Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai National Park is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is spread over 320 sq km and lies in the foothills of the Nilgiris, India’s Blue Mountains. The surrounding forest is the best place for observing wildlife in Tamil Nadu. The vegetation consists of grasslands and semi evergreen forests, and is the habitat for spotted deer (Chital), bison (gaur), tigers, panthers, wild boars, and sloth bears. Otters and also crocodiles inhabit the Moyar River. The park is also known for its large and growing wild elephant population, which is said to have numbered 600, at last count.

Alila Bangalore unique business lifestyle hotel caters comprehensively to the needs of the discerning business traveller in an environment of luxurious resort living. This unique business hotel offers new and stylish option for travelers visiting the city for business and pleasure alike.

The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF), Asia’s biggest shopping festival and the signature show by Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, is set to welcome shoppers and tourists from all over the world in its fifth edition. Turning the entire State of Kerala into the biggest shopping mall, this 5th mega shopping show in a row will open on December 01, 2011 and run through 45 days to end on January 15, 2012.

2011 is an important milestone for TAAI. It is the year of our Diamond Jubilee. TAAI was established in 1951 with just 12 travel agents under the dynamic leadership of our founder member, Late Nariman Katgara

Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, ‘The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’, has announced that Japan will be the partner country for this year’s show held from 19 – 21 October in Singapore.

Organisers reveal event’s new positioning and image going forward

The first business day of 19th IT&CMA and 14th CTW officially kicks off today at Business and Convention Centre, Bangkok. The event features 335 exhibiting companies and organisations across 20 countries; the largest the show has seen in its history.

The 3rd PATA Annual Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart will take place in Paro, Bhutan, February 3-7, 2012. The official theme for the event will be High Value Tourism – Low Impact Footprints. The gathering has the honour of being the first B2B travel trade event ever in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has appointed Martin Craigs as its new CEO, effective October 31, 2011.Craigs is currently elected President of Aerospace Forum Asia (AFA) and Managing Partner at Hillcrest International Advisory. For the last 25 years, Craigs, 55, a UK and Irish passport holder, has been mostly based in Hong Kong. An aviation industry specialist, Craigs has held important and senior positions at companies such as Short Brothers and Saab Scania Group, rising to become Executive Vice President of BAE Systems.

Three days of successful business meetings at PATA Travel Mart closed in New Delhi on September 9 with the Philippines gearing up to host the Mart in Manila in September 2012. PATA Chairman Hiran Cooray said: “After a very productive week in Delhi, PATA is delighted to take the PATA Travel Mart back to Manila where it was launched as the first regional travel trade event for Asia Pacific back in 1978.”

The PATA Travel Mart 2011 opened today in the incredible city of New Delhi, India. Over 1,200 attendees will join the three-day annual travel trade event, September 6-9, organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) will organize its 27th Annual Convention from 22nd -25th September, 2011 at Mahatma Mandir Convention Hall, Gandhinagar (Gujarat). The theme of the convention is “Indian Tourism – Are we competitive to compete”.  The subjects for the business sessions are being finalized. Pronab Sarkar is the Chairman for this year convention. This was announced by Vijay Thakur, President in an interactive meeting held in New Delhi on Saturday, 6th August, 2011

The Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) is having its 9th Annual Convention in Srinagar, from 12-15 September, 2011. Keeping its promise to take the Adventure Tourism to new heights and creating opportunities for the adventure travel community, ATOAI is taking the convention to Srinagar on the invitation of Hon Chief Minister of J & K. Sh. Omar Abdullah.The theme of this year’s convention is – Indian Adventure: Creating Opportunities.Propagating the theme, “ INDIAN ADVENTURE : CREATING OPPORTUNITIES ”, ATOAI seeks to use the convention as a meaningful and useful platform to harness all available resources and promote adventure tourism by marketing, networking and capacity – building, and also hopes to revive and boost tourism in Jammu & Kashmir, a crucial input.

“CASINO MAHJONG“ is the first onshore, five star, live casino in India. Located on the ground level and accessible through the main parking lots, it will be open from 4 PM to 6 AM Daily.The casino is equipped with all the regular table games such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Kitty, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em Poker, Flush and Marriage. There are also a number of different slot machines, a Restaurant and a stage for live shows. 

Goa’s is gearing up for the state’s biggest industry event, the Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) 2011. Slated to be held between 21st and 23rd October this year GITM is one of the few exclusive business-to-business networking events organised for the travel industry in the country. Goa Tourism today announced its partners which include Le Passage to India, Kuoni Travels, Air India, Grand Hyatt and Tourism Authority of Thailand among others.

The upcoming PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi, will see a large amount of business created by Indian and Chinese buyers. PATA statistics show that the Indian and Chinese outbound markets are growing at around 12% per year. Thirty Indian buyer organisations will be present. China will send 40 travel buyers, including 20 from the independent China Travel Service, the biggest wholesale tour operator in China. A total of 310 buyer delegates from 228 organisations in 51 markets have so far registered for PTM, which takes place September 6-9.

Successfully positioning the Thai MICE industry on the world stage, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, (TCEB), today announced “Hua Hin” as one of the five carefully selected luxurious destinations, in its latest MICE marketing initiative, especially designed for untapped niche markets. This is in parallel with the bureau’s ‘Connection Plus 2011’ programme

Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, the Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market, has received more than 940 applications for the hosted and partial hosted buyers programme to date, just a few months after registration opened in March. Apart from repeat buyers, an impressive nearly 20% of the applications are from markets looking to participate in the show for the very first time. These newcomers include countries such as Bhutan, Brunei, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Norway, Slovakia and Zimbabwe.

Golf Tourism represents the largest sports-related travel market in the World. There are over 50 million golf tourists travelling around the world enjoying their golf vacations on some of the finest golf courses in the world. According to a survey by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand with its 260 golf courses, is now one of the top golf vacation destinations in Asia.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently held a survey with over 3,389 tourists from 68 countries participating, and naturally its beaches and islands are the biggest draw, with golf also proving very popular.

After exhausting the usual beach trips and tour itineraries, travelers can quench their thirst for more adventure via the Philippines’ largest carrier and low-fare pioneer, Cebu Pacific (CEB). One of Asia’s fastest growing airlines, CEB offers fares as low as CNY 308 from mainland China, HKD 278 from Hong Kong and MOP 109 from Macau to the Philippines, allowing more people to discover all the exciting thrills that await them.

Angsana Hotels & Resorts, the sister brand of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, is set to include the distinct flavour of Mauritius to its growing portfolio of properties with the launch of Angsana Balaclava in the fourth quarter of this year. This marks Banyan Tree Group’s first property in Mauritius, and the newest Angsana branded property to open this year.

The Vanilla Island concept designed by the tourist boards of the Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles, Reunion Island, Madagascar, and spear headed by Mauritius’ MTPA, is gaining traction as the group looks to collectively brand themselves to better market to emerging and current markets. A recent meeting of the islands tourism representatives in Port Louis, Mauritius gave the individual tourism boards a chance to present their countries strengths, weaknesses and potential areas for collaborative marketing.

Premier among 5-star hotels in Jaipur, the newly opened Jaipur Marriott Hotel is entrenched with the cultural legacy of the Pink City complemented by inviting spaces that exemplify refined elegance and personal service. Strategically located near the Jaipur International Airport, guests can delight in spacious guestrooms adorned with traditional characteristics, yet complete with modern amenities. As one of the five-star hotels in Jaipur, expect only the finest of culinary treasures at any of our dining options: enjoy all-day service at Okra; discover our signature fine dining Indian cuisine at Saffron; experience our modern Italian restaurant - Oregano; satisfy your sweet tooth at the Jaipur Baking Company; or chill out at Lounge 18. Well-equipped to offer guests truly elevated experiences - that only 5-star hotels in Jaipur can provide - discover the revitalizing services of the Marriott's signature Quan spa and 43,000 sq ft of meeting space ideal for your next convention. NOW OPEN

Having created a landmark of its JW Marriott brand at Juhu in Mumbai, the business capital of India, Marriott International Inc., a global lodging leader with 18 distinct brands, now repeats this extraordinary achievement in the city of Chandigarh with the launch of its first JW Marriott Hotel in North India and the second in the country.

The first Indian LCC to connect Delhi and Mumbai with Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore - New Delhi, June 14, 201. India’s youngest and fastest growing airline, IndiGo, is set to soar into international skies after the successful completion of five years of domestic operations. IndiGo will operate its maiden international flight on 1st September, 2011 connecting New Delhi with Dubai. During the month of September, the airline will commence daily service on the Delhi-Bangkok-Delhi and Delhi-Singapore-Delhi routes. It will subsequently connect Mumbai with Dubai and Bangkok with daily flights effective 02nd October 2011.

For the first time in the history of Frankfurt Airport (FRA), May passenger traffic exceeded the five million mark. In previous years, this peak usually started in July. With 5.04 million passengers in May 2011, Frankfurt Airport achieved year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent. This growth rate falls within the 4 to 7 percent range already forecast by Fraport for the entire year of 2011.

The Government of Canada recently announced a 10-year multiple entry visa which will now be available for Indian citizens. The new visa is hoped to boost trade ties between Canada and India by tripling their trade to USD 15 billion within four years, according to a report by canadavisa.com.

 In order to woo tourists travel to Egypt post their democratic movement in January, 2011, Egyptair has doubled its baggage allowance for its international and domestic passengers. With this, Egyptair becomes one of the very few airlines in the world to allow two checked in bags free of charge on both its international and domestic sectors.

One of the nicest things about visiting San Francisco is that, although the city is “big” in terms of attractions and amenities, it is geographically small – only 49 square miles.  Consequently, it is very easy to see and do a great many things in a short period of time. It is also easy to spend weeks in San Francisco and still not experience everything the city has to offer.

Los Angeles will welcome US Travel Association’s International Pow Wow next year. Noerth America's largest travel trade show will run from 21-25 April 2012, and is expected to inject an immediate economic benefit of US$6.5 million into the city, with another estimated US$350 million two to four years following the event, due to the expected increase of international travel business

At 4:51pm Galaxy Macau™ officially opened its doors, welcoming over 20,000 guests within its first 90 minutes to the delight of over 3,000 VIP attendees. The only property of its kind to open in Macau this year, Galaxy Macau is anticipated to receive between 30,000 and 40,000 guests per day, each of whom will be able to experience game-changing resort features at Macau’s newest integrated destination resort.

San Francisco Travel Association's 'International Pow Wow' to attract more Indians. U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow is a travel industry international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel – it is NOT a typical trade show. The San Francisco Travel Association (SF Travel) is in high gear on a marketing campaign designed to attract record-breaking attendance at International Pow Wow, the major marketplace for transacting inbound U.S. travel business coming to San Francisco May 21-25, 2011.

Hong Kong’s only international travel expo, ITE & MICE, will this year be held from June 9 to 12 and again occupy halls 1A to 1E of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center, featuring some 600 exhibitors from around 50 countries and regions from different parts of the World.

His love for London is well known and now Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has been named the goodwill ambassador of VisitBritain.His love for London is well known and now Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has been named the goodwill ambassador of VisitBritain, UK’s national tourism agency.

Srinagar: Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, India’s leading player in hospitality, have launched their maiden foray into Jammu & Kashmir with the formal opening of the Vivanta by Taj – Dal View, Srinagar. The launch event was attended by Mr. Omar Abdullah, Honorable Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Farooq Abdullah, Mr. Abhijit Mukerji, Executive Director

New Delhi: A majestic palace designed in the architectural style of Lutyens’ Delhi, The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, now opens its gates to welcome guests.

TKS, organiser of the 25th International Travel Expo Hong Kong (ITE) and the concurrent event of the 6th MICE Travel Expo (ITE MICE), have announced that Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair will be the Official Sponsoring Airlines for this year’s events. ITE and ITE MICE will run from June 9 to 12, occupying five halls in level 1 of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Regal Hotels International has recently received six prestigious awards at the 11th China Hotel Golden Horse Award Presentation Ceremony held in Guangzhou in mid-March. The Award Presentation Ceremony was part of the 11th China Hotel Forum & 2011 Annual Meeting of China’s hotel industry, and one of the most foremost events within the hotel industry.

New record of more than 60 million overnight stays by international visitors remendous success for Destination Germany.Ernst Burgbacher, Member of the German Parliament, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and Tourism says: "The tourism industry is one of the most important sectors in the German economy. Our task is to remain supportive of the key role played by Germany's incoming tourism industry and the opportunities for our economythat it provides. SMEs benefit particularly strongly from high numbers of visitors travelling to Germany."

GTM Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM) 2011 is slated between 8 and 10 May 2011 this year. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will be hosting the 37th GTM in Cologne along with Köln Tourismus GmbH and Tourismus & Congress GmbH Region Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Ahrweiler.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong has unveiled today its first ever permanent Bollywood wax figure – Amitabh Bachchan, one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema. Shining in the attraction’s Hall of Fame to unveil the new celebrity figure is officiating guest - award-winning Moses Chan.

Air India recently felicitated one of its own colleagues, Yuvraj Singh, for his wonderful innings and for scripting India's victory in the much watched India-Australia world cup match at Motera stadium in Gujarat

Messe Berlin has reacted with sorrow and dismay following the latest news from the disaster-struck areas in Japan and news of the tsunami threat to countries in Asia and Oceania in the Pacific.

Messe Berlin is the organizer of ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade show, which until 13 March 2011 is hosting exhibitors from around the world

World’s leading travel trade show with diverse display featuring every aspect of the entire value-added chain in 26 halls – the new eTravel World focuses on technology and innovative processes – partner country Poland with separate hall featuring high points of EURO 2012 – ITB Berlin reflects growth of market sectors and demand on thriving markets – ITB Berlin Convention highlights the travel industry’s main trends – discussion round examines latest upheavals in the Middle East – For the first time, PhoCusWright  is fully integrated in the Convention, and free of charge

Marriott International has announced that it expects to exponentially expand its portfolio from the current 11 to 100 hotels in India within the next five years across seven leading brands. In addition to the introduction of its Ritz-Carlton brand, Marriott growth plans will include the debut of its moderate-tier Fairfield by Marriott brand. Recently signed management agreements for seven new hotels  will nearly quadruple Marriott’s presence in India in the next three years

NEW DELHI, India – November 11th, 2010 – Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects