival, which has been attracting thousands of people every year. At the four-day carnival, visitors look forward to mouth-watering food, fun activities, and endless sessions of live music. The best part? It is absolutely free. What is Goa Carnival about? The Goa Carnival commemorates the 450-year-old presence of the Portuguese in Goa. It is a festival organised before Lent, which is meant for fasting and penance among the Catholics, 40 days ahead of Easter celebrations. Goa Carnival is celebrated in Panaji, Vasco, Mapusa and Margao. With each city hosting a parade on every separate night, Goan streets light up with marching bands, group dances and people dressed in colourful costumes. It is also that time of the year when restaurants and hotels across Goa put in their best efforts and ingredients in preparing delicious dishes for the people. It sees visitors from all parts of the world and is one of the best festivals to experience Goan culture like never before.

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Haj pilgrimage goes digital for the first time; solo female travellers allowed

About two lakh Indians will depart for the famous Haj pilgrimage this year, as revealed by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs. According to the news reports, Haj witnessed the arrival of a lot of Indian pilgrims in 2019. In fact, Indians were the second-highest in number after Indonesia. Maqsood Ahmed Khan, CEO, Haj Committee of India, told the press that about 18000 to 20000 pilgrims will be leaving for Haj from Mumbai between July and August in 2020. The cost of each person for this pilgrimage is INR 67000 per person. The application process for the pilgrimage is now over, and out of 2.67 lakh applications in 2020, 2 lakh have been chosen for this auspicious trip. News has it that 1.23 lakh pilgrims will go via the Haj Committee and others will leave through the Haj Group organisers. The Union Minister for Minority Affairs also shared that the Haj application process was completely digital this year to make it easy, and India is a pioneer in making it possible. Interestingly, 2100 women have been selected for Haj without mehram (a male companion) this year. This has happened after two years of Saudi government approving Muslim women over 45 years of age to go on the pilgrimage without a male companion and in a group of four persons. The dates for Haj pilgrimage are from July 28 to August 2, 2020. It is an annual pilgrimage taken to Mecca city in Saudi Arabia. It is said that every Muslim should undertake this pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime.

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Making Travel Easier – United Airlines and Vistara Launch Codeshare Agreement

United Airlines and Vistara announced the start of a new codeshare agreement allowing United customers to book travel on 68 Vistara-operated flights to 26 destinations throughout India for travel beginning February 28. The codeshare builds on the agreement between the airlines in which MileagePlus and Vistara’s loyalty program members earn and redeem miles when flying on either of the airline’s route network. The United and Vistara agreement offers customers a simplified experience when planning travel between dozens of destinations throughout India including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Goa, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur, Varanasi and more. “We are excited to offer our shared customers the option of building a seamless itinerary when planning travel to cities beyond New Delhi and Mumbai,” said John Gebo, United’s senior vice president of Alliances. “United has connected customers to India for more than 15 years with daily flights between New York/Newark and Delhi and Mumbai and our new service between San Francisco and New Delhi. Our relationship with Vistara opens up even more options for customers to travel between our East and West Coast hubs and multiple destinations throughout India.” Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vinod Kannan said, “Vistara today connects the length and breadth of India, and we are delighted to offer the country’s only five-star flying experience to customers of United on their Indian domestic flights. The U.S. continues to be one of the biggest source markets for foreign travelers into India and the region, and this partnership allows us to provide a seamless travel offering for customers to and from the U.S.” As India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, and the only 5-star rated airline in India (Apex 2020), Vistara has consistently raised the bar for operations and service delivery in the Indian aviation industry in a short span of five years. The airline is poised to grow its fleet by adding more than 50 narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, including Airbus A321neo and Boeing B787-9, in the next three years. Every customer. Every flight. Every day. United continues to strengthen its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s announcement, United recently: Announced that MileagePlus award miles will never expire Committed $40 million toward a new investment initiative focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonization technologies Established Miles on a Mission, a first-of-its-kind crowdsourcing platform which gives customers a simple way to donate miles to non-profit organizations and charities in need of air travel Launched ConnectionSaver, a digital tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers with connecting flights Instituted PlusPoints, new upgrade benefits for MileagePlus Premier members Gave Economy customers a choice of complimentary snacks on domestic flights Made DIRECTV free for every customer on more than 200 aircraft

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Kerala: 50 adventure tourism spots to be developed

Fifty adventure tourism centres in Kerala will soon be upgraded to meet the global standards. The revelation was made by the state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. He made an announcement regarding the same while rolling out a set of safety and security regulations to position the region as a secure and safe destination, where you can travel hassle-free. Efforts are on to portray the state as a haven for nature buffs and adventure enthusiasts. Taking into consideration the guidelines set by the Kerala Adventure and Activities Based Tourism Safety and Security Regulations to provide 31 water, land, and water-based activities, the Tourism Minister added that Muzhappilangad (Kannur), Kaapil (Varkala), and Vagamon (Idukki) will be designated adventure tourism centres. He also added that a proposal to set up adventure parks in all districts is also being considered by the government. Surendran mentioned that soft adventure parks have already been started in Asramam in Kollam, Veil, Thenmala, Wayanad, Karlad, and Kottappuram. Reports added that paragliding is all set to start soon in Munnar, whereas adventure tourism academy will be set up at Sasthampara near the state capital. The guidelines put emphasis on all necessary parameters for activity providers, such as including well-trained professionals with hands-on experience, proper license as per the central and state government norms, use of quality equipment, deployment of qualified personnel, risk mitigation ability, and knowledge of first-aid and safety. Listing ways of developing the region for adventure tourism, the Minister added that the existing spots will be developed first. This process will be put into place by developing and identifying new spots, promoting private-public ventures, and creating circuits that will connect adventure tourism spots. Apart from this, the entire concept will be branded.

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