Tag Archives: Agra

Pan-India domestic tourism revival initiative has been introduced in the form of India City Walks Festival™ (ICWF™). It is supported by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). This initiative is in line with the ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ missions of Hon’ble Prime Minister. The focus of India City Walks Festival™ is on heritage, monuments, history, tradition and city sightseeing destinations for walks, storytelling sessions, events, and experiences both on-ground and virtual. The Festival is the initiative of India City Walks (ICW®), three-time National Award recipient and Hall of Fame award recipient operating under parent company City Explorers Private Limited. The India City Walks Festival™ is being organised, and on-boarding of locals is ongoing to register as Hosts. It begins with the curtain raiser walks (virtual and on-ground) in Delhi, Jaipur, Indore, Gwalior, Chandigarh, Agra and Varanasi. In February 2021, successful training and events took place in the state of Uttarakhand with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. More events in India City Walks Festival™ are lined up for March and April, 2021. India City Walks Festival™ (ICWF™) aims to take people on a journey of exploration around cities of India to reveal iconic locations and little-known facts and best-kept secrets. Join the biggest heritage and cultural festival of all times to celebrate your city and your neighbourhood. To register, fill the Google form: https://cutt.ly/submit-entry For more information, check https://www.indiacitywalks.com/festival/ or get in touch at +91 9899692790 | indiacitywalksfestival@gmail.com

IndiGo has announced daily non-stop flights from Agra to Bengaluru, Bhopal an Lucknow respectively. The new flights will be effective from @8th March, 2021. The news was welcomed by the travel trade in Agra.

In order to further strengthen domestic connectivity, IndiGo plans to initiate flights from seven new stations subject to regulatory approvals and slot allocation. Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo, says, “We plan to open Leh and Darbhanga in February, followed by Kurnool and Agra in March, Bareilly and Durgapur in April, and Rajkot in May 2021.”

Sunil C Gupta, EC Member & Chairman-Northern Region, IATO and Director, Travel Bureau, Agra, has said that the Minister of Tourism and Culture needs to review the capping of tourist numbers at the Taj Mahal, since that is creating a chaos and black marketing of tickets. Reacting on reports of tourists not getting tickets at Taj Mahal, he said, “It is very said that we have mismanaged and now there is a cap of 2500 tourists for morning and afternoon. This unnecessary shortage of tickets creates panic, fear, chaos and frustration among tourists. It’s totally unwarranted and impractical. We humbly request our dear tourism minister and DG-ASI to kindly review this as there is no need for any capping. This is sending a wrong a message to tourist and is counter-productive to the efforts of MOT and MOC for revival of tourism.”

IndiGo has announced that it will start operations to Agra with the launch of a direct non-stop flight from Bengaluru on March 5, under the government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN, revealed William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo. Agra will be IndiGo’s 63rd destination and 86th overall in its network, which also has flight services to 23 international airports. The airline already operates flights to and from Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Varanasi. “It gives us pleasure to announce Agra as the 63rd domestic destination in our network. Operating exclusively under the UDAN scheme, the new services will promote trade and tourism in the region through increased mobility,” said Boulter. With its fleet of over 250 aircraft, the airline offers 1,500 daily flights, connecting 63 domestic destinations and 23 international destinations.

Ginger Hotels, operated by Roots Corporation, has signed a new hotel in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. This will be Ginger’s first hotel in Jhansi, a city that is amongst those selected for the ‘Smart City’ initiative by Government of India. Ginger Jhansi will have 76 rooms, an all-day diner, and a meeting room. Located exactly opposite the railway station, the proposed hotel is a convenient option for travellers visiting the historic city of Jhansi for business or leisure. The hotel is a greenfield development and is slated to open by late 2020. “We are delighted to partner with Khard Hotels for the new Ginger hotel and to set foot in the historic city of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. This will be the first branded hotel in the city,” says Deepika Rao, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Ginger Hotels. The Ginger portfolio has 45 operating hotels across 32 cities, with another eight hotels in the pipeline. The Indian Hotels Company, of which Roots Corporation is a subsidiary, has five hotels in the state of Uttar Pradesh – The Gateway Hotel Fatehabad Road Agra; Vivanta and Ginger in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow; Taj Nadesar Palace Varanasi and The Gateway Ganges Varanasi.

Avalon Waterways is set to expand in India in 2019, offering cruise tours that visit the country’s Golden Triangle and sail on the Ganges River. Avalon’s 13-day India itineraries will begin in Delhi and also visit Agra and Jaipur. Passengers will then fly to Kolkata, where they’ll board their ship and travel north on the Hooghly, a tributary of the Ganges. The river portion of the cruise will visit small cities such as Kalna, Matiari, Murshidabad and Mayapur. The line will charter Ganges Voyager, a 36-passenger vessel formerly used by Vantage Deluxe World Travel for its India trips. The cruises begin in February 2019 and will also run in September, October and November 2019.  

Air India is set to start its inaugural flight on the Jaipur-Agra-Jaipur route from December 8, 2017. The flight will be plying between the destinations thrice a week, namely, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and will be using an ATR aircraft. The flight will depart Jaipur (AI 9687) at 11:15 am and arrive in Agra at 12:05 pm. The airline will then depart Agra (AI 9688) at 12:25 pm and land in Jaipur at 1:15 pm.

Hoping to cash in on the growing leisure travellers in the city of the Taj, VITS Hotels Worldwide has launched a four-star property, VITS Agra. Chandrakant Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, VITS Luxury Business Hotels says, “Agra is a world renowned tourist destination, home to the Taj Mahal and also called city of love. We are delighted to launch our property in the city that would enable us tap the growing potential of tourist inflow.” VITS Agra offers 60 rooms with three categories- deluxe, suite and executive deluxe, each boasting of tastefully adorned décor, luxurious ambience and modern services. Each room is replete with amenities ranging from Wi-Fi connectivity, 24-hour room service, tea/coffee maker and an attached bathroom with complimentary toiletries. With major tourist attractions namely the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar Tomb and Jama Mosque in close proximity, the hotel boasts of aesthetically designed rooms and suites ideal for business and leisure alike. VITS Luxury Hotels currently operates nine properties located and has an inventory of 600 rooms with host of banqueting, conferencing, restaurant and lifestyle facilities.

A new civilian terminal is expected to come up at the Kheria Air Force Station in Agra to provide international facilities to passengers visiting the Taj city, revealed Mahesh Sharma, Tourism Minister, Government of India. The Kheria airport is currently under the control of Indian Air Force which allows one of its air strips to be used for civilian flights. Post discussions with the district officials, Sharma informed, Rs. 100 crore has already been sanctioned for upgrading the Kheria airport and construction of the civilian terminal, for which about 50 acres of land has already been acquired. Sharma further informed that the proposed Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar is expected to cater to the aviation needs of the national capital region (NCR), while the Agra airport will primarily cater to the tourists visiting the Taj Mahal. (Source: Business Standard)