News

Affordable chopper services to start in Uttarakhand from Feb 8

In order to encourage connectivity in towns and cities of Uttarakhand, the state government will start chopper services from February 8, 2020. Referring to this, Flight advisor of Uttarakhand, CM Captain Deep Srivastava told the press that 28 choppers will operate throughout Uttarakhand. Reportedly, a few helicopters will also run on alternate days. The first chopper will operate from Haridwar to Haldwani at a tariff of INR 1200. The chopper services will be active across all 13 districts, selected cities and towns of Uttarakhand. Way back in 2015, the Uttarakhand Tourism Department had started offering chopper service to provide an aerial view of Nainital and nearby destinations, but the service could not continue for some reason.

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Indonesia falls short of target tourist numbers because of coronavirus

Indonesia welcomed a total of 16.1 million foreign tourists in 2019, falling short of the government’s target of attracting 20 million tourists, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak could cloud the outlook this year. “We still have work to attract more foreign tourists to come into Indonesia,” said BPS head Suhariyanto during a press conference in Jakarta. The agency recorded a contraction of 2.03 per cent of foreign arrivals in December last year, which saw 1.37 million foreign tourists. Suhariyanto said Malaysia sent the most tourists to Indonesia, followed by Singapore and China in 2019. “However, the coronavirus outbreak in China will no doubt lower foreign arrivals from China to Indonesia this year,” said Suhariyanto. The Indonesian government declared on Sunday that it would ban all travel to and from China to prevent the spread of the deadly and highly contagious coronavirus..

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These transparent ‘Jungle Bubbles’ will let you sleep with elephants in Thailand

Thailand’s latest offer to vacation lovers will cheer them up to no bounds. Offering the best option for glamping that brilliantly balances luxury with nature, Thailand’s ‘Jungle Bubbles’ will take you ‘close to nature’ in a real manner. No other option in the world will provide you that exquisite experience of sleeping alongside elephants than these latest transparent ‘Jungle Bubbles’ of Thailand. The Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort is spread across a dense jungle and can be located in northern Thailand. Overlooking the rivers, the resort sits atop a hill, and also offers you the prime spot from where you can witness the confluence of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Apart from this, you also enjoy the sight of elephants in their natural habitat.

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Your trip to Kerala is safe now

In the wake of several accidents involving houseboats, Kerala Tourism has decided to step in to regulate the craft operating in the backwaters, check environmental pollution caused by them, and ensure service standards, safety and security of the holidayers opting to cruise on them. The move comes in the wake of the thinking among tourism planners that the department should have a major say and control of houseboat operations, as frequent incidents involving the ‘kettuvalloms’ were proving to be a setback to backwater tourism in the area. The department is now contemplating setting up a committee with members from the Department of Ports, Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, Tourism Police, and Kerala Tourism with legal backing to carry out inspection of the houseboats to ensure that the operators adhere to the safety and security standards, provide the prescribed service, and follow the rules notified. The department wants to ensure that all houseboats have valid licence, fitness, insurance, including third party one, and a system for taking legal action against those flouting rules. Valid licence will be made mandatory for technical staff like boat drivers, shrank and laskar. Cook and hospitality staff deployed in houseboats will be provided adequate training.

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The Most Exciting Cruise Ships Coming to North America in 2020

Several new cruise ships are coming to North America in 2020, bringing with them a slew of standout attractions including a chicken restaurant from Shaquille O'Neal, vertical tube skydiving, a brand-new roller coaster and a hip tattoo parlor. Onboard fun options will be endless, featuring ropes courses on Carnival Radiance and Mardi Gras, and escape rooms on Enchanted Princess and Odyssey of the Seas. Plus, you'll be able to try one of 20 dining venues on Scarlet Lady without spending a single extra dime. With four mega-ships launching in the United States -- and two others launching in Europe but repositioning to Florida in late fall -- now is the perfect time to start planning your cruise vacation. Learn more about each new ship (in order of arrival in North America) and the itineraries each will sail below.

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Tripura to host Hornbill-like festival from February 8

This year, the Tripura Government will be hosting an event on the similar lines of Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival. This two-day festival will be organised from February 8 in Hathai Kortor or Baramura Hills in West district, to boost tourism in this region. Nagaland hosts the Hornbill Festival every December at the Naga heritage village of Kisama, situated nearly 12km from Kohima. The festival aims to preserve and showcase the rich culture and traditions of Nagaland. During the festival, cultural performances by various communities can also be witnessed. Chief Whip of the Tripura Legislative Assembly Kalyani Roy, while answering a questing during the state assembly session, said that is government is working rigorously to boost tourism in this region, and accordingly, the state will host Hornbill Festival on February 8 and 9.

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