Category Archives: States

The Gujarat government’s Seema Darshan project is being constructed as a major spot at Nada Bet in Banaskantha district. Jenu Devan, Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, said that the Seema Darshan project which was inaugurated in December 2016 at Nada Bet has already started receiving around 4,000-5,000 visitors during the weekends. “The tourism department is now trying to promote Nada Bet on the lines of the Wagah Border with not only a Retreat Ceremony, but also creating a two-three hours tour package for that entire area which will include a tourist facilitation centre, auditorium, museum, interpretation centres, and other amenities. Electric vehicles will be introduced that will take the tourists around the 25 km border area up to zero point where they will be allowed to take photographs,” he said.

Representatives from ‘Invest India’ gave a brief presentation on their tourism vision plan they are jointly developing with Ministry of Tourism at the recent ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ that took place in Ladakh. The presentation included short, medium and long-term plans for various segments such as adventure and wellness tourism in Ladakh.

Principal Secretary, Tourism, Surendra Kumar visited the newly-constructed Nimantran restaurant in Bhubaneshwar and reviewed the preparation. The soon to be inaugurated restaurant is an initiative of Odisha Tourism to promote Odia cuisine. The restaurant chain will be operated by Odisha Tourism Development Corporation through a dedicated wing.

The Department of Tourism, Odisha held a kick-off meeting on the preparation of an integrated tourism Master Plan for Chilika at Paryatan Bhawan. The tourism department has engaged Oman-based Bharath Engineering Innovation Design & Consulting to prepare this plan. This will include developing new tourism products like cruises at Chilika Lake, Hirakud Reservoir, Mahanadi River and Bhitarkanika. Shacks at prominent beach destinations are also being operationalised.

The Karnataka government has announced collaboration of the Department of Technical Education (DTE) with Montgomery County Community College and the Harrisburg Area Community College in the US. Under this partnership, the state will offer twinning programs in travel and tourism as well as cyber-security for which students will get diplomas and associate degrees.

Speaking at a virtual meet recently, Dr Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary Tourism, Govt of Kerala, discussed plans to make tourism development in Kerala environmentally sustainable, community-led and economically beneficial to the local people. He also spoke about creating community-level linkages and encouraging adoption of responsible tourism principles and practices among stakeholders.

Gujarat Tourism recently conducted a physical roadshow for the travel agents and tour operators of Madhya Pradesh. The event was held in Indore as well as Bhopal and was attended by RK Misha, Assistant Director, Director of Tourism, Deepika Roy Choudhary, Deputy Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism, along with Hemendra Singh Jadon, Chapter Chairman (MP-CG) of TAAI. Gujarat showcased its new and popular tourism products including the Statue of Unity and Champaner. Dholavira in Gujarat has also been recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Nearly after 59 years, the Government of Uttarakhand has now opened the Gartang Gali trek for the tourists after completing the required restoration and repair work. Gartang Gali is 500-meter long timber-lined stairway in the Nelang, built by the Peshawari Pathans. Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Satpal Maharaj said, “The opening of Gatang Gali trek has added a new dimension to the adventure tourism activities in the state of Uttarakhand. The bridge has historical and strategic importance in the history of Uttarakhand and demonstrates the coordinal trade relations of the country with its neighbours since ancient times.” Gartang Gali was used as a route between India and Tibet by Dorji’s  (Tibetan merchants) to reach Uttarkashi via Sumla, Mandi to trade items like Salt, Jaggery, Spices, Gold, Pashmina wool etc. However after the Indo-China war in Year 1962, Nelang valley was closed for the general tourists and visitors, as the place came under the inner line area of Uttarkashi. In 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India granted permission for opening up the Nelang Ghati and Jadung for tourists, however the wooden bridge remained inaccessible to the public due to its bad conditions. Tourists can now visit the place and have pleasant walk over the wooden bridge build in the traditional style by cutting through a single rock.  This bridge gives an exciting view of Nelang Valley, which is rich in flora and fauna and is home to rare animals such as snow leopards and blue sheep. Dilip Jawalkar, Tourism Secretary, Uttarakhand said, “The government of Uttarakhand is working consistently to revive the tourism sector of the state which has been affected by the pandemic. …

M!CEtalk Digital Conclave, powered by Cvent India, on rebooting Indian MICE landscape will be held on 25th August, 2021 at 11am IST. The panelists include Nikhil Desai, MD, Goa Tourism Development Corporation; Sabbas Joseph, Founder-Director at Wizcraft International Entertainment; Rajdev Bhattacharya, Global Head (Travel and Hospitality ) & Business Head, WAY2GO and GM, Global Travel Services- WIPRO Limited; Arif Patel, Regional VP, Sales & Marketing, Hyatt India; and Sandeep Nagpal, VP & Head of Marketing, Cvent India. To register write to jaspreet, kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 96501 96532.

Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, on Tuesday launched many initiatives of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to boost tourism in the state. The projects include initiatives such as a new boat club at Ganpatipule in Ratnagiri, a renovated MTDC resort at Sinhagad fort in Pune, and a new website of MTDC that will go live from Wednesday. MTDC also signed Memoranda of Understanding with online travel companies MakeMyTrip and Goibibo to promote MTDC properties and with M/s SkyHigh India to start skydiving and adventure sports activities. A MoU was also signed with Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Pune, for annual training of MTDC staff.