Happy New Year to all !!!!

“This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, inscrutable, magical, and more to whosoever will think of it”. - Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), Writer and Historian.

Happy Christmas to all !!!!!

Hilton Garden Inn, Trivandrum all set to open - iKeralaTourist.com

Trivandrum all set to launch the first Hilton brand property in the state, ‘Hilton Garden Inn’ Trivandrum. The property will officially opens on Dec 27, 2013 with 134 guest rooms and suites and 2600 sq ft of event space. Located near the state secretariat, Punnen Road, statue, Trivandrum. Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum will be managed by Hilton Worldwide and Muthoot Hotels & Infrastructure Ventures (P) Ltd. According to Mr. Guy Hutchinson, Vice President, Operations - India of Hilton Worldwide, “The opening of Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum will be a significant step in Hilton Worldwide’s expansion into prime city centre locations across India. India is a key strategic market for Hilton Worldwide. Presently, we operate hotels and resorts in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Vadodara, Pune, Goa, Shillim and now Trivandrum. Over the next eight to 10 months, we anticipate extending our portfolio to include Bangalore, Agra and Jaipur.” Other amenities consist of Garden Grille all-day restaurant, a bar, outdoor pool, fitness centre and 2,600 sq ft of conference and events space that can accommodate up to 450 people, complimentary internet access, 24-hour business centre and 24-hour Pavilion Pantry convenience mart. The Muthoot Pappachan Group is delighted to partner with Hilton Worldwide, a global leader in the hospitality industry, for its foray into Trivandrum and the introduction of the Hilton Garden Inn brand in Kerala and Trivandrum.

India-Japan Tourism Expo to be held in Delhi on January 2014

The first ever India-Japan Tourism Expo will be organized in New Delhi on January 21-22, 2014, with the backing of the Japan Tourism Authority (JTA) and the Indian Tourism Ministry. The expo, which will also have a screening of an Akira Kurosawa film, music and cultural performances by renowned artistes from India and Japan followed by banquets and a festival of Indian food, will be an international platform for networking between 300 top tour and travel companies from India. Groups like Taj Hotels, Oberoi, ITC, Lalit, Leela Kempinski and travel houses like Cox & Kings, Mercury Travels, Kuoni and SOTC will participate in it. CEOs of Indian carriers like Air India, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, Indigo, Go Air and Japanese carriers, apart from tourism ministry officials, will also be at the expo. http://indojapantourexpo.com/

Goa overtakes Kerala as best Leisure Destination

International travel magazine Conde Nast has chosen Goa as the best leisure destination in the country overtaking Kerala. The erstwhile Portuguese colony was awarded as the best leisure destination by the Conde Nast Traveller India's Readers' travel awards, a statement from the Goa Tourism issued on Friday said. The award comes after the state, famous for its beaches, watersports, offshore gambling and cheap alcohol, reported a 10 percent rise in tourist arrivals, the statement said. With safety of women being a concern, the Goa Tourism said the BJP-governed state has resolved to fight the menace and will be introducing women taxi drivers during the peak arrival season which is set to begin soon. The women taxi services will be available in the capital Panjim, and other major cities like Margao, Mapusa and Vasco, exclusively for women passengers and families, it said. The tourism season in the state will start with upcoming Feast of St Francis Xavier that will be celebrated at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa on December 3, it said.