Tag Archives: Heritage Tourism

The Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) will hold its 11th Annual Convention and 23rd Annual General Meeting on 19 & 20 September, 2024, at INDeco Hotels Swamimalai. IHHA is the first post-independence aggregation of India’s erstwhile Royals and Thakurs, to formulate a master plan for their future role and promote heritage tourism in India. Crucially, the initial objective was to maintain and preserve the legacy surrounding their palaces. The first Annual Convention, held on 21 & 22 September, 2012, at Nahargarh, Ranthambore, aimed to revive India’s rich cultural, historical, and architectural heritage. K. Ramachandran, Minister for Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, and K. Lakshminarayanan, Minister for Tourism, Government of Pondicherry, consented to launch this event. Similarly, Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Mugdha Sinha, IAS, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, are expected to deliver speeches at the special convention. Aside from the above, several bureaucrats, policymakers, and tourism specialists are slated to attend. This convention fittingly themed, “Revitalising Indian Heritage,” will lay out IHHA’s strategy for the next 25 years. The convention will also focus on identifying young leaders to take the message forward. “IHHA aims to infuse young and sustained energies to chart a course to revive heritage tourism in the country,” said HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II, Jodhpur, President Emeritus, IHHA. Thakur Gajsingh, Alsisar, General Secretary, IHHA added, “IHHA will also look into ways that the Ministry of Tourism and IHHA can work together to protect and preserve Indian monuments.” Steve Borgia, Vice President, IHHA, will lead and host this historical convention. It is anticipated that over 150 former Royals from all over India will attend this momentous gathering. …

The World Heritage sites in the Philippines confirm the abundance of nature in the country and illustrate how Filipino creativity blossomed into a unique national architectural style. While the natural properties record stages in the evolution of the world, the cultural heritage records progression of man’s ideas in terms of the built environment. So, head to the Philippines for a perfect mix of leisure and heritage travel.   Historic City of Vigan  Vigan, Ilocos Sur   During the height of the Spanish colonial era in the 18th and 19th centuries, Vigan or Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan was the third most important city after Manila and Cebu. It was the centre of Spanish colonial power in northern Luzon. The range of structures along the plazas and streets reveals the story of the town, a living testament to the Spanish colonial era and a place that exerts a strong cultural influence to the modern Philippine nation. Notable Vigan urban spaces and architecture include its town plaza, Plaza Salcedo; Saint Paul’s Cathedral; The Arzopispado; Saint Paul’s College; the Provincial Capitol Building; Simbaan a Bassit (Catholic Cemetery Chapel); Calle Crisologo; Burgos Museum; and the numerous Vigan Houses.  Church of San Agustin  Paoay, Ilocos Norte   The San Agustin Church in Paoay began its construction in 1604 and finally completed in 1710. This is one of the most outstanding ‘earthquake baroque’ structures in the Philippines, where the primary concern was to design the church for earthquake protection. The most outstanding feature of the church is the phalanx of buttresses that jut out perpendicularly from the sides to strengthen the walls against earthquake damage. It has the most massive buttressing in any church in the Philippines. The visual impact …