News

Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Bhutan, Indonesia among top picks for this X’mas vacation.

The vacation season is around the corner and travel portals are witnessing an uptick in demand for both domestic and international destinations. But, interestingly, it is the domestic destinations that are seeing higher growth. “There is a growth of 20 per cent in the demand for domestic destinations as compared to the same period last year," said Kapil Goswamy, MD, Bigbreaks.com. Travellers generally look for short-haul destinations during this time; the unrest in Hong Kong and better air connectivity to popular spots in the country could be the reasons for the surge in opting for domestic destinations, he added. According to industry experts, Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar and Himachal Pradesh are among the places seeing greater demand this year. Bhutan, Indonesia, Thailand and Dubai are emerging as top picks for international travel. While working professionals are actively seeking travel options to consume their pending annual leave during this period, millennial travellers are showing an increased appetite for travel, added Kale. SOTC Travel has come up with a Christmas package, ‘Santaland’, that allows customers to experience the season in international destinations. The prices start from around 2.50 lakh.

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Singapore’s One Faber Group appoints ISA Tourism as India representative.

Eyeing growing number of Indian tourists visiting Singapore, One Faber Group (1FG), Singapore’s leading leisure and tourism services provider, has appointed ISA Tourism its India market representative to expand its business. ISA Tourism Pvt Ltd, a boutique sales and marketing representation company for the hospitality and tourism industries, will focus on building 1FG’s brand awareness among Indian travellers, particularly new evolving tourists like young professionals, solo travellers and female travel groups. “As one of Singapore’s leading operators of leisure and lifestyle services, One Faber Group continually strives to enhance the experience and create memories for its local as well as international guests. India continues to be one of our priority markets and the appointment of ISA Tourism as market representative will allow more Indian tourists to discover our variety of memorable lifestyle experiences and embark on a delightful escapade with us,” said One Faber Group Managing Director, Buhdy Bok. Highlighting that India continues to be one of the top three markets for Singapore tourism industry, Manas Sinha, Director of ISA Tourism said: “We are very proud to be associated with One Faber Group and to be given the opportunity to promote their global footprint. This also reflects 1FG ‘s growing enthusiasm and interest in the Indian Market. We look forward to introducing more Indian guests to the One Faber Group brand and their amazing products and services.”

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Tripura rising on India’s tourism map.

The Tripura government is all set to unveil a new tourism policy with a focus on public- private partnership (PPP) model to boost footfall of tourists, officials said on Thursday. The state has witnessed an upward trend in tourist arrival during the past three years and increased the scope in creating job opportunities, they said. Tripura, which has tremendous potential in tourism segment is yet to flourish due to poor infrastructure facilities, lack of accommodation facility, connectivity and shortage of professional manpower. Unakoti, an archeological site, Tripureswari Temple, Chhabimura, Jampui Hills, Dumbur Lake, Sephajala Zoo and Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary could be major tourism attraction in the state. The department has already rope in a Shillong-based hotelier to set up star category hostel to provide better accommodation facilities to the tourists. Besides, Sagar Mahal, a state government-run tourist lodge situated near Neermahal has been handed over to the group. The official said the forest department which has so many tourism spots has agreed to allow tourists visiting two eco tourism spots- Barmura and Tepania and Sepahijala Zoo. The government has already made a policy decision to establish a helipad at Narikel Kunja, one of the most attractive tourism places surrounded by water bodies near Dumbur lake.

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Serbia to offer visa-free travel for Indian citizens.

Given the number of Indian tourists visiting the country, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has announced visa-free travel to Indian travellers and tourists. It was recently decided by the country’s administration that visa will be exempted for Indian nationals along with Iranianas with ordinary passports. With this, Indian nationals now won’t require a visa to explore the gorgeous southeastern European country. They can stay in the country without a visa for 30 days only from the date of entry (within a period of one year). According to a government official, “Undisturbed arrival of tourists from these countries, as well as potential investors, in order to create a more favourable business environment and bring bilateral relations with these countries to a higher level”. As per reports, the annual transaction between Belgrade and New Delhi amounts to $150 million, which is huge. In the same report, the trade between Iran and Serbia was mentioned between $20 million. Serbia with its rugged terrains, ancient architecture, and great mountains is known for its natural beauty. The country is also among one of the least explored destinations and makes a perfect holiday escape for those who believe in taking roads less travelled.

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IndiGo Operates 1500 Flights Per Day.

According to a report in cnbctv18.com, the airline hit the 1,500 domestic flights per day figure earlier this month. It now has a departure approximately every one minute. In a statement, IndiGo’s chief executive officer, Ronojoy Dutta said; “We are pleased to be the first Indian airline to touch 1,500 daily departures, with one flight taking off every minute. IndiGo has only been operating for 13 years. With the demise of Jet Airways, it is now the biggest airline in India in terms of fleet size and passenger numbers. It now has 249 planes (the majority being from the A320 family) and carried over 64 million passengers in the last financial year. IndiGo flies to 60 domestic and 23 international destinations.Whilst IndiGo launched new international flights to Istanbul, Jeddah, Chengdu, Yangon, Hanoi, Riyadh, Ho Chi Minh City and Guangzhou, it was a raft of new domestic destinations that drove growth in flight numbers at the airline. Indigo commenced domestic operations to Shillong, Gaya (from both Kolkata and Varanasi), Jodphur, Belgaum, Silchar (from Kolkata), Shirdi and Mysore. Also, Indigo started a swathe of domestic flights from the new Kannur Airport to Bengaluru, Kochi, Goa, Hubli, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.

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Nusa Penida tops list of backpacker travel destinations in 2020.

The island of Nusa Penida off Bali's east coast has beaten stiff competition from Thailand and Slovenia to be crowned Hostelworld's number one travel destination for backpackers in 2020. The Dublin-based hostel reservation platform compiled a list of the top 20 locations around the world for backpackers across the next 12 months, based on the biggest growth in bookings throughout 2019. Nusa Penida was one of three destinations from South East Asia to make it into the top ten, with Thailand's Surati Thani coming in at number two, while Siargaro Island in The Philippines was in ninth position. Hostelworld noted there was "no end of magical experiences to be had". "From attending prayer service in a sacred cave halfway up a mountain, to hiking to an abandoned treehouse turned insane lookout point and then swimming with playful giant manta rays, every moment is an adventure on Nusa Penida," it says. "Throw in those legendary Indonesian sunsets and plenty of ‘warungs’ serving delicious local food for pennies, and it’ll soon become obvious why it’s our number one backpacker hotspot for 2020." Nusa Penida is a district of Klungkung Regency that includes the neighbouring small island of Nusa Lembongan.

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