Tourism in Kerala
Sarah Zachariah

Kerala has the reputation of being the most beautiful state in India and its slogan, “God’s Own Country”, certainly reflects that! It has been named one of the “ten paradises of the world” by the National Geographic Traveler magazine and is one of the most popular tourism destinations in India. From beautiful backwaters to Ayurveda massages and tea plantations to beaches, it is obvious to see that all this popularity is for a very ... Read More

Brand Kerala shines at Spanish tourism fair
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 (IANS) Visitors were swept off their feet as Kerala Tourism unfolded its mesmerising grandeur at the just-concluded International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) 2012 in Spain, with visitors and trade professionals showing tremendous interest in 'Brand Kerala', an official said here Tuesday.

FITUR 2012 show at Madrid, a meeting point of tourism professionals from all over the world, is considered the second biggest gathering of travel and tourism players with around 13,000 exhibitors ... Read More

Rs. Five Crore for Kottayam Tourism Development Schemes
The Heritage Zone stretch at Thazhathangadi where the new walk will come up as part of the beautification project. Photo: Special Arrangement.

Half a dozen tourism projects are being implemented in the district at a cost of Rs. Five crore, district Tourism Promotion Council this year.

Top on the agenda is the Thazhathangadi Beautification Project, being taken up at a cost of Rs.72.23 lakh. According to Jijo John, secretary DTPC, the project will be implemented ... Read More

Oprah visits the Taj
-IANS

US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey visited the Taj Mahal Thursday, spending more than an hour while her camera crew captured the 17th century marble marvel from various angles for her new talk show.

She was followed by scores of journalists and camera persons, which made her security a daunting task for her bouncers.

At Vrindavan, she made an unscheduled stop at the Ma Dham widows' home. This caused quite a ruckus between her security personnel ... Read More

Celebrities Toast God’s Own Country in Twitter Chat
(PictureM Meg Matthew with Sarah Luis)

New Delhi, January 18: The chatter in the twitter world is becoming unabashedly flattering in celebration of God’s Own Country.

A host of British celebrities, who were wowed by the exotic destinations of Kerala while holidaying there, have beckoned their followers on the social networking site to visit the state and savour its ethereal beauty.

British actor and fashion czarina Sadie Frost leads the list. “Its bin amazin. spice boat cruise on ... Read More

Turkey wants more tourism, cultural exchanges with India
New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Stating that India has strong relations with Turkey, Turkish ambassador Burak Akcapar Monday said tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries need to be boosted.

'Our countries have had strong bilateral relations for a long time but the tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries needs to be boosted,' said Akcapar at an event organised by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) to announce the Indian Travel ... Read More

Can foreign tourists help US economy?
The 22-year-old Argentine recently dropped more than $5,000 on food, hotels and clothes in Las Vegas during a trip that also took her to Seattle's Space Needle, Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo. But she doubts she will return soon.

“It is a little bit of a headache,'' said Ocampo, a student who waited months to find out whether her tourist visa application would be approved.

More than a decade after the federal government strengthened ... Read More

India looks to Buddhism to boost flagging China tourism
Ananth Krishnan

Eyeing China's fast expanding outbound tourism market, which has, so far, largely bypassed India, the Indian government has launched a tourism campaign targeting the world's fastest-growing Buddhist population with a direct sales pitch: visit India and reconnect with your faith.

Indian officials hope that promoting the ‘Buddhist circuit train' in China, which has been in operation since 2007 and stops along several pilgrimage sites in northern India, can help boost the low numbers of ... Read More

Centre to promote tourism in Ayodhya
Uttar Pradesh, November 7, 2011: The central government has said that it would spend rupees 10 crore for the financial year 2011-12 for promoting religious tourism in Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Ram.

Union Minster for Tourism Subodh Kant Sahay yesterday said that rupees 5 crore have been sanctioned for development of the city on the basis of proposal submitted by the state government.

He said that the remaining was still pending because the state government ... Read More

Fatima Bhutto vows to return ‘home’
New Delhi, October 22: Kerala’s ‘love affair’ with international celebrities is on an upward swing.

Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto, renowned Israeli playwright Motti Lerner, and `Israeli writer of the year’ Savyon Liebrecht are the newest additions to the growing fan list of God’s Own Country among top celebrities.

“I felt at home in Kerala. I would like to return,” says Fatima Bhutto, the granddaughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who visited the ... Read More

A Jewish Synagogue with no congregration in Kerala
By Cyriac “Cy” Thannikary, USA

The Jewish Synagogue in Chennamangalam, Kerala, India was built in 1640 by the early Jewish settlers in that village. Chennamangalam is a pristine village, 42 km north of Ernakulum, the commercial capital on the West coast of the State of Kerala. The Kerala State Department of Archeology, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, restored this small but beautiful Jewish temple in 2005 and re-opened it to the public in ... Read More

Be massaged like a maharaja in India
She begins by cleansing my feet in a copper bowl of warm water, strewn with rose and jasmine petals. She then exfoliates my body with a blend of rice, honey and cream, drawing out every delicious stroke. And true to Jiva’s preference for organic over synthetic materials, I’m then cocooned in a luxurious conditioning wrap using soft cotton sheets – not the cheap plastic or foil still used by many luxury hotel spas.

As she ... Read More

New York is America's rudest city! Miami is the second
In the survey by 'Travel & Leisure' magazine, which has released its list of the top 20 rudest cities in America, New York has secured the top slot, followed by Miami, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Boston.

But, the The Big Apple is also America's most diverse city, which could explain some of the unfriendliness, said the magazine which has published its 2011 survey of favourite US cities with categories ranging from nightlife and bars ... Read More

British sub-centre in Kerala to boost tourism
Thiruvananthapuram: The British deputy high commission is all set to open a sub-centre here to give a boost to trade and tourism, says a Kerala official, with tourists from Britain accounting for a fourth of international visitors to the state.

Rani George, the Kerala tourism director, said the sub-centre would start functioning from April. "This office is basically meant to strengthen trade and tourism activities between Kerala and the UK. It will not handle visa enquiries," ... Read More

Best Western to set up 66 hotels in India
New Delhi: US hotel chain Best Western International is planning to invest Rs.1,600 crore ($301 million) to open 66 new hotels, including 20 five-star ones, spread across India in the next five years.

"Best Western's expansion plans will see an inflow of Rs.1,600 crore investments into the Indian hospitality industry. These expansion plans will reiterate the company's leadership position as the fastest growing hotel chain in the country," the company said in a statement.

Best Western, ... Read More