Category Archives: States

In order to boost tourism facilities in Rajasthan, the Government of Rajasthan has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore. “Singapore has been a close friend and partner of Rajasthan in infrastructure and tourism development. With these MoUs, we aim to deepen this association and develop the state as a world-class, global tourist destination with advanced urban infrastructure,” said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. The MoU seeks to aggregate Singapore’s expertise through tripartite collaboration between the government, tourism institutions and industry partners to strengthen Rajasthan’s ‘knowledge capabilities.’ Rajasthan is also seeking to utilise Singapore’s public and private sector proficiency in the development of tourism. The otheragreement focuses on enhancing Rajasthan’s international appeal and connectivity, facilitation of private sector participation in a bid to rejuvenate the state’s heritage areas and critical urban and smart solutions. The MoU will also train 100 Rajasthan tourism officials. The 36-month programme is supported by the Temasek Foundation International with a $484,000 grant, and co-funded by the Rajasthan tourism department. Singapore will also share expertise in areas like inter-modal transport integration, waste management solutions and affordable wireless connection.

Andhra Pradesh has registered 20 per cent growth in tourist arrivals in the first 8 months of 2016 over the corresponding period last year. The state which has some of the most pristine beaches, hill stations, temples, backwaters etc. have recorded 9.78 cr tourist footfalls till August in this year. The figures reflect a massive increase in foreign tourist arrivals; till August as many as 2.32 lakh foreigners visited the state which is a whopping growth of 122 per cent compared to the corresponding data last year. Anantapur district which houses the famous Puttaparthi and Lord Veerbhadra temple at Lepakshi, became the most visited destination by foreign tourists. Majority of the foreign tourists were from the South – East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East countries such as Dubai among others. Andhra Pradesh also registered domestic footfalls of 9.76 Cr during the period as against 8.14 Cr in the last year, which is an increase of 20%. The state has witnessed a lot of traction from tourists who came for business, education and pilgrimage. Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli, I.A.S., Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said, “The tourist arrivals into the state is very encouraging and will motivate us to work harder to progress towards our endeavor of creating a tourism friendly environment in the state. Our focus on fast tracking projects will eventually enhance infrastructure and engagement at tourist sites.”

The Centre of Excellence for Tourism Training (CETT) in Udaipur is scheduled to begin operations later this year and will have an annual intake of 480 students. The centre has been established by Rajasthan’s Department of Skills, Employment and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore and will provide skill and vocational training in services related to travel and tourism. The institute inaugurated by Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister, Government of Rajasthan and Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister, Government of Singapore, will offer up to six courses including retail services, hospitality operations and culinary arts. Rajat Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary, Department of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Government of Rajasthan said, “Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Rajasthan. We want to capture the entire tourism market throughout India and also abroad. The centre’s training could also help Rajasthan workers get jobs in cruise liners and airlines.” Skills development is a key area of cooperation between Singapore and India and the Udaipur centre is one of three institutes that Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is helping to start in India. The first, the World Class Skill Centre in New Delhi, is running, and another is being planned in the state of Assam in the North East.

The Vintage Bike and Car festival 2016 is set to be an annual event as the first edition of the event organised by Goa Tourism and Goa Tourism Development Corporation concluded in Panjim. A record participation of 83 vintage cars and 40 vintage bikes set the streets of the capital city roaring as the vintage automobiles made their way down memory lanes on a two-hour long rally. Minister for Tourism, Dilip Parulekar flagged off the rally at Paryatan Bhavan this morning in the presence of Nilesh Cabral, Chairman  of  GTDC and other dignitaries and officials. Parulekar said, “It is overwhelming to see such a huge participation at the Vintgae Bike and Car festival 2016 and should be an annual event that will boost tourism in the State of Goa. Goa Tourism and GTDC organise such unique events in the State to promote tourism and the Vintage Bike and Car festival will help boost heritage tourism in a big way.”

Andhra Pradesh Tourism is planning to fast-track the implementation of ‘Mission 45’, which is a group of 45 projects identified by the tourism department, under the state’s attractive Liberal Land lease Policy and Public Private Partnership. Investments in these projects, pertaining to multiple segments – amusement parks, hotels, convocation centers, MICE facilities among others, are a win-win for investors owing to the incentives offered under the land lease policy of AP Government. A detailed plan of action was sketched out for each project during Andhra Pradesh Tourism’s 3-day meeting in Vijayawada with all the Regional Directors of Tourism and other senior government officials. The department intends to roll out the RFPs for each of them in the next 10 to 15 days. Emphasising on the need to be fully prepared to cater to the demand from the upcoming tourist season, it was decided that substantial effort would be undertaken to ensure that all the tourist centric facilities such as APTDC properties, water sport facilities, house boats etc. are fully functional to cater to the needs of the tourists. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli, Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, Dr. R.P. Khajuria, Commissioner, Department of Tourism and M. Girija Shankar, Managing Director, AP Tourism Development Corporation, Government of Andhra Pradesh. World’s oldest aircraft carrier-ship, INS Viraat, which will be decommissioned by the Indian Navy later this year, is slotted to be berthed at the Vizag Coast by mid-2017. In view of this and to create necessary infrastructure to successfully berth the warship, the department will very soon issue notification for the selection of renowned consultants from domestic as well as international fields for drafting DPR to  select …

The ninth edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) was inaugurated in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan; Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Abraham George, President, KTM Society, V. Venu Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, among other dignitaries at Le Meridien, Kochi. 57 countries besides 20 Indian states are participating during the three-day biennial event, which is being organised by the KTM Society in association with the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala on September 27, World Tourism Day. Ten countries will be represented at the Mart for the first time, with Mexico, Georgia, Japan, China, Chile, Greece, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Botswana. The 560 total international delegates registered for KTM 2016 features the biggest-ever contingents from 10 highly-prized traditional markets, including the US, Canada and Australia. Domestic participation too has seen an uptick, buoyed by aggressive marketing campaigns. Some 1,304 Indian buyers will participate this year.

On the occasion of Navratri that is celebrated in Maharashtra with much pomp, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has announced the launch of its unique Navratri Darshan Tours for the first time for all the devotees in Mumbai. The Navratri Darshan Tour will spin across five of the most iconic Devi temples in the city which include Mumbadevi temple in Kalbadevi; Mahalakshmi temple; Dagdi Chawl in Byculla; Murubaidevi temple in Matunga and Shitladevi temple in Mahim.  The tour will commence from Bhatia Baug BEST bus depot near CST wherein 40 tourists in each AC bus will be accommodated. The online booking of this tour will start from 20 September 2016.

The Union Territory of Lakshadweep has announced that it will re-open one of its island – Bangaram island – for tourists on October 14, 2016. A.M. Hussain, Assistant Director (Tourism), Department of Tourism, Union Territory of Lakshadweep, said, “The highlight for 2016-17 for Lakshadweep is re-launching of Bangaram island resort, which was the flagship of Lakshadweep Tourism till 2010. But after the expiry of the lease period it had gone under a legal battle and after the hearing from High Court of Kerala as well as the Supreme Court, the resort has come back to us.” The resorts at Bangaram and Agatti islands – two popular destinations in Lakshadweep – had been closed for the past couple of years as they were caught in legal battles between the administration and tourism operators.

BIAL in collaboration with ThoughtWorks, a global technology company,  announced the launch of the BLR Airport App, as part of its digital platform offering. Through the digital platform bouquet of services, BIAL aims at revolutionising the travel experience at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) through a combination of digital technologies that include the Internet of: things, people, services and data. The airport will build on its existing technological capabilities to engage with its customers and provide integrated services across various touch points. Through these efforts BIAL aims to future-proof its airport operations and services by making meaning of the abundant digital data available and create a more personalised, just-in-time travel services. A first step, as part of this digital transformation was offering passengers everything at a single click on their mobile phone through the BLR Airport app. The airport app includes a number of useful features to help simplify the passengers airport experience. The navigation provides an intimate interface with real-time flight information and commercial offerings. Available on iOS and Android platforms, the app is designed to provide customers with the best of airport navigation powered by Google Indoor Maps (the first Indian Airport to use Google Indoor Maps), context-specific operational and commercial notifications powered by beacon technology deployed by leveraging leading industry standards.

The Government of Assam, Tourism Department has declared to open the Kaziranga National Park from the first week of October this year till middle of May 2017. Earlier, it was from November 1 to April 30 every year. The BJP-led government is taking steps to keep the Park open for the tourists for eight months instead of the normal six months with an aim to increase tourist inflow to UNESCO’s world heritage site, which suffered due to the recent floods.