Category Archives: States

In a recent interview, Jaideep Dang, Managing Director, Hotels & Hospitality Business, JLL, says, “At present, Hyderabad is a booming market and is back into the reckoning. New hotels are being added yet the city remains strong. Besides this, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram keep rising. However, Mumbai remains at the top in terms of Occupancy and RevPAR. The reason primarily remains the surge in the commercial market space.”

Tamil Nadu Tourism is hopeful that Tamil Nadu Travel Mart (TTM), scheduled from September 19-22 at Chennai Trade Centre for increasing visitor numbers to the state. Apurva Varma, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Dept. said, “We expect a lot of buyers to come for the second edition of TTM. It will be a huge platform for showcasing Tamil Nadu, where all stakeholders would come under one roof. Right from hoteliers, wellness tourism providers, domestic and international travel products, will be there for buyers. Everybody is excited and looking forward to it.”

Delhi came out at the top as host (84.6%), organiser (88.5%) and supplier (88.2%) of MiCE events in India, revealed a recent report on MICE Market In India. The report claimed that the three base metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata in addition to Bangalore are at the top of the mind when it comes to recall of all the segments at both demand as well as supply end. Mumbai was a close second as host (76.9%), organiser (79.2%) and suppliers (79.2%) of events followed by Kolkata as host (53.9%) , organiser (48.3%) and suppliers (73.2%) of events. The report was commissioned by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Assam Tourism Department Corporation (ATDC) has started developing a unique concept of tourism called ‘Tea & Tee’ which clubs tea tourism along with golf tourism. This was revealed by Jayanta Malla Baruah, Chairman, ATDC, on the sidelines of a three-city roadshow that travelled to Ahmedabad, Pune and finally Mumbai. The roadshow was a joint effort between Department of Tourism, Govt of Assam in association with India Tourism, Mumbai (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). Leading the event was Chandan Brahma, Honourable Tourism Minister, Assam, along with 36 tour operators from Assam who were participating in the roadshow. Elaborating on the new concept, Baruah explains, “Assam is a small state but we have more than 22 golf courses that are world-class with nine-hole and 18-hole courses. If we include the small ones, it is more than 30 golf courses. A lot of these are located inside tea estates that also have tea bungalows that are unique to Assam.” Highlighting the growing numbers to the state, he said that Assam has received more than 60 lakh domestic tourists in 2018-19. FTAs in the same period was around 41,000-plus. “We are expecting to cross 50,000 FTAs this year and at least 70-75K in domestic tourists,” he revealed. According to reports, Assam government has sanctioned INR 300 crore to Assam Tourism in order to promote the state as a world-class tourist destination. Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam, tweeted recently to announce its decision and also revealed that the government is brainstorming to host Filmfare Awards in Guwahati for the first time.

Tourism Association of Bihar (TAB) recently celebrated its Foundation day. The event was inaugurated by Y. Nilkantham (Director , India Tourism,  Patna) , Sumit Chatergee (Principle , IHM , Hajipur). Nilkantham shared insight regarding tourist flow in Bihar where he said that by 2020, Bihar will host more foreigners than Goa. He also encouraged the associates of the association to actively participate in programmes organised by India and state tourism . He said, “Two way traffic from other states or from Nepal  should be created to promote Bihar so that adequate revenue could be generated .” The Foundation Day also saw the presence of delegates from Nepal Tourism Board.  

On the sidelines of the ADTOI convention, Aashima Mehrotra, Director, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Govt. of India, stated “Gujarat remains a great destination for tourism as it offers everything including textiles, architecture, industry and entrepreneurship of people. We have chosen Somnath and Dhaulavera as the iconic sites from Gujarat for holistic development and under ‘Adopt A Heritage: Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan’ project where different sites of Gujarat have been chosen for development of tourism amenities.” 

The government of Gujarat has plans in place to set up a world-class zoo, spread across 1300 acres, near the Statue of Unity, the 597 ft statue situated over 100 kilometres away from Vadodara. Set to be complete by October 2020, the zoo will have seven levels and a variety of animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinos, and other exotic animals. The Central Zoo Authority is said to have given an in-principle approval to the plan. The zoo, as well as river-rafting facilities, are part of a plan to make Kevadiya, where the statue is situated, a major tourist attraction. The plan is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to develop the region as a major tourism hub. (Source: PTI)

Appreciating the theme of the 9th ADTOI Convention which recently took place in Ahmedabad, SJ Haider, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism,  Govt. of Gujarat said, “There are countless destinations to see in India as well as Gujarat and ‘Explore India – Experience India’ seems apt theme for this convention.  It is important to be aware of our culture and heritage. Our Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani  has also started the initiative of border tourism. Tourism has a huge socio-economic impact on society. In destinations where economic activity is not possible, tourism can help develop economic activities. A shining example of the same is the Rann Utsav, where there is no other viable economic activity happening and we have been able to develop the same. This has given employment to the local people and improved their financial situations. Even ‘Kite festival’ has been able to generate man days of employment for the local populace. This helps instill a feeling of pride among the people for the border security forces, also instill patriotism.”

The Yogi Adityanath government has planned to set up a development board to promote spiritual tourism in Uttar Pradesh. The state government has already been pushing religious tourism with Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Holi in Barsana and now Janamashtami in Mathura. He also asked travel operators to train local youths to become good guides and service providers in this sector and boost the prospects of tourism development. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, said, “Uttar Pradesh is a major centre of spiritual tourism, and tourists and pilgrims visit the state in lakhs. The government is going to set up a development board to further improve spiritual tourism in the state.” The state has already developed a ‘Buddhist Circuit’ under which work has been done in Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu and Shravasti. Places related to Jainism have also been developed, along with the Ramayana Circuit. “Work is also in progress on linking Uttar Pradesh to Janakpur in Nepal, the birth place of Sita,” Adityanath said. Source: IANS

Scheduled from September 19-22 at Chennai Trade Centre, the upcoming CII Tamil Nadu Travel Mart (TTM) will be putting a new focus on Tamil Nadu. Apurva Varma, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, said, “Last TTM was very successful with the attendance of as many as 250 foreign tour operators, for whom, we also organised Fam trips. This year, we are preparing aggressively for it and want it to make it bigger and better.” S Sundar, Honorary Secretary, Tamil Nadu Travel Mart Society, claims that with this mart Tamil Nadu will be promoted as a leisure destination. “Tamil Nadu has many avenues for leisure as well as wellness, which attract international and domestic travellers. People can also visit for cultural experiences and affordable shopping. Chennai’s image as a gateway to the South has shifted, which we want to re-establish. At TTM, we will be showcasing Chennai’s museums, beaches, food, and nightlife,” he said.