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Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, trust constituted to look after construction and management of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, today informed via tweet that the work of plinth at Ram Janmabhoomi Temple site in Ayodhya is reaching its final stage. Construction of the temple is in full swing after the Supreme Court verdict in one of the longest legal battles in the world. The trust was given the task of temple construction in February 2020. The trust keeps on meeting periodically to oversee the various aspects of the temple construction like lighting, security, construction of retaining wall, plinth, etc. श्री रामजन्मभूमि मन्दिर स्थल पर फर्श निर्माण से पूर्व चबूतरा (प्लिंथ) के निर्माण का कार्य अब पूर्णता की ओर है। The plinth work at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir site is reaching it's final stage. pic.twitter.com/1skLgzMuma — Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) March 31, 2022   Recently, 17,000 granite stones came from Bharatpur’s Bansi Pahadpur area for plinth co

Over a month ahead of the beginning of the Char Dham yatra, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday reviewed preparations for the annual pilgrimage and asked officials to make better use of technology to make the yatra safer and more convenient for pilgrims. Char Dham Yatra begins on May 3 this year with the opening of the portals of the Yamunotri temple in the Himalayas in the Uttarkashi district. Large crowds of devotees are expected to throng the Himalayan temples this year as the Covid-led restrictions have been removed. The COVID-19 pandemic has cast its shadow on the pilgrimage for the last two years with the Himalayan temples opening several months late for devotees amid restrictions like a cap on the number of pilgrims visiting them daily. The restrictions, however, have been removed now and pilgrim footfalls at the Himalayan shrines are expected to record a substantial rise during the yatra this season, officials said. Despite the restrictions, over five lakh pilgr

Rajasthan Diwas 2022: Rajasthan Diwas is just around the corner and the celebration is set to be fervent! 2022 marks 73 years of the Rajasthan Diwas and the Rajasthan Festival will be held on March 30 to celebrate the occasion. Rajasthan is home to rich culture and heritage, with commendable contribution in art, music, folklore, architecture and dance. Each region of the state is said to have a history and legacy of its own. To honour the rich legacy of the state, the Rajasthan Festival would include performances of the folk artists. The celebration would see not just one or two but more than a whopping 500 artists. In fact, so that the younger generations are able to learn about the heritage of the state, the state has decided to make the entrance as well as sightseeing for all of the state-owned monuments and tourist attractions free of cost for all students for the duration of the Rajasthan Festival. The Festival celebrations are slated to begin at the Albert Hall at 7 pm on Wedne

Two years of the pandemic has kept people largely confined to their homes, and needless to say, many have been dreaming about traveling to their favourite destinations or new unexplored locations. With Covid on its way to becoming endemic, it looks like 2022 is going to be the year that finally fulfills all their travel wishes. As per a new survey report by American Express Travel titled ‘Global Travel Trends Report’, about 91% of Indians, the highest among all surveyed countries, said they plan to book a dream vacation in 2022 which they normally would not have considered before the pandemic while 87% want to book a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in 2022.  This goes on to show that lifting of Covid curbs and resumption of international flights has led to a return of normalcy which in turn has led more and more people to break the chain of monotony and plan trips accordingly. Manoj Adlakha, SVP, and CEO at the American Express Banking Corp, India, informs that there is a huge surge in t

Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Temple in Varanasi has been at the center of India-Nepal unity and since the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been attracting scores of tourists and pilgrims. The new corridor has benefited not just tourist footfall in the Mandir but also other religious spots in the city, ANI reported. Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev constructed in the 19th Century A.D by the King of Nepal is also known as Nepali Mandir and Mini Khajuraho. The temple that houses Lord Shiva has been of great religious importance. Arvind Mishra, one of the devotees said that those who came to Varanasi to pay a visit to Kashi Vishwanath also pay a visit to the Nepali temple. Every day, a long queue is noticed after 3 pm. The place mainly attracts people from the Himalayan Nation of Nepal. Pashupatinath temple in Nepal built in Nepalese pagoda style architecture was constructed in 1692 CE. This temple in Varanasi acts as a bond between two countries with similar cultur

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said regular international flight services, which were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic for the last two years, resumed with full capacity from Sunday. Due to the outbreak of COVID -19, scheduled international flight services were suspended in March 2020. “Today is a very important day…All regular international flights services resumed with full capacity from today. During the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic, the international flights were being operated under the air bubble arrangements,” Scindia told reporters here. He said he was confident that people from India are eager to go abroad and vice versa. “Apart from this, for the summer schedule, 135 new domestic flights were launched today along with 15 international ones. In the morning, the flight service between Gorakhpur and Varanasi was launched. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated it. I took part in the event virtually,” Scindia added.

India on Sunday organised the Snow Marathon Lahaul, the highest in the world, in Lahaul & Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh. Conceptualised by Guarav Schimar and organised by Reach India with support from Lahaul Spiti district administration saw the participation of over 100 sportspersons. Schimar said: “This was the first time that a snow marathon was organised in the country.” “Till now, snow marathons were conducted in countries of the cold icy regions such as the polar circles, Antarctica, Russia and northern Europe. With Snow Marathon Lahaul, India not only stepped into the elite club of countries where Snow Marathons are organised but by organising it at an elevation of above 10,000 feet, it now holds the distinction of organizing a snow marathon at the highest altitude.” Shashwat Rao won the Snow Marathaon Lahaul in the men’s category with a time of 4:41:07. The Karnataka native spent a long time practising in Manali with the snow marathon as a focus area. Dolma Tenzin,

After a coronavirus pandemic-induced hiatus of over two years, regular international flights are set to resume from Sunday with airports and airlines getting ready for normal overseas operations. Battered by the pandemic, the airline industry is slowly coming back to normalcy and the resumption of normal overseas flights is expected to provide a fillip to the sector. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, which is also the country’s largest airport, expects international flight departures to witness a significant jump in the first week of April after the resumption of regular international operations. While Indian carriers are prepared for normal international services, various foreign airlines, including Emirates, Virgin Atlantic and LOT Polish have also announced plans about their services to and from India. Scheduled international passenger flights have remained suspended since March 23, 2020 in the wake of the pandemic and they will now restart

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Finland’s flag carrier Finnair on Friday said it will connect Helsinki with India’s financial capital Mumbai with a direct flight, starting July this year. Mumbai will be the airline’s second destination in India after Delhi, where it has been flying since 2006. The to-be launched flight on Mumbai-Helsinki and vice versa will be open for bookings from April 5 onwards, Finnair said in a statement. Finnair will operate from Mumbai and Helsinki, as part of its summer 2022 schedule, three times a week — on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, the airline said. “As the world opens up to travel, it is an opportune time to expand operations and enable better connectivity for our customers. After Delhi, Mumbai is a major airline hub in India and is home to leading global businesses. “Our new services will enable both business and leisure travel from the region as global economies gradually recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Desmond Chacko – General Manager, Finnair. Finnair

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The government is waiting for Saudi Arabia’s decision on hosting the annual Haj pilgrimage, but has started preparations to send pilgrims from 10 embarking points, Union Minorities Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in Lok Sabha on Thursday. Naqvi said there has been no Haj pilgrimage for last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want Haj to happen this year. But it depends on the Saudi Arabia government, what decision they take. But on our own, we have started preparations in 10 embarking points, out of the 21,” he said during the Question Hour. from Travel News:Travel and Tourism,Latest Travel News,Tourism News Today,Latest Travel News Articles | The Financial Express https://ift.tt/elsg9LG

Kerala Tourism on Wednesday launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot ‘Maya’ to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in the state by just sending a ‘Hi’ to the WhatsApp no 7510512345, or by scanning the QR code to access the service. Launching the dedicated WhatsApp interactive service at a function here, Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said Maya will serve as a virtual travel assistant for tourists to ask and get complete information they need for a hassle-free travel experience in the state. “The chatbot service, which leverages the potential of the technology for tourism development, will help attract more tourists to Kerala. The tourists can easily access a whole lot of information regarding the prime attractions in each place, our cultural diversity, culinary traditions of different regions and the routes and means for transport to reach various places”, the Minister said. After the launch of Caravan Tourism, Kerala is also exploring the

For the second time since its inception as a country in 1867, Canada has welcomed over 400,000 new inhabitants in 2021. The country has set a new all-time high for permanent residence landings in a single year. Canada’s immigration levels have been among the highest in the world for decades. Canada highly relies on immigration to fuel its economy and support an aging population. Canada is one of the most immigrant-friendly countries in the world, with its acceptance rate at 1%.  This makes it an attractive destination for people from all over, including economic migrants who want to make use of Canada’s generous social safety net. Prior to the pandemic, Canada set a target of 341,000 new immigrants in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, it only landed 184,000 people last year. It did, however, double down on immigration to support its post-pandemic economic recovery in 2021. The only other time Canada bested the 400,000 immigrant mark was in 1913, but the outbreak of World War I ca

As many as 3.82 lakh passengers undertook air travel daily in the last seven days, giving hopes of revival of the sector scarred by Covid-19, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday as he set a target of nearly tripling total passenger traffic by 2023-24 to 40 crore. Scindia further said that at a time when the airline industry world over is facing turbulence, two new airlines, Jet and Akasa, will soon launch their services. Replying to the Demands for Grants, 2022-23, for the Ministry of Civil Aviation he said that the government has brought about a paradigm shift, a structural change in the sector in the last two years and it will focus on inclusion, access and affordablity to increase demand among common man. The total number of passenger travelled increased from 6.70 crore in 2013-14 to 14.50 crore in 2018-19. The number of planes too increased from 400 from 2013-14 to 710 by 2018-19. As per DGCA data, 8.38 crore people travelled on domestic flights in 20

Homegrown hospitality technology platform OYO on Tuesday said it will offer free accommodation to refugees fleeing Ukraine. Starting with Poland, the company has initiated concerted efforts to appeal to its 600-plus Belvilla homeowners on its platform in Poland to open their holiday homes to refugees. “These stays will be free for refugees who cannot pay for them, and the costs will be borne by the company and its homeowners, who volunteer to host refugees. The company will support administratively, and help cover operational expenses incurred by the homeowners,” OYO said in a statement. Commenting on the move, OYO founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said, “We are deeply inspired by our homeowners who are opening their homes and hearts to people in dire need. We are committed to supporting them and driving this effort in every way we can. We will continue to explore every avenue to ensure all possible support for refugees in European countries”. He further said the company is also i

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has relaxed COVID-19-related regulations stating that cabin crew members need not wear PPE kit, airlines need not keep three seats vacant on international flights for medical emergencies and security personnel at airports can resume pat-down search of passengers. The relaxation has been given to facilitate “smooth conduct of air operations”, the ministry’s order, dated March 21, stated. The aviation market in India is currently recovering after the Omicron variant suppressed the demand in January. Around 76.96 lakh domestic passengers travelled by air in February, approximately 20 per cent more than in January. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), in its order, said that the restriction of keeping three seats vacant on international flights for handling medical emergencies related to COVID-19 stands removed. “Airlines may carry a few additional PPE protective gears, sanitiser and N-95 masks, to handle any respiratory infections related to cases on a

Snow marathon: Boost to adventure sports! Lahaul and Spiti administration, along with Reach India, are set to organise a Snow Marathon on March 26. This is slated to be the first as well as one-of-its-kind Snow Marathon to be held in India. The details of the event, including its specifications, were shared on Saturday by Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti Neeraj Kumar, Col Arun Natarajan, who is the Chief Event Advisor, Event Execution Head Rajesh Chand and Gaurav Schimer, the founder of the event, during a press conference held in Palchan, near Himachal Pradesh’s Manali. During the conference, they also stated that globally, 10 such ice, winter or snow marathons are held, according to a report in IE. Also read | Rebuilding the tourism sector must be done by exploring alternatives: Karan Rathore, Vice President, SEPC The organisers said that this marked the first time that a snow marathon would be conducted anywhere in India and added that they hoped to make it into an annual

The Covid 19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns and social distancing measures have had a significant impact on the contact intensive services sector. During the first half of 2021, the service sector contracted by almost 16 percent. Air passenger traffic, rail freight traffic, port traffic, foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings all contracted sharply following the lockdowns in the first, second and third phase of the pandemic. For example, Inbound tourist arrivals declined 74 per cent between January and December 2020 and according to the Ministry of Tourism website, foreign tourist arrivals for medical treatment in India in the calendar year ending December 2020 fell by 73 per cent to 1.82 lakh as compared with 6.97 lakh in 2019. But now, with travel restrictions being lifted and international flights slated to resume normally from May 2022 and domestic travel already touching pre-pandemic levels, there is renewed enthusiasm and optimism in the services sector. This

As many as 29 antiquities, including on the themes of Lord Shiva and his disciples, Lord Vishnu and the Jain tradition, have been repatriated to India by Australia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspected them, government sources said on Monday.These antiquities come from different time periods, with the earliest dating to 9-10 century CE. In a historic move, 29 antiquities have been repatriated to India by Australia, government sources said. The antiquities range in six broad categories according to themes – ‘Shiva and his disciples’, ‘Worshipping Shakti’, ‘Lord Vishnu and his forms’, Jain tradition, portraits and decorative objects. These are primarily sculptures and paintings executed in a variety of materials – sandstone, marble, bronze, brass and paper, the sources said. Representing a large geographical region in India, antiquities are from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal. Prime Minister Modi inspected these antiqui

Disney Co closed its Shanghai theme park on Monday as Chinese authorities tried to control the city’s biggest coronavirus flareup in two years, while the southern business center of Shenzhen allowed shops and offices to reopen after a weeklong closure. Meanwhile, Changchun and Jilin in the northeast began another round of citywide virus testing following a surge in infections. Jilin tightened anti-disease curbs, ordering its 2 million residents to stay home. China’s case numbers in its latest infection wave are low compared with other major countries, but authorities are enforcing a “zero tolerance” strategy that has suspended access to some major cities.The government reported 2,027 new cases in the 24 hours through midnight Sunday, up from the previous day’s 1,737. That included 1,542 cases in Jilin province, where Changchun and Jilin are located. The government of Shanghai, China’s most populous city with 24 million people, has avoided a citywide shutdown of businesses and public

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Singapore Airlines and its low-cost carrier Scoot will expand its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) network from March 16 to connect to 66 cities in 27 countries, including India, a media report said on Tuesday. VTL allows quarantine-free travel to Singapore for fully vaccinated travellers. “New VTL services will be added progressively to selected cities in Southeast Asia and India, as well as Athens, from March 16, 2022,” a Channel News Asia report quoted the airlines’ parent company SIA Group as saying. It said more non-VTL flights will also be converted to VTL flights for certain destinations and a total of 66 cities in 27 countries will be added. Reporting its operating results for February, SIA Group said passenger capacity fell slightly to 44 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels. This is 2 per cent lower than in January, “attributable to February being a shorter month”, the report said. Passenger capacity is expected to reach around 57 per cent of what it was pre-COVID-19 by April th

IndiGo started flights between India and Thailand from Tuesday onwards after a span of two years, a statement said. Thailand is opening its borders nearly two years after it restricted entry for tourists in March 2020, the airline’s statement noted. The country reopened its border to vaccinated travellers from every country on February 1 this year, it mentioned. The airline said it will operate the Thailand flights under air bubble agreement till March 26 and thereafter as part of its scheduled commercial international operations. “The flights will connect Bangkok with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru and Phuket with Delhi and Mumbai,” it stated. Earlier this month, the Centre had announced that scheduled commercial international flights will resume in India from March 27. The Kolkata-Bangkok flight started operating from Tuesday, the airline stated. “Fully vaccinated foreign travellers from India can enter Thailand without quarantine,” the airline mentioned. Accor

According to the recent data shared by EaseMyTrip, there has been a 40%-50% jump in advance air ticket bookings across the country for the upcoming long weekend of Holi, as compared to the same period last year. If one has to guess, this could be a strong testament to the underlying pent-up travel demand. With the number of Covid cases declining significantly and resuming international travel, a surge has been observed in last-minute travel bookings as well. It looks like the demand is set to grow further in the coming days as people are still cognizant about new pandemic waves. The data shows that people are showing a preference for 5-star hotels during the Holi weekend. This is understandable as there is a growing requirement for higher standards of sanitization. Bookings to and from states such as Goa, Kashmir, Himachal, have seen a 40% rise in bookings. International destinations like Dubai and Sri Lanka have also witnessed an increased demand for this long weekend. Approximately

By Pradeep Chamaria In 2022, on occasion of International Women’s Day, the world discussed equality between genders and celebrating the day with the Theme – Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” with the hashtag  #BreakTheBias. When we look at the issue in Hospitality and tourism industry, the fastest growing industries in India that contributes 6.8% of the country’s total GDP and creates 39 million jobs, we find that the industry still faces several workforce issues that need to be addressed as they exist today.  The noticeable trend in the hospitality industry in India is gender equity, given the apparent preference for men in senior positions and women for more junior positions. Common prejudices in the industry include women not being able to cope with the pressure of long hours, night shifts, nor are able to maintain a healthy work-life interface. Further obstacles to woman leadership advancement across several industries include developmental discrepancies and cultu

The UK government will lift all its remaining COVID-19 pandemic related international travel restrictions from this Friday, including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country. From 4 am GMT on Friday, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit travel details or take a PCR test even if they are unvaccinated. The change would remove the remaining rules in place for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and another test two days after arrival. “The UK is leading the world in removing all remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions, and today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other,” UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Monday evening.“I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today – providing more welcome news and greater freedom for tra

International travel for Indians: As the COVID-19 cases decline globally and the vaccination coverage improves, many Indians have been anticipating that they would be able to travel internationally this year. The development has come to light in online booking platform Agoda’s ‘India-genous Travel’ survey, in which 39% of the respondents in India expressed their hopes of travelling abroad in 2022. The platform also said that another one of its surveys, “Return to Travel” also found that people were majorly concerned about understanding the COVID-19 restrictions and quarantine or vaccination requirements in other countries. Also read | Legends & mysteries: Haunted monuments have always been a big draw for tourists However, now with the Omicron wave proving to be not as severe as the past two bouts and with the cases receding, some countries have opened their doors to international travel, allowing people from many countries, including India, to visit without having to present a n

Bhangarh Fort never fails to mesmerise visitors. As you enter the 16th-century fort—located in Alwar, Rajasthan—an eerie silence fills the air. Curiously, you advance your steps, only to uncover the legends and mysteries of the ancient monument that has been labelled by many people as one of the most haunted places of India. A Hanuman temple erected alongside a peepal tree on the right side of the gate first welcomes you. With divine blessings, you proceed towards a tryst with the ‘ghosts of the past’. The once bustling narrow lane of Jauhari Bazaar has now fallen to sleep while the structures remain intact as if waiting for its masters to return. Small, identical shops lead to the Nachan Ki Haveli (dancer’s palace), the Gopinath temple, Someshwara temple and the ruins of the grand royal palace. A step into the fort takes you 400 years back in time. Like a sad story, the ruins of Bhangarh welcome you, singing a faint elegiac song. A large army of monkeys and langurs remains the only

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The Jammu and Kashmir administration is making arrangements to create 20,000-capacity lodgements in the Jammu division for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, a senior official has said. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer said the 2020 and 2021 Yatras to the shrine situated at an altitude of the 3,880 metre were conducted on symbolic basis due to Covid pandemic, and this year the number of pilgrims is expected to be very high. “The expected huge footfall will definitely promote tourism activities in the region which witnessed a lean period over the past two years due to COVID-19,” Langer said, chairing a joint meeting of government functionaries and civil society members here on Friday to discuss and review the arrangements for the pilgrimage which usually takes place in the month of ‘Shravan’ (July-August). The Divisional Commissioner said the administration is making arrangements to create 20,000-capacity lodgments. A

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The discovery of  Endurance , the lost vessel of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, 107 years after it was sunk by pack ice during an expedition to the Antarctic, has been hailed as “monumental”.  The sunken wreck has been sitting 3,000 metres in among the iciest waters on Earth for more than a century. Considered among the most celebrated shipwrecks never to have been found, the vessel was discovered by a team of marine archaeologists, adventurers, and technicians as part of the Endurance22 expedition at the bottom of the Weddell Sea to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula using undersea drones. THE 1915 EXPEDITION The  Endurance , a 144-ft, three-masted ship, is revered in polar history as it spawned one of the greatest survival stories in exploration. The crew left for Antarctica from South Georgia on December 5, 1914 with 27 members and a stowaway, 69 dogs and a cat. Sir Ernest, the expedition leader, aimed to establish a base on the Weddell Sea coast and then navigate to the R

The Kangra district administration in Himachal Pradesh has indefinitely banned paragliding activities following the deaths of two people during an accident, an official said. Kangra Deputy Commissioner Dr Nipun Jindal banned paragliding under the Disaster Management Act, the  Press Trust of India  reported. The district’s tourism development officer has also been asked to ensure that paragliding operators and pilots were registered and unique codes issued to them, the official said. Dr Jindal will review the order to ban paragliding in a fortnight after ensuring that registered operators and pilots had adhered to the directions, the district administration said in an official statement. The move follows the death of a paraglider and a helper on Wednesday. The helper pushing the glider got entangled in the rope, causing the glider to lose balance at Bir Billing, a well-known take-off and landing site in Kangra. The two men fell from a height of 25-30 feet, dying on the spot. The pilot