Brussels Airlines comes to the aid of Uganda tourism

Brussels Airlines has once again come to the aid of Uganda’s tourism industry when the airline slashed their fares to allow a delegation from The Pearl of Africa to exhibit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in late May this year, when the Ugandan Embassy is hosting a “Uganda Tourism and Cultural Forum” at the Bella Centre. The theme for the event is “Tourism and Culture for Development.”

Participants coming from Uganda, among them reportedly staff from both the Uganda Tourism Board and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, will be flying from Entebbe via Brussels to Copenhagen where they intend to meet tour operators and travel agents from across the Scandinavian countries. The full day event will run from 0800 until 1900 hours on that day.

Tourism stakeholders were swift to applaud the initiative but also pointed out that a one-day event, filled with what one commented “too many speeches” was seen as insufficient to make a significant impact in the market place, considering the sheer size of Scandinavia.

“Unless one builds on that day and goes out to sell Uganda by visiting travel agencies and tour operators specializing in African travel, there may not be too much gain except for some publicity. What is important is that we start making appearances as a country in the main tourism trade shows which are held in such places like Gothenburg. But I agree it is a good start to put Uganda on the map,” commented another.

Other stakeholders expressed their gratitude to Brussels Airlines which has in the past granted rebated tickets to participants in key European tourism trade fairs like ITB and WTM, giving huge discounts on published fares. For more information about Uganda click on www.visituganda.com , the official website of Tourism Uganda or check outwww.ugandawildlife.org , the official site of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Brussels Airlines comes to the aid of Uganda tourism

Cruise liner at Vizhinjam harbour brings cheer to tourism industry

This is the first luxury liner to come to Vizhinjam this season wherein tourist arrivals had seen a dip.

‘Le Soleal,’ a cruise ship which berthed off the Vizhinjam harbour for a 12-hour stopover on Tuesday, brought 152 tourists from France, the U.K. and some other nations, and cheer to the tourism and hospitality industry here.

This is the first luxury liner to come to Vizhinjam this tourist season wherein tourist arrivals had seen a dip.

As much as 90 per cent of the tourists were senior citizens coming down to ‘God’s Own Country’ for the first time. Big cruise liners cannot berth at the wharf here as it can accommodate only vessels up to a length of 80 metres.

The 142-metre-long vessel, registered in Wallis and Futuna, arrived from Maldives at 5.55 a.m. It could not enter the harbour and was forced to anchor one nautical mile off from the wharf.

After the emigration and other formalities were completed, the tourists boarded two small boats to get to the wharf. But, the transfer of the tourists to the wharf got delayed as some fishing nets got entwined in the propeller.

Delay

The local tours that were to begin at 8 a.m. got delayed and could commence only at 10 a.m. As many as 96 French tourists and 17 from the U.K. were taken in coaches for sightseeing.

The liner arrived here on the sixth day of the 17-night cruise which started from Colombo.

The ship has 132 ‘elegantly furnished’ ocean-view staterooms. It has two restaurants, three lounges, including an open-air poolside bar, a theatre, fitness centre, spa, and private space for rest and relaxation.

Some tourists who opted out of the city tour were seen anxiously waiting at the wharf to return to the vessel. Many cursed the lack of infrastructure at the wharf.

Antoine, a cadet in the liner, told The Hindu that the sweltering heat had not affected the tourists in any way and they were delighted to be here. “I am here for the first time. But, we are used to such climate in the voyage,” he said.

In the city, the tourists visited the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Kuthira Malika, Napier Museum, and the Connemara market.

The shore excursions were managed by Le Passage-To India and GAC Shipping India was the shipping agent. The vessel left for Kochi at 6 p.m., en route Goa, Mumbai, and Muscat.

Cruise liner at Vizhinjam harbour brings cheer to tourism industry

Goa tourism gears up to host Goa international travel mart

PANAJI: Goa tourism is gearing up to host the three day B2B event — 3rd edition of Goa international travel mart (GITM) 2014 which starts on April 2, to bring together travel companies, hoteliers, state tourism boards and other leisure enterprises under one roof to showcase the tourism investment potential in the state, but some industry stakeholders are apprehensive about its success.

Some industry stakeholders want Goa tourism to perform better in its latest effort but their concern is that it should not be a repeat of GITM 2011 which was a total fiasco.

Savio Messias, vice-president of the tour and travel association of Goa (TTAG), said planning for such events has to be done well in advance so that the whole programme is ready and made available on the website for buyers to see and facilitate their travel plan. “Programmes or schedules of international trade fairs is normally drawn a year before,” he pointed out.

A tour operator wishing anonymity said GITM 2011 was a total failure because it was a hotchpotch job. He said in other states, such events are executed through a tourism board which consists of tour operators, professionals and other stake holders of the industry, while role of the government is limited to financing the event. Goa government is yet to constitute a tourism board though announcement was made two years ago.

Despite doubts raised by some tour operators, Goa tourism department this time, is better prepared to host the 3rd edition of the GITM, said a senior officer of the tourism department. “Planning for GITM 2014 was started six months back,” he said, indicating that they have learnt from their past mistakes.

This event would be a success, he said as they have confirmation from 100 hosted international buyers from 28 countries and 140 confirmed hosted national buyers.

Buyers from countries such as USA, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Italy, Czech republic, Russia, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Malaysia, Argentina, Philippines, UAE, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand have confirmed their participation for GITM 2014.

Also participating in the event will be 25 international travel trade mediapersons from over 20 countries, and 40 domestic travel trade mediapersons from all over India. Besides, 400 non-hosted national buyers have also registered for GITM, said the official. Dismissing fears expressed by some, the officer said deposits have been taken from hosted buyers to ensure they conduct business expected of them and the host (Goa tourism) is not taken on a royal ride.

A Gomes Pereira, chief operating officer, (charters and Goa) of Trail Blazer Tours India Pvt Ltd, on an optimistic note, said Goa tourism should not give up and keep trying and learn through mistakes even as he conceded that planning for GITM has to be done well before time.

Goa tourism gears up to host Goa international travel mart

Lakshadweep to open 3 uninhabited islands for tourists

Kolkata: Ever imagined holidaying in a spectacular beach resort island where no one lives? Lakshadweep has now decided to open three uninhabited islands exclusively for tourists after building beach resorts and water sports facilities.

“Thinnakkara, Suheli Par and Cherium are the three new islands in Lakshadweep where we are now planning to build tourism infrastructure at a total cost of Rs 60 crore,” Lakshadweep tourism department’s assistant director A M Hussain told PTI .

Each of these tiny islands occupy an area of about 40-50 hectares of land and is devoid of any human settlement so far but have glistering silver sand beaches and abundant marine life, coral reefs in particular. “They are completely virgin and serene islands and that is why they will be so special for tourists who are looking for exclusivity in their trip. The charm of staying here would be unparalleled,” Hussain said.

The sandy beaches have clear and unpolluted water, unlike other beaches of India. The union territory’s tourism department will built resorts here on a PPP (public-private-partnership) model, the tenders for which will be out in the next few months. Giving adventure-loving tourists adrenaline rush, water sports facilities planned on these islands include scuba diving, jet ski watercrafts, snorkeling, rafting, windsurfing, deep-sea fishing, yachting, etc.

The official said they are hoping that in the next year the new islands would be ready to welcome tourists. Lakshadweep is located in the Arabian Sea, around 220-440 km away from the coast of Kerala. The archipelago consists of a total number of 36 islands out of which there are only 6 islands which have resorts for tourists.

As an adventure sport and nature tourism destination, it offers premier dive spots, rich eco-system, marine wealth, coral reefs, silver sand beaches, virgin environment and pristine water. Since it’s an ecologically-sensitive area due to the presence of coral reefs and marine life, the tourism department has marketed Lakshadweep only as a niche tourism area.

The islands are connected by sea and air from Kochi and Calicut. The tourism department is planning to procure two new ships to handle the increasing tourism pressure and buy 2 liver boats for Rs 2 crore each. The ships would cost around Rs 250 crore, Hussain said.

They are also trying to start operating sea planes which are capable of taking off and landing on water. “Ours is a high-value but low-volume tourist destination. We ensure that the fragile ecology of Lakshadweep is not damaged by tourism,” tourism dept officials said. Last year, there were only 17000 tourists to the chain of islands.

Lakshadweep to open 3 uninhabited islands for tourists

Reunion Island Tourism organizes stakeholder information day

Reunion Island Tourism last week organized a day for DMCs and other interested parties to visit a number of new tourism establishments to create awareness of new products and attractions.

Several destination management companies responded to the invitation, among them Mille Tours, Bourbon Tourisme, and Connections Reunion, for a day out in the field and visits to 7 new establishments:

• The Beautiful Escape the Entre-Deux

• Villa Ote the Entre-Deux

• Between Dreams in the Entre-Deux

• The Victoria Hotel in Grand Bois – Saint-Pierre

• Orky-Mel Small Island B & B cottage

• Green bubble Mont Verde les Hauts

• Lindsey hotel in Saint-Pierre

According to feedback received from the island, the exercise was warmly welcomed by the participants as they acquired additional knowledge and insight into new accommodation facilities which they can now confidently sell to their clientele. All these new hotels, B&Bs, and cottages can be found via Reunion Island Tourism’s website by simply clicking on to www.reunion.fr .

Reunion Island, a French Indian Ocean island, is a founder member of the Vanilla Islands Organization.

Source: Reunion Island Tourism (IRT)

Reunion Island Tourism organizes stakeholder information day

Andhra seeks more tourist arrivals through new beach resorts

 The Andhra Pradesh government has identified several locations along its 972-km long coastline for developing beach resorts as part of its plans to attract domestic and international tourists.

The government decision assumes significance in the backdrop of reports on the potentiality of beach tourism which state that in terms of variety, Andhra Pradesh has best beaches not only in the country but in entire world and they offer prospects for tourism economy not only in India but beyond too.

Though beaches in Goa and Kerala are quite popular among foreigners, Andhra Pradesh offers wide variety and tourist friendly beaches in the country, sources in the tourism department said.

About 50 such beaches have been identified along Andhra Pradesh coastline and the potential is to develop 50 beach resorts, they said.

These locations will be transformed into international tourist destinations by developing necessary infrastructure. “We are contemplating to develop beaches meeting the standards of foreign tourist visitors,” they said.

“We are actively focused on the development of beach resorts as the state has the second longest coastline in the country after Gujarat. The potential is immense and vast,” said a senior official of the tourism department.

Only four beach resorts have been developed in the state over the decades at Visakhapatnam district and its surrounding areas.

“We have been concentrating on the development of beach tourism with help of the central and state government funding,” the official said adding that they had conceived plans for development of nine new beach resorts between Srikakulam and Nellore districts in the last two years.

Out of these nine beaches, two at Kalingapatnam and Mayapadu are complete and the remaining seven will be ready in next four months, tourism officials said.

“Beach resorts at Baruva in Srikakulam will be opened by mid-April and at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district it will be ready by end of April. We have one beach resort in Suryalanka near Bapatla in Guntur district, we are developing phase-II there and works at Chintapalle in Vizianagaram district are in the final stages of completion,” they said.

“Chintapalle and Kakinada in East Godavari district will be ready by June along with a beach in Nellore to be ready by June,” they added.

Andhra seeks more tourist arrivals through new beach resorts

Costa Rica seeks more Russian tourists

Presidency Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides and Tourism Minister Allan Flores announce at a press conference on Monday Costa Rica’s interest in attracting more tourists and investments from Russia.

Costa Rica will eliminate the visa requirement for citizens of the Russian Federation as a measure to increase tourism and investments from that country, immigration and tourism officials said on Monday.

The measure will allow a maximum stay of up to 30 days that can be extended for up to 90 days for each Russian citizen.

The decree already was approved and will be published in coming days in the official newspaper La Gaceta, Tourism Minister Allan Flores said.

The number of Russian tourists currently visiting Costa Rica is low: Only 4,146 tourists from that country entered Costa Rica in 2013, Flores said.

A study by the Costa Rican Tourism Board last year said Russian tourists who would be interested in visiting the country have incomes of more than $120,000 a year. They usually travel with their families and spend up to $5,000 during an average 11-day visit.

Flores also said that at least two Russian airlines are evaluating offering special flights to Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela and Daniel Oduber International Airport in the northwestern province of Guanacaste. Some of the flights would connect via the Dominican Republic and Havana, Cuba.

Previously, Russian citizens interested in visiting Costa Rica could request their visas only at the Costa Rican Consulate in Moscow, which for residents in other parts of that country meant long traveling distances.

According to the World Tourism Organization, Russia ranks as the fifth largest source of global tourists, which makes it an attractive source for the Costa Rican market, Flores said.

 

Costa Rica seeks more Russian tourists