INDIA: Kerala Tourism Department Attracts More Tourists From Hindi Speaking States.

Migrants from the Hindi speaking states in the country who work in Kerala, God’s Own Country is exactly what the Gulf is for the Keralites.

Buoyed by the increase in domestic tourism, the state Tourism Department has decided to tap the potential of Hindi speaking states by holding aggressive promotional campaigns migrant heartlands.

According to the statistics available with the Tourism Department, over 1.46 crore domestic tourists have visited the state in 2017, recording the highest number of domestic tourist arrivals in the past nine-year period.

This is with the number posting an 11.39 per cent rise compared with the figures of 1.31 crore in 2016.

Kerala constituted around 62.93 per cent of the total domestic tourist traffic while Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra together contributed around 18.76 per cent and the remaining 18.31 was the share from other North Indian states.

The Tourism department has decided to hold road shows and other promotional campaigns in cities like Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi, said Tourism Director P Bala Kiran.

The domestic tourism has been registering a robust growth in Kerala over the years with a 10.94 per cent rise in 2017 compared with the figures of last year.

Foreign tourist arrival to the state saw only 5.15 per cent growth during the year 2017, compared with the figures of the previous year.

So, the department has decided to give more thrust to the domestic tourism sector as well in order to increase the domestic arrival by 50 per cent in the next five years.

In order to attract more young domestic tourists to Kerala, the department has also plans to boost the potential of adventure tourism.

Further, the cleanliness of the tourist spots will be ensured, apart from ensuring the safety and protection of the tourists, said officials.

The department has been spending around 60 per cent of the fund set aside for the marketing in the domestic tourism promotion and 40 per cent for the promotion of the state in international venues.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Kashmir Chaos, Busses Carrying Tourists Attacked By Stone Pelting Hooligans

Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday denied that tourists had been attacked by stone pelters on Sunday, but acknowledged that two tourists got minor injuries on April 1 because the vehicles came in the middle of an area where pelting was going on.

Superintendent of police Zahid Ahmad that a vehicle in which tourists were travelling was attacked by stone-pelters, but said the incident took place near Khanabal in Anantnag, not in Awantipora police district.

A tourist bus no. UP17AT505 of Sehgal Tours, carrying 42 tourists from Mandya district, Karnataka, was attacked by stone-pelters in Kangan on Tuesday. The bus was on its way from Sonmarg to Srinagar.

Two tourists suffered injuries from the shards of the glass windows that were smashed by stone-pelters.

On Tuesday,Stone pelters attacked tourists more than 4 got hurt. Responding to the report, the police issued a statement, saying that no incident of stone pelting took place near Dal Lake and Awantipora areas on Sunday.

Police investigations have also shown that no injuries to anybody were reported from the area, two tourists got minor injuries on April 1. They were given first aid and discharged immediately.

There has been no intended or designed attack on any tourist. It was because the vehicles came in the middle of an area where pelting was going on, the police said.

However, sources confirmed that stone-pelters did attack tourists on Sunday evening causing injuries to two women ,Sandhya Kumari (25), wife of Manish Kumar, and Mandana Jaswal (35), wife of Ajay Jaswal, both from Uttar Pradesh.

They were taken to SMHS hospital for treatment. Sandhya was hit in the abdomen and Mandana was hit on the head. Both were discharged after treatment, according to Dr Muneer Ahmad, deputy superintendent of SMHS hospital.

The incident, according to officials, occurred around 8pm at Awantipora on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway when a mob of around 100 pelted stones on the vehicle in which tourists were travelling towards Srinagar.

The vehicle was partially damaged and two persons sustained injuries. The doctors at the hospital discharged the injured tourists after investigation.

Awantipora SP Zahid Ahmad confirmed the incident but not the location. It is ok, but it didn’t take place in Awantipora police district. It happened somewhere near Khanabal in Anantnag, he said.

In another incident, two women sustained head injuries when the cab they were travelling in was hit by stones at Humhama on the airport road on Sunday afternoon.

The NRI tourists were staying at Taj Vivanta and remained confined to the hotel on Monday owing to a shutdown in the valley following a strike called by separatists.

Taj Vivanta refused access to the tourists. However, Muzaffar Baba, owner of Alka Salka restaurant, where the tourists had stopped for lunch after escaping stone-pelting, confirmed the incident. The tourists had narrated the incident to Baba.

Two buses carrying a group of tourists from Indonesia were attacked with stones near Dalgate at the Dal Lake bank on Sunday evening. However, houseboat owners at the lake chased away the mob, eyewitnesses said.

A senior district officer, who did not want to be named, confirmed the incident, and said, Some rowdies threw stones on the bus but they were chased away.

Vikram Kumar, general secretary of a local hotel association, said that a group of youths threatened tourists in Royal Velvet hotel at Nai Sadak and asked them to leave Srinagar.

The youths had an altercation with the hotel owner who tried to stop them, following which they smashed the glass of dining tables in the hotel. A few youths have been identified and detained in Kral Khud police station.

Former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah had tweeted on Tuesday, saying, In light of some people tweeting to tell me the Times of India story datelined from Srinagar was “Fake News” I’m deleting the tweet.

He was referring to his earlier tweet in which he had tweeted a story from the front page of the Delhi edition of one of India’s most trusted newspapers.

But not some rag that makes a living from gossip & lies and if this is really fake news let’s see an acceptance of the same & a retraction of the story on the front of tomorrow’s news.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: IndiGo Launches Daily Non-stop Flights To Sharjah From India

IndiGo, India’s largest budget-carrier, plans to introduce two daily routes to Sharjah International Airport, which will become its sixth international destination. The airline announced the launch of daily non-stop Sharjah-Kozhikode (CCJ) flights from 20 March and daily non-stop Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) flights from 8 April.

Headquartered in Gurgaon (Gurugram), India, IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 40.3 percent (December 2016).

IndiGo is ranked among the top ten best low-cost airlines in the world by leading consumer aviation website Skytrax and among the ten On-Time Performers in the Asia Pacific region by FlightStats, a leader in global flight information services.

The airline plans to to operate 857 daily flights connecting 43 destinations from March 2017.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia already operates flights between the emirate and 13 key Indian destinations.

Meanwhile, Air India Express added three new routes last year connecting Sharjah with Mumbai (SAHAR), Chandigarh (IXC) and Tiruchirapalli (TRZ) airports, bringing its total number of direct Sharjah services to seven.

The low-cost airline also operates direct flights to Sharjah from Kochi (COK), Kozhikode (CCJ), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) and Varanasi (VNS).

Jet Airways now flies daily to Sharjah from Kozhikode, or Calicut (CCJ) and Kochi (COK), both in the south-west coast Indian state of Kerala.

The airline launched a daily service from Mangaluru in Karnataka state in 2016, but stopped flying the route at the end of the year due to operational reasons.

Sharjah International Airport handled 11 million passengers last year, a 10 percent increase over 2015. The airport’s growth has been driven by its strategic location, the success of Sharjah’s in-bound tourism industry and the expansion of Sharjah-headquartered Air Arabia.

INDIA: Demonetisation Causing Incovenience To Tourists, Bookings Fall Rapidly

Raju Lakhani’s beachside restaurant here at this popular tourist strip in north Goa should have been packed this time of the year. But the tables at Moon Star are empty, and the restaurateur is a worried man.

“We have no customers,” he said. “Almost 90 percent of tourists are leaving because of the inconvenience caused by demonetisation.”

Lakhani said he now has no choice but to lay off workers. He is one of Goa’s many restaurant owners who are feeling the brunt of what is referred to as notebandi — the colloquial term for the ban on India’s Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, 86 percent by value of all bank notes.

At 2.8 percent, the travel and tourism sector in India grew faster last year than it did worldwide (2.3 percent). It contributed to 6.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)–including direct, indirect and induced contributions — and translated to Rs 8.3 lakh crore in 2015, according to this 2016 report by the World Trade And Tourism Council (WTTC), a forum for the travel and tourism industry.

Tourism is also a labour-intensive sector, creating 78 jobs for every million rupees invested, according to tourism ministry data. The agriculture sector creates 45 jobs for the same investment, and manufacturing, only 18.

Ever since 2009, the share of tourism in employment has consistently been over 10% of India’s workforce of 500 million workers. This means that the sector employs almost 50 million people–more than the population of Colombia.

In 2015, the number of foreign tourists visiting India was over 8 million, and earned the country foreign exchange earnings of almost Rs 1.35 lakh crore, a growth of 9.6 percent over 2014, according to tourism ministry data.

But if travel entrepreneurs like Lakhani start scaling down their businesses, all this could change.

In the weeks following notebandi, it was reported that foreign tourists were being inconvenienced. Bookings also fell rapidly in Kerala and Karnataka.

Raju Lakhani’s beachside restaurant here at this popular tourist strip in north Goa should have been packed this time of the year. But the tables at Moon Star are empty, and the restaurateur is a worried man.

“We have no customers,” he said. “Almost 90 percent of tourists are leaving because of the inconvenience caused by demonetisation.”

Lakhani said he now has no choice but to lay off workers. He is one of Goa’s many restaurant owners who are feeling the brunt of what is referred to as notebandi — the colloquial term for the ban on India’s Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, 86 percent by value of all bank notes.

At 2.8 percent, the travel and tourism sector in India grew faster last year than it did worldwide (2.3 percent). It contributed to 6.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)–including direct, indirect and induced contributions — and translated to Rs 8.3 lakh crore in 2015, according to this 2016 report by the World Trade And Tourism Council (WTTC), a forum for the travel and tourism industry.

Tourism is also a labour-intensive sector, creating 78 jobs for every million rupees invested, according to tourism ministry data. The agriculture sector creates 45 jobs for the same investment, and manufacturing, only 18.

Ever since 2009, the share of tourism in employment has consistently been over 10% of India’s workforce of 500 million workers. This means that the sector employs almost 50 million people–more than the population of Colombia.

Tourist woes: Cash crunch, long queues, exchange limits

In 2015, the number of foreign tourists visiting India was over 8 million, and earned the country foreign exchange earnings of almost Rs 1.35 lakh crore, a growth of 9.6 percent over 2014, according to tourism ministry data.

But if travel entrepreneurs like Lakhani start scaling down their businesses, all this could change.

In the weeks following notebandi, it was reported that foreign tourists were being inconvenienced. Bookings also fell rapidly in Kerala and Karnataka.

Will King and Hallam Baker-Howard, both UK citizens in their early 20s, landed in Mumbai on 28 November 2016 — 20 days after the imposition of notebandi. They found themselves in the midst of a cash crunch.

“We went from ATM to ATM in Mumbai during our first three days in India and there were huge lines snaking outside all of them,” King recounted. “Once, after waiting for 45 minutes, we reached the front of the queue, and the cash ran out.”

Governments of several countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada, have issued travel advisories to their citizens about the money trouble they might encounter in India.

“It’s not just that we have to wait in line. I’m being charged a fee for every transaction of almost Rs 120 (1.5 British pounds),” said Baker-Howard. “Earlier, I would have withdrawn a large amount but now I have to do so every day and this is costing me a lot of money for no reason.”

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that ATM charges will be waived for customers until December 30, 2016, but that does not apply to foreign bank-account holders like Baker-Howard.

The cap on withdrawal has affected not only incoming tourists, but also outgoing Indians, as Scroll reported on 2 December 2016. Visitors were unable to withdraw more than Rs 2,000 in foreign currency, which is not adequate.

RBI regulations also declared that foreign tourists could only exchange currency worth upto Rs 5,000 a week until December 15, 2016. However, before the move, foreign passport holders were able to exchange as much as $3,000 (Rs 200,000). This means that visiting foreigners can now only exchange 2.5% of what they could before notebandi.

Tourists were, however, allowed to use a "pre-paid instrument" in exchange for foreign currency tendered. But this does not help those who have run out of foreign currency. Tourists leaving the country post-demonetisation have been unable to change more than Rs 5,000 into their own currency, although the average demand for re-encashment is Rs 20,400.

Wednesdays at Anjuna are usually a crowded affair with a weekly flea market underway. The lanes are lined with stalls selling everything from clothes, handicrafts, and jewellery to spices, curios, and food. On 14 December 2016, the whole market was deserted.

Abdul Qayoom and Ahmed Bhat sit outside A-Z Handicrafts waiting for customers. They have applied for a swipe machine so they can accept card payments. However, their requests have been repeatedly turned down for lack of residence proof.

Over 35% of tourists travel to India for leisure, according to 2010 tourism ministry data.

“People come here to spend their own money but they cannot access it,” said Qayoom. “This is ridiculous.”

Shack owners mostly set up shop during peak season and operate in cash. However, some, like the H2O bar in Calangute and Sunset Bar in Siolim, have ordered swipe machines. These are yet to arrive.

INDIA: Tourism projects worth Rs 300 crore cleared for Uttar Pradesh Gets Tourist Projects Worth Rs 300 crore

Trying to reach out to the religious pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh, the central government on Tuesday cleared tourism projects worth over Rs 300 crore "in-principle" in Uttar Pradesh under the Ramayan and Krishna Circuits.

Trying to reach out to the religious pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh, the central government on Tuesday cleared tourism projects worth over Rs 300 crore “in-principle” in Uttar Pradesh under the Ramayan and Krishna Circuits. The decision was taken at the first meeting of National Committee on Ramayan Circuit and National Committee on Krishna Circuit held here under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry.

The meeting was chaired Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and attended among others by Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi, experts and senior officials of the ministry, an official release said here. The Ministry has launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15 with an aim to develop theme based tourist circuits in the country on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner, the release said.

Under Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations spread across six states have been proposed. These are : Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur and Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga (Bihar), Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)

The expert committee also suggested to include Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Nashik and Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Mahendragiri (Odisha) in the proposed circuit, the release said. Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations spread across five states have been proposed. These are: Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara, Jaipur and Sikar (Rajasthan); Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon and Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh) and Puri (Odisha).

INDIA: 3-day International Tourism Expo From Dec 11 At Madurai

3-day international tourism expo from Dec 11 at Madurai


A three-day International Tourism exhibition will be held here for three days from December 11, according to Executive Director and project manager of the exhibition, Anurag Gupta.

In a release, he said 32 stalls, including stalls from Mauritius, Malaysia, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa and Karnataka would find a place in the exhibition.

The stalls at the exhibition would give details about tourist spots and the expenses to visit them. Besides reservation would be done for conducted tours.

He said special concessions would be given for those who book for tours.

INDIA: 150 Indian Accounts Being Tracked For Following ISIS Propoganda

In order to combat the threat of Islamic State, intelligence agencies are tracking social media accounts of nearly 150 Indians following ISIS propaganda, the government sources revealed. According to the report of intelligence agencies, around 150 Indian youths are under the surveillance of security agencies for allegedly supporting or promoting ISIS ideology.

As per the report made by security agencies, a majority of those under surveillance are from the southern states. However the agencies haven’t begun any crack-down on Indian youths showing interest in activities of ISIS but the tracking of such people is aimed at to prevent them from joining the terror outfit. An intervention will be made by security forces if those under surveillance show signs to radicalization. ”Most of them are in regular contact with some ISIS activists through online. Hence, we have kept all them under surveillance of security forces,” an official privy to the development said.

So far, a total of 23 Indians have gone to ISIS hold areas in Iraq-Syria to fight for the terrorist group. Of them six were killed while one returned home in Mumbai. 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were also prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East. Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youth from Kalyan in the outskirts of Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.

Among the six Indians, who fought alongside ISIS and got killed were three Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana. On September 15, the UAE deported four Indians suspected to have links with ISIS. The UAE had also sent back in September a 37-year-old woman, Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting youths for ISIS. In January, Salman Mohiuddin of Hyderabad was arrested at Hyderabad airport when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on way to Syria via Turkey.

In an advisory sent yesterday, the Home Ministry said the recent multiple attacks in Paris clearly indicate the intention of the outfit (ISIS) to expand the area of terror action beyond the core area of Iraq and Syria. The Home Ministry said though the ISIS has not been able to establish any significant presence in India, its success in radicalising some youth, attracting certain sections of local population or Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities or the possibility of piggy backing on terrorist groups operating in India have opened up the possibility of ISIS sponsored terrorist action on Indian territory.

UAE: Indian Man Detained In Dubai For Indulging In ‘ISIS Activities

Indian man hailing from the communally sensitive region of Bhatkal, Karnataka, was arrested by Dubai police for allegedly indulging in activities benefiting dreaded terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS). The accused has been identified as Adnan Hasan Damudi. He was tracked by the Indian intelligence for the past one year.

Damudi participated in all forms of online activities of ISIS including recruiting, spreading propaganda material on social media and interacting with like-minded fundamentalists.

The alleged ISIS recruiter is last said to be employed by Dubai World Trade Centre where he worked as an assistant delivery coordinator. The Dubai police apprehended him two months back based on inputs received from Indian intelligence.

The Twitter account which is supposedly linked to Damudi is @AdnanDamudi. However, it is seen as non-operational since the past few months.

Damudi came under the radar of Indian intelligence in late 2014, when early probe indicated that 4 youths from Hyderabad were in his contact through social media. Damodi was persuading them to join ISIS.

Apart from the 4 Muslim youth, Telangana Police claims that he attempted to recruit Muslims across the nation.

In September, Dubai deported five radicalized Indians back to New Delhi after identifying them as ISIS sympathizers, including Hyderabad-origin woman Afsha Jabeen who was leading the recruitment drive.

UAE: Air Arabia Evaluating Indian Airline Acquisition

Sharjah-headquartered Air Arabia, the largest low-cost carrier operator in the Middle East and North Africa, has confirmed that it is considering an investment in FlyEasy, a new Indian budget airline that has yet to launch. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India’s domestic airline business is currently the fastest growing in the world, showing a ​13.2 percent growth in revenue passenger kilometers (RPF) in September 2015 (compared with September 2014).

FlyEasy, which is based in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in the state of Karnataka, is waiting for an air operating permit (AOP) from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The new operator has leased two Embraer E-190 jets for its launch. Sixteen Indian groups (including FlyEasy) have received no-objection certificates from India’s ministry of civil aviation to launch new airlines since 2011, but only four have so far received AOPs.

Air Arabia has been pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy and has added 21 new routes to its network in the first nine months of 2015, increasing the total number of destinations to 115 routes. New routes include Urumqi, the first China route for a low-cost airline from the Middle East and Africa. The company also started a loyalty programme this year.

In 2014, Air Arabia opened its second UAE hub at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and reportedly requested permission to open additional routes to India via the new hub, but was turned down by Indian aviation authorities. Analysts speculate that an investment in an Indian-based carrier might pave the way for a sixth Air Arabia hub and more international flight connections with India in the future.

INDIA: Bangalore The Silicon Valley Of India

Bangalore offers a lot to discover, particularly in its surroundings. It is not only a modern skyline of stained-glass skyscrapers and a city with a prestigious IT campus, but is also known as a garden city and the most enviable place to live for pensioners. There are certainly reasons for it.

The world knows Bangalore well. Mention it and most people will think about the IT industry, which turned the city into India’s capital city of technology; and gave the metropolis its nickname of “Silicon Valley of India”.

PATA Travel Mart 2015 from September 6-8 will be hosted in the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. This giant metropolis of 8.5 million inhabitants – making it the fifth largest urban agglomeration in the country – is working hard to establish itself as an attractive tourist destination for travellers, in addition to it being known for its IT business.

Bangalore offers a lot to discover, particularly in its surroundings. It is not only a modern skyline of stained-glass skyscrapers and a city with a prestigious IT campus, but is also known as a garden city and the most enviable place to live for pensioners. There are certainly reasons for it.


Kudremukh
Once in Bangalore, any visitor can only be seduced by the incredible dynamism of the place. Bangalore reflects the new India, just like Shanghai is a true mirror to the new China or Sao Paulo to a contemporary Brazil. Talking about the New India spirit, most official visitors will visit Infosys Campus, the world’s largest corporate university spread over 340 acres. The most iconic building on the campus is a giant glass pyramid, which could act as a twin sister to the Pyramid in the Paris Louvre Museum. In town, a few skyscrapers raise attention for their daring architecture, such as a replica – in small size – of the New York Empire State Building. To plunge in the world of the emerging generation of IT kids and entrepreneurs it is best to visit UB City Shopping Mall, Bangalore’s most prestigious address for shopaholics.

Bangalore is definitely embracing the future, and the fun is identifying where old times are still well alive. This is certainly not an easy task as the “absence of significant cultural or natural heritage is a key challenge for promotion”, according to a white paper published in early 2014 by the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group. But it is worth exploring Bangalore in depth.

Looking for Bangalore colonial history

The city still has its fair share of colonial style buildings and grand imposing structures. Such as Bangalore Palace, a reminiscence of Windsor Castle with its Tudor-syle towers and turrets. In Cubbon Park, Seshadri lyer Memorial Library Hall is a remarkable European style building and faces another icon of colonial architecture, the Attara Kacheri, an imposing vivid orange neo-gothic structure, today Karnataka High Court.


Vidhana Soudha
Among other colonial grand structures are half a dozen churches – including the Holy Trinity Church, the largest military church in South India; the Mayo Hall, an estate built in Italian renaissance style. The National Gallery of Modern Art- previously a palatial residence for the Sultan of Mysore - shows a large collection of painters ranging from the Pre-Independence school of fine arts to contemporary movements.

Let’s not forget Bangalore’s two most iconic monuments, one of which is the Vidhan Soudha, the head of Karnataka State. It is the country’s largest administrative structure, built after the independence. In a move of affirming India’s newly gained independence, architects chose deliberately a majestic neo-Dravidian style reinterpreting traditional Indian architecture. Unfortunately, like the High Court, the building can only be seen from a distance as it is not open to the public.


Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace
The other – and one of the most visited by foreign tourists - is Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace. Of Islamic architecture, the palace is an amazing construction made from teak wood inspired by Persian constructions with its vaulted ceilings and Moorish arches. A local tour company, “Bangalore Walks”, organizes tours with some architecture for Bangalore lovers. Each weekend, visitors can then either stroll along the Green Heritage Walk, the Military Heritage Walk or the Victorian Bangalore Walk. Tours change on a regular basis but information can be easily found on the Internet.

Bangalore got his nickname of a garden city in the 1920s when city officers started to develop public parks all across the metropolitan area. Among them is Cubbon park, in the city centre, a sprawling 120 hectares green space in the heart of historical Bangalore. It contains some 6,000 trees and plants and was opened back in 1870. Inside the park, there is the ubiquitous statue of Queen Victoria.

The Lalbagh Garden is Bangalore Botanical Park opened since 1856. Originally set on order of Mysore rulers, the garden was systematically extended during the British time and comprises now over 1,000 species of plants and trees on 97 hectares. Highlight is a glasshouse modeled after London Crystal palace. Lalbagh Garden is located 4 km south of the city centre.

Mysore, a city of munificent palaces

Although Bangalore offers plenty to visit and discover for a couple of days, the city is an ideal hub to explore the rest of Karnataka. An easy day trip takes travellers to Mysore. Located 140 km southwest of Bangalore, Mysore is Karnataka’s historical capital.


Mysore Palace
Being the residence of the Wodeyar Dynasty, Mysore was conferred the nickname of “City of Palaces” with seven castles to be seen around town. Among them is the Amba Vilas Palace, created in 1912 in Indo-Saracenic style. It is a spectacular structure with a sort of “gingerbread” architecture with carving and sculptures. With weekly lighting, it is now the most visited palace in India with over six million visitors a year, only beaten by the Taj Mahal in attendance numbers! A real must-do for travellers…

Another beautiful palace is the Laitha Mahal, inspired by London St Paul Cathedral. Worth a visit, the structure is now an exquisite luxury hotel bringing back memories of British India.

Karnataka world heritage
When in Karnataka, it is impossible to miss Hampi, a UNESCO world heritage site. Hampi is home to the last great Hindu empire in South India, with construction dating back to the 10th century. The magnificence of the place made the city’s famous. Hampi was covered by Dravidian temples and palaces between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned. However, it still retains its serene beauty today with imposing ruins but also well-preserved temples to be seen such as Vitthala Temple and its exquisite carvings or Ramachandra temple shaped like a mountain.


Hampi
Further north to Hampi, Pattadakal is another complex of ancient temples, also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The spectacular Virupaksha temple dedicated to goddess Shiva will certainly evocate memories Angkor Wat for some travellers.

Abundant nature
Karnataka is not only about culture. Nature is abundant and often breathtaking. About 22.6% of Karnataka’s geographical area is constituted of forests with the State listing 5 National Parks and 22 Wildlife Sanctuaries.


Jog Falls
Breathtaking landscapes can be seen along the 320 km coastline with its pristine beaches surrounded by thick jungles where tigers can still be observed. It is also impossible to be disappointed with Jog Falls. They are one of the most spectacular waterfalls to be seen in Asia. At 291 meters over ground, these dramatic plunging waterfalls are the fifth highest on the Asian continent. They are listed among the Top 50 waterfalls in the world. The majestic mountains of the Western Ghats (a UNESCO natural heritage site) are a paradise for trekkers but also for the ones looking at adventure tourism. Rafting, rock climbing or aero sports take place in spectacular settings.

Certainly more relaxing are activities such as golf and spa. Bangalore is prosperous and golf is just one sign of its newly won prosperity. The Karnataka Golf Association manages the 50-hectare 18-hole Bangalore club, one of India’s finest golf courses. Mysore is an established destination today for yoga courses with many celebrities joining its meditation centres, while Mangalore on the coast is well established as a centre for holistic healing, ayurveda and spa.

Bangalore and Karnataka for tourism professionals

Data
• International airport with connections to 40 cities in India and close to 20 international destinations including flights to Europe.
• Karnataka is among India’s Top 5 states for domestic tourism and the 9th largest destination for international visitors. In 2013, the State received 98 million domestic travellers and 0.64 million foreign travellers. Bangalore International Airport accounted for 6.5% of all international arrivals into the country after Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai and ahead of Kolkata.

Key assets
• Well preserved landscapes with the Western Ghats range of mountains listed as a UNESCO natural heritage site
• Ancients cities with temples complexes among the most spectacular in India.
• Historical city of Mysore
• Emerging hub for fashion, music and arts in Bangalore.
• Bangalore as a Science, IT and technology centre with emerging potential for MICE.

Key challenges
• Absence of an iconic monument in Bangalore which underlines the city’s lack of image as a tourist destination.
• Lack of a concentrated area for tourist activities
• Inadequate information on places to see and things to do
• Low availability of ‘local’ experiences for tourists

INDIA: Maharashtra Most Preferred Tourist Destination

State attracted 4.5 million tourists from foreign countries and over 8.4 million domestic tourists in 2014

Maharashtra has been rated on top in terms of tourism potential by a recent survey compiled by World Travel and Tourism Council. The ranking has been done by assessing the relative competitiveness of over 30 states in India. Maharashtra has moved up one position from the previous edition of the survey done last in 2013.

In comparison, national capital Delhi — which topped last time's rating — stood second on the list. Similarly, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu won the third, fourth and fifth place respectively.

According to the Tourism Highlights 2015 Edition report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the total number of International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) worldwide was 1,133 million in 2014, India attracted 0.67% of the world's international tourist arrivals out of which Maharashtra attracted 4.5 million tourists from foreign countries and over 8.4 million domestic tourists, which is largest than any other state in the country.

Commenting on the development Valsa Nair Singh, secretary state tourism and cultural affairs, GoM, said: "This recognition is prestigious, as Travel and Tourism is an integral part of our economy and we are happy that we stand as No.1 in attracting tourists. This is a team effort, through innovative promotional campaigns, marketing strategies, planned, focused and aggressive ideas we have reached such milestones. We are motivated to do better every day. Our recent thumping success of MITM attracted global buyers and sellers and we are confident to grow over the magic numbers in coming years, making Maharashtra number one destination on the world map."

According to tourism industry experts, the ranking was highly dependent on a strong economy, good infrastructure, presence of a sizeable quantum of branded hotel rooms and a variety of demand generators to occupy these rooms. "In line with these factors, Maharashtra has recorded perfect scores in four parameters – tourist visits, GSDP per capita, effectiveness of marketing campaign and aircraft movement. The state has performed well across all other parameters with the exception of its expenditure on tourism," said an official from state tourism department.

India's travel and tourism economy is poised to grow 7.5% in 2015 over last year, exceeding the 6.9% growth that the global forum has predicted for the South Asian region. By the end of 2015, the travel and tourism sector will contribute Rs8.22 trillion or 7% of India's gross domestic product (GDP) and 37.4 million jobs — almost 9% of total employment, the report said. In comparison during the year 2014, the industry contributed Rs7.64 trillion and 36.7 million jobs to the Indian economy.