News

Turkey’s Kuşadası enjoyed successful cruise tourism season with more than 180,000 tourists.

Kuşadası region of the Aegean province of Aydın receives highest number of cruise ships anchor annually. The port of Kuşadası region has experienced one of its best tourism seasons ever in 2019 tourism season. Kuşadası Ege Port General Manager Aziz Güngör said a total of 194 ships dropped anchor near Kuşadası, carrying 180,000 visitors to the region in 2019. The tourism authorities in Kuşadası Port is expected in 2020 to host around 500 cruise ships carrying an average of 4,000 passengers each, likely reaching a total of 2 million people. Güngör said that the dark clouds have disappeared for Turkish cruise tourism with cruise ships adding Turkey back to their itineraries after coming to a standstill in 2016 with ships cancelling calls in the country’s ports. He added that there has been a 30% growth in the number of ships anchoring in Turkey in 2019, and the number of passengers grew by 40% compared to the previous year. Kuşadası is a famous holiday resort town in Turkey and is situated conveniently close to major archaeological sites and the Dilek Peninsula National Park, one of Turkey’s most biologically diverse areas. Kuşadası is also home to some of the region’s most pristine beaches. Turkey continues its efforts to reinvigorate cruise tourism and is carrying out works to eliminate the lack of ports, particularly in Istanbul.Some 24 cruise ships were expected to arrive in the city by October, and the number is expected to reach 80 in 2020. As part of the works to boost cruise tourism, a new cruise port is in the plans in Istanbul’s Yenikapı district and the tender bidding is likely to take place soon. Besides, Istanbul’s mega port project Galataport, which is currently under construction and expected to open in March 2020, is also expected to revive the city’s cruise tourism sector.

Read more

UAE now offers five-year multiple-entry tourist visas for all to boost tourism

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has introduced multiple-entry tourist visas for all nationalities, which also comes with a validity of five years. This move comes in the wake of solidifying its position as a tourist hub. The said decision was recently taken, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers in the UAE, which was chaired by UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He tweeted the announcement and stated that they had approved the change of the tourist visa system in the country so that multiple-entry tourist visas are applicable for all nationalities for a duration of five years. He also added that the country receives more than 21 million tourists annually and that it aims to establish the country as a major global tourist destination. Till date, the UAE used to issue single or multiple-entry tourist visas with a validity of 30 or 90 days. The UAE has been introducing a slew of visa changes in the past few years to attract more tourists, including from India. Earlier in May 2017, Indian nationals holding a normal passport valid for a minimum of six months from the arrival date, and a visit visa or green card issued by the United States of America which is valid for a minimum of six months, or holding a United Kingdom or European Union residence, were allowed to get a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 14 days for a charge of AED120 (subject to change). However, they were allowed to apply and extend their stay for an additional 14 days for AED250 (subject to change). The Gulf ruler further mentioned that since the UAE will be turning 50-years-old in 2021, the year 2020 will be the year of preparation for the same.

Read more

IRCTC comes up with 8-day Jammu-Kashmir tour starting at INR 17535

Itinerary of the trip Tourists will be given free pick-up service from Srinagar Airport on the first day of the tour. In total, tourists will stay for two days in Srinagar. Then after, tourists will be ushered to the beautiful and colourful hill station of Gulmarg for a two-day halt. Also known as the Valley of Flowers, Gulmarg will provide a wonderful opportunity for the tourists to go for treks. On the fourth day, tourists will visit Sonmarg, a stunning place named after golden-hued flowers that grow there. A lot of popular glaciers are present in Sonmarg, and this is from where the road to east Ladakh begins. On the fifth day, tourists will depart from Sonmarg to Pahalgam. Pahalgam is located at an altitude of 2130 m above the sea level, at the mouth of River Lidder River and Sheshnag Lake. Pahalgam is famous for a host of outdoor adventure activities including horse riding, fishing, skiing, and water rafting among others. On the sixth day, tourists will proceed for Katra from Pahalgam via road. On the seventh day, tourists will visit Vaishno Devi shrine. After breakfast on the eighth day, tourists will be dropped at the Jammu airport. Tour cost and other details The package costs INR 16715 per person and INR 17535 for two people. Tourists will be provided accommodation in a three-star property, along with complimentary breakfast and dinner. Dinner arrangements will be done by the tour managers. In addition, a tour guide will be available to provide information about these destinations to all the tourists.

Read more

In the onset of 2020, Puerto Plaza shows a powerful advancement in cruise tourism.

On the very first day of 2020, two ships with about 8,126 occupants on board has harbored at the Amber Cove terminal in Maimon, Puerto Plata, stressing the influence of the destination in terms of cruise tourism. The Carnival Breeze touched the coast of “The Bride of the Atlantic” with 5,076 occupants of which 3,690 were passengers and 1,386 crew members and the Carnival Elation with 2,130 passengers and 920 crew. Both ships departed the Home Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida, making their customary Atlantic itinerary like excuses in Grand Turks (Bahamas Islands) and Amber Cove of Puerto Plata, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. In January, about 21 cruise ships in total owned by the Carnival Cruises Lines Corporation will touch the Amber Cove port in Maimón, which places the terminal as the prime enclave of tourist ship berths in the country. For 2020, major challenges lay ahead Puerto Plata, as international private investors jointly with the competent authorities must keep on working to merge the tourist destination. It is remembered that in the same bay of Puerto Plata, a new cruise terminal will be made with the name Taino Bay which is hoped to receive about 650,000 visitors in the first year of operation. As per local media, to leave the aforementioned tourist terminal inaugurated, it is by now on the agenda that on Tuesday, October 27, the Norwegian Breakaway ship will reach with 5,595 occupants of which 4,000 are passengers and 1,595 crew members.

Read more

Qatar International Exhibition for Travel & Tourism to be held in November this year.

Qatar International Exhibition for Travel & Tourism in November will be a great platform for mutual relations for increasing tourism resources and cultures. ‘Qatar International Exhibition for Travel & Tourism’ (QTM 2020) is expected to meet the extraordinary tourism growth in Qatar and would be a wonderful platform for creating business opportunities for industry professionals and buyers in the tourism and travel sectors. Slated in November at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) under the theme ‘Discover People, Place and Culture’, QTM 2020 will see important government and public sector authorities, domestic and foreign tourism for increasing tourism resources and cultures. The exhibition would be held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. The inaugural edition of QTM will strengthen Qatar’s travel and tourism sector, strengthening business and investment opportunities in tourism products and services. The Qatar government has come up with various measures to boost tourism, including visa-free entry for citizens of more 80 countries free of charge. The UNWTO has said, “Qatar has now become the most open country in the Middle East and the eighth most open in the world,” in terms of visa facilitation. Qatar is also one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations among the major cities globally, with massive growth expected in the next few years.

Read more

IRCTC to compensate passengers if Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express gets delayed.

IRCTC has decided to pursue a dynamic fare scheme for the highly-awaited Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express, which is ready to start its commercial operations from January 17, 2020. According to the news reports, the train will run on the basis of fares for regular, hectic and festive seasons. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express is the second train in India, which is completely operated by IRCTC. It will run for six days a week on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. For the first time ever from the train’s inception, IRCTC has announced to pay the passengers in case the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express is delayed. In case of an hour-long delay, train passengers will get a compensation of INR 100. If the delay is for two hours or more, the passengers will be offered a compensation of INR 250. However, there won’t be any concept of Tatkal tickets in the Tejas Express train. In case the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express is running late, the passenger can fill up a compensation claim form with the insurance firm in the link provided on the web. Passengers can also make a claim on its toll-free number. The details of travel, hours of train delay along with the PNR number and bank account details of the passenger need to be mentioned. Once the form is processed, the insurance company would transfer the refund to passengers' bank accounts Reportedly, it is for the first time that IRCTC has come up with a free insurance of INR 25 lakh to the passengers travelling in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express. The insurance cover also features INR 1 lakh insurance against theft or robbery during the journey. The passengers can also request for taxi hiring and hotel bookings facilities from IRCTC.

Read more