News

Kashmir will be connected via trains to whole of India by 2021.

The valley of Kashmir will be connected to the rest of the country through an extensive railway network by December 2021. The chairman said that the construction of the bridge is the most challenging part of the Kashmir rail link project. Facts about the project 1) The gigantic arch-shaped structure is being built in a terrain that’s hostile. 2) More than 5462 tonnes of steel will be placed 359 m above the river bed, which is the most challenging. 3) The 1.315-km-long bridge is being designed to bear wind speeds of up to 260 km per hour. 4) It will connect Bakkal in Katra and Kauri in Srinagar. 5) The bridge forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur- Srinagar - Baramulla rail link project. 6) It will break the record of the Beipan River Shuibai railway bridge (275 m), which is in China. Declared as a national project in 2002, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project is every bit crucial, as it will be a trusted transportation system that will connect the valley to the Indian Railways network.

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Turkey’s capital city Istanbul welcomes 11.3 million foreign tourists in nine months.

Turkey’s one of the most popular city, Istanbul welcomed 11.3 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of this year, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced. Yerlikay said that Istanbul is reaching its 2023 tourism targets by breaking its own records. The number of foreign visitors between the months of January and September increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2018. The German tourists topped the list with 858,000 visitors, marking a five percent increase, followed by Iranians with 687,000, Iraqis with 545.000 and, Russians in fourth place with 512,000. The number of Chinese and Kuwaiti tourists increased significantly, recording 11% and 30.7% increases respectively. The arrivals to Istanbul from Arab countries overall increased by 12%. Of all the tourists coming to the metropolis, 25.8% came from Arab countries, amounting to 2.9 million tourists. The hotel occupancy rates in Istanbul also increased by 4% to 74.5% compared to the previous year. The average daily room price increased by 10.8% to 91.1 euros ($102). The income per room rose by 15.4% to 67.9 euros ($76).

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Heavy snow blankets upper reaches of Uttarakhand; tourists in for a treat.

The ongoing cold wave, sweeping over much of North India, has led to more snowfall in parts of Himachal as well as the upper reaches of Uttarakhand. Popular tourist destinations including Joshimath, Chamoli, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Hemkund Sahib, the Valley of Flowers, Uttarkashi are currently blanketed by layers of fresh snow. In addition, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Harsil, and Har ki Doon also received fresh snowfall. The popular hill stations of Mussoorie and Chopta also saw fresh snow, luring travellers from around the country. Mussoorie’s Mall Road and Landour saw an increased footfall of tourists, keen to bask in the winter fun. People could be seen huddled around bonfires all through the day as mercury dipped further. Further, as per the predictions by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) hailstorms, rainfall and more snow are expected to hit the state over the weekend. The neighbouring hill state of Himachal Pradesh is also seeing snowfall; the very popular Manali decked in several layers. Reportedly, a number of vehicles were stuck on the Kullu-Manali Highway. While efforts are on to decongest the traffic by the concerned authorities, continuous snowfall is hurdling more work. As per the reports, hours-long traffic jams disrupted vehicular movement, especially near Patlikul. The nearby areas of Sainj and Banjar are also affected by snowfall. Meanwhile, Shimla is seeing droves of tourists, eager to experience fresh snowfall.

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Egypt Tourism: Over 15 million tourists expected to visit the country in 2020

Organization (WTO) said that the number of international tourists to visit Egypt in 2020 is expected to exceed 15 million. The new tourism figures released by the WTO shows that Egypt’s tourism sector has recovered after the number of tourists who visited the country in 2019 hit about 13 million, WTO economic adviser Saeed el-Batouti said. El-Batouti, also a board member of the German Travel Association, attributed the expected rise in the number of tourists visiting Egypt this year to Egypt’s stability and the package of policies the country has adopted. He added that the Egyptian tourism sector recovery results from the strong support provided by Egypt’s political leadership, highlighting the importance of working to attract tourists from various countries. Spain and Italy are among the markets that Egypt targets, he said, calling for opening up new tourist markets in Egypt and focusing on the religious tourism.

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Earthquakes in Puerto Rico destroys the famous tourist attraction, Punta Ventana.

The Caribbean island was hit by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday dawn time. This also led to small landslides and major power cuts. A number of houses suffered severe damages. However, what shocked the world was the complete destruction of Punta Venta. The quakes that hit the island are being counted among the strongest tremors to hit the US territory. Punta Ventana or Window Point, before being hit by the quake was a beachside rock formation in the town of Guayanilla. The beautiful structure was aptly named as it resembled a stone window from where one could enjoy some breathtaking views of the ocean in the backdrop. As per the mayor of the town, Nelson Torres Yordán, the structure “finally fell" on Monday. The formation had already gone weak and was in a vulnerable state after smaller temblors started hitting the region a week before. Guayanilla is mourning over the loss of its gorgeous iconic natural wonder. The good news here is there were no reports of human casualties yet.

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APAC fastest growing region for travel and tourism: WTTC.

Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region for travel and tourism, with 80% of the top fastest growing cities in the region, and contributing US$915 billion (33%) in direct travel and tourism GDP, according to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The Cities Report for 2019 focuses on 73 major tourism city destinations, providing estimates of the GDP and employment directly generated by the travel and tourism sector; and highlights successful initiatives, strategies and policies that have been implemented to support this growth. Chinese cities continue to mature rapidly, making up five of the 10 fastest growing cities in direct travel and tourism GDP over the last decade: Chongqing, Chengdu and Shanghai ranking first, second and fourth, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen coming in eighth and tenth. International visitor spending is usually more important to cities than it is to countries as a whole, WTTC said in a statement. Six out of the top 10 cities for international visitor spending for 2018 were in Asia-Pacific, including Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo and Shenzhen, found the study. Notably, six out of the top 10 cities for domestic visitor spending are also in Asia-Pacific, and five of them are in China, with Shanghai taking the number one spot at US$79 billion, followed by Beijing at US$75 billion. The report also reveals that all but one of the 10 global cities with the highest direct travel and tourism growth over the past decade, are in emerging and developing economies, seven of which are in Asia-Pacific, such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Spotlight on Oceania Cities in Oceania make up a large portion of their respective countries’ travel and tourism GDP, with Brisbane and Sydney making up more than 30% of Australia’s direct travel & tourism GDP, and Auckland making up over 40% of New Zealand’s. When considering the visitor impact of these cities, Sydney maintains the most even split between domestic and international, with domestic visitors contributing 56% towards the total visitor spend, and domestic contributing 44%. Brisbane’s split is similarly balanced with domestic visitors contributing 67%, and international visitors contributing 33%. In terms of employment, Auckland contributes the most towards its respective country’s travel and tourism direct employment, offering 36.9% of all jobs in this sector, and 9.9% of total employment in Auckland. Additionally, Sydney and Brisbane collectively contribute 32.6% of direct travel and tourism employment to Australia. The Global Picture With over half (55%) of the world’s population living in urban areas, which is set to increase to 68% over the next 30 years, cities have become the hubs for global economic growth and innovation, while also attracting more people who want to live and do business there. The report reveals these 73 cities account for US$691 billion in direct travel and tourism GDP, which represents 25% of the sector’s direct global GDP and directly accounts for over 17 million jobs. Additionally, in 2018, direct travel and tourism GDP across the cities grew by 3.6%, above the overall city economy growth of 3.0%. The top 10 largest cities for direct travel and tourism contribution in 2018 offer diverse geographic representation, with cities such as Shanghai, Paris, and Orlando sitting in the top five. WTTC president & CEO, Gloria Guevara said: “Asia-Pacific has been, and as shown by this important research, will continue to be a crucial region for travel and tourism. We are seeing an exciting amount of growth and development in the region and there is an opportunity to create sustainable change that will translate in further benefits for the local communities.

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