Rwanda is one of the most successful nations in Africa which has steadily been attracting […]
Year: 2015
Can we touch 100 million domestic air travellers in 2016?
Circa 2015 is inching close to its culmination. But before it finally bids adieu, in […]
How will the magic of Dharam–Hema work for Haryana Tourism?
The Haryana government announced appointing the charismatic celluloid pair of yesteryears, Dharmendra and Hema Malini […]
India needs a National Tourism Mission
There is a growing school of thought that the Indian tourism product is woefully short […]
Kairali Ayurvedic Group to open 12 new overseas centers in 2016
Kerala-based Kairali Ayurvedic Group, much known for its luxury ayurvedic spa offerings, is embarking on […]
Czech Republic keen on resuming direct air connectivity between the two countries
The new ambassador of the Czech Republic in India, Milan Horvoka, has committed to explore […]
Foray will benefit tourism in J&K; signifies change in market perception, says K B Kachru
Calling Carlson Rezidor’s move into J&K a significant step forward in signalling changing times in the valley, […]
Carlson Rezidor’s mega foray into J&K; to open seven hotels in the next five years
In a deal that signifies a sea-change in the perception of J&K’s tourism, hospitality industry […]
The Learning Curve: Crafting of a Tourism Legend Santa’s Success Story
He was born in Turkey in AD 280, so we couldn’t, possibly, have met him. […]
Simhastha to have a yoga sideshow; major international footfall expected
On the sidelines of the epic-scale Simhastha Mahakumbh in Ujjain next year, participants will also […]
IATA projects profitability of airlines to rise by 5.1% in 2016
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently announced its airline industry outlook for 2016 which […]
Uttarakhand will emerge as a tourism powerhouse: Harish Rawat
In his inaugural address at the recently held Tehri Cultural Festival & Investors Meet, the […]
Mandarin Oriental Group is focused on quality at the top end, says Richard Baker
One of the most iconic luxury brands in hospitality around the world, Mandarin Oriental, has […]
Involving leading personalities in unique tourism projects could be a game changer
Promotion of islands and lighthouses as tourism products has clearly emerged as intrinsic pillars of […]
Aviation sector backs energy neutrality drive, Kochi’s example to be emulated
Kochi Airport, widely known for its efficient operations, has many firsts to its credit. It […]
Tourism could be a game changer for peace in South Asia
For one reason or the other, these are unusually difficult times for countries in our […]
Pragati Maidan ‘2.0’ will be a game-changer for exhibition industry in the country
Built in 1972, Pragati Maidan has long been the nerve-centre of capital’s trade and commerce. […]
Aim to host 5 million tourists in J&K in the coming 5 years: Secretary (Tourism)
Farooq Shah has donned many hats in his illustrious career. Having served as the Director, […]
“We can double our arrival numbers in next four years”
Immediately after briefing a gathering of investors at Tehri Lake on the occasion of Tehri […]
Asia’s largest visa application centre to make travel hassle-free: Vinay Malhotra
Boasting of visa application centre for 31 countries under one roof, the newly inaugurated VFS […]
No drop seen in number of visa applications, says French ambassador Francois Richier
France and India have been all-weather allies. The bilateral ties between the two are only […]
Accor has its 3 brands open in New Delhi’s Aerocity; Casse believes the destination needs joint marketing
Accor Hotels opened Pullman and Novotel recently, and now has over 1000 rooms to offer […]
Language & food no handicap; want Korea to become a preferred getaway, says Director (Tourism)
Korea’s positioning as the third top destination, globally, in the MICE and corporate segment is […]
Emirates not perturbed with slipping to third position in India’s international passenger segment, says Essa Sulaiman Ahmad
Global aviation giant Emirates is not perturbed with fall in its position in the international […]
Korea to connect 19 flights a week from January, says Korean Ambassador
Speaking at the Korean Night 2015 held in the capital, Korean Ambassador CHO Hyun divulged […]
Cologne’s heritage management a lesson for India; Indian influx doubles in the past 5 years
Calling the tourism offerings of Cologne multi-faceted, he hopes to cash in on its growing […]
Germany plans to welcome a million guests from Indian shores by 2020
Driven by attractive incentives, in-expensive travel and plenty of activities on offer, Germany is gaining […]
Baden-Baden’s success lies in affordable luxury; gains toehold as a niche sports getaway
Known primarily as a niche spa destination, Baden-Baden is also gaining a toehold in the […]
‘Bottom-up’ approach must to mainstream new destinations: NatGeo achiever
As NatGeo brought together achievers, as a part of the Mission Explorer, to celebrate their […]
Tehri master plan for tourism to be ready by March: Uttarkhand CM Rawat
The chief minister of Uttrakhand has assured all possible assistance to the investors’ community to […]
Save craftsmen for conservation efforts to remain alive, contends Ratish Nanda
Speaking at the LILA PRISM lecture series, Ratish Nanda calls the takeover of heritage maintenance […]
Build upon India’s uniqueness; revisit its symbols, says Aman Nath
India has a unique continuity of time and space – which needs to be pushed […]
The beginning of Indigo 2.0?
Numerical growth notwithstanding, the upheaval in the Indian aviation market in the past ten years […]
Andhra bets big with Amaravati; on course to an unprecedented infra boom
A.P’s new capital Amaravati is an ambitious undertaking that may well become India’s smartest capital. […]
Consensus building is not possible, says Civil Aviation Minister
The new deadline (30th November) set up by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to receive […]
Air India joining hands with states to improve regional connectivity
Even as the draft Civil Aviation Policy highlights the need to improve regional connectivity, Air […]
Noida’s connectivity to Agra remains unsold; focussed marketing could make it a leisure getaway
In lack of adequate marketing, Noida’s excellent road connectivity to Agra has not been commercially […]
“If we had choice, Air Canada would have come back earlier”: Duncan Bureau
Exactly ten years after pulling out of India, Air Canada made a comeback to the […]
Government unveils draft Civil Aviation Policy: Will it be that ultimate panacea?
The revised policy paper has its major thrust in improving regional connectivity. But it hasn’t […]
Outgoing Bihar minister says visibility and infrastructure our achievements
Javed Iqbal Ansari can be credited for kick-starting some long-stalled projects, apart from delving into […]
Accor unveils Aerocity Pullman; plans deep forays with 45 hotels in the next three years
Accor’s presence in the Aerocity has been bolstered courtesy the launch of first Pullman in […]
Hope for resurrection of unique village of temples in Jharkhand, at last
Maluti village, suffering from administrative apathy for decades, could well bounce back as a major […]
Shangri-La launches its second offering in India, in the garden city in the south
“Welcome to Shangri-La Bengaluru, how may I be of any assistance”, is the spirit echoed […]
We are making stand-alone hotels more competitive and better skilled: ZO Rooms
ZO Rooms CEO Dharamveer Chauhan believes that hotel aggregators have helped improve the quality of […]
Removal of 5/20 will improve ‘ease of doing business’ in India
Thinking of 5/20 invites an obvious reference to 20/20. What is the difference between the […]
Pitch for lighthouse tourism, land parcels to be leased out at 78 locations
Ministry of Shipping is spearheading the excercise to convert some noted lighthouses in the country […]
Leela to manage Ambience Shahdara, largest 5-star inventory in Delhi/NCR
In an exclusive conversation with TourismFirst, Rajiv Kaul, President, Leela Hotels explains how the domestic […]
Experiential tourism is reviving art, generating employment at the grassroots: Sowmya
A more aware and connected traveler, today, seeks to interact with local communities, understand art, […]
Indian inbound gains from Chinese stock market crash, International travel cheaper as global markets slow: Sharad Dhall
Indians are taking advantage of drop in oil-prices and global economic sluggishness to travel abroad, […]
‘Digital India’ gets a mega push as tech-giants back PM’s pitch
PM’s pet projects got a major shot in the arm with Microsoft and Google coming […]
India a key market for us, says Andrea Filippi, ED- Worldwide sales, Belmond Group
Andrea, Executive Director – Worldwide sales, is bullish on the Indian luxury market in the […]
AAP is committed to tourism as priority
Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has stated that his government is committed to turn Delhi […]
For SpiceJet there is enough space to succeed in the market: Ajay Singh
Till late last year, the perception about Spice Jet was: after Kingfisher, it will be […]
Linking Latin America to India via Spain could be a game-changer for tourism: Spanish Ambassador
H.E. Gustavo de Arístegui believes that linking Latin American cities to India via Spain could […]
Monuments should act as centers for cultural events: Aamir Raza Husain
In a no holds barred conversation, veteran theatre actor and director blames the lack of […]
PM Modi connects tourism with heritage, emphasises the need for Indians first to recognize and respect Indian heritage
Recently, the prime minister played host for a book release, on the subject of age […]
Tourism can be the biggest integrator of Make in India
According to Amitabh Kant, Secretary, DIPP, tourism is an integral pillar of the ambitious Make […]
Yoga can become a major asset for Indian Tourism
V K Duggal. Former DG and recently Governor of Manipur strongly believes that consistent product […]
A strategic roadmap for the Maharaja makeover as Ashwani Lohani appointed CMD, Air India
Air India has a new CMD in Ashwani Lohani set to take over. Lohani’s choice […]
Industry seeks ease of doing business in aviation in the country at CII seminar
The civil aviation industry has strongly urged the government to facilitate easier norms in its […]
India set to touch magical 10 million FTA figure by 2018, says Tourism Secretary
It had taken precisely 50 years for independent India to touch the milestone of 5 […]
Madhya Pradesh Tourism to invite bids for land parcels
MP tourism is all set to kickstart the process of involving private sector in adding […]
Rajasthan Tourism: Ready to up the ante with night tourism products
Rajasthan Tourism has unveiled a set of new measures to push its growth momentum. And […]
Nepal Tourism industry expects complete revival in footfall by 2017 end
Tourism, one of the economic mainstays of Nepal, is likely to get back to the […]
Tourism must coexist and grow in Harmony with Nature
Environmental concerns and the issue of developing niche tourism products like coastal, wildlife, adventure, etc. […]
We intend to diversify our tourism products, says Bihar Tourism Minister
Dr. Javed Iqbal Ansari seemed relaxed and confident of his achievements as the tourism minister […]
Exponential growth ahead with new defining products on anvil
The Indian car rental market has come a long way since 2000 with the entry […]
Number One position is based on total recall of a destination
Ashwani Lohani, an Indian Railway officer, has worked earlier in Madhya Pradesh Tourism, also had […]
Tourism has become a priority industry under this government: Nakul Anand, chairman FAITH
Narendra Modi’s government has completed its first year. We take stock of what has happened […]
Perception plays spoilsport to Kashmir tourism: Naeem Akhtar, state Education Minister
In Srinagar recently, TourismFirst met with Naeem Akhtar, PDP spokesperson and presently Minister for Education […]
Tremors on Top : Crises of the Hill Station
Crumbling infrastructure is beginning to impact locals and therefore tourists as well. Water has become […]
The Minister speaks to Hugh & Colleen Gantzer
He ( Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Culture and Tourism […]
J&K Tourism gets ready for a busy summer season
Tourism is coming back to Kashmir Valley with improving perceptions of the ground reality, post […]
Private air taxi operator to connect major destinations within MP
In order to augment air connectivity within the state, the Madhya Pradesh government has awarded […]
Gurgaon: All round growth is creating a world class destination
Gurgaon as a destination has little to do with the traditional concept of tourism, if […]
Living with OTAs, the new challenge for hospitality
For the global hospitality industry, this challenge is uniform – geography agnostic and also brand […]
Fortune Park Hotels unveils Fortune Select Grand, Chennai
Fortune Park Hotels, recently further expanded its bouquet of hotels with the opening of the […]
Indian cuisine scores high at Hannover
As part of the Indian effort at Hannover Fair, the food served through the India […]
India at Hannover: A Major Boost to Tourism
Make in India is a major national program that is designed to transform India into […]
Tourism can put the country back on the road to recovery
Nepal suffered nature’s fury over the last fortnight. The loss of lives and property has […]
Tourism in Nepal will revive soon
The massive earthquake which occurred on April 25, 2015 has obviously shaken tourism industry in […]
Much of Nepal’s tourism assets remain intact
“This isn’t an easy time for Nepal, people’s feelings are naturally muddled, after such a […]
San Francisco – The Dream Destination
It’s a dream city for any tourist in the world. Over one-third of its population […]
New York City’s hottest new hotel openings in 2015
New York which boasts of highest number of hotel rooms in any global city is […]
East-Asian connectivity push augurs well for the Northeast
India’s connectivity with the East Asian countries can be a win-win proposition for the region […]
Assam seeks private participation to create niche products
Even as the tag of ‘paradise unexplored’ continues to hold its ground for the country’s […]
NAMO’s magic working on tourism circuit targeting his hometown
Naming tourism circuits on historical personalities has not been an uncommon trend in the world […]
Chilika Lake to get its first Eco Luxury Resort by 2016 end
After getting environmental clearance, Swosti Group has set afoot the exercise of creating an international […]
India gets its first formal leadership ‘retreat’
Grand Bharat it is a perfect coming together of Indian motifs and traditions – in […]
Kashmir beckons tourists this summer
J&K chief minister also holds its tourism portfolio. As an ardent believer in what tourism […]
The missing ‘tee’ in Indian Golf Tourism
It is probably an irony filled with profound import. Every year, thousands of golfers from […]
Government dedicates a website portal for medical tourism
It is a comprehensive one-point information site and it covers 124 accredited medical facilities which […]
The Gulmarg Conclave: Putting Tourism First
What is it that Kashmir wants for tourism? There are three distinct products, each a […]
Indians First and Tourism First are the two sides of the same coin
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a media magnate, investor, UN ambassador, passionate fighter […]
Internet connectivity is just as critical as airline network for our economy
Of late, we have been hearing a clamour for free wifi and for cities to […]
Will hoteliers invest in new projects?
Despite cyclical turbulences every now and then, in terms of capacity addition, Indian hospitality has […]
It is domestic leisure that Indian tourism should focus upon
According to Dilip Puri, MD (India) & Regional VP (South Asia), Starwood Hotels & Resorts, […]
Carlson brings Radisson Red to Indian market
Radisson Red is an upscale, select service concept that boasts a forward-thinking focus on design […]
Google anticipates a big-ticket surge in online hotel booking
If the basic definition of e-commerce has to be taken into the account – anykind […]
I am getting positive signals from India now
Binod Chaudhary, presiding over 80 companies in diverse sectors, has a major interest in the […]
We are relooking at our brand architecture
Rakesh Sarna is the new head at India’s most iconic hotel brand, the Taj Group. […]
City tourism on the driver’s seat in Europe
Does it pay for a mega city with tourism magnets (natural or man-made) drawing visitors […]
Adding new routes in India will depend on market demand
Tigerair, the low cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), has been operating in India for […]
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Storms around Cape Horn
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR), the Emirate’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR), safely […]
Germany consolidates its position as top notch MICE destination
The economic climate in Europe may not have exactly improved considerably vis-à-vis other global pockets. […]
Direct flights between India and Vietnam to boost economic ties
Far away from its war-ravaged image, Vietnam is today considered to be a rising economic […]
Canada gets closer with non-stop flights from Delhi
Air Canada will be flying once again to New Delhi, with 4 flights weekly later […]
Private Game Parks in Madhya Pradesh
According to a recently published report in the Bhopal edition of a national daily, the […]
Promoting Nabakalebra by advertising on trains
The tourism department of Odisha seems to be leaving no stone unturned in creating a […]
Festival bonanza from Goa tourism between March-May
Goa Tourism has announced its mega plans to organize three back-to-back festivals commencing on March […]
Delhi to fast track Najafgarh water park project
The creation of an expansive water sports complex has been a long-pending demand in Delhi […]
Visit Kerala Year to be unveiled in April this year
Kerala Tourism has declared the period from April 2015 to March 2016 as “Visit Kerala […]
SRK may feature as brand ambassador for WB tourism
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose proximity to West Bengal is well-known, is now also […]
Mumbai to regain its nightlife with 24×7 restaurants
The coalition partners in Maharsatra – the BJP and Shiv Sena – might be bickering […]
Pawan Hans to spend Rs 560 crore to expand its fleet
The government- owned helicopter operator Pawan Hans is all set to significantly augment its fleet […]
India tops the list in weekend road-trips, says survey from carmaker Ford
Most Indians and Chinese are taking short, leisurely weekend road-trips to go out and spend […]
Linking India’s coastline and multiple islands, tourism-oriented Sagarmala gets cabinet’s nod
In a significant development, the union cabinet gave its green signal to the ambitious Sagarmala […]
It is now e-VA. Visa on arrival gets a new name
In order to do away with the reported confusion, the Home Ministry has decided to […]
Visa reforms to fuel India Travel & Tourism growth by 7.5% in 2015
The Travel & Tourism industry in India will grow by 7.5% in 2015, fueled by […]
Indian tourism should have a global feel with an Indian touch
Lalit Panwar, Secretary Tourism, Government of India has almost 15 years of experience in the […]
Unleashing the potential of coastal tourism
Our greatest tourism resource is being wasted. Every year, hordes of tan-seeking people flock to […]
Varanasi: Development, Branding & Marketing of Varanasi as a Smart Heritage City
Uttar Pradesh moved up to second position in the Domestic Tourist Visitors’ (DTVs) ranking of […]
We have never sincerely worked to design an effective eco-system for our tourism
I clearly remember receiving this ultimate compliment from a noted travel writer when Air Deccan […]
