Goa tourism industry protests poll restrictions

[The poll circular stipulates that all hotels, restaurants and eateries should be shut by 11pm from January 25 and from 10pm from February 6 to March 6]


Hit hard by the circular issued by poll authorities restricting their timing, the tourism industry has struck back and pressed the officials concerned to do a re-think on the same.


The circular stipulates that all hotels, restaurants and eateries should be shut by 11pm from January 25 and from 10pm from February 6 to March 6.


Members of the travel and tourism association of Goa (TTAG), beach shack owners, and proprietors of small restaurants and eateries met chief electoral officer S Kumaraswamy, chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava, both district collectors and excise commissioner P S Reddy on Friday as per a TOI report.


"We told the authorities concerned not to close eateries. Closing of restaurants is unwarranted. We cannot deprive tourists of food," said travel and tourism association of Goa president Gaurish Dhond.


The delegation assured government authorities that no liquor will be served by any establishment after 11pm. "They were sympathetic to our petition and said they would discuss the matter before taking a review of their decision," Dhond added.


Shack owners welfare society general secretary John Lobo said beach tourism is set to take a severe beating if the circular is implemented.


"We have asked that we should be allowed to serve food at least till 1am," Lobo said. Barnabe Sapeco, Goa chamber of commerce and industry's tourism committee member, termed the circular as "unrealistic".


"It will severely affect the tourism sector and will encourage illegal food stalls to do business. These illegal stalls do not generate revenue to the government. People's lifestyles have changed. A realistic view must be adopted so that people don't suffer," Sapeco said.


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Promotion of domestic tourism stressed- The Hindu

[The Hindu: Passengers admiring the 'Go Kerala' Tourism branded ''Trivandrum Rajdhani Express at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi. A file photo: S. Subramanium]

“It is high time we Indians took necessary steps to ensure proper protection of our ancient monuments which are of high artistic and aesthetic value”, said Prof N. Sreekumar, academic and All Kerala House Boat Owners’ Association secretary.

Prof Sreekumar was delivering the keynote address at the seminar on ‘Tourism – Heritage and Industry’ organised by the Tourism Club at Christian College, Chengannur on Saturday.

He said connoisseurs of art across the globe were very much after India’s aesthetic values that live in her ancient architectural marvels and frescoes.

According to him, labour shortage, pollution problems and misuse of various tourism products, including Ayurvedic massage, are certain issues that warrant immediate attention of the Government and the authorities concerned.

The picturesque Kerala needs a tourism promotion that very well suits its native culture, rural tradition and values encapsulating a unique cultural identity. Tourists from various other parts of the country and abroad visit Kerala to have a nourishing experience of the native art, culture and the serene natural settings here, he said.

Prof Sreekumar who is a Physics professor at SD College, Alappuzha, has stressed the need to promote domestic tourism in a big way, especially in the backdrop of the reported decline in the foreign tourists’ arrival in the previous year.

Dr Jacob George, college principal, inaugurated the seminar and Thomas P. Thomas, Tourism Club co-ordinator, also spoke.


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India Tourism Leads in World Wide Travel Industry

India is one of the best tourist destinations all over the globe. Millions of international tourist visit India each year to know more about this colorful land. The proof of it is that India won the world's leading destination award at the recent World Travel Awards. India took the lead against the likes of London, New York, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney to win this title. The cultural and historical wealth of India is the main attraction for international traveler. India's rich heritage attracts tourists from all over the world. India's mixed culture comprises of many different traditions and cultures.

Each and every part of India has something different to share. Each state has some unique customs which are very different from others. Tourists from all around the world come to India to experience the beauty of this majestic land. You can learn the true meaning of hospitality in India as it believes in 'Atithi Devo Bhava' which means a guest is like a god. You will not find any other country in the world which has such vibrant and colorful culture. One of its most attractive features of the Indian culture is its festivals. Different festivals of different religions are celebrated in India with full passion.

India is mythological land as there are countless temples of different Gods and Goddesses. There are many historical monuments and ruins in India. Many of them are declared world heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These sites include many of the famous tourist destinations like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Elephanta Caves, Humayun's Tomb and many more. International tourists literally flood in every year to see these monuments which have witnessed the glorious past of India.

Mother Nature showed her generosity on India by giving it such a vast variety in terms of geographical conditions. Different geographical conditions mean different climatic conditions. Snow covered hills, plain areas, deserts, costal areas, beaches and islands are some of the diverse geographical features which India holds for its visitors. So India has almost every kind of tourist destination you can think of. This geographical diversity also ensures the survival of different wildlife creatures. Different kinds of flora and fauna can be found in different parts of India. It is very helpful in the Ayurvedic medical system (very old and effective Indian medical system) as most of the medicines are made-up from different parts of plants.

Tourism industry is bound to touch heights in India as the world is taking more interest in its great heritage. India's uniqueness is unmatched in terms of the traditional values it has conserved from thousands of years. You can spend your entire life in India traveling and learning about its culture. There is so much to gain and understand that no one will leave empty handed. Every traveler who loves to explore new places will love India. No travel journal is complete if it does not have a section titled called 'A journey to the magical land called India.

To get more information about India Travel Agents and Golden Triangle Tours, Visit- ercotravels.com

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

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Nepal Tourism Board's roadshow in Madurai targets South India for tourism industry promotion - Indiamart

MADURAI: The recently organised roadshow here by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) was aimed to advertise the potential of the hill country has to offer its travellers and also to provide a positive stimulus to its tourism industry.

In 2011, the Nepal Tourism Year, the country attracted 5.44 lakh visitors by air, wherein 1.45 lakh tourists were from India, of which 50 per cent of the arrivals are from south India.

Mr Dhruba Rai of Nepal Tourism Board, said that the Nepal boasts of a variety of attractive tourist spots aimed to attract people of different age groups – from adventure tourism, religious tourism etc and has established itself as the gateway to Mount Kailash-Manasarover.

The road show in Madurai, is aimed to alleviate the mutual growth in the tourism sector. South Indians, especially those from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, preferred to visit religious places and NTB is willing to boost Mount Kailash and Manasarovar in the region.

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Govt sets up panel to promote tourism

To resolve inter-ministerial and industry issues and to promote tourism, the government has set up an inter-ministerial coordination committee for the sector under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterji.

A Prime Minister's Office release said here Friday that Pulok Chatterji presided over the first meeting of the committee on Thursday and secretaries to government of important ministries were present.

At the meeting, Chatterji said tourism should be seen as development, it should be pro-poor and focus on employment creation.

He emphasised the need to give tourism a major fillip during the 12th Plan so as to more than double the number of foreign tourists arriving in India and further encourage domestic tourism.

The meeting decided to create a sub-committee of Planning Commission, and secretaries of culture, environment and forests, and tourism that will identify potential of tourism in rural, ecology and cultural sectors and submit a report within four weeks.

It also decided that the Ministry of Environment and Forests should finalise its eco-tourism policy at the earliest possible time, duly analysing the feedback it has received from different quarters.

It is imperative that all local stake-holders are involved in promoting eco-tourism.

Among the other decisions were that the culture ministry, in close coordination with tourism ministry, should adopt a pro-active tourism policy, which should promote museums, cultural and heritage sites, besides monuments.

The home ministry has been asked to take steps to facilitate extension of tourist visa on arrival to Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi and Bangalore airports within next year. A coordination committee consisting of joint secretaries of home, external affairs and tourism has been constituted to resolve day-to-day visa related complaints.

The defence ministry's border roads organisation has been asked to expedite ongoing work at Gangtok and Leh roads which are tentatively scheduled to be completed by 2014 and 2015 respectively.

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Many states promoting tourism is great for industry- Economic TimesC

Over the past year. the number of state governments that have been advertising their tourist destinations have visibly increased. Kerala, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have always been pro-active in this sphere, but it is wonderful to see Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Jharkhand come forward with their tourist temptations. 

Even West Bengal has jumped in with advertisements of the Gangasagar Mela (just concluded on Makar Sankrantithis weekend) and Gujarat, which has roped in Amitabh Bachchan in the flesh - not merely hired his delicious baritone-to sing paeans to the Rann of Kutch. 

This seems to be a reiteration of what travel industry veterans know for a fact: the maximum number of tourists going around India are, well, Indians! So while the foreigners will dutifully flock to the valorous sands of Rajasthan and the idyllic backwaters of Kerala (with a short run to the Taj Mahal in Agra and maybe a bit of sun and sand in Goa), it is the Intrepid Indian who will try to go to the farthest reaches of this vast subcontinent to sample its marvels. 

It is time that we all acknowledge this. Given India's patchy infrastructure, it will be a long time before foreigners brave the wilds of the Sunderbans, roam the temple-strewn badlands of Bhind-Morena, trek through the brooding blue hills of the south to a hilltop shrine or go beyond Aurangabad's Ajanta Caves to the Lonar Crater. 

Indian tourists are far more forgiving. Millions of them can deal with bone-rattling roads, indifferent amenities and spartan accommodation - they do so every day when they're not on holiday anyway. And if there is a pilgrimage place somewhere nearby (and there always are, in any corner of India) they will land up there with rare determination, family and food in tow. 

There would be fewer issues about water and insects, contamination and safety standards, or at least more cast-iron constitutions. And that would suit us admirably-honestly speaking- till we ramp up our infrastructure to standards that travelling elites, international and local, would deem suitable. 

The fringe benefit of state governments bringing their tourism destinations into focus is that we may finally move beyond the (admittedly beautiful) cliches of the Incredible India campaign. If there is one thing that ET Travel has taught me, it is that India is far, far more incredible than any campaign can capture. Wonders are hidden round every bend in the road, on the other side of every hillock and down every unbeaten path. There is no need to cling to cliches. 

And everywhere there are startling connections. Like the temple in Panna in Madhya Pradesh that looks like a Venetian palace, which also resembles the ones in Goa ensconced in Christian-inspired buildings. Like the horseshoeshaped falls in Chitrakoot in Chhattisgarh that look so much like the Kuttrallam Falls in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district... Time again, India's unity in diversity becomes apparent to the sensitive traveller... 

All big nations (like China and the US, which also have highly developed international tourism markets) also look inwards, knowing that sheer size will act against any sizeable influx of foreign tourists in all but the most well publicised destinations. Certain places are therefore geared totally for the domestic tourist, though foreign ones are an added bonus. And there are enough numbers to make the option viable. 

In that context, the state governments' renewed interest and faith in the travelling Indian needs to be bolstered by central action. An Incredible India campaign focussing on the Intrepid Indian, perhaps? 

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Indian tourist is going places...- The Asian Age

There was a time Bangkok and Singapore were the favourite destinations for Indian tourists travelling abroad, particularly first-timers.

They still are, but the experienced desi traveller has started going beyond to territories in the southeast in pursuit of pleasure and spirituality.

The ancient temples of Cambodia were a draw for many Indians this New Year.

“The 1970-74 batch of a university spent two nights on Krabi Islands and two at Chiang Mai in Thailand in the first week of 2012.

About 22 families comprising 55 people made the trip,” said H.M. Talha Rahman, chairman of Tamil Nadu chapter of Travel Agents Federation of India.

He said Indian tourists were skipping the usual and discovering new. The two countries that caught their attention this holiday season were Cambodia and Vietnam.

“Everybody is talking Cambodia and Vietnam now. The restored temples at Angkor Wat draw tourists to this ancient Cambodian city with mysterious past and rich cultural heritage,” Mr Talha said, adding that infinite stretches of powdery sand were one of Vietnam’s attractions.

“Elderly people from south Indian families show interest in visiting the Vishnu temple in Cambodia. They combine pilgrimage and leisure in Malaysia and Thailand,” he said.

Karthik Subramanian, who visited the Vishnu temple with wife, was mighty impressed by the ancient civilisation.

“We saw battle scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata on the temple walls. The place is considered the seat of a civilization that dominated South Asia for years,” he said.

Langkawi, an archipelago of 104 islands in Andaman Sea some 30 km off mainland Malaysia, and Kota Kinabalu, one of the fastest-growing cities in that country, were the other new destinations on the radar of Indian tourists this season.

“Honeymoon couples show a lot of interest in these two cities in Malaysia,” said Akbar Holidays South & East India business head Abdul Khalieq.

For first-timers, however, Far-East countries continue to be the hotspots. “We want to see and experience for ourselves why people flock to Singapore and Malaysia,” said R. Meenakshi, who left for a week to Singapore on January 3.

The only hindrance for Indians on the move of late has been the rupee depreciation.

“Compared to 2010-11 Christmas and New Year season, we saw a 20 per cent drop in outflow of tourists this year,” said Mr Rahman.

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India seeks tourism industry's help to save water resources- Bangkok post

Delegates attending the inaugural session on water conservation at the annual caucus of overseas Indians here were surprised to find that the chief guest was Indian Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai.

That was no mistake. Although the minister did make the perfunctory tourism promotion statements, he also stressed that India's new policy would be equally intended to ensure that tourists do not squander the country's precious water resources.

He urged the Indian diaspora gathered here for the annual event known as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to build hotels that would focus on water conservation in equal measure as guest comfort. 

Under India's 12th five-year plan, tourism has been declared a poverty-alleviating sector that can contribute significantly to the economic progress of rural areas and create jobs, especially for women. The country is targeting another five million visitors over the next few years, which it hopes will create 25 million jobs. 

But tourists, and hotels, are major water-guzzlers in a country whose large population of 1.21 billion and rapid economic development is also putting huge pressure on scarce water resources. 

The country is heavily dependent on the annual monsoon but precipitation is uneven both geographically and temporally. Delegates were surprised to learn that Cherapunji, the northeast hill region said to be world's wettest, actually gets most of the rain in only a four-month period and for the rest of the year suffers from a water shortage. 

A theme paper distributed at the session said that India is the world's largest user of groundwater, with an estimated usage of 230 cubic metres per year, more than a quarter of the world's total. Hotels and hospitals also draw heavily on groundwater. 

The paper added: "With more than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water suppliers dependent on it, groundwater is a vital resource for rural areas in India. Reliance of urban and industrial waste supplies on groundwater is also becoming increasingly significant." 

Massive efforts are under way nationwide to conserve, recycle and store water through such measures as rainwater harvesting and storage. 

One of the speakers at the session said hotels could even seriously consider providing buckets in the rooms for those guests who are truly serious about saving water. 

He said phenemonal amounts of water gets wasted by guests leaving the water faucets on while shaving or brushing their teeth or standing for minutes on end in the shower. Giving them the option of filling up water-buckets and using only as much as they need could save millions of litres a year. 

Alongside the environmental message, however, the tourism promotion efforts continue, with the Indian diaspora seen as a major source for investments. Tourism Ministry officials are going out of their way to stress the economic viability of tourism, accompanied by incentives to attract funds, guidance to cut through the red-tape and pitfalls to watch out for. 

Indeed, tourism was discussed at its own independent session on the opening of the PBD, along with other sectors such as water, energy, health and education, a clear indication of the priority being given to the subject. 

Mr Sanjay Kothari, Joint Additional Secretary of the Ministry said that one proposal being considered is to set up tourism promotion forums in several cities abroad, to be chaired by the respective Indian ambassadors and involving all those in the industry who are linked to India, including tour operators and airlines. 

The Indian Tourism Development Corporation, a government-owned unit that owns hotels and a tour unit, is also being restructured into a consulting arm that will offer advice to investors on project development, along with marketing assistance. 

It will act as a facilitator for the project and use its experience to help investors with viable business plans with site selection, site construction, infrastructure and manpower solutions. 

Mr Kothari said that one of the major problems in India is land availability for new projects. However, he said that the government, through its various state enterprises and the state governments themselves, is also the largest land-owner. 

He said the central government was offering incentives for conversion of land into commercial opportunities. For example, the land around bus stations is being offered to prospective investors in budget hotels with incentives of India rupees 200,000 per room. 

Human resources availability will also be key, especially in the rural areas. One key target is to provide jobs for underprivileged young people, especially those in the rural areas who did not get a chance to complete their education. 

A new scheme known as "Hunar Se Rozgar" has been created to provide jobs for youths aged 18-28 who have finished at least until 8th class to get training and other benefits that may help them get jobs in tourism. 

India's tourism development is now being driven by both economic and political agendas, Mr Kothari said.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/274292/india-seeks-tourism-industry-s-help-to-save-water-resources

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Maldives reopens spas closed because of allegations of vice and prostitution- the guardian

The Maldives president, Mohamed Nasheed, announcing the lifting of the ban on spas on Wednesday. Photograph: Sinan Hussain/AP

The ordered closure of luxury spas at hotels and massage parlours in the Maldives was lifted on Wednesday under pressure from the country's tourism industry, a few days after it was imposed to try to curb perceived vice.

"We have lifted the ban and all the services will be available for tourists," said Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives. "We wanted to give confidence to tourists."

Nasheed said he had ordered the ban, on Saturday, in response to the main opposition party, which claimed the spas and parlours were fronts for prostitution and had led to the spread of drugs and alcohol to residents in the country's mainly Sunni Muslim nation.

Opposition groups, organised by the Islamist Adhaalath party, staged a mass protest on 23 December calling for a crackdown on massage parlours in the capital, Male, and densely populated areas.

But the former Maldives ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said the Progressive party had never asked for an overall ban. The government's move on the spas, he said, had been aimed at resorts owned by some opposition members.

The ban detrimentally affected the tourism industry for the India Ocean nation, which has a population of 400,000 spread over more than 1,200 atolls. The archipelago has pristine white-sand beaches and turquoise waters that attract more than 800,000 tourists each year.

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Maldives spa ban slammed £1billion tourism industry - Daily Mail

Exclusive resorts the Maldives - a favourite with honeymooners - are fighting a ban on their luxury spas after the government shut them down in an apparent bid to appease 'Islamist campaigners'.

The president of the Indian Ocean archipelago announced over the weekend that all spas and massage parlours should be closed as Islamist opposition parties believed they were a front for prostitution.

However, the country's tourism association has declared that the decision threatens the Maldives' lucrative tourism industry, which sees celebrities and honeymooners flock to its many atolls.

Selling point: The spa is one of the highlights of the One & Only Reethi Rah

Sim Ibrahim, from the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) said he hoped the law would be overturned as the organisation filed two cases in civil courts to try and revoke the ban.

MATI's lawyer Azima Shukoor said: 'The circular violates the lease agreement signed between the government and resort owners and the constitution rights to protect investors.'

She also added that the association had also applied for a temporary injunction.

President Mohamed Nasheed's office released a statement over the weekend saying: 'The government has decided to close massage parlors and spas in the Maldives, following an opposition-led religious protest last week calling for their closure.'

There are also fears among the travel industry that a current ban on people bringing alcohol into the country could be expanded to prevent the sale of alcohol anywhere across the islands, meaning hotels and resorts could be stopped from serving alcoholic drinks altogether.

The statement from the President's office said: 'Ironically, the same opposition leaders who railed against spas and the selling of alcohol and pork to tourists are some of the country's biggest resort owners.'

Protestors demonstrate in the Maldives last week. They are calling on the government to enforce strict Islamic law

However, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's opposition coalition Progressive Party of Maldives denied they had campaigned for a complete spa ban, saying the government move was simply a way of damaging leisure business owned by fellow opposition members.

'We never asked for the ban,' PPM spokesman Ahamed Mahloof said. 'We wanted the liquor and massage clinics banned in inhabited islands to prevent prostitution and spread of drugs and alcohol to locals.

'Nasheed is misusing the demands to take revenge by imposing the ban on resorts owned by the opposition members.'

The Indian Ocean archipelago’s £1billion tourism sector would suffer badly as a result of the ban.

Mr Ibrahim said: 'Sex tourism definitely does not happen in the resorts.

'The ban is very disruptive, not helpful for tourism and bad for our country's image. We have asked for legal clarity to protect an industry that has been in operation for 40 years.'

Making a splash: Huvafen Fushi boasts the world's first underwater spa rooms

Model Naomi Campbell, Dragon's Den star James Caan, TV presenters Tess Daly and Fern Cotton and Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli are among some of the celebrity fans of the Maldives.

Most of the resorts on the islands feature large spas and many of them are used as a selling point to attract visitors.

The spa is a highlight of the One & Only Reethi Rah, one of the Maldives’ most expensive resorts, and features crystal steam rooms and ice fountains.

At Soneva Gili, the resort’s Six Senses Spa features glass floor-panels and treatments that can last up to six hours while Huvafen Fushi boasts the world’s first underwater spa rooms.

Despite the government ban, a spokesman for Huvafen Fushi told AFP that their spa was accepting bookings for the New Year.

‘We have heard of this report, but our spa is open,’ a Huvafen Fushi manager said.

The Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huras charges $600 for a two-and-a-half hour spa treatment, according to the resort's website. Other resorts also charge similar amounts

The country's tourism minister said the move has already prompted calls from resorts affected.

'Several have raised concerns over our decision. We are considering allowing resorts to operate spas. They are also aware of the reasons that led us to take the decision,' Tourism Minister Mariyam Zulfa said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2081693/Maldives-spa-ban-slammed-representatives-1billion-tourism-industry.html#ixzz1iP47xs3p

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