News

Kolkata set to see India’s first underwater train on Feb 13

Kolkata, India’s City of Joy, is all set to see the country’s first underwater take a run on February 13, 2020. The said train is a metro line, the East-West Corridor, and will run between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah. The said metro line spans a total of around 16 km, with a part of it running underwater in River Hooghly. The metro train is the first of its kind in India and has been drawing comparisons with the likes of Eurostar, which connects London and Paris. It is estimated that the train, while underwater, will be travelling at a depth that can be compared to a 10-storey tall building! The underwater stretch for the metro train will comprise of twin tunnels, which are made of 1.4 m wide concrete rings. They have been further fitted with hydrophilic gaskets to prevent water from entering the tunnels

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As an emerging destination, Vietnam showcases Vinh Long Province

In 2020, the Vĩnh Long province focuses on receiving 1.6 million tourists, comprising 220,000 international visitors, while income from tourism is anticipated to reach VNĐ800 billion (US$34 million). In order to make tourists stay longer, the local tourism sector is all determined to advertise some special tourism products.Director of Vĩnh Long Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phan Văn Giàu, says that shows like hát bội (classical drama) have been offered on a trial basis to entertain tourists.The province has assisted the tourism companies in including shows by the local Đồng Thinh Art Troupe in their tours.“Our art troupe is rare, and offers the classical drama art,” he says. Giàu explains that the local tourism industry is expected to set up the art together with đờn ca tài tử (amateur music art) to amuse the tourists of the region.The local tourism sector has assigned all the prime destinations to attract investment in professional accommodation services at the same time maintaining the local scenery of fruit gardens and water canals.

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To boost up tourism, Abu Dhabi teams up with travel marketing company Sojern

In a bid to boost up the tourism of the UAE, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has declared a joint venture with travel marketing company Sojern. Sojern will offer its real-time travel audience targeting software to DCT Abu Dhabi, assisting in controlling its strategies in digital marketing. Sojern will influence its network of global data partnerships in creating algorithms in terms of the booking behaviors of the travellers. By making the use of this information, targeted marketing messages are produced and can be modified to support as well as promote Abu Dhabi’s own campaigns. To quote DCT Abu Dhabi destination marketing director, Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, “Now, by managing our digital marketing campaigns within our own DSP, coupled with Sojern’s rich dataset for audience targeting, it enables us to monitor campaign performance, daily ad spend and total return on our campaign investments with more ease. Our tailored solution allows us to respond even faster to the ever-changing dynamics of the travel market and keeps us at the forefront of that change.”

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Kumbh 2021 Haridwar: Shahi snan dates announced

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has announced the dates for the ‘shahi snan’ during the 2021 Kumbh in Haridwar. The first ‘shahi snan’ (holy bath) will be taken on March 11, 2021 (Mahashivratri), the second on April 12 (Somwati Amavasya), the third on April 14 (Baisakhi Kumbh snan) and the fourth on April 27 (Chaitra Purnima), he said after holding discussions with saints and seers of Akhada Parishad on Sunday. Other important baths will take place on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14, February 11 (Mauni Amavasya), February 16 (Basant Panchami), February 27 (Magh Purnima), April 13 (Nav Samvatsar) and April 21 (Ram Navami).

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Norwegian Reportedly Cancels Spirit's Asia Sailings Into December Due to Coronavirus

Norwegian Cruise Line is reportedly cancelling all Asia-bound sailings aboard Norwegian Spirit from April 15 through December 7, 2020 "due to growing concerns regarding coronavirus." "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this causes," the cruise line said in a message to travel agents and affected passengers. "Please be advised that a full refund will be processed automatically to the form of payment provided at the time of booking." Norwegian also said it will issue future cruise credit worth 10 percent toward a future booking, and the company will cover up to $300 per person for airfare change fees.

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A new place to explore : Telangana aiming to become a destination offering multiple attractions

Ecotourism, tribal circuits, waterfalls and cruise services, heritage and pilgrimage – there are various destinations offering all these in Telangana, and that too in abundance! After medical tourism, the Telangana government is now implementing a multi-pronged strategy for tourism development in the State, covering diverse aspects and locations. Right from pilgrimage to urban forest parks, waterfalls to heritage tourism, all sectors would be developed focusing on providing good amenities to tourists for comfortable stay.In the last couple of years, about 35 hotels offering 1,200 rooms, eight wayside amenities, two restaurants, 42 buses, 89 boats, and light and sound shows were introduced at different locations in Telangana by the state tourism department. The road-cum-river cruise tours, covering Hyderabad-Somasila-Srisailam-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam-Hyderabad, are already attracting good response from tourists. These trips are operated on weekends, offering a good two-day tourism package. Tourists are also taken to the Srisailam Dam site and Farahabad on the way.

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