Israel-based premier hotel company, Dan Hotels, will set up a five-star
hotel in Whitefield, Bengaluru. The proposed business hotel will have
220 rooms. Yuval Rosnovsky, Director, Dan Hospitality India said, “The
hotel will be ready in the next two-and-half years and will primarily
target the business clientele from major IT and other corporates in and
around the city. The company has acquired two-acre plot in Whitefield
for the purpose.”
Dan Hotels has about 14 properties in Israel
with a total inventory of more than 3,800 rooms. These hotels are
situated across cities like Jerusalem, Haifa, TelAviv, Ashkelon, etc.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
IndiGo to increase flights to Singapore
Low-fare airline, IndiGo recently stated that it would increase flights
to Singapore as the current overall limit, permitted by the air services
agreement between the two countries, remains underutilised. According
to Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo, as of now, the Indian side does not
even utilise 50 per cent of the flights allowed under the agreement,
which leaves scope for increasing flights. "But, we hope, this will now
change and as we increase flights," said Ghosh, who launched IndiGo's
first low fare service on September 15 to Singapore.
Ghosh sees a further increase in passenger traffic between the two countries, and has planned a number of holiday packages both ways as IndiGo increases flights to Singapore from "one per day to at least two and preferably three per day" in the next 300 days, according to a PTI report.
Ghosh also expects an increase in new travellers from India, especially taking advantage of the low fare to travel to Singapore for shopping and holidays. "We are trying to tie up with various agencies in Singapore to sell Singapore as a family holiday destination to Indian tourists," he said.
"Having established the Delhi-Singapore and Mumbai-Singapore routes, we are looking to connect Hyderabad and Chennai to Singapore within six to eight months. After that, we are going to look at adding Kolkata," Ghosh added. Eventually, IndiGo will look at linking Singapore to the 26 cities the airline connects in India including cities which are major tourist attractions, including Goa, he said.
Ghosh said IndiGo will also fly to Jeddah and Dhaka, expanding from its existing international routes, which will include Muscat and Kathmandu from next month.
Ghosh sees a further increase in passenger traffic between the two countries, and has planned a number of holiday packages both ways as IndiGo increases flights to Singapore from "one per day to at least two and preferably three per day" in the next 300 days, according to a PTI report.
Ghosh also expects an increase in new travellers from India, especially taking advantage of the low fare to travel to Singapore for shopping and holidays. "We are trying to tie up with various agencies in Singapore to sell Singapore as a family holiday destination to Indian tourists," he said.
"Having established the Delhi-Singapore and Mumbai-Singapore routes, we are looking to connect Hyderabad and Chennai to Singapore within six to eight months. After that, we are going to look at adding Kolkata," Ghosh added. Eventually, IndiGo will look at linking Singapore to the 26 cities the airline connects in India including cities which are major tourist attractions, including Goa, he said.
Ghosh said IndiGo will also fly to Jeddah and Dhaka, expanding from its existing international routes, which will include Muscat and Kathmandu from next month.
Tourists in Goa to provide photo identity proof for booking hotels
Tourists visiting Goa without any photo identity proof, henceforth, will
not be able to check-in at any hotels or guest houses in the state.
Based on intelligence inputs regarding terrorist threats to the western
coast of India, Mihir Vardhan, District Magistrate, North Goa, Panjim,
recently directed all owners and management of hotels, lodging and
boarding, private guest houses and paying guest accommodations, not to
allow any visitors to check in without producing a photo identity card.
“Visitors should provide a photo identity proof such as smart card, election card, employment card, ATM card or any other photo identity card issued by a recognised authority,” said Vardhan. He said that the in-charge of such accommodation 'shall provide all information' for inspection to the police authority and this order will be effective November 7, 2011. “Any person contravening this order shall be punished under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code,” Vardhan added.
According to a report in The Times of India, this order has been issued based on reports received from the superintendent of police, North Goa. The reports state that 'due to the prevailing situation in the country and intelligence inputs regarding terrorist threats, anti-social elements with an intention of committing crime in Goa, stay in hotels with fictitious names by furnishing bogus residential and official addresses, telephone numbers and after commission of crime, it becomes very difficult to locate the culprit on the basis of available information recorded.’
“Visitors should provide a photo identity proof such as smart card, election card, employment card, ATM card or any other photo identity card issued by a recognised authority,” said Vardhan. He said that the in-charge of such accommodation 'shall provide all information' for inspection to the police authority and this order will be effective November 7, 2011. “Any person contravening this order shall be punished under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code,” Vardhan added.
According to a report in The Times of India, this order has been issued based on reports received from the superintendent of police, North Goa. The reports state that 'due to the prevailing situation in the country and intelligence inputs regarding terrorist threats, anti-social elements with an intention of committing crime in Goa, stay in hotels with fictitious names by furnishing bogus residential and official addresses, telephone numbers and after commission of crime, it becomes very difficult to locate the culprit on the basis of available information recorded.’
Punjabi University, Patiala starts hotel management course
Punjabi University, Patiala has started new course on hotel management.
For the same, a four-storeyed building has been constructed on the
university campus. The new building has three class rooms, a
house-keeping lab, a sixty-cover restaurant, basic training kitchen with
pantry and a well-furnished computer lab based on the smart room
concept, according to a report in The Times of India.
“The Union Government is also drafting its policies and programmes to promote the hospitality and tourism sectors, which will generate an increasing number of jobs for students taking up such courses,” said Dr Jaspal Singh, VC, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Dr SM Verma, Director, Punjabi University, Patiala disclosed that the Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore to work on the second phase of the building.
“The Union Government is also drafting its policies and programmes to promote the hospitality and tourism sectors, which will generate an increasing number of jobs for students taking up such courses,” said Dr Jaspal Singh, VC, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Dr SM Verma, Director, Punjabi University, Patiala disclosed that the Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore to work on the second phase of the building.
Jet Airways enters into codeshare arrangement with Thalys
Jet Airways has entered into an intermodal codeshare arrangement with
Thalys high-speed rail service between Brussels and Paris. Under the
codeshare, Jet Airways will place its marketing code on the Thalys
operated direct train service between the train station at Brussels
Airport and Paris Nord. The service, now available for sale, will be
operational from October 30, 2011. The arrangement offers a combined
Thalys-train ticket between Paris and India or US and Canada via
Brussels with Jet Airways.
Nikos Kardassis, CEO, Jet Airways, said, “Jet Airways’ guests will now be able to access Brussels Airport from the French capital in a mere hour and forty-seven minutes thanks to the new Thalys high-speed train. We are certain that our guests from France as well as from both the Asian and North American continents will greatly benefit from this new travel solution. We look forward to extending partnership with Thalys to more European cities in the near future.”
Franck Gervais, CEO, Thalys International, stated, “Travelling to and from Brussels Airport, the international airport at the heart of our network is part of our optimization strategy to go beyond the expectations of our international clientele.”
Nikos Kardassis, CEO, Jet Airways, said, “Jet Airways’ guests will now be able to access Brussels Airport from the French capital in a mere hour and forty-seven minutes thanks to the new Thalys high-speed train. We are certain that our guests from France as well as from both the Asian and North American continents will greatly benefit from this new travel solution. We look forward to extending partnership with Thalys to more European cities in the near future.”
Franck Gervais, CEO, Thalys International, stated, “Travelling to and from Brussels Airport, the international airport at the heart of our network is part of our optimization strategy to go beyond the expectations of our international clientele.”
Political turmoil and natural disasters lead to volatility in hotel prices globally: Hotels.com
According to the latest Hotels.com, Hotel Price Index (HPI), hotel
prices across the world have experienced pronounced volatility, as a
result of political turmoil and natural disasters during the first half
of 2011. The average price of a room around the world rose by just three
per cent but this marked some steep rises and falls in regions affected
by the historic events in the first six months of the year.
Other factors such as currency strength and supply of rooms also impacted average room prices across the world, although the report shows that overall these were just six per cent higher than when the HPI was launched in 2004, representing outstanding value for travellers. Prices fell six per cent in Asia Pacific year-on-year but rose in all other areas: four per cent in North America, two per cent in Europe and Latin America and one per cent in the Caribbean.
The uprisings which occurred in North Africa and the Middle East triggered substantial reductions in hotel prices across the region as tourists and business travellers stayed away not only from countries directly hit by the civil unrest but also from those, which escaped political protest. However, the fall in consumer confidence was good news for destinations in southern Europe as travellers returned to more traditional havens. The rising demand pushed up prices in some Spanish sunshine destinations and the overall HPI for Europe rose two per cent compared with the first half of last year. Ireland was also helped by the high-profile visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama, which triggered a slight market recovery in hotel prices by attracting visitors and boosting demand.
Average prices for hotel rooms across Asia Pacific fell by six per cent over the period. The Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis at Fukushima led to reduced occupancy and falling demand in the country and also had a knock-on effect in other parts of the region as the Japanese chose to stay close to home. However, despite the downward price pressures, there were also some marked rises in the region, especially in strong economies such as Australia where corporate travel continued strongly and the Australian Dollar remained high.
New Delhi bagged the top slot in the list of most popular places for domestic travellers. Singapore, with its new luxury hotel developments such as Marina Bay Sands, became the most popular destination abroad for Indian travellers replacing Hong Kong, which slipped to fourth. Bangkok was second, moving up from seventh in H1 of 2010. Bangkok took over from London, which dropped to third position. There were nine Asian destinations in the top 20, four in Europe and seven in the US, headed by New York.
The list of favourite Indian destinations for international tourists had a familiar look with New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai holding their places at the top. Goa became less popular slipping from fifth to ninth.
The factor that travellers from economic powerhouses enjoys lower hotel rates, was also evident in other countries with strong currencies and economies and meant citizens from nations such as Brazil, Sweden and Switzerland benefited from lower prices in many destinations, particularly the US and UK where the USD and GBP struggled to hold their ground.
David Roche, President, Hotels.com said, “This year, for the first time, dramatic political and natural world events, such as the Japanese earthquake and Arab Spring, have caused the most pronounced level of hotel price volatility. However, despite some exceptional price movements, it is important to highlight that overall the picture has been one of gradual recovery with many room rates still on a par with what they were seven years ago, representing great value for the traveller.”
Roche further added, “Other factors such foreign exchange fluctuations, one-off political sporting, cultural or trade events and discounting by hoteliers can also influence prices but it’s important to underline the general health of the sector so far this year. This can be seen by the growth in the supply of rooms all over the world with nearly 6,000 hotel projects in development. This increase in accommodation also acts as a brake on prices and, once again, is good news for the consumer.”
“Individual markets in Asia Pacific showed marked differences, presenting a mixed picture of results. Overall lower average prices paid for hotels in the region means good news both for travellers coming into Asia and for travellers within Asia. During this period, consumers travelling to Asia have benefited from the favourable exchange rates in many of their currencies. One note of advice to travellers is to search and compare alternatives, as individual markets exhibit different trends.” added Johan Svanstrom, Managing Director of Hotels.com Asia Pacific.
The Hotels.com HPI is based on bookings made on Hotels.com sites around the world and tracks the real prices paid per hotel room (rather than advertised rates) for about 1,25,000 properties across more than 19,000 locations. The latest HPI looks at prices in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period last year.
Other factors such as currency strength and supply of rooms also impacted average room prices across the world, although the report shows that overall these were just six per cent higher than when the HPI was launched in 2004, representing outstanding value for travellers. Prices fell six per cent in Asia Pacific year-on-year but rose in all other areas: four per cent in North America, two per cent in Europe and Latin America and one per cent in the Caribbean.
The uprisings which occurred in North Africa and the Middle East triggered substantial reductions in hotel prices across the region as tourists and business travellers stayed away not only from countries directly hit by the civil unrest but also from those, which escaped political protest. However, the fall in consumer confidence was good news for destinations in southern Europe as travellers returned to more traditional havens. The rising demand pushed up prices in some Spanish sunshine destinations and the overall HPI for Europe rose two per cent compared with the first half of last year. Ireland was also helped by the high-profile visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama, which triggered a slight market recovery in hotel prices by attracting visitors and boosting demand.
Average prices for hotel rooms across Asia Pacific fell by six per cent over the period. The Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis at Fukushima led to reduced occupancy and falling demand in the country and also had a knock-on effect in other parts of the region as the Japanese chose to stay close to home. However, despite the downward price pressures, there were also some marked rises in the region, especially in strong economies such as Australia where corporate travel continued strongly and the Australian Dollar remained high.
New Delhi bagged the top slot in the list of most popular places for domestic travellers. Singapore, with its new luxury hotel developments such as Marina Bay Sands, became the most popular destination abroad for Indian travellers replacing Hong Kong, which slipped to fourth. Bangkok was second, moving up from seventh in H1 of 2010. Bangkok took over from London, which dropped to third position. There were nine Asian destinations in the top 20, four in Europe and seven in the US, headed by New York.
The list of favourite Indian destinations for international tourists had a familiar look with New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai holding their places at the top. Goa became less popular slipping from fifth to ninth.
The factor that travellers from economic powerhouses enjoys lower hotel rates, was also evident in other countries with strong currencies and economies and meant citizens from nations such as Brazil, Sweden and Switzerland benefited from lower prices in many destinations, particularly the US and UK where the USD and GBP struggled to hold their ground.
David Roche, President, Hotels.com said, “This year, for the first time, dramatic political and natural world events, such as the Japanese earthquake and Arab Spring, have caused the most pronounced level of hotel price volatility. However, despite some exceptional price movements, it is important to highlight that overall the picture has been one of gradual recovery with many room rates still on a par with what they were seven years ago, representing great value for the traveller.”
Roche further added, “Other factors such foreign exchange fluctuations, one-off political sporting, cultural or trade events and discounting by hoteliers can also influence prices but it’s important to underline the general health of the sector so far this year. This can be seen by the growth in the supply of rooms all over the world with nearly 6,000 hotel projects in development. This increase in accommodation also acts as a brake on prices and, once again, is good news for the consumer.”
“Individual markets in Asia Pacific showed marked differences, presenting a mixed picture of results. Overall lower average prices paid for hotels in the region means good news both for travellers coming into Asia and for travellers within Asia. During this period, consumers travelling to Asia have benefited from the favourable exchange rates in many of their currencies. One note of advice to travellers is to search and compare alternatives, as individual markets exhibit different trends.” added Johan Svanstrom, Managing Director of Hotels.com Asia Pacific.
The Hotels.com HPI is based on bookings made on Hotels.com sites around the world and tracks the real prices paid per hotel room (rather than advertised rates) for about 1,25,000 properties across more than 19,000 locations. The latest HPI looks at prices in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period last year.
POACHING BEGINS TO HAMPER SWAZILAND TOURISM MORE THAN BEFORE
Poachers are devastating the wildlife of Swaziland’s nature
reserves more than ever before and tourists are turning their backs on
the wildlife due to the lack of animals. In some places, for instance,
just a few impalas remain.
Nobody needs tourism more than poor countries and Swaziland, landlocked by South Africa, fits right into this category. Currently the traditional problems of AIDS and security have been set aside by an even bigger problem: poaching.
Swaziland relies heavily on its game reserves yet the poachers have
created a situation whereby the only confrontation tourists are likely
to have with baboons and large game is where they hear huge screams from
them being caught in traps.
The locals have been quick to point out that the animals have started
behaving in a strange manner by running away from humans at any
opportunity. This is not how the animals used to behave and their fears
are almost certainly a result of recent experience with people. The poachers may be earning for themselves yet they are crippling tourism. A few remaining impalas and plants are very unlikely to attract visitors from afar.
The Mlawula reserve has had an increasing number of poaching cases to
deal with. One may ask how such secret incidents can be monitored? The
answer lies with the increasing screams of entrapped wildlife, their
plummeting numbers and the amount of carcasses with traps around them.
Indeed, many animals are unfortunate enough to decompose in snares if
the poachers are not quick enough to find their prey. Even plants, which
are used to make traditional medicines have recently fallen victim to
the increasing numbers of Mlawula poachers.
Don't Eat Leafy Vegetables in Bombay or Mumbai : If you are living in Mumbai or Bombay, make sure you start away from all leafy vegetables as you may end up dying with food poisoning. All the leafy vegetable are grown in plots next to railway tracks and they are watered by dirty excerata or shit or sewage filled gutter water. Its a scam to fool people, these people water the plants in the night time as no one will notice the same. Next time you travel near railway tracks, please note the leafy vegetables grown there. This same toxic filled vegetables are supplied to all the five stars, four star and other top restaurant chains and people eat them without knowing the source. I have also noticed vegetables like Lady finger, cabbage grown along the tracks. Recently, a social service organisation, Iron Eagle V Group, randomly tested a few of the vegetables grown on two rail farms at Panvel and Juinagar. The vegetables were then analysed at an FDA-approved laboratory, and the results were far from comforting. Tests revealed the presence of heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt, chromium and even arsenic in the vegetables, and the concentration of some of these metals was higher than the recommended limits set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA). According to microbiologist and chemical analyser, Madhuri Deshmukh, of Jubilant Pharma & Chemical Lab that tested the samples, the presence of metal in the samples prove that the soil is contaminated with industrial effluents and domestic waste because of the drain water. The food department in also turning a blind eye and playing life with peoples life. Next time you are in Bombay or Mumbai think before eating vegetables.You may die of Food Posioning
Next time you travel near railway tracks, please note the leafy vegetables grown there. This same toxic filled vegetables are supplied to all the five stars, four star and other top restaurant chains and people eat them without knowing the source. I have also noticed vegetables like Lady finger, cabbage grown along the tracks.
Recently, a social service organization, Iron Eagle V Group, randomly tested a few of the vegetables grown on two rail farms at Panvel and Juinagar. The vegetables were then analyzed at an FDA-approved laboratory, and the results were far from comforting. Tests revealed the presence of heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt, chromium and even arsenic in the vegetables, and the concentration of some of these metals was higher than the recommended limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA).
According to microbiologist and chemical analyser, Madhuri Deshmukh, of Jubilant Pharma & Chemical Lab that tested the samples, the presence of metal in the samples prove that the soil is contaminated with industrial effluents and domestic waste because of the drain water.
The food department in also turning a blind eye and playing life with peoples life. Next time you are in Bombay or Mumbai think before eating vegetables.
HOTELS COLLABORATE TO TACKLE CARBON STANDARDS HOTELS COLLABORATE TO TACKLE CARBON STANDARDS
Several organizations within the tourism industry have come together to deal with the question of carbon emissions of hotels. The objectives are, firstly, to create methods for measuring carbon emissions and secondly, to severely reduce them.
The main problem with tackling carbon emissions in hotels around the world right now is not with the carbon emissions themselves, yet with the actual measuring of them. There are currently no standard methods for measuring carbon emissions and hotels tend to produce figures, which can be misleading.
They may not be totally honest and they tend to measure in different units, making it almost impossible to create fair and objective statistics. Once there is a common method for reduction, measurement, reporting and damage then progress can be made. The situation is about to change.
The Carbon Measurement Working Group, the World Travel and Tourism Council and International Tourism Partnership are the main organizations involved in this new project. Their goals are to promote social and environmental responsibility within the tourism industry with carbon emissions being at the forefront of their projects in the next few decades. Representatives from 12 leading hotel chains have joined to combat the degree of guilt the tourism industry has on its mind in terms of the environment.
Certain hotels have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions by 50% in 2035 compared to 2005. This is an important promise to make yet shows the measures by which hotels now take this matter seriously. Whether this pledge is fulfilled will very much depend upon the establishment of the criteria for carbon emission measurement, the honesty of those being measured and the togetherness of the organizations taking part in this massive project.
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