Category Archives: States

As per the “Key Indicators of Domestic Tourism in India” report released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), nearly 48% of all single member trips undertaken by members from a particular household were performed by women in both rural and urban areas for leading purpose health and medical. For the business purpose trips, the above proportion for female was very low (2%). For visitor-trips from outside States with any one of the leading purposes as business, social, religious & pilgrimage, education & training and others, Uttar Pradesh (12.7 lakhs) was the most visited State followed by Andhra Pradesh & Telangana combined (nearly 8.7 lakhs) and Rajasthan (nearly 8.6 lakhs). Summer season (i.e. May-June) was the peak period for undertaking a trip with leading purpose holidaying, leisure & recreation, whereas, for shopping trips it was winter (December-February). Religious & pilgrimage trips were more frequent during the months of July and August. Nearly 23% of visitor-trips in rural areas were for holidaying as visitor’s purpose, whereas for urban areas this share was about 59%. The share of visitor-trips for heath & medical purposes from rural areas (48%) was nearly twice than that from urban areas (25%). More than 80% of overnight visitor-trips completed during last 30 days, were for social purpose both in rural and urban areas. The survey covered the whole of the Indian Union. The results of the survey are based on the sample canvassed by NSSO, consisting of 8,001 villages and 6,061 urban blocks, respectively, spread over all States and Union Territories of the country. The total number of households in which the Schedule was canvassed was 79,497 and 60,191 in rural and urban India respectively during the …

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (MPSTDC) has announced the third edition of the Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart. To be held from 14-16 October, 2016 at the Hotel Lake View Ashok in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the event will focus on promoting Madhya Pradesh as a year round destination. Om Vijay Choudhary, Executive Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, said, “We are going to increase the scale of the convention and will be inviting more buyers, exhibitors as well as media.” The three day event in Bhopal will showcase the various offerings of the state.

Andhra Pradesh Tourism has announced 25 new packages for the benefit of holiday planners and travellers. The tour packages have been segregated into the five tourist hubs of the state – Visakhapatnam, Konaseema-Rajahmundry-Kakinada, Amaravati-Vijayawada, Tirupati-Nellore and Ananthapuramu-Kurnool-Kadapa. All the tour packages are already in effect. Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said “The tour packages have been specially crafted for the holiday travellers to make best sue of. Convenience of traveller is of utmost importance for us and these packages have been designed keeping their comfort and convenience in mind. We aim to provide them with a memorable experience to cherish ever after every time they visit Andhra Pradesh.”

Starting July 11, people can travel from Delhi and nearby NCR cities all the way to Pokhara in Nepal from the Anand Vihar bus terminal, without any breaks. The Uttar Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has joined hands with agencies in Nepal to ply direct AC buses between Ghaziabad and Pokhara. According to reports, the initiative is an outcome of an agreement signed between India and Nepal for regulation of passenger traffic between the two countries in November 2014. The bus service will undertake a journey of around 1,300km in 28 hours.

According to a state report, almost 12 million tourists visited Telangana last year. And the major part of this number is of religious tourists—almost 3.6 million tourists visited the popular Buddhist, Jain and other religious sites in the state, the report reveals. In 2015, the state attracted double the number of pilgrims as compared to that of 2014. And a huge part of the tourist footfall last year is because of the Godavari Maha Pushkaram, which is observed once in 12 years and received plenty of pilgrims and travellers alike. According to the report, almost 10 lakh domestic and international tourists had taken a dip in the Godavari during the festival.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has been selected as a facilitator for the ‘Hunar Se Rojgar Tak’ scheme, launched by Ministry of Tourism – Government of India, to impart valuable courses at state level in the hospitality sector. MTDC has associated with identified hospitality institutions in Maharashtra for the Hunar Se Rojgar Tak scheme which primarily focuses on providing economic empowerment of the youth in the remote parts of Maharashtra. The programmes running under the scheme are free of cost for the students with an aim to empower the under privileged youth of the country ensuring economic benefit through employment generation and to reduce the skill gap that affects the hospitality sector. Dr. K. H. Govinda Raj, IAS, Managing Director, MTDC, said, “We have conducted various courses at Pune, Nasik, Baramati and Nagpur regions under the ‘Hunar Se Rozgar Tak’ scheme which has benefitted thousands of students belonging to low economic strata. MTDC has associated with reputed hospitality institutes to provide a skill based training programme in categories like food production, bakery and housekeeping which will help these students to be financially independent. Many students have benefitted from this course and are already employed and started their own career in the hospitality sector. MTDC believes in contributing towards state economy and work hard to enhance the opportunities and support youth’s contribution in the hospitality sector.”

In a bid to attract more tourists to its shores, Andhra Pradesh has launched a host of water sports and adventure tourism facilities. In line with the surge in tourist interest in water sport activities, the state has already introduced a plethora of such facilitates for example parasailing, jeep parasailing, para-motoring, water skiing, speed boat etc. in Bhavani Islands in Vijayawada. Work is also well underway to replicate the same across other key beaches such as Rishikonda, Bheemili, Mangamaripeta, Thotlakonda, among others. Also, two houseboats have been launched with one and three bedroom capacities respectively in the popular tourist destination of Papikondalu in Rajahmundry. To strengthen the tourism development in the state, Andhra Pradesh is also launching 33 hotels offering more than 2766 rooms and with a total investment of Rs. 2400 Cr. Notable global brands such as Taj group, ITC group, Accor group Holiday Inn Associates and JW Marriot Associates etc. has already invested in such projects. Tourism in Andhra Pradesh is also geared up to add a new feather in its cap with the launch of amphibious vehicles in Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. These special kinds of vehicles which can operate on both land and water will give visitors an unforgettable experience. Encouraging Heli tourism, the state is also coming up with sea planes to be functional in Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Kakinada. In Vizag, one of such helicopters will be operated from one of the most prominent tourist attractions of Kailasagiri Hills. Site for setting up sea plane jetty has been identified in all the destinations and currently design work is underway. Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said “We are extremely proud to …

The Odisha Travel Bazzar will be held for the first time on November 27-28 in Bhubaneshwar this year, informed Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of State – Tourism & Culture, Govt. of Odisha. The event will be held on the lines of Great Indian Travel Bazaar where tour operators from across the world would participate in the mart. Funds to the tune of Rs 2 cr have reportedly been allocated for the travel bazaar. Odisha Travel Bazaar will be held in association with FICCI and will target potential consumers of Odisha’s tourism products from across the globe.

Indian Ambassadors to Croatia, Iceland and Israel have extended an invitation to Goa to promote its tourism products in their respective countries. Welcoming  the  initiatives  for  an exchange  of tourism ties between  Goa  and Croatia,  Iceland and Israel, Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), Nilesh Cabral, spoke about Goa’s new tourism  initiatives  recently launched by GTDC. He also impressed on Goa Tourism’s efforts made to augment tourism infrastructure, safety measures and hygiene for tourists visiting Goa. Cabral said, “We would also  like travel and tour operators  from Croatia,  Iceland and  Israel to visit Goa to witness and experience the various tourism facets so that they go back and  enthuse their nationals to visit this State. Goa is now a 365 day tourist destination. We have recently launched a new interactive Website and Mobile App which enables tourists to access information on Goa and plan their vacations accordingly at the click of a button.” Representatives from the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) were also present for the interaction session where several suggestions and ideas were shared on promoting tourism and cultural ties between Goa and the three countries. Insights were also given into monsoon tourism and night life in Goa.

The newly elected Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has brought back Dr. V. Venu, IAS, as the new Tourism Secretary. A Kerala cadre IAS, Dr. Venu was Tourism Secretary in the State during the last Left government between 2006 and 2011. The election manifesto of the Left Front has unequivocally stated its target to double tourist numbers in the next five years. Known for his progressive ideas, Dr Venu was behind the Kerala Tourism’s popular Rural and Responsible Tourism initiatives, which received global acclaim in recent times.