Introductory Video of Right India Holidays

Right India Holidays

Introductory Video

Please share your queries for any Domestic / International destination to pg@rightindiatravels.in
Or contact  +918447560003 / +919711623110 (whatsapp)

Subscribe to our Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT8No8n9R_AQBUQf8ETxcvg

Tourism Ministry planning seven religious tourism circuits across India

The Union Ministry of Tourism is planning to develop seven religious tourism circuits across the country. “India is home to a number of religions and there is huge scope in terms of boosting tourism to religious places,” Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Ministry of Tourism, India, said while speaking to the press today in New Delhi. The ministry will identify Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Sufi and Sarva Dharma places, according to a report by cathnewsindia.com.

The ministry has taken up the matter with industry stakeholders and some Sufi exponents. It has identified 35 destinations for Phase I and will cover another 89 in Phase II. The minister said his ministry is preparing a detailed project report to identify religious destinations. The aim of the project, he added, is to facilitate a packaged tour-like experience for people who visit religious places. “We have already engaged consultants to work on these circuits and hope to engage state governments in the project,” he added.


source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/tourism-ministry-planning-seven-religious-tourism-circuits-across-india-15496

MTDC to start plying Deccan Odyssey on Mumbai-Shirdi route

With an aim to tap the higher middle class and leisure travellers, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which runs the luxury train Deccan Odyssey, plans to use the train for Religious Tourism to the popular pilgrimage destination, Shirdi in Ahmednagar district. MTDC will charge around Rs 20,000 per person for the round trip. The journey will also cover Trimbakeshwar, venue of one of the Jyotirlinga Temples, near Nashik. The refurbished train is expected to make its first run in a week’s time. 

An MTDC official said, “When first commissioned, the train used to take tourists around Maharashtra (there was also a day trip to Goa) to promote tourism in the state. But this did not receive an encouraging response and we handed over the train to a private operator. Now the train has been repainted from navy blue to purple and the interiors have undergone much change. Soon, we will run two-night round trips to Shirdi, the schedule for which is yet to be finalised.”

Karnataka Tourism launches Jungle Camps and Trails programme

Karnataka Tourism has launched a new programme aimed at budget tourists – Jungle Camps and Trails (JCT) - in 10 locations in the southern part of the state. The new programme complements the government-run initiative, the Jungle Lodges and Resorts programme which taps top-end Eco-Tourists to the southern state.

“Jungle Camps and Trails is our new initiative offering varied Eco-Tourism destinations in the bewitching and picturesque Western Ghats in Southern Karnataka,” said K Vishwanatha Reddy, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. The programme is targeted at low budget tourists and includes places such as isolated beaches, dense tropical forests, hill stations, rivers and wildlife sanctuaries as well as the popular elephant camp.

Centre to showcase lesser known destinations during Formula One (F-1)

With the inaugural Indian Grand Prix set to draw huge foreign and domestic crowds, the Tourism Ministry has decided to showcase the lesser known destinations during the event. The Ministry has finalised a blueprint to utilise the Formula One route to promote more than 50 destinations in an aggressive 'Incredible India' campaign. Besides this, the Ministry will also be launching 'Know your City', a new media campaign for F1 enthusiasts. The races will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, 24 KM from Delhi.

"We are utilising the Formula One event to promote our lesser known destinations including beaches, monuments, mountains, sand dunes, festivals and cuisines in a big way," said a senior Tourism Ministry official, involved with the Incredible India campaign. "Though some of our well known destinations like the Taj Mahal, Qutab Minar and other tourist spots in Kerala and Goa will feature in the campaign, our focus will be on highlighting the lesser-known attractions during the event," the official added.

Maharashtra’s historical caves favourite among state’s Heritage destinations

Historical caves, particularly the Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves have emerged as the most popular heritage tourist stops for foreigners over the last three years. Lesser-known heritage sites such as Bibi ka Maqbara, considered Maharashtra's replica of the Taj Mahal, and the Agakhan Palace near Pune, a live memorial of sorts for Mahatma Gandhi, have also been witnessing increasing foreign footfalls.

Despite the repeated terror strikes and inadequate tourist infrastructure facilities in the state, foreign tourists visiting the states ticketed at heritage monuments have jumped by around 35 per cent in the last three years. The number of foreign visitors rose from 99,540 in 2008-09 to 1.33 lakh in 2010-11, figures from the Ministry of Culture showed, according to a report by Madhavi Rajadhyaksha in The Times of India.

Winter schedule to see 30 per cent more flights

Domestic airlines will operate almost 30 per cent more flights from October this year than they operated in October last year. The planned increase in flights by the industry is the highest in the history of aviation, according to a report by Shishir Sinha in The Hindu Business Line. Besides, Puducherry will become the 83rd airport to get air connectivity with SpiceJet planning a daily flight from Chennai, during winter. Domestic airlines plan to operate 14,750 flights a week during the winter schedule. Globally, the winter schedule extends from the last Sunday of October every year till the last Saturday of March the following year. 

SpiceJet plans to use a 40 - 75 seater Canadian Regional Jet Q 400 aircraft to operate between Chennai and Puducherry. The launch of the flight may also be the beginning of regional service for the airline. According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sources, there will be an almost 75 per cent increase in connectivity to Port Blair from various parts of the country. Domestic airlines plan to operate 75 weekly flights from the current 42 weekly flights to Port Blair. National Carrier, Air India plans to start direct flights to Port Blair from New Delhi, while low-cost carrier, GoAir plans provide connections to Port Blair from Chennai and Kolkata. Kingfisher has plans to fly from Bangalore and Kolkata to Port Blair. Agatti in Lakshwadeep, and Pantnagar are the cities scheduled to get more flights this winter schedule. Jet Airways is going to provide direct connectivity to Agartala from New Delhi. Currently Agartala can be reached via Kolkata or Guwahati only. “Airlines are very bullish. Bulk bookings by corporates are on the rise. Occasional travel by air is also increasing, and that is why airlines are planning to operate more flights during the winter schedule,” said a senior DGCA official. 

Tourists continue to throng Shimla, Manali in spite of rains

The tourist rush continues this year in the popular Himachal Pradesh resorts of Shimla and Manali some twenty days after the onset of the monsoon. Both places saw a huge rush of tourists over the weekend despite heavy rains all over northern India. This time the rains set in a week early in Himachal on June 23, according to a report by Baldev S Chauhan in My Himachal.

Observers said these trends are indicators that Shimla and Manali have now become all season destinations. Travel agents say that in the past, after the onset of the monsoon, tourist destinations in the state would witness a sudden drop in arrivals, but this year is unusual as the rush has continued, particularly on weekends. In the past, hotels would offer off season packages but due to the rush continuing, members of the hotel and travel industry are reluctant to offer discounts this rainy season. It also indicates that the growing Indian middle class is travelling more as it gets richer with the booming Indian economy.

Goa should develop heritage tourism

Goa should develop heritage tourism: Narendra Jadhav  

In order to battle threats from Maharashtra and Kerala in the tourism sector, Goa needs to move towards developing Heritage Tourism in the region, said Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission of India in charge of Goa, at the Goa Small Industries Association (GSIA) Annual General Meeting recently, according to a report in The Times of India. 

Gujarat to hold month-long festival to promote Saputara as monsoon destination

Realising the monsoon potential of Gujarat's little known destinations, the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) announced a month-long monsoon festival in the state to promote Saputara as a monsoon destination. According to the announcement, which came at a road show held in Mumbai recently, the Saputara Monsoon Festival will be held from July 30 to August 30, 2011. TCGL, which recently completed road shows in Nagpur, Nashik and Mumbai, will organise similar road shows in Pune, Vapi, Surat and Vadodara in the next two weeks to promote the destinations, packages and services. The road shows will be organised in association with nine hoteliers. Organised under the aegis of Department of Tourism, Government of Gujarat, the Saputara Monsoon Festival road show was supported by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

Air India plans to revamp fleet

Air India plans to revamp fleet, change hiring patterns       

In a bid to cut its expenses, Air India plans to re-organise its fleet and shift some of its aircraft to its subsidiary, Alliance Air. The airline is also hiring cabin crew on a contractual basis through its subsidiary Air India Charters Ltd. This is likely to help trim the airlines wage bill which is about 35 per cent of its total costs. “Air India has some Airbus A320s and Airbus A330s which are more than 15 years old. There is a proposal in place to shift these aircraft to Alliance Air. But this might take some more time,” an Air India said, according to a report by Debabrata Das and Ashwini Phadnis in The Hindu Business Line.

Indian Railways to launch new e-ticketing service

Indian Railways is all set to roll out its own e-ticketing service, which will have no room for travel agents and will be reserved for individual users. "Unlike the e-ticketing service of IRCTC, the new service by Indian Railway will have no role for travel agents and commercial organisations. Only individual users will be allowed to book on the portal," said a Railway official. According to a PTI report, travel agents in the IRCTC service have been accused of blocking tickets to sell them at a premium. Public resentment has also led the railways to bar travel agents from booking tatkal tickets during peak hours on the IRCTC portal.

Goa International Travel Mart to be held from October 21-23, 2011

The second edition of the Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) organised jointly by Department of Tourism, Government of Goa and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Bambolim from October 21-23, 2011. The theme for the Mart this year is ‘Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa.’ The organisers of the event have planned an aggressive marketing strategy to attract over 2500 trade visitors to GITM 2011, of which 450 will be hosted buyers. TravelBiz Monitor is once again the knowledge partner for this year’s event.

“We expect an even larger participation this year at GITM, which will benefit the entire industry in the state. The Mart was a great success last year and is now slated to be an annual event. GITM 2010 was a power-packed event which saw hosted buyer-seller interactive sessions, panel discussions and knowledge sharing sessions, networking dinners and FAM trips. The three-day event witnessed participation from over twelve countries including Singapore, South Africa, Canada, UK, Italy, Poland, Russia, and Brazil,” stated Swapnil Naik, Director, Goa Tourism.

Commenting on the second edition of the Mart, Richard Dias, Head - Business Development, Radioactive Entertainment, the official marketing agency of GITM said, “Through the theme, ‘Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa' the aim is to highlight Goa's unexplored regions. Goa as a destination has a variety of offerings and products which we hope to showcase through the Mart. We had 1,400 visitors at GITM 2010 and we are expecting a significant growth this year. Our promotional strategy will involve advertising campaigns in the major travel trade magazines and we will also be looking to organise road shows in the four metros, as well as cities like Ahmedabad and Kolkata, which are major markets for Goa.”

According to Dias, the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa and GTDC will be hosting approximately 450 buyers of which 150 will be international buyers for GITM 2011. Dias added, “We are also looking to bring in smaller single resort owners, as well as, stand alone and mid-sized resorts. We will try to ensure that the buyer-seller interaction at GITM 2011 is managed better and will make it easier for buyers and sellers to pre-fix meetings. GITM 2011 is going to be scaled up from 2010.”

MTOA to reach out to tour operators through workshops and FAM trips

In order to increase its membership base and reach out to tour operators in the state, Maharashtra Tour Organisers Association (MTOA) has planned to conduct a series of workshops and FAM trips. The Association will conduct a seminar on Service Tax in association with Service Tax Department, Government of Maharashtra sometime in August 2011 and is also planning to ogranise a one-day Agri-Tourism FAM tour to Baramati in Pune in the same month. Around 30 travel trade members and a few media persons will be taken on this FAM tour, which is being organised in association with Pandurang Taware, Managing Director, Marketing, Agri Tourism Development Corporation. This information was provided by Atul Mohile, President, MTOA.

Commenting on the membership drive Mohile said, “MTOA currently has 107 members and we expect to have at least 250 members by end of next year. Earlier we used to receive good response from tour operators in regions like Dhule, Nashik, Manmad and Ahmednagar. However, the numbers of new members has reduced in past few years from these regions owing to a lapse in communication. We aim to promote our Association in these regions and other areas, and expect a large number of tour operators to join us in a short span of time.” He also stressed the need to develop and promote Konkan region as a tourist destination. According to Mohile, Konkan has good potential to be developed as a year round destination but is hampered by lack of adequate infrastructure and connectivity. The latter is a major problem, especially during monsoon on account landslides in the hilly terrain disrupting rail and road traffic very often. 

Incessant rains boost tourism in Dharamshala

Incessant rains in Himachal Pradesh have given a fillip to tourism, as hundreds of tourists are flocking to the famous hill station, Dharamsala. Also known as Mini Lhasa, Dharamsala, home to many monasteries, is a centre of Buddhist learning and attracts foreign tourists every year.

According to a report in DNA, the tourist-influx has also set the cash registers ringing for the travel and tourism industry. Kartar Singh, a taxi driver said, "This year, tourism is really booming as a good number of tourists are coming everyday. It is a favourable time for hotels as they are packed with tourists. But it's a difficult time for cars, as there is very limited space for parking of vehicles, which create traffic jams. People often get stuck in these, which is the only problem for tourists."

Over the last few years, Himachal Pradesh has emerged as the preferred destination for tourists after separatist-related violence ruled out tourism in northern Jammu and Kashmir

Train for Katra from 2012

According to newspaper "Navbharat Times" dated 14.06.2011 Railway is going to launch its train till Katra in 2012.

Indian Railways to launch new web portal

According to a PTI report, Indian Railways will soon launch a new web portal. The website will contain information related to passenger services for the convenience of travellers. The information will primarily include journey planners, e-ticketing, retiring room booking, train arrival/departure information, and PNR status. A senior Northern Railways officer said that the new web portal will provide web-based complaint management and SMS complaint management. The portal will offer services to passengers for freight services which includes information about rakes. “This will also provide tracking facility of the rakes on the portal. On the parcel services front, the portal will provide information about parcel rules, have a parcel charges calculator, parcel rates and parcel tracking information,” the official said.

Gulmarg wins India Today's best adventure destination award

On the basis of an online survey conducted by India Today, Gulmarg in Kashmir - has won the best adventure destination category award for skiing in 2010-11, according to a report by Kashmir Dispatch. A certificate was presented to Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Jammu & Kashmir, by the India Today Group at Srinagar recently.

Expressing pleasure over Gulmarg being declared the best skiing destination, the Minister said the destination had won the award for its Gondola service and powdered snow. Jora also said that this distinction would further enhance Gulmarg's reputation as a destination for international and national level skiing events.

Jora added that the government was endeavoring to explore adventure tourism's full potential at Gulmarg and other potential spots in the state. The Minister also said that installation of parallel chair lifts worth Rs 18 crore apiece from Kongdori to Marri Shoulder would not only provide added attractions to the tourists, but also help in organising world class skiing events and other winter games at Gulmarg.

Domestic air travel grew 25.6% in April: IATA

Domestic travel in India grew by 25.6 per cent for the month of April, while domestic air travel in countries like Japan, China and the US have shown a declining trend due to factors like the tsunami, tight economic policies and ATF prices, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement.

According to a report in DNA, “India stands out with a very strong growth of 25.6 per cent in April among the emerging markets. In the past five years, the domestic air travel market has tripled, compared to a doubling of the Chinese and the Brazilian domestic markets, and shrinkage in domestic air travel in both US and Japan,” the statement said.

sanctioned of Money for encouraging water adventure activities in HP

In order to boost the ongoing water adventure tourism at Chamera lake, Chamba Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar has sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh for encouraging water adventure activities in the district.
He has also allocated Rs 12 lakh for the development of the Rock Garden at Devi Dehra, near Dalhousie.
A sum of Rs 25 lakh had already been sanctioned for the construction of a tourist hut near Satrundi, on the midway of the Chamba-Killar Highway, he added.