Category Archives: States

Nikhil Desai, Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), has said that a new convention centre is being opened by the end of year to boost MICE Tourism in the state of Goa. MICE will be one of the products that will be in focus of their strategy, he revealed. He said that they are working towards repositioning Goa apart from sun, sand and sea. “While Goa is synonymous with sun, sand and sea, we are trying to attract the attention of tourists to various other offerings in Goa including wildlife, nature, MICE, etc.” he added. He also informed that they are seeing a huge rise in social events in the last one year at a number of properties across Goa.

Valmiki Hari Kishan, Chairman- Tourism Committee, Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI), has said that Telangana State still hasn’t released its tourism policy, which we have been pushing for the past few years. However, he says that news has come that it will be released soon. “I am happy to share that the policy is ready within the Secretary of the Tourism committee and they will be rolling it out very shortly,” he said.

In a paradigm shift from one-stop location-specific approach, Kerala has firmly marked itself as a destination for extended holidays for all segments of visitors with diverse experiences across the state like homestays, drive holidays, wellness vacations and adventure activities, State Tourism Director, V R Krishna Teja, announced. “Year 2022 is going to be the year of Kerala Tourism. The year ahead is packed with events and festivities including the Kerala Travel Mart in May, Champions’ Boat League (CBL) and Kochi Muziris Biennale besides several cultural and literary fests and adventure tourism activities,” he said.

Nikhil Desai, Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), has said that they are working towards repositioning Goa apart from sun, sand and sea. “While Goa is synonymous with sun, sand and sea, we are trying to attract the attention of tourists to various other offerings in Goa including wildlife, nature, MICE, etc.” he said. He also informed that they are seeing a huge rise in social events in the last one year at a number of properties across Goa. 

The 06th edition of the Bengal Travel Mart, East & North East India’s largest B2B travel show, was held at Mayfair Tea Resort in Siliguri from March 5th to 7th, 22. Gautam Deb, Mayor Siliguri Municipal Corporation was the chief guest. BTM’s aim is to create Siliguri as a hub for the Eastern Himalayas’ inbound domestic market, providing opportunity for buyers and sellers to closely interact on a productive platform.

In a brainstorming session, Tourism Committee of Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) and GMR mulled over ‘Roadmap for Building a Stronger Tourism Product’ with an idea to make Hyderabad, Telangana State and nearby region as a tourism hub. At the meeting senior GMR officials headed by Pradeep Panicker, CEO, shared their views on the way forward.

Kerala Tourism will roll out aggressive promotional campaigns across the country, targeting diverse segments. The campaigns will be based on various themes and will be bolstered by a series of travel trade networking activities, including participation in trade fairs, and B2B roadshows. Dr. Venu V, Addl. Chief Secretary (Tourism), said, “The theme-based projects have been made after meticulous planning. Some of the new projects, like the biodiversity circuit, and Caravan Holidays, in particular, will take the travellers to Kerala’s unexplored areas while observing all the pandemic protocols, thus helping the state go beyond established destinations.”

With Maharashtra opening up for tourists, its tourism department has started rigorously promoting various tourism segments. Maharashtra tourism department has organised 20 mini festivals all through February and March. It will also conduct FAM tours for tour operators in March from various cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has decided to include cruise ride, water and adventure activities at 20 tourist destinations in the state. Scuba diving, water rafting, speed boats and banana boats among other activities are expected to begin soon as a regular sport for tourists at 20 water bodies of the state. It has invited expression of interest (EOI) from investors for organising cruises. Umakant Choudhary, deputy director of adventure and water tourism at MPTB, said, “We have 22 notified water bodies. Recently we have issued expression of interest for cruise operations. Other water sports such as scuba diving, water rafting, speed boats and banana boats will also be introduced at selected locations.”

Tourism is designated as an industry, and as such, it will benefit from government tariffs and levies in accordance with Industry norms. On Wednesday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented the state budget for the years 2022-23. According to him, the tourism and hospitality would be recognised as a separate industry in the state. The budget’s main focus was on jobs and healthcare.