All posts by Swagata Basu
Single bus-train tickets for travellers
September 8 (TravelAndy): As a first of its kind in India, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) have joined hands to start integrated online ticketing system for travellers, reported the Times of India.
This is an attempt to reach out to destinations inaccessible by train and also to facilitate travel for tourists who prefer road trips.
This scheme allows a passenger to book a UPSRTC bus ticket along with a train ticket from the IRCTC online portal. Continue reading Single bus-train tickets for travellers →
Hop-on-hop-off boats in Kerala
September 8 (TravelAndy): A hop-on-hop-off boat service has been introduced in the Kochi-Muziris tourism circuit of Kerala.
This boat service is a first of its kind in India.
The Kerala tourism.department is now running three air-conditioned boats, which can ferry 25 passengers each along the historically famous spice route of south India. Continue reading Hop-on-hop-off boats in Kerala →
Nepal Airlines resumes Mumbai flights
September 6 (TravelAndy): In what is good news for Nepal tourism, the Himalayan country’s flagship carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) resumed flights to Mumbai in India from Friday, said reports.
NAC had discontinued flights between Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and Mumbai in 2006 due to reported lack of aircrafts.
The airline is offering a promotional buy-one-get-one-free on tickets for Kathmandu-Mumbai and Kathmandu-Bengaluru routes. Continue reading Nepal Airlines resumes Mumbai flights →
Manali apple festival to woo tourists
September 4 (TravelAndy): A two-day apple festival organised by Himachal Pradesh tourism will begin from September 6, reports said.
The apple festival first took place in August, 2008, but did not take place in subsequent years.
The festival would include an apple show and cultural programmes would be organised on Mall Road in the popular hill town. The tourism department has plans to organise apple orchard tours for visitors. Continue reading Manali apple festival to woo tourists →
Amphibious vehicle in Goa this Oct
September 2 (TravelAndy): Tourists visiting Goa in October are in for more excitement as Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) plans to launch India’s first amphibious vehicle service in the river Mandovi from October.
The vehicle would be able to carry 32 passengers at a time. It will ferry both in land and in the river. Goa officially will become the first state to make amphibious vehicles available for tourists and civilians, The Times of India reported.
GTDC will reportedly operate through a private agency Amphibian Tours. Continue reading Amphibious vehicle in Goa this Oct →
Winter carnival in the Himalayas
September 2 (TravelAndy): In an attempt to attract tourists, Uttarakhand tourism department has planned winter carnival in the snow capped valley of Auli.
Auli, a popular skiing destination in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand, will be thrown open to tourists as the mountain carnival unfolds in February 2016.
Apart from Auli, carnivals will be organised in Tehri in November and in the hills of Mussorie in December. Continue reading Winter carnival in the Himalayas →
Africa takes low-cost air route
August 31 (TravelAndy): President of Gabonese republic H.E Ali Bongo Ondimba has announced the launch of a pan-African airline flyafrica.com.
This low cost airline is aimed at increasing commercial activity, job opportunity and tourism across the continent.
“Air transport is indispensable for tourism, where convenient air service facilitates the arrival of larger numbers of tourists,” said Ondimba. Continue reading Africa takes low-cost air route →
Burua hope for Manali paragliders
August 30 (TravelAndy): Paragliders have discovered a new place to resume their sport after National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned paragliding in Manali’s adventure tourist spot Solang valley, reported The Times of India (TOI).
Burua village, seven kilometers from Manali, is poised to be a perfect destination for paragliders and adventure tourists. With a wider valley, Burua can apparently accommodate more gliders than Solang.
Enthusiasts and organisers are awaiting a government approval to begin the sport in Burua. Continue reading Burua hope for Manali paragliders →
India woos expat Jews
August 17 (TravelAndy): India is trying to woo expat Jews of Indian origin to visit their roots.
In an attempt to boost tourism and bilateral ties between India and Israel, Indian ambassador to Israel Jaideep Sarkar addressed a gathering of 3,500 Indian-origin Jews at the 3rd National Convention of Indian Jews in the country.
Sarkar said that India was looking forward to share the rich Jewish life and history of the subcontinent, said reports. Continue reading India woos expat Jews →
Air India allows 25kg free luggage
August 12 (TravelAndy): Air India is allowing up to 25 Kg free check-in luggage for economy class travel in its domestic network.
This is a limited period allowance which is valid for a travel period of August 12 to February 7, 2016.
Air India is the only Indian airline to have introduced this facility. All other airlines allow up to 15 Kg of free check-in luggage. Continue reading Air India allows 25kg free luggage →
UK on India’s e-visa list from Aug 15
August 11 (TravelAndy): United Kingdom is all set to become one of the 36 countries to be added to India’s e-Tourist visa list from August 15.
The e-visa facility will allow UK nationals to apply and pay for their visas online. They only need to carry a printout of the e-visa while visiting India.
With this addition, the total count of countries under the scheme will climb to 113. Continue reading UK on India’s e-visa list from Aug 15 →
Air Asia fares from INR990
August 10 (TravelAndy): Budget airline Air Asia announced on Monday that it had achieved the milestone of having flown 300 million passengers and said it was offering fares from INR990 to celebrate the occasion.
Air Asia India itself has flown one million passengers, said reports.
Air Asia India is offering this promotional scheme for travel between February 15, 2016 and August 15, 2016. Continue reading Air Asia fares from INR990 →