Quick Getaway from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore

FROM MUMBAI: POWAI, SUBURB OF MUMBAI

  We bet that a visit to Powai, situated in the suburban neighbourhood of Mumbai will be a pleasant revelation. By its sheer planning, landscaping and cleanliness, Powai township offers itself as a pretty getaway in Mumbai. Once here, take a leisurely stroll around the Powai Lake. Leading brands have stand-alone outlets here and so are the quaint eateries serving world cuisine. You can also visit the popular campus of thinking minds at the The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, established in 1958 and currently the second oldest campus of the Indian Institutes of Technology. The National Institute of Industrial Engineering, established in 1963 is also located here. Many expats have made the peaceful Powai their homes in Mumbai. It is a popular film location too.
FILMY STATUS: Kalyug, Ghajini, Slumdog Millionaire and many other films were shot here.

CONNECTIVITY: The Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road passes through Powai. The domestic airport is located 5 kms away. While there is no local train station in Powai per say, the nearest one is in Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli. Originally a central village, Powai has grown exponentially in recent years to become one of Mumbai's upmarket commercial and beautifully-planned residential hubs. 

FROM BANGALORE: KABINI, KARNATAKA 

  The Kabini River, also called Kabani and Kapila, originates in the Wayanad District of Kerala from the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River, and flows eastward to join the Kaveri River at Tirumakudalu Narasipura in Karnataka, which later empties into the Bay of Bengal. Close to the town of Sargur it forms the huge Kabini Reservoir. The backwaters of the Kabini reservoir is rich in wildlife especially in summers when the water level recedes to form rich grassy meadows. The Kabini Forest Reserve is one of the most popular wildlife destinations of Karnataka, probably because of its accessibility, lush green landscape surrounding a large lake, and sightings of herds of elephants. It is 80 kms away from Mysore and 205 kms from Bangalore, and comprises the southeastern part of Nagarahole National Park. Situated on the banks of the Kabini River, the reserve is spread over 55 acres of forest land, steep valleys, and water bodies. Once a private hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore, Kabini was a popular shikar hotspot for British Viceroys and Indian royalty. Now it is considered to be one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, famous for its spectacular wildlife and bird life. 

MUST CHECK-OUT: Nagarahole National Park: 

  Declared a national park in 1974, the park is said to be the best habitat for Asian Elephants. It is surrounded by shallow valleys and gentle slopes on all sides. Kids will enjoy sightings of wildlife here from a safe distance. 

FROM DELHI: KAUSANI, UTTARAKHAND 

  Perched amidst lush greenery in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand is the beautiful small town of Kausani. Kausani is located 52 km north of Almora. There are very few places in the Himalayas that can compare with the beauty of Kausani — a picturesque hill station famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli. Kausani lies atop a ridge at an altitude of around 1,890m amidst dense pine trees overlooking Someshwar valley on one side and Garur and Baijnath Katyuri valley on the other on Almora-Bageshwar-Didihat Highway. Mahatma Gandhi called this place the 'Switzerland of India', due to the similarity in landscape. 

CUSTOMISE YOUR WEEKEND: 

  Anashakti Ashram is a quiet and revered place where Mahatma Gandhi spent some days and wrote his commentary of Anashakti Yog. Pant Museum is another place of importance, this being the place where the famous poet of Hindi literature, Sumitranandan Pant was born. The KMVN (Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam) resthouse in Kausani is an ideal place to stay and it provides panoramic views of the mountains. Lakshmi Ashram is one kilometre away from Kausani, and is a center run by Kumaoni women and dedicated to social service and women empowerment. Gandhiji's disciple, Sarlaben (Kaitherine Heileman) spent her life here doing social service and established Anashakti Ashram. Lakshmi ashram is located in a solitary area amidst a dense pine forest. Tea gardens (5 km on Bageshwar Road), Baijnath group of temples (16.5 km on Bageshwar Road) and Bageshwar are the places of interest closeby. 

SHOPPING TIPS:

At the local market, shop for genuine Kasauni shawls made by the locals. Also, pack some gift hampers of aromatic. 

POWAI POWER:

Neo-classical architectural style towers dominate the Kasuani Tea from the estates there.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Theme for 2013: Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future

Tourism today is a trillion dollar sector involving the movement of over one billion tourists a year around the world and another five to six billion domestically. 

  In line with the 2013 United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation, the 2013 theme for World Tourism Day is Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future. As the most widely celebrated global day for tourism, it represents a unique opportunity to raise awareness of tourism’s role in water access and shine a spotlight on the sector’s contribution to a more sustainable water future. 

  Tourism has proven to provide environmentally sound solutions, as well as political and financial support, for the conservation and sustainable use of water sources. But more must be done. With a record one billion international tourists travelling in a single year in 2012, now is the time to commit to a more sustainable tourism sector in order to protect our common future. 

  This year’s theme highlights tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead. 

  Be part of World Tourism Day 2013! Take part in the upcoming WTD Photo Competition, join the conversation on Twitter (#WTD2013), and let us know how you will be celebrating.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/tourismday/

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Kerala is the Favorite Destination in Country Says Survey

The study surveyed about 1,000 people around the world who have visited India and never visited India. 
  It highlights four things: Travel habits and behavior of international travelers. How do international travelers see India? How much do they know about the country’s attractions and tourism opportunities? Lastly, what draws them here or prevents them from visiting? 

  The research reveals that Kerala leads the tourism pack down south. The state is termed as a leisure destination with beaches and ayurvedic wellness resorts and spas. 

   Tamil Nadu is a close second among South Indian states with 34 percent of the respondents who visited India instantly recalling the state. There is reasonably good road connectivity within the state and it has tremendous potential to showcase still surviving and thriving examples of ancient Indian culture and heritage such as the Meenakshi Temple. 

  Karnataka is at number three with 31 per cent recall value amongst respondents who have visited India. Next is Kolkata that is known to most international travelers as the home of Mother Teresa and Rabindranath Tagore. According to the survey, West Bengal topped the awareness charts among India’s eastern states. 20 percent of respondents, who visited India, instantly recalled West Bengal. And 19 percent of respondents who have not visited India also had instant recall of the state. British and American travelers were most aware of West Bengal. 

   According to the research, Gujarat ranks high as an investment destination, but it is yet to pick up as a preferred destination for international travellers, mainly on account of it being a dry state where liquor consumption is banned, says a recent survey conducted by BBC World News. Only one percent of the respondents had instant recall about Gujarat.

  While some believe that Gujarat has good infrastructure and transport facilities, it is yet to promote destinations such as the Rann of Kuttch, Gir Forest and Gandhi Ashram, said a statement. The travel survey says that North Indian states have negative attitude towards foreign tourists. 

  Uttar Pradesh is largely perceived as a state where locals have a negative attitude towards foreign tourists. It also fails on parameters such as safety, security, health and hygiene and emergency medical services. 

Source- http://post.jagran.com

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DTCM to tap Wedding and Honeymoon segments in India

  Retaining its number two source market position for Dubai, India registered a growth rate close to ten per cent in 2012 (763,000 visitors) compared to 2011. In the first half of 2013, Dubai received 460,000 Indian visitors registering a growth of 15.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2012. According to Mansoor Bawazir, Head of Region, India, Middle East & Southern/Eastern Africa, Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing's (DTCM), Dubai is the seventh most visited city in the world. “Dubai recorded more than 5.5 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2013, representing an 11.1 per cent year-on-year increase. We are here to promote and showcase our products in the Indian market and further increase Indian arrivals. India is huge market with great potential and will be one of the important source markets to achieve our target of 20 million visitors by 2020,” stated Bawazir. 

  The multi-city workshops will target over 1,000 Indian trade professionals comprising major travel and tour operators, wedding planners and up-market leisure operators across India.

  

  Speaking on the sidelines of roadshow in Mumbai, Carl Vaz, Director - India, DTCM, said, "The growth from the Indian market has been achieved as a result of our focus on Tier-II and III cities (besides the metros). Earlier, we focused on consolidating our position in metros and Tier-I cities. We are looking at penetrating deeper into Tier-II cities like Pune, Indore, Nagpur, Chandigarh and Jaipur and Tier-III cities such asVisakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Raipur and Bhubaneshwar. Currently, we have 2,000 certified experts from metros, Tier-I and II cities of India under the Dubai Expert Training Programme and we are now looking at adding 1,000 agents from Tier-III cities as Dubai specialists."

  

 A 22-member strong delegation participated in the three-city roadshow (Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai) comprising hoteliers, DMCs and attractions. Emirates, Atlantis, The Palm and Lama Tours, the co-sponsors of the roadshow also made presentations at the roadshows that targeted over 1,000 Indian trade professionals covering major tour operators, wedding planners and high-end leisure operators. 

  According to Vaz, “The roadshow provides us with a platform to interact with a significantly higher number of travel agents, tour operators and even wedding planners from various parts of India enabling them to cater to new segments and repeat visitors. The main market segments that we are looking at tapping in India this year are the group series departures and the family segment along with the niche segments of weddings / honeymoon, school groups, adventure / sport and luxury seekers and single women travellers who will be heading for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2014.”

  Vaz further added, "We want to achieve year-on-year double digit growth from the Indian market and our focus is on tapping the Wedding and Honeymoon segments. We have launched an advertising campaign targeting these segments. We are also looking at developing niche segments and will work closely with tour operators dealing with single women travellers, ‘silvers’ (senior citizens) and women shopping groups. In addition, we want to tap group movement of management students for industrial tours to Jebel Ali Port, Dubai Internet City and Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU). This will give the students an insight on Dubai's culture and these MBA students will become our brand ambassador." 

  Speaking about new products and services, Kulwant Singh, Managing Director, Lama Tours, said, "We introduced Lama Express Visa service two months ago in Delhi and till date have processed 1,600 visa. We are looking at introducing the same service in Mumbai by November and in Bengaluru by December this year.” Commenting on the impact of the depreciation of the Indian rupee, Singh said, “While the fall has affected the gross revenue but we are hoping for 10-12 per cent growth from the Indian market by year end." As a first time participant in DTCM road show in India, Munir Mohammed, Sales Manager Middle East, Big Bus Tours said, “We offer unique sightseeing experiences on-board traditional double-decker buses. For our hop-on and hop-off day tour services in Dubai, we have 20 stops and provide recorded commentary available in a choice of up to 10 languages. Through the road shows we aim to create awareness about our products and services in Indian market.” 

  Praveen Punnose, Manager Operations, Royal Gulf Tourism LLC, said that while India is a competitive and demanding market they have witnessed around 20 per cent year-on-year increase in business from Indian market. Jeetu Frantz, Managing Director, Binali Tourism LLC informed that they are looking at tapping the luxury wedding segment and Tier II & III cities in India.

Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/

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Kerala tourism to tap Japanese market

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala tourism is looking to make further inroads into the Japanese market, and is showcasing "God's own country" - as the state is described in its advertisement tagline - at a travel fair in Tokyo, officials said.

The JATA Travel Showcase 2013 opened in Tokyo Thursday, and will continue until Sunday.

This fair comes at a time of surge in tourist arrivals in the state, on account of enhanced air connectivity and the newly-introduced visa-on-arrival facility at two airports in the state -- one in the capital city and the other in Kochi.

Participating for the first time at JATA Tourism Forum and Travel Showcase 2013, Kerala will attempt to draw attention to its natural beauty and other travel products, including soul-soothing Ayurveda.

The JATA travel show is billed as one of the largest such events in Asia.

In 2012, the state recorded 11,500 tourist arrivals from Japan, a nearly 60 percent growth in five years.

State tourism minister A P Anil Kumar, who is leading the Kerala contingent to Japan, said that there has been an increasing interest among citizens from Japan for Ayurveda and wellness.

"Being the home of Ayurveda, Kerala is sure to attract visitors from Japan," he said.

Air connectivity between the state and Japan has increased, thanks to flights operated by Silk Air, Air Asia and Tiger Airways. Malaysian Airlines commenced operations to the state from the first week of September this year.

Secretary of Kerala Tourism Suman Billa said the contingent from the state met officials from Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines, who expressed interest in a partnership with the state tourism department.

"We are planning road shows and familiarization trips for tour operators and travel writers from key cities of Japan as a follow-up initiative," Billa said.

Ambassador of India to Japan Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa held a formal reception for the Kerala contingent. She also visited the Kerala Tourism pavilion and expressed happiness that the state had made a presence at JATA for the first time.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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