It provides a great traditional Kerala buffet with this place also has a spa and wellness centre for you to rejuvenate…writes N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe
Travellers who love to stay by the beach for peace and rejuvenation should check out these private beach resorts. Whether it’s a getaway with family or your partner, these boutique properties won’t disappoint you.
Munjoh Resort in Andaman and Nicobar
Experience luxury at a glance at Munjoh – A Private Ocean Resort. Known for its warm hospitality and stay, it is a premium and iconic luxury resort in Andaman. Offering you a wide range of handpicked amenities and magnificent interiors to make the resort a place to revel in. A beach house with private land is all you need to enjoy your wine with a mesmerizing evening and glistening blue water. Swim in the blue waters of the Andaman Islands or build a sandcastle on the beach. It also offers world-class dining. Abhishek Beach Resort And Spa
The resort located in Ganpatipule not only offers a private beach with a breathtaking sea view but also facilities like an indoor gym, games, relaxing spa as well as a garden catering to all your needs. Best picks for intimate getaways or to make special occasions even more special.
Rockholm at the LightHouse Beach
For all nature lovers out there this is the place for you to relax and unwind. Indulge in luxury rooms with a delightful sea view. Providing a great traditional Kerala buffet this place also has a spa and wellness centre for you to rejuvenate.
Sonesta Inns
This resort in Candolim, Goa features Portuguese decor and rooms with stylish, modern interiors. The Flavors Cafe overlooks the sea and offers light snacks and refreshing drinks. Enjoy the nightlife of North Goa while you sip on cocktails served at the Ocean Deck Disco Lounge.
The Emerald Collection expands with new Maldives resort
The plan will reportedly focus on continuing recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic…reports Asian Lite News
Tourist arrivals in the Maldives increased 138 per cent in 2021 compared with 2020, with Indians accounting for the majority of the holidaymakers, state media citing data from the Ministry of Tourism reported.
State-owned PSM News said that the Maldives recorded 1.3 million tourist arrivals in 2021 compared to 55,494 in 2020, reports xinhua news agency.
The date from the Tourism Ministry showed that India was the largest source of tourists to Maldives in 2021, accounting for 22.1 per cent of all arrivals.
Russia and Britain accounted for 16.8 per cent and 7.2 per cent of arrivals, respectively.
Meanwhile, Senior Executive Director of the Ministry of Tourism Ali Razzan was quoted by PSM News as saying that the fifth Tourism Master Plan for the country will be drafted in three months.
The plan will reportedly focus on continuing recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tourism accounts for over 28 per cent of the Maldives’ gross domestic product.
Kaunda said during this festive season restaurants and eateries in the townships and other destinations were full of tourists…reports Asian Lite News.
South African tourism is showing signs of recovery with the coastal city of Durban having 80 per cent occupancy at establishments and over 200,000 visitors during the festive season.
“We desperately needed this development because we were bruised by the pandemic and multitudes of our people lost jobs. I am happy that following these figures, means we are doing things right,” Xinhua news agency quoted Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda as saying.
Kaunda said during this festive season restaurants and eateries in the townships and other destinations were full of tourists.
Over the Christmas weekend period alone, about 200,000 people visited the city, spending close to R150 million ($10 million).
Their contribution to the city’s gross domestic product was about R350 million.
On December 30, 2021, the South African government removed the curfew.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that 1.4 million tourists visited the east African nation in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic that hugely affected the tourism industry…reports Asian Lite News
In her message to welcome the New Year, President Hassan said only 620,867 tourists visited the country in 2020, the year that the pandemic was first reported in Tanzania and in several other countries across the world, reports Xinhua news agency.
“In 2021, there was an increase of 779,133 tourists who visited Tanzania,” she said in her address televised live by the state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation.
Citing the Covid protocol, the ASI has closed the counters after tourists were flouting protocols by neither wearing masks nor following proper physical distancing…reports Asian Lite News.
Ticket windows for a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra have been closed in view of rising number of Covid cases.
Visitors can now book tickets online for a visit to the monument.
The Archaeological Survey of India has given the facility of online booking. However, inside the Taj Mahal, the counter on the jasmine floor under the main dome will be operational to buy an additional ticket of Rs 200.
Citing the Covid protocol, the ASI has closed the counters after tourists were flouting protocols by neither wearing masks nor following proper physical distancing.
The Archaeological Survey of India had restarted ticket counters for sale of tickets offline at the Taj Mahal from November 27 and other monuments from December 1, making it easier for people coming from rural India and those who did not have smartphones.
Now with the closure of ticket windows at all monuments, tourists will be able to book tickets online only.
ASI sells tickets in Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, Etmauddaula, Mehtab Bagh, Rambagh and Maryam’s Tomb along with Taj Mahal in Agra.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that 1.4 million tourists visited the east African nation in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic that hugely affected the tourism industry…reports Asian Lite News
In her message to welcome the New Year, President Hassan said only 620,867 tourists visited the country in 2020, the year that the pandemic was first reported in Tanzania and in several other countries across the world, reports Xinhua news agency.
1.4mn tourists visit Tanzania in 2021
“In 2021, there was an increase of 779,133 tourists who visited Tanzania,” she said in her address televised live by the state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation.
South African tourism is showing signs of recovery with the coastal city of Durban having 80 per cent occupancy at establishments and over 200,000 visitors during the festive season…reports Asian Lite News
“We desperately needed this development because we were bruised by the pandemic and multitudes of our people lost jobs. I am happy that following these figures, it means we are doing things right,” Xinhua news agency quoted Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda as saying
S.Africa tourism shows signs of recovery
Kaunda said during this festive season restaurants and eateries in the townships and other destinations were full of tourists.
Over the Christmas weekend period alone, about 200,000 people visited the city, spending close to R150 million ($10 million).
The tourism industry in the state now displays optimism as it walks to embrace the new year with resilience ingrained in its DNA…writes PA Mohammed Riyas
Kerala’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism and the sector for the past two years was deeply impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the long disruption also gave the state a unique opportunity to re-assess its tourism strategy and explore fresh pathways towards a sustainable future.
Tourism administrators have realised that the road map to the future should be driven by engagement with local communities and supported by policies that raise the profile of domestic attractions with focus on sustainability. The bio-bubble programme of Kerala Tourism and its impetus on total vaccination to make the destinations safe has instilled new confidence in the sector. The state began witnessing an increase in arrival of domestic tourists as a result and the majority of tourism destinations have now achieved set targets.
PA Mohammed Riyas
That Kerala tops the Happiness Index in the recent State of the States Survey 2021 by India Today. This should be seen as an attestation of its special status. Domestic tourists from across India embraced Kerala as their most loved destination in 2021, thanks to the Safe Kerala-Safe Tourism slogan, which seems to have resonated well with them. Kerala Tourism is planning and implementing multiple programmes so that the sector, which is in the path of resurgence, would attain more strength in 2022.
The tourism industry in the state now displays optimism as it walks to embrace the new year with resilience ingrained in its DNA.
One of the major initiatives by Kerala Tourism is the ‘Keravan Tourism’, which envisages promotion of Caravan Tourism in Kerala, predominantly in the private sector, through incentivising the procurement of caravans and establishing caravan parks. The initiative would help turn hitherto unexplored destinations in the state, where accommodation facilities are minimal. The bubble-like nature of the product also makes it endearing for families who are apprehensive about safety of travel during the pandemic.
The department has already embarked on registering caravans and caravan parks and the scheme has been received well. Around 218 caravans have already registered with Kerala Tourism.
The ‘STREET’ project to be implemented in select spots in seven districts by the Responsible Tourism Mission would also give an impetus to village tourism. The STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs and would help rural destinations develop their basic infrastructure.
In the initial phase, the project would be implemented in the districts of Kozhikode, Palakkad, Kannur, Kottayam, Kasaragod, Idukki and Wayanad. The project, to be implemented in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, would have local bodies and village residents as stakeholders.
There are also plans to set up food streets to showcase the food diversity of the state. Kerala Tourism is also joining hands with the local self-government department to develop at least one destination in a local body to strengthen domestic tourism. A Destination Challenge programme, aimed at developing historic spots and culturally important locations that tourists may find attractive, has also been launched.
As part of its international marketing strategy, Kerala Tourism is planning to participate in the Trade Fairs and B2B meets in cities like Madrid, Tel Aviv, Milan, Berlin, Paris and Moscow during the year 2022.
We hope that these initiatives would help open up opportunities for local businesses, create new jobs, develop rural infrastructure, and revive traditional art forms, thereby strengthening the economy. Promotion of an agri-tourism network, film tourism and development of niche products like literary tourism and biodiversity circuits are also on the anvil. They also hold the potential to provide new experiences to tourists and increase their length of stay.
(The writer is Kerala’s Minister for Tourism and Public Works)
Domestic tourism is booming in Zimbabwe despite restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with many hotels and lodges recording brisk business during this festive season…reports Asian Lite News
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu told Xinhua news agency that many hotels and lodges in the two major cities of Harare and Bulawayo, including some inland resort places, were fully booked with local tourists during this festive season.
He said this will help the operators to sustain their business, considering that the sector is still reeling under the effects of periodic lockdowns since the coronavirus was first detected in the country in March 2020.
Domestic tourism booms in Zimbabwe despite curbs
“I do not have the figures as yet but what I can confirm is that by and large, tourism facilities in the major cities and other inland resort places have done well on domestic tourism.
“Even when we were red-listed by some countries following the discovery of the Omicron variant, some of our operators were not affected and were fully booked owing to high domestic tourism,” Ndlovu said.
Zimbabwe has maintained the Covid-19 Level 2 national lockdown despite the emergence of the Omicron variant at the beginning of this month and has moderately tightened some of the restrictions in a bid to stem the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Some of the measures that President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced to curb the spread of the virus are the enforcement of wearing of masks by all when in public; scaling down of all government activities to 30 per cent; asking businesses to shut down early for the festive season; and ordering hotels and lodges to provide room service to their clients as opposed to gathering in restaurants and bars.
Also, the government has imposed restrictions on returning residents and visitors to the country, requiring them to undergo mandatory PCR testing and a 10-day quarantine period regardless of test results.
The government has also announced a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, ordered shops to close early at 7 p.m., customers are not allowed to consume alcohol at bottle stores while nightclubs and bars are allowed to admit vaccinated clients only, among other standing measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Ndlovu said the pandemic, however, continues to take a toll on the tourism sector, as foreign tourists who are mostly high spenders were not visiting the country.
There was a need for the sector to be innovative and creative to stay afloat in the turbulent times of the pandemic, he said.
Slovenia’s tourism industry has seen a strong recovery this year, although the type of tourists has changed, reports Xinhua news agency…reports Asian Lite News.
The number of overnight stays by tourists in Slovenia jumped by about 8.5 times year-on-year in November 2021, the country’s statistics office said.
The November figures also surpassed those from the same month in 2019, the last pre-Covid year, according to statistics.
Slovenia’s tourism industry has seen a strong recovery this year, although the type of tourists has changed, reports Xinhua news agency.
Domestic tourists accounted for almost 70 per cent of all overnight stays this November, compared to only 37.4 per cent in November 2019.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists’ overnight stays has halved versus November 2019.
However, compared to 2020, the situation this year was better, said the office.
“This November many more tourist arrivals and overnight stays of domestic and foreign tourists were recorded compared to November 2020 due to eased Covid-19 epidemic measures,” the office said.
Slovenia reported its first cases of the Omicron variant on December 14 this year, but the government didn’t choose another general lockdown, trying to avoid damaging the country’s economy.
Slovenian tourism was badly hit by the pandemic, which prompted the government to issue tourist vouchers for domestic citizens of up to 300 euros ($265).
These can be used for visits within Slovenia until the end of June 2022.
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, tourism represented about 10.6 per cent of the country’s GDP, but it fell to 6.5 per cent in 2020.
