Tag: tourism
Kerala optimistic with tourist arrival from Australia
September 16 (TravelAndy): A chartered flight from Australia, the first this season, landed at the airport here on Saturday, reports said.
Forty-six tourists came on the flight.
The tourists received a traditonal local welcome on their arrival at the airport.
The state’s tourism industry is optimistic about this development as they believe this marks the revival of tourism in Kerala following the devastating floods recently that claims hundreds of lives and severely damaged tourism hotspots.
Marathon to revive Lombok tourism
September 16 (TravelAndy): A marathon will be held to revive tourism in the Lombok island of Indonesia, which experienced a series of earthquakes recently, Xinhua reported.
Indonesia’s sports minister Imam Nahravi said at least 2,000 runners would take part in the event, named Mekaki Marathon.
“The event is expected to restore international trust on tourism in Lombok,” the minister said. Continue reading Marathon to revive Lombok tourism
UN agency push for wine tourism
September 13 (TravelAndy): United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) called for wine tourism to be made part of national tourism and rural development policies at the 3rd UNWTO Wine Tourism Conference in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, held during 6-7 September, 2018. The two days of discussions engaged experts from 30 countries and addressed UNWTO’s priority of enhancing tourism’s socioeconomic benefits, looking at specific segments like wine tourism.
The third edition of this UNWTO conference, held in partnership with the Moldovan government, came to the conclusion that to make wine tourism a tool for rural development local communities must be engaged in and benefit from the entire tourism value chain. It also called for governance models that could help destination managers offer wine tourism as part of a holistic rural and cultural tourism approach.
Among the main findings of the conference was the conviction of all participants that, if wine tourism is bolstered by partnerships, skills development, data-driven research and support to small businesses and entrepreneurs, it could be an area for job creation, innovation and new collaboration models. Continue reading UN agency push for wine tourism
Vanishing ice boost to polar bear tourism
September 10 (TravelAndy): A remote village is Alaska is seeing a boom in tourism because of the spurt in the number of polar bears in the area.
With the Arctic sea ice vanishing from over the Beaufort sea, an increasing number of polar bears are starting to spend more time on the shore at the village of Kaktovik, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported.
Jennifer Reed of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge said before 2011, the number of annual visitors who came to Kaktovik for polar bear viewing was less than 50. In 2017, more than 2,000 people visited the village. Continue reading Vanishing ice boost to polar bear tourism
Tourist arrival numbers soar in Vietnam
September 8 (TravelAndy): Vietnam has recorded the biggest increase in tourist arrival in Asia as compared to the previous year, reports citing United Nations World Tourism Organization figures said.
Vietnam’s tourist arrival numbers climbed by 29.1 per cent. The country stands third on the list after Egypt (56.1 per cent) and Togo (49.7 per cent).
A major chunk of tourist arrivals in Vietnam are from Japan and representative of the both the countries’ tourism bodies discussed how to sustain and increase tourist flow between the two countries at the ongoing international travel expo on at Ho Chi Minh City. Continue reading Tourist arrival numbers soar in Vietnam
Qatar in top 10 open visa countries: UN World Tourism Org
September 7 (TravelAndy): Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in terms of visa facilitation. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently updated its visa openness rankings, confirming Qatar’s recent visa facilitation improvements including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter Qatar visa-free and free-of-charge.
Actions Qatar has taken to improve visa facilitation include introducing an online platform for efficient and transparent visa processing and e-visas, as well as a free 96-hour transit visa doubling the time stopover passengers can remain in the country.
As a result of these measures, Qatar’s visa openness ranking has leapt to 8th in the world from 177th back in 2014. Since the introduction of these changes, year-on-year arrivals from India have grown 18%, from China 43% and from Russia a huge 366%. None of these markets now need a visa to visit Qatar. Continue reading Qatar in top 10 open visa countries: UN World Tourism Org
Japan looks to develop stronger tourism ties with Goa
September 7 (TravelAndy): Japan is looking to strengthen tourism ties with Goa.
Consul-general of Japan Ryoji Noda met Goa tourism director Menino D’souza on Thursday to discuss tourism development initiatives, reports said.
Around 250 Japanese nationals visit Goa every year.
Increasing the number of tourists from Goa to Japan was also discussed. Continue reading Japan looks to develop stronger tourism ties with Goa
Post flood, Kerala campaigns to bring back tourists
September 4 (TravelAndy): The South Indian state of Kerala has started an intensive tourism promotion campaign ahead of the high season that begins in a few weeks, reports said.
Battered by devastating floods that saw several hundred people losing their lives, the Kerala tourism authorities are trying their best to convince tourists that the situation is safe for them to visit places such as Munnar, Alleppey and Wayanad.
“We are planning a national campaign to promote Kerala as a safe place to travel and stay. This is likely to be launched before or along with the four-day Kerala Travel Mart that begins in Kochi on September 27, World Tourism Day,” The Hindu quoted tourism director P. Bala Kiran as saying. Continue reading Post flood, Kerala campaigns to bring back tourists
Perth Festival 2019 first shows revealed
August 14 (TravelAndy): The popular Perth Festival is returning in February next year, with the free opening event – Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak – supported by the state government, through Tourism WA.
This amazing light and sound production will showcase Perth’s iconic Kings Park, and two streams of understanding about our land: Noongar knowledge and Western science, within the beauty of our unique natural environment.
Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak is exclusive to Perth and was a highlight of the 2017 Festival. Continue reading Perth Festival 2019 first shows revealed
Those outraged show Vilnius campaign works: Ad co-creator
August 10 (TravelAndy): The Lithuanian capital of Vilnius launched a risqué tourism campaign a day ago that had triggered a controversy even before its launch with a poster featuring a woman with her eyes closed lying on a map of Europe and grabbing Lithuania.
“Nobody knows where it is, but when you find it – it’s amazing. Vilnius: the G-spot of Europe”. That is the campaign wording.
“What’s so cool about choosing Vilnius as your next travel destination? Well, first of all, most people can’t even point Lithuania or Vilnius out on a map, which is already a great reason for it to appear on any adventurous traveller’s bucket list. Lonely Planet recently called it a hidden gem of Europe, but we chose to call it a hidden pleasure,” says the campaign website that went live on Thursday. Continue reading Those outraged show Vilnius campaign works: Ad co-creator
Quake hits Lombok tourism, but industry optimistic
August 9 (TravelAndy): Thousands of tourists are cancelling their holidays in Lombok following the August 5 earthquake that killed more than 100 people. But some reports claim the situation in many parts of the island is not as bad as the viral pictures make you believe.
“There are people in affected areas that can’t get food and water. But we have a site in the south where we are building villas and a hotel called Samara Bay and there was no physical damage,” hotelier Erik Barreto told The New York Times.
Tourism hotspot Bali, which is close by, has also taken a bit of hit in terms of tourism.
It is the simple houses of Lombok’s poor inhabitants that were hardest hit by the quake. While poorly built structures toppled rapidly, much of the island’s tourist infrastructure remains more intact than imagery would suggest, The Telegraph said. Continue reading Quake hits Lombok tourism, but industry optimistic
Lithuania’s risqué tourism campaign
August 8 (TravelAndy): With Lithuania’s capital Vilnius being named by Lonely Planet as one of Europe’s top 10 destinations for 2018 and the risqué tourism campaign about to be launched on August 9, it is fairly safe to say the country will be looking at a jump in tourism revenue.
According to reports, the campaign’s tagline is “Nobody knows where it is, but when you find it – it’s amazing. Vilnius: the G-spot of Europe”. The poster features a woman with her eyes closed lying on a map of Europe and grabbing Lithuania.
The campaign, not surprisingly, has generated some amount of criticism, especially with it being launched weeks before the Pope’s visit to the region. Continue reading Lithuania’s risqué tourism campaign