Category Archives: States

As part of the week-long Onam celebrations, Kerala Tourism is all set to host the State Tourism Ministers’ Conclave, to be inaugurated by Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan on September 16 in Thiruvananthapuram. Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Minister, Kerala said that the conclave will deliberate on key issues likes sustainable tourism, challenges faced by the industry, and branding and promotion of State Tourism Boards apart from showcasing the story of Kerala’s post-flood resurgence. Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture will be the chief guest at the meet at Leela Raviz, Kovalam. Last year, Onam Week Celebrations were dropped as the state was overwhelmed by the devastating floods. This year, the celebration kicked off from September 10, showcasing the state’s vibrant classical and folk dances, modern art and performing traditions at multiple venues in the state capital and various District Centres.

The Madhya Pradesh government is formulating a new tourism policy to ensure better air connectivity to visitors and to provide jobs to local youth, said Surendra Singh Baghel, Tourism Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He also said the new policy will help promote scenic locations and heritage hotels in the state as wedding destinations. “We are framing a new tourism policy which is more employment-oriented, especially for local youths. We will also provide better air connectivity and chopper facilities to domestic travellers for visiting different tourist destinations in the state. MP Tourism will also organise activities with tour operators for promoting tourism in the state,” said the minister. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Secretary & Commissioner (Tourism) and MD, MP Tourism Development Board & MPTDC said that the government is also working on schemes to promote tourism in forest areas and to provide better medical facilities to visitors.

Aviation firms offering helicopter services at places identified under the UDAN scheme will get additional subsidy from the Uttarakhand government, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said recently. Rawat also said that the state has great potential for expansion of heli services. He says, “Companies which offer heli services in areas identified under the UDAN Yojana will get subsidy from the state government in addition to the subsidy given by the Centre.” The first-of-its-kind summit based on the theme of expanding connectivity through helicopters was organised here jointly by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the state government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

MAYFAIR Hotels and Resorts has opened its 11th Resort- MAYFAIR Lake Resort in Raipur. The Group now runs 11 properties across 9 destinations- Bhubaneswar, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Goa, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Puri, Rourkela, Kalimpong & Raipur. The resort is a 124-room property offering Executive Rooms, Deluxe Suites and a Presidential Suite. MAYFAIR Group widely acknowledged and admired for its architectural concept of low rise properties that highlights plush greenery, was founded by Dilip Ray in 1982, with its first property at Rourkela.  Over these years, the Group has earned a unique niche for itself in the Hospitality industry for its personalised services, luxurious accommodation, designer properties and eco-friendly environment that welcomes guests to a truly unforgettable experience. The property is designed to cater to the requirements of the growing MICE Segment and will be a key player in the development of a new Central Indian Travel Circuit. It has a number of indoor and open air venues with capacities of hosting 15 to 2000 guests. The hall with elegant decors and exotic wedding venues, that exude regal charm, makes it an ultimate address for Destination-wedding and MICE events, promising a flawless picture-perfect event experience. Conveniently located the property is just a 15 minutes’ drive   from Swami Vivekananda airport and is well connected by Road and Railways also.  

In a recent interview, Atul Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, says, “By the end of this year, 6 more Best Western-branded hotels are on track to open their doors. This include Best Western brand in New Delhi, Nawanshahr and Goa;  Best Western Plus brand in Vijag and Gurgaon. We look forward to introducing guests the exciting new brands of Best Western in the future, as we continue to develop a collection of high-quality hotels in key cities and resort locations, all across India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka.”

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has proposed two resorts – one in Pahalgam in Kashmir and the other in Leh, Ladakh, to boost tourism in the two destinations. The state cabinet has approved the proposal and set aside a token amount of Rs 2 crore. The Maharashtra government will either seek land or ask the local government if they have land and want to construct a resort or if there is a hotel, which they want them to run. A land survey to identify the location will be undertaken in 15 days, Maharashtra tourism minister said he will visit the area in the next 15 days and decide on the proposal. Maharashtra is likely to be the first state in the country to propose investments in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.

Tamil Nadu will soon see an influx of buyers from within India and other countries to attend CII Tamil Nadu Travel Mart (TTM) scheduled from September 19-22 at Chennai Trade Centre. Participants can also opt for one of four post-event tour programmes that will take them to the inner regions of Tamil Nadu. Most of these tours are already getting booked, T Nataraajan, President, Tamil Nadu Travel Mart Society & CEO of GRT Hotels & Resorts claims. “Our Society’s objective is inbound tourism. Tamil Nadu can offer all forms of tourism and is already well-known across the world. The TTM Society is now projecting hitherto unknown aspects of Tamil Nadu spread across its various districts,” he adds.

Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) started his 3-day tour to Leh for exploring the opportunities of increasing tourism in the region. Union Tourism Minister is leading a delegation of senior officials of the Ministry of tourism to meet local administration and tourism stakeholders to discuss and draw plans for development of tourism sector in Ladakh region. After reaching Leh, the Minister started series of meetings with various stakeholders  and discussed proposals of promoting tourism and cultural activities in Ladakh. MP from Ladakh Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal was also present during the meeting. The minister also held meeting with members of Cultural Society of Leh. The Minister also held a meeting with Travel Trade Alliance of Ladakh region to understand the problems of stakeholders in tourism sector. In the meeting different stakeholders from the alliance raised their problems before the Minister. They also gave suggestions to Minister for expanding opportunities in  tourism sector in the region. Promoting adventure tourism, winter tourism and cheap and better connectivity from different part of countries to Leh, Kargil and Nubra Valley in all seasons remained the highlight of the discussions. They also requested the Minister to facilitate opening of Hotel Management Institute and Mountaineering Institute in the area to promote local talent in the region. The Alliance members also gave a memorandum regarding their concerns to Union Minister. In response to Alliance concerns and suggestions, the Minister assured them that the Government  is very positive regarding their concerns and full support will be given to Ladakh regarding development of tourism in the newly announced UT. He said that central government has arrived at the doorstep of Ladakh to fulfil the …

The state bhavans in the national capital should not merely serve not as guest houses, but as the brand representatives of the state they represent, and be centers that promote trade and tourism as well, said PM Narendra Modi, while inaugurating first eco-friendly state bhavan, ‘Garvi Gujarat’, of the Gujarat government in the city recently.  The state bhavan has been described as a mix of traditional and modern architecture with a rich reflection of the western state’s culture. The bhavan is an evidence of the ‘New India’ mindset which believes in linking modernity to its cultural heritage, the Prime Minister said. “We want to touch the sky while remaining rooted,” he added. Source: PTI

Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Prahlad Singh Patel has said that the next meeting of state tourism ministers will take place in Jammu and Kashmir. The last meeting took place in Delhi recently. “Our next meeting of all state tourism ministers, as per their wish, has been planned in Jammu and Kashmir. When all these ministers met me in Delhi recently, all of them expressed their desire for the next meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. It could be in Srinagar as well. However, we haven’t decided the location as of now,” said the Minister. While every ministry is planning schemes for Ladakh region, he said he would be visiting Kashmir to take stock of ‘feasibility’ of implementation of schemes in the newly-carved Union Territory. “While we have sent our tourism officials to Leh and Ladakh to train the manpower for the betterment of the tourism sector for a few days, we would be focusing our energies on various schemes under our ministries. We would go to Jammu and Kashmir soon after,” the minister said. Ladakh will get dedicated projects that can make the region stand out as an international tourist destination, said Patel. (Source: ANI)