News

For 2nd year in row, Kerala tops list of most welcoming places

Kerala has topped the list of ‘the most welcoming places’ in the country for the second consecutive year with four of its cities/tourism spots finding a place among the list of top 10 such places this year. According to a ranking by international travel site Booking.com’s ‘traveler review awards 2020, Mararikulam, Varkala, Thekkady and Kollam in Kerala have found their place in the top 10 list. The second state in the list is Goa with Agonda and Palolem, the other places in the list include Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, said Ritu Mehrotra, country manager for India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives at Booking.com.On a global level, the list the most welcoming place on the earth is Goreme in Turkey.

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A 111-day, around-the-world cruise ship for 2020 sets sail

As surprising as it may sound, an astonishing 111-day, the around-the-world cruise was recently flagged off with around 375 crew members and 670 guests onboard. Its itinerary boasts of exotic locations, including Singapore, Melbourne, Mauritius, and much more. The voyage, named 2020 World Cruise, is being carried out on Princess Cruises’ Pacific Princess ship, with a ticket costing $22999. This ship will, reportedly, tour around 38 ports in 26 countries on five continents, and will cover 34287 nautical miles during the ship’s lengthy trip. As per a press release, it is for the first time that Princess Cruises will make stops at Praslin, Seychelles Islands; Kaikoura, New Zealand; Zanzibar, and Tanzania. Those on board will also get an opportunity to see around 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The said cruise, carrying 670 passengers, has already set sail and will return on May 11. There will also be 12 late-night stays in places like Tahiti, Melbourne, Phuket, as well as Cape Town to maximize the number of times passengers can spend at a port.

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Fresh snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, several roads to Kufri, Narkanda closed

Several mountainous roads in Himachal Pradesh were closed for vehicles following overnight snowfall, officials said on Tuesday. Roads towards Kufri, Fagu, Kharapathar, Narkanda, and Khirki are blocked with snow, police said. Light vehicles are plying on the Mashobra road but drivers have been warned of slippery areas on the route, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Omapati Jamwal, said. In case of emergency, people should call helpline numbers ‘112’ and ‘1077’, he said. Roads in Chopal, Rohru, Kotkhai and Sunni in upper Shimla are also blocked, an official said.

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Attention travellers, Thailand bans single-use plastic use

If you are traveling to Thailand this year, keep in mind that there is now a single-use plastic ban in the country. The Thailand single-use plastic ban is a step towards being eco-friendly, and it gives you a chance to practice ecotourism. The Thai government launched a campaign of banning single-use plastic at various major stores and is looking forward to a complete ban in 2021. This will help in reducing waste and debris in the sea. A campaign launched by the authorities in Thailand asked shoppers to carry their own reusable bags, which gained tremendous popularity. Public awareness even helped to reduce the use of plastic-bag by almost 5765 tonnes in 2019. Even though shoppers are still struggling with the idea of carrying their own reusable bags, 59 percent people reportedly support the ban. Shoppers are in fact adapting to the ban in creative ways, and some of these methods have gone viral on the internet. Some good examples for all to follow. Some are even using suitcases, wheelbarrows, buckets, and more. After all, where there is a will, there is always away.

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Five new airports to become operational in Karnataka

At a recently held summit hosted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola stated that Bengaluru has the capacity to become the aviation capital of India. News has it that Bidar will be the operational airport after Gulbarga, and is expected to begin operations on January 26. The maiden flight will be from Bidar to Bengaluru. he aviation secretary further added that five more airports will become active in Karnataka in the coming two years. They are Vijayapura, Karwar, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Bidar. Although about 40 airports have been made operational in the past five years, the new target is to double the number of functional helipads and airports in the coming two to five years.

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Ain Dubai in Dubai to be the largest observation wheel in the world

Ain Dubai will grace Dubai in 2020. Apparently, this will allow people coming for the Dubai Expo 2020 to get a bird’s eye view of the entire city skyline. Situated on Bluewaters Island, Ain Dubai will be another record-breaking possession of Dubai. It will also provide a good view of the Palm Jumeirah and Burj Khalifa. The base of Ain Dubai will be as an entertainment zone with a huge LED screen mounted on the wheel. Ain Dubai was supposed to open in 2020 but will now be inaugurated a day before Expo 2020 kicks-off in October 2020.

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