La Vie Hotels & Resorts, one of Asia Pacific’s independent hotel management companies, has signed a landmark deal with Radisson Hotel Group and Sino Lanka Group to operate three hotels in Sri Lanka. This major new agreement with Radisson Hotel Group will see the company launch an upper-upscale Radisson Blu resort on the shores of […]

The Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Rupandehi district of the Lumbini Province has formally come into operation from today. This is the second international airport in the country after the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu. Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the regulatory body, Engineer Pradip Adhikari recently informed […]

The Indian Railways is set to deploy three new toy trains on the Kalka-Shimla route for the first time since the service became operational 118 years ago, railways officials familiar with the development said, adding the trains will start running by the end of the year. The new toy trains will operate on the 96.6-km […]

Qatar Airways and IndiGo recently said they are reactivating their codeshare partnership following India’s decision to resume regular international passenger flights from March 27. In a codeshare partnership, each carrier on its distribution system can sell seats for other’s flights. IndiGo had in November 2019 signed the codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways. Their joint statement […]

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), the parent company managing Taj Hotels worldwide, recently announced the opening of Anand Kashi By The Ganges – IHCL SeleQtions hotel in Rishikesh. Nestled between the majestic Himalayan mountains and the banks of the pristine waters of the holy Ganges, it was the erstwhile residence of the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal. Known […]

Jet Airways is gearing up to take to Indian skies by October 2022, its CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said recently. The resumption of services will come after a hiatus of more than three years. Jet Airways stopped services in April 2019 after being bogged down by financial woes. Kapoor said that Jet Airways will offer two-class […]

India last Sunday began the administration of the precautionary “third” dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, also known as the booster dose, for the 18-plus population. All those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose, would be eligible for the precaution dose, the […]

Dutch flag-carrier KLM has announced that it will resume flight services between Amsterdam-Bengaluru from May 25, 2022. This route was launched in October 2019 and was temporarily suspended in 2020 amid Covid-19 and the air-bubble limitations. In a statement, the airline said that KLM will operate three flights per week from Bengaluru to Amsterdam, offering […]

Radisson Hotel Group plans to more than double the number of hotels it has in India taking it up to 288 by 2025, as it seeks to ride on the burgeoning demand. The company is also launching a new lifestyle brand extension Radisson Individuals Retreats amid a rise in demand for curated travel and experiential […]

Sri Lanka is undergoing an economic crisis due to a shortage of foreign exchange to pay for imports. The economic impact of the pandemic was quickly followed by maturity of several large loan repayments which have mopped up most of the country’s less than spectacular dollar reserves. The increase in oil prices has not helped and […]

The famous living root bridges found in Meghalaya in India have been included on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. These living root bridges are grown by the indigenous Khasi tribal communities. They facilitate connectivity in more than 75 remote villages in and around the wettest region on the planet. These simple suspension […]

India has resumed scheduled commercial international flight operation after almost two years, on 27 March 2022. As many as 60 airlines from 40 countries have been permitted to operate 1,783 frequencies to/from India during the summer schedule, according to DGCA. The summer schedule will be effective from March 27 till October 29, 2022. A total […]

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts recently announced the signing of a management agreement for two properties, The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel and The Leela Ashtamudi, a Raviz Hotel in Kollam, expanding its footprint in South India. The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel returns to The Leela portfolio after three years while The Leela […]

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last Monday has eased its COVID-19 travel rating for India. The CDC in its advisory said it has changed its COVID-19 travel recommendation for India to “Level 1 (Low)” from “Level 3 (High).”

With extremely high rate of vaccination in Bhutan and the overall situation related to pandemic well under control, it appears that by June or July 2022 Bhutan may allow for quarantine free travel. Although there is no official notification from government of Bhutan yet in this regard. The reduction of quarantine period from current 14 […]

The Raid Amazones 2022, the largest adventure challenge and sports tourism event to be held in Sri Lanka and consisting of 600 participants, concludes its first stage. The participants had an exclusive opportunity of exploring and admiring the creative talent of the ancient Sri Lankan heritage. This two stage Tournament will be held using the […]

Occupying a place of pride on the international tourist calendar, Surajkund Mela is unique as it showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India. It is the largest crafts fair in the world. A large number of renowned national and international folk artistes and cultural groups present performances at […]

As the COVID-19 cases continue to decline in India, the ministry of home affairs has decided to end all the COVID-19 restrictions from 31 March 2022. Ajay Bhalla, current home secretary of India, said in the notification, “After taking into consideration the overall improvement in the situation and preparedness of the government to deal with […]

Latest guidelines vis-a-vis  E-Tourist Visas to India:  1. Currently valid E-Tourist Visa issued for five years, which was suspended since March 2020, shall stand restored to nationals of 156 eligible countries with immediate effect. Nationals of these 156 counties will also be eligible for issuance of fresh E-Tourist Visa. 2. Currently valid Regular (Paper) Tourist visa […]

The services of all international passenger flights will resume by March 27, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed recently. “All regular international flights will operate in 100 per cent capacity by March 27 as the coronavirus situation in India has improved now,” Scindia said. The move is expected to boost tourism and will help […]

The government of Nepal recently decided to remove mandatory RT-PCR test for the fully vaccinated International travelers. The currently applicable entry protocol for Nepal is as follows: Fully vaccinated International travelers arriving in Nepal by air or land need to present their vaccination card (In English). Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated international travellers need to produce […]

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of the first holiday Inn in Bangladesh. Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre has opened its doors and is welcoming guests to experience the ‘Brighter Side of Travel’. The hotel is located in the heart of the city and boasts of 187 modern guest rooms and suites having […]