Bengal plans to set up Tourist Amenity Centres (TAC) on major tourist routes

Bengal has seen more than 14 lakh foreign tourists last year. It is one of the top five foreign destinations in the country and the state government plans to develop its tourism infrastructure. As part of this, it will be setting up Tourist Amenity Centres (TAC) in the state and also along the national highways that pass through Bengal to ensure hassle-free journeys for both domestic and foreign travelers.
Each Tourist Amenity Centres (TAC) along the highways will be where tourists can comfortably rest and eat. They will have a cafeteria, a medical store and a shop selling essential commodities apart a separate ramp for people with disabilities, a feeding room for babies and separate toilets for men and women. They can also avail of free WiFi and parking space.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 6 March 2017.

Initially, seven such centres will be developed — four along the Kolkata-Bakkhali route in South 24-Parganas and three along the Kolaghat-Digha route. Talks are on with major oil companies to help develop the TACs under the public-private partnership model.
Tourism is high on the agenda of Bengal. A short film 'Beautiful Bengal', featuring Shah Rukh Khan, was released to promote Bengal tourism. The tourism department has plans to launch a promotional campaign to attract foreign tourists during Durga Puja. A heritage tram ride has also been introduced in the city of Kolkata.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Barack Obama enters the league of top US Presidents with ranking of 12

Public tours of the White House will begin again from March 7

Explosion in French nuclear power plant in a non-nuclear zone


Didi caught in the whirlpool of industries (satire)

Moody’s love hate relationship with the raincoat (satire)

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed


Mumbai will get to see Justin Bieber in action on May 10

Kangana Ranaut is 'fearless Julia' in Rangoon

Shakti Kapoor holds his audience spellbound in the Khandagiri Yatra


ISIS carries out car bombing in Baghdad - kills at least 55

Suicide bomb attack kills at least 72 in a Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

German tourist not allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple

A 35-year-old German tourist who tried to enter the Puri Jagannath Temple, was prevented from doing so by the priests because this temple is off limits to non-Hindus. The police detained the German based on a complaint filed by the one of the priests.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 27 February 2017.

The German tourist had arrived in Puri three days earlier and claimed to be a disciple of Lord Krishna and a follower of international society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) and when he was prevented from entering from the main gate, he tried to enter from one of the other gates.
He possesses a valid passport and, admitted that he was aware of the temple's restriction on the access of non-Hindus but his argument was that he was a staunch follower of Lord Jagannath and had visited several other Hindu temples in India and, why should he not be slowed to enter this temple.
Incidentally, in spite of such a rule, there have been instances of foreigners who gained entry into the shrine in the past and had to undergo inhuman behavior in the hands of aggrieved priests. In fact, on December 28, 2010, an American woman was humiliated and thrown out of the shrine by a group of priests.
Such actions do not auger well for the tourism industry.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Barack Obama enters the league of top US Presidents with ranking of 12

Public tours of the White House will begin again from March 7

Explosion in French nuclear power plant in a non-nuclear zone


Didi caught in the whirlpool of industries (satire)

Moody’s love hate relationship with the raincoat (satire)

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed


Mumbai will get to see Justin Bieber in action on May 10

Kangana Ranaut is 'fearless Julia' in Rangoon

Shakti Kapoor holds his audience spellbound in the Khandagiri Yatra


ISIS carries out car bombing in Baghdad - kills at least 55

Suicide bomb attack kills at least 72 in a Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Goa Carnival scheduled from February 25 to 28

Goa is readying itself to come alive with the annual four-day carnival from February 25 to 28 - it will be a festival of music, dance and merry-making. The focus this year will be on weeding out non-eco friendly floats, polluting junk vehicles with a total crack down on indecency.
The legendary King Momo, the mythical king of carnival, will rule over Goa for four days and will throw open the revelry in Panaji on February 25 which will be followed by spectacular float parades and festivities apart from an array of events and activities. These floats, music, dancing and décor will be a part of the carnival extravaganza.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 7 February 2017.

The festival is expected to attract both domestic and foreign tourists in Panjim, Margao, Vasco and Mapusa on February 25, 26, 27 and 28, respectively.
This is an annual carnival which is being celebrated since the 18th Century and is exclusive and unique to Goa. It had been introduced by the Portuguese who had ruled the state for over 500 years. The float parades are organized in association with the State Tourism Department by the local travel and hospitality industry.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

New luxury cruise liner Seabourn Encore is labeled as 'sexiest ship at sea'

Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat gets a new look

200-year-old banyan tree uprooted by cyclone Vardah replanted in Chennai


The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed

Saraswati Puja means entering a new phase of life

Moody on UFO, Mangalyaan and Moon Mission for monkey baat (satire)


Naomie Harris gets Oscar nomination in the best-supporting actress category for Moonlight

Nicole Kidman could earn $8 million if she writes her autobiography

Sets of the film Padmavati in Jaipur vandalised, Bhansali cancels shooting


Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Militants in Indonesia looking for women terrorists

Six people shot dead by gunmen in a mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers

CISF prevents students of Manipur from entering the Taj Mahal

A group of students from Manipur were prevented from entering the Taj Mahal because the CISF personnel on duty believed that they were foreigners and were posing as Indians to enter on the tickets of Rs 40 instead of Rs 1000.
As per rules, at the Taj Mahal, tickets issued to foreign tourists (barring those from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries) cost Rs 1,000 each, while an Indian has to pay Rs 40 per ticket.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 10 January 2017.

According to the complaint of the students — they were from the Central Agricultural University in Imphal and had gone to visit the monument as part of an all-India educational tour. They had reached the gates at around 3.30 pm on Sunday and were allegedly not allowed to enter on grounds that they “resembled foreigners” trying to pass off as Indians so they could enter with cheaper tickets.
The students produced their ID cards and a letter which stated that they were on a national tour but, that did not help even though a professor was accompanying the group. CISF then asked the students to produce their Aadhaar cards, and only those who had the card were allowed to enter.
Subsequently, after intervention of the tourism police, the group was allowed to enter.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has ordered an inquiry into the incident.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

30th International kite festival in Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi and Karnataka

McDonald's enters The Vatican with an outlet near St. Peter's Square

Steel mugs in lavatories of trains stolen in spite of being chained to the walls


Lord Shiva laments over full Moon and a burnt roti (satire)

Didi’s Rose garden withers in the valley (satire)

Moody in the world of pickpockets and beggars (satire)


Juhi Chawla creates awareness about ill effects of plastic pollution

Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his film 'Haraamkhor' that premiered in the 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival

9th edition of Jaipur International Film Festival will screen 134 films


Car bomb kills at least 43 in the town of Azaz in Syria - most of the dead are civilians

US army veteran shoots dead five persons in Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida

Prison riots in Brazil leave at least 60 dead - some were beheaded

Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

The Bhitarkanika National Park had received global exposure in the wake of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources team that had recently visited the park for lijely conferment of world heritage tag on the wetland site.
But, it has failed to pay dividends in terms of translating into more foreign tourist inflow. Out of a total of 66,971 international tourists who visited Odisha last year, only 211 visited the park. In 2014, 207 foreigners had visited Bhitarkanika and the figure was 211 next year. This year, it is 150 foreigners till November end.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 28 December 2016.

Those involved in tourism sectors feel this situation can be attributed to the hassles in mandatory registration of overseas visitors. Foreigners who arrive here are victims of official apathy. At times, the foreign visitors are stranded at least an hour at the divisional forest office during verification.
An international tourist has to furnish photocopy of passport, visa and three recent passport size photos during the registration process. No fee is charged for registration. This registration is mandatory as per direction received from the bureau of immigration, ministry of home affairs.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Drone delivers hot food items and cold beverages to customers' homes in the US

18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

Christmas in Delhi - fancy Santa hats from China sell for Rs 400 a piece


Moody in silent mode over black money (satire)

Didi upbeat about Christmas tourism (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin


Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend

Glastonbury Festival could shift from Somerset to a new location towards the Midlands

Guides knowing foreign languages to help tourists in Allahabad Magh Mela

There is a demand for tour guides with knowledge of foreign languages to help foreign tourists who will be arriving to participate in the in Allahabad Magh Mela which will start on January 12, 2017. It will be a special Magh Mela for the foreign tourists because the administration has decided to rope in guides with multi-language skills. They will brief foreign tourists on history, tradition, culture and importance of the mela.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 14 December 2016.

It is understood that tour operators from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Austria, Greece, Poland, and Switzerland have expressed their desire to have a glimpse of Indian culture and tradition on the banks of Ganga during the month-long religious fair. Hence the need for guides who are fluent in foreign languages.
They would be inducted from Agra, Mathura and Varanasi - these are locations where there usually is a sizeable chunk of foreign tourists who arrive all through the year.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Demonetisation hits tourism hard in Kumaon - few takers for 'bal mithai'

Demonetisation has hit tourism hard in the Kumaon region and state government-run hotels are witnessing a drop of 30% in the number of tourists arrivals in the last one month. The sale of woollen products and Almora’s iconic sweet dish ‘bal mithai’ have also been hit hard.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 12 December 2016.

Usually, popular tourist destinations like Munsiyari and Chaukori are fully booked for Christmas and year-end celebrations every year but such prospects appear bleak this year. During this time of the year, tourists from Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi arrive to visit the hills which have abundant sunshine and great views of the Himalayan peaks - this year, it is down to a trickle.
Similarly for homestays run by village women - they are also facing the brunt of demonetisation. Some of the foreign tourists had to cut short their trip because of the prevailing cash crunch. Women who run homestays, are unable to withdraw cash for buying grocery and other necessary items for tourists.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Sambalpur in Odisha sees decline in foreign tourists and loss of revenue

Sambalpur in Odisha is worried about the drastic fall in the number of foreign tourists at the district's travel destinations and it has raised question marks over its consequent impact on the economy. The number of tourists to the district's seven tourist destinations has increased, no doubt, with each passing year but, there has been a sharp decline in the footfall of foreign tourists in that same period.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 November 2016.

There are seven identified tourist destinations namely, Sambalpur, Hirakud, Ushakothi, Huma, Chiplima, Gudguda and Kandhara. As per data compiled by the tourism department there has been a constant fall in the number of foreign visitors to these places during the past three years.
In Sambalpur, 374 foreign tourists visited in 2013. The next year, the number fell to 316 and in 2015, it was only 213.
In Hirakud - the figure was 130 foreign tourists in 2013. It fell to 93 in 2014 and 76 in 2015.
Similarly for the leaning temple of Huma - it attracted 68 foreign tourists in 2013, 67 in 2014 and 56 in 2015.
And in Chiplima - there were 86 foreign tourists in 2013, and it went down to 44 in 2014 and 32 in 2015.
The other two tourist destinations - Gudguda and Kandhara - did not attract any foreign tourist during the past three years.
Of course, all these have seen constant increase in the domestic tourist footfall in the past three years.
Various reasons have been put forth on this aspect. One is these is the lack of publicity. Then there are lack of adequate amenities at the tourist destinations and, added to these is the fact that some of the destinations lack good connectivity.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

Only 75 foreign tourists turn up for Ellora-Ajanta International Festival in Aurangabad

It was a big disappointment for the Maharashtra Tourism and Development Corporation (MTDC) to see that the three day long Ellora-Ajanta International Festival has failed to attract foreign tourists in spite of relentless promotions of the event.
On day 1 only 75 tourists have intimated the authorities about their arrival. Due to the poor response from foreign as well as domestic tourists, the authorities have taken a decision to allow free entry to the foreign tourists attending the festival.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 October 2016.

In order to attract maximum number of foreign tourists for the event, the organizing committee had sent out invitations to the consulate generals of over 100 countries along with a request to inform about the festival in their respective countries. But, none of the consulate generals, the senior diplomats or foreign tourists have confirmed their arrival for the festival.
MTDC has pointed out that the Elephanta festival celebrated every year in Mumbai, is among the most successful tourism events in the country. The dates for the Elephanta festival are announced at least a couple of years in advance which gives the organizers enough time to publicize the event in different countries. It also helps the tourists as well as tour operators to plan the tours and packages accordingly.
Moreover, MTDC have also blamed the organizers for roping in Bollywood artists to perform at the event, instead of focusing on promoting the cultural heritage of the region.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Hundreds of tourists missing after volcano erupts in Mount Barujari on Lombok island

Hundreds of tourists are reported to be missing after volcano erupted in Mount Barujari on Lombok island. The authorities in Indonesia are searching for 389 tourists following the eruption of the volcano. It spewed a massive column of ash into the atmosphere and already more than 1,100 have been evacuated.
The column of ash reached nearly 2,000 meters (6,560 feet).
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 28 September 2016.

The volcano, also known as the Child of Rinjani because it sits within the Mount Rinjani caldera, had erupted without any warning and resulted in delay in flights from airports in Lombok and nearby Bali. It seems as per records, nearly 400 foreign and local tourists had been registered to climb the mountain. They were to set off from Sembalun monitoring post, about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the crater.
The eruption interrupted flights for several hours at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali which is located about 135-Km from Lombok, and Selaparang airport in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province, located on Lombok Island.
Rinjani is one of the 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia and the archipelago regularly faces volcanic eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire."


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -
For pandal hoppers during Durga Pujas in Jamshedpur - try the pool bus service

Rejuvenate the lakes of Bengaluru - bring back the birds

Bengal unable to hold on to homegrown start-ups - they end up flourishing in other states


Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Didi off to Rome in search of goodies (satire)

Moody learns about honey traps (satire)


Syrian ceasefire breaks down - airstrike in Aleppo claims at least 45 civilian casualties

Construction begins on the Great Wall Of Calais to keep out illegal migrants

MI6 to recruit 1000 extra people to assist in solving modern day crimes


Tamil film Visaranai is India's official entry for Academy Awards 2017

Tension on the Indo-Pak border has its effect on Bollywood movies

Shah Rukh Khan could make a movie on tennis star Sania Mirza

Foreign tourists give Puri a miss - drop in arrivals a matter of concern

Odisha is faced with a problem of drop in arrival of foreign tourists. Apparently, big-ticket events such as Nabakalebar of the Trinity in Puri is unable to attract foreign tourists to the state in expected numbers. It seems the foreign tourist footfall has declined in 2015, when the Nabakalebar was held, as compared to the previous year.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 29 May 2016.

As per statistics, a total of 71,426 foreigners visited the state in 2014 and it came down to 66,971 the next year when Nabakalebar was organised with great fanfare. The festival was witnessed by around 23,000 foreigners - this is around 35 per cent of the total foreign tourist footfall of the year. This is in spite of tall claims made by the state government that they had showcased the event in a manner that it created a global appeal.
Last year, only 0.83 per cent of foreigners, who visited the country, came to Odisha and this does not paint a happy picture. There are accusations that the state lacked in setting up foreigner-friendly tourist amenities. Moreover, the government's imposition of restriction on the visit of foreigners and researchers to the state's tribal areas have also had a negative effect and have played spoilsport.
Many tour operators felt that the foreigners are keen on exploring areas beyond the Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar triangle. Obviously, the tourism policy needs to be modified since the state has only been highlighting these three places. Tourists would want to explore other areas like the handloom clusters and tribal zones. But, there are no government packages for tourism in such areas.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

World's smallest porpoise of Mexico is on the verge of extinction

Coca-Cola to stop production of its beverage in Venezuela because of sugar shortage

Melting of Totten Glacier due to global warming could raise sea levels by three meters


Moody’s mind flits from Black Money to White House (satire)

Lord Shiva and Durga on home delivery and drones (satire)

Didi plans new conquests via Rabindrasangeet (satire)


Daniel Craig is through with James Bond - turns down £68 million offer from MGM

Snoop Dogg and Lucy Liu will be seen together in thriller 'Future World'

Kavita Kaushik to play the role of an Army doctor in TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”


Was the EgyptAir crash an act of terrorism by the ISIS?

Suicide bombings in Baghdad kill 43 - brings total death in 7 days to more than 145

One more Chibok girl rescued - she was kidnapped along with 275 others in April 2014