The Indian Railways plans to use aircraft-like pressurised coaches in its trains for the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line along the India-China border, which will be the world’s highest rail track, so that passengers do not have breathing difficulties on board. Aircraft cabins are pressurised because the air is very thin at the altitude planes fly. To prevent […]

Foreign nationals applying for Indian visas will now have to declare their criminal records as part of the new visa format approved by the Government to check child sexual abuse and a range of other crimes by travellers. The move follows a specific request from Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi made to Sushma […]

The Ministry of Tourism has stated that the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India from the USA during 2017 have registered a positive growth of 6.17 per cent over 2016. Since 2010, the number of FTAs from the USA in India has never declined. However, it has been observed from the report of National Travel […]

Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has retained the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel after an auction conducted by New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). “The lease for the property will be granted to the group for 33 years at double the license fees. IHCL will pay a license fee of Rs 7.03 crore per month […]

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement with Bhumika Enterprises for Holiday Inn Udaipur Urban Square. The 195-room hotel will be the first Holiday Inn Hotel in the city and is expected to be operational by 2022. Boasting of an excellent location, Holiday Inn Udaipur Urban Square will be an integral part of […]

The Ministry of Home Affairs has relaxed the Protected Area Permit (PAP) for foreigners visiting Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, except for those from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. The PAP will be valid for five years. These areas constitute some of the most pristine locations of the country, which had been out of bounds without a […]

Vistara has received its 21st aircraft, an Airbus A320neo powered by CFM engines. Now the airline is eligible for international operations. The new aircraft will be deployed to further strengthen the airline’s domestic network. Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara, said, “There’s great excitement amongst all of us at Vistara, as we prepare ourselves for taking the […]

Qatar Airways will soon move an application to launch a full-service airline in India for domestic operations, according to its chief Akbar Al Baker. He said the proposed airline would be fully financed by Qatar’s sovereign fund and will have Indians heading the board. Baker, who has been Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive for over […]

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced a partnership with SDB Developers to build a second Holiday Inn hotel in Kolkata. As part of the agreement, the 110-room Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 will have 90 rooms operational by the end of 2018, with 20 additional rooms expected by 2020. Sprawling across 12 acres of land […]

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Sarovar Premiere Jaipur. The upscale full-service hotel features 80 rooms and suites, with modern interiors, stylish furnishings, and spacious event and banquet space. The hotel also adds ease to those travelling to the city by being conveniently located close to the airport, railway station, Vidhan Sabha […]

The long-cherished dream of Arunachal Pradesh to have air connectivity finally came true on May 21 with the first fixed-wing commercial aircraft being flagged off from Pasighat to Guwahati. National carrier Air India agreed to start ATR-42 services of Alliance Air to Pasighat from Gopinath Bordoloi airport at Guwahati, connecting the state with the rest […]

The Government of India has digitized the process of FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) registration, visa extension, etc., for foreign nationals visiting India. The government has now introduced an e-FRRO portal with an aim to provide faceless, cashless and paperless service to foreign nationals. There will be no requirement to visit the FRRO office. Earlier, […]

SpiceJet will soon connect Assam’s northern district of Lakhimpur to Jorhat in the southern part of the state. SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh announced the airline’s plan at Advantage Assam: Global Investors Summit ’18. If it comes through, the move will form part of the government’s UDAN or Regional Connectivity Scheme, an initiative […]

IndiGo and SpiceJet partially shifted their operations from Terminal 1 to the revamped Terminal 2 of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from March 25.  The IndiGo flights, 6E 2000-6E 2999, are for routes to Bengaluru, Chennai, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Srinagar, Bagdogra, Udaipur, Vadodara, and Visakhapatnam from T2. SpiceJet shifted seven sectors (flight SG 8000 […]

Cygnett Hotels and Resorts has signed a new 50-room property in Dibrugarh, Assam, set to open in September. Sarbendra Sarkar, founder & managing director of Cygnett Hotels Group, said, “We are delighted to announce the signing of a new 50-key hotel in Dibrugarh, a brilliant location with close proximity to the airport. Cygnett Inn Dibrugarh […]

The Government of Delhi is preparing a tourism policy and master plan for promotion of tourism and tourism infrastructure for Delhi Tourism. For this, the Delhi Government has earmarked a total expenditure of Rs 119 crore for Tourism sector in 2017-18. This includes revenue budget of Rs 69 crore and capital budget of Rs 50 […]

Carlson Rezidor announced the opening of its new Hotel-Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru, with 167 guest rooms and suites with modern amenities. The hotel is located 45 minutes away from the Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) and 10 minutes from the City Railway Station. The hotel has four in-house dining options for guests. It has over 1,250 […]

India’s leading air carrier, Jet Airways will increase its daily flights to 650 from 600 starting end of March. This will allow the travellers better connectivity within the country. Direct services to Madurai and Bagdogra from Mumbai, Jaipur to Chandigarh, Dehradun to Srinagar, and Bengaluru to Kozhikode will be some of the new sectors. Other […]

A new integrated international passenger terminal for commercial operation was inaugurated by the Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan. The Chief Minister lauded the CIAL, the country’s first airport built under PPP model, which has heralded a new chapter in aviation history by becoming the first in the world that completely operates on solar power. The […]

Hyatt has announced the opening of its Hyatt Place Rameswaram, the first Hyatt Place hotel in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the fifth Hyatt Place hotel to open in India. The hotel offers 101 guestrooms and suites, 4,757 square feet of high-tech meeting space, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, 24-hour gym, and […]

Intercontinental Hotels Group increases its presence in the eastern part of the country by introduction of its first Holiday Inn hotel in Kolkata.  This will be a 137-room hotel in partnership with Jain Group. With this, the total number of Holiday Inn hotels has gone up to 11 in India. Shantha de Silva, Head of […]

Singapore Airlines has announced the launch of its fourth weekly flight from Gujarat’s key city, Ahmedabad to Singapore, starting last week of David Lim, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines, commented, “Travel to and from Ahmedabad has steadily increased over the years. Singapore Airlines is pleased to offer an additional frequency to meet the growing market […]