Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin flagged off the luxury cruise liner "Empress" from Chennai Port. The eleven-storey tourist vessel can accommodate up to two thousand passengers and about 800 crew members. The packages include going to the high seas from the city port and to return, and also to anchor at Puducherry and Visakhapatnam harbours. The three different packages consist of two, three and five days.
The vessel has a swimming pool, children's play area, gym, theatre and a multi-cuisine restaurant. This is considered the first luxury cruise liner to operate from the state, while state officials say a few other prominent operators have also shown interest in offering sea-based tourism services.
Jun 06, 2022
Ministry of Tourism Launches the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel...
Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the United Environment Program (UNEP) and Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) organized a national summit on developing sustainable and responsible tourist destinations in New Delhi. On this occasion, the Ministry of Tourism launched the national strategy for sustainable tourism and the responsible traveller campaign.
The strategy document identified the strategic pillars for the development of sustainable tourism like promoting environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic sustainability, promoting socio-cultural sustainability, scheme for certification of sustainable tourism, IEC, and capacity building and governance.
The natural and manmade setting form the tourism products which the tourist enjoys lives, and relaxes. On the other hand, the close and direct relationship between visitors, host communities, and the local environment creates a sensitive situation, whereby tourism can be both very damaging and also very positive for sustainable development.
May 30, 2022
India-Bangladesh Passenger Train Services Resume after 2 Years
Passenger train services — Maitree Express and Bandhan Express — between Bangladesh and India resumed, two years after it was paused due to the outbreak of Covid. The Maitree Express train service between Dhaka and Kolkata resumed from Dhaka Cantonment railway station. Train will run five days a week though it did not draw the expected number of passengers on the first day apparently because the Covid-19 situation was yet to be wiped out completely.
The 465-seat train used to carry around 300 passengers on an average.
Meanwhile, another train service, Bandhan Express, which runs between on Bangladesh's southwestern Khulna and Kolkata route reached Bangladesh, resuming its service after two years of halt. Bandhan Express runs two days a week.
May 25, 2022
India Drops to 54th Place on Travel and Tourism Development Index
India was ranked at the 54th place in a global travel and tourism development index, down from 46th in 2019, but still remained on the top within South Asia. Japan topped the global charts, followed by the US, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austraila, UK, Singapore and Italy in the top ten.
The World Economic Forum's biennial travel and tourism study also showed a recovering sector following pandemic lows, though the recovery has been uneven and challenges remain. The Travel and Tourism Development Index assesses 117 economies, identifying key factors in enabling the sustainable and resilient growth of travel and tourism economies.
The Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021 is a direct evolution of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, which has been published biennially for the past 15 years.
May 11, 2022
Railways launches 'baby berths' for passengers travelling with kids
To make train journey more comfortable for passengers travelling with infants, the railways has fitted foldable "baby berths" on the side of lower main berths of the Lucknow Mail as part of a pilot project. Based on the feedback of passengers on the "new product", plans will be drawn to expand the concept to other trains. The "baby berth", which are hinged to the lower main berths, can be folded and secured with a stopper when not in use. It has been is aligned the main berth.
On the Lucknow Mail, two "baby berths" of 770 mm in length, 255 mm in width and 76.2 mm in height were fitted to 12 and 60 main berths of the second cabins on both ends of coaches.
The (booking) system will be like the one currently used to offer senior citizens lower berths. So, once, a passenger says yes to travelling with a child, railways will offer the berth to them.