AbhiBus, India’s leading online bus-ticketing platform, witnessed an astonishing surge in bus travel during this extended Independence Day weekend with nearly 10 million people opting for buses to reach their destinations. The surge in bus travel can be largely attributed to a combination of factors, including high flight travel costs and limited availability of train tickets during this peak travel season. For instance, round-trip train tickets from Hyderabad to Goa around the 15th of August were priced at approximately INR. 10,000, while bus passengers could reach the same destination for around INR 2,000, making bus travel a more economical choice.…
Author: Prasenjit Chakraborty
BLS International has entered into a significant visa outsourcing agreement with the Embassy of Hungary in Bangladesh. This transformative partnership is set to revolutionise the visa application process and enhance the overall experience for Bangladeshi individuals seeking long-term visas to Hungary. Focusing primarily on long-term visas, the Embassy of Hungary has exclusively entrusted BLS International to oversee and elevate their visa processing operations. This exclusive agreement further solidifies BLS International’s leadership in providing customized and effective solutions to global diplomatic missions and governments. Commenting on this, Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, BLS International, said, “We are delighted to partner with…
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that his plans to turn his state into the tourist capital of India. Tourism brings in a lot of GST to us, the Chief Minister said. Sukhu was speaking at the AajTak G20 Summit in New Delhi. He spoke about plans to expand the tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh, including getting an international airport in the state. The Chief Minister also spoke about plans to decentralise tourism. Addressing a session, Sukhu first spoke about calamity being faced by the hilly state. He said that in the past one month, Himachal Pradesh has…
An Ayodhya Haat will come up at Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghat on the bank of river Saryu, adding another feature to the temple town’s long list of tourist attractions. The Ayodhya Development Authority will spearhead this project to turn the religious town into a tourist destination. The Ayodhya Haat would also bring change in areas surrounding the ghat, said officials of the Ayodhya Development Authority. Announcing the project, Divisional Commissioner of Ayodhya Gaurav Dayal stated that the project would spur local economy also. The Ayodhya Haat will have specially designed stalls offering handicrafts of local artisans. It will also have…
Travelling by air during this Diwali is likely to be an expensive affair. Airfares on key routes across the country for the festival week — between November 10 and November 16 — are already up to 89 per cent vis a vis last year’s Diwali week due to high demand and limited capacity amid Go First’s insolvency and SpiceJet’s financial troubles.The average one-way airfare on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route for the November 10-16 period is INR 5,688, which is 72 per cent higher than in the Diwali week last year (October 21- October 27, 2022), according to data provided by travel…
The Indian hotel market has significant growth opportunities and is poised to contribute $1,504 billion to the country’s overall gross domestic product (GDP) by 2047, from $65 billion in 2022, suggests a report by the Hotel Association of India (HAI). It forecasts that the demand for hotels will increase over the next 25 years. However, supply will grow in the same ratio if there remains a continuous development plan for the pipeline and new projects. The association anticipated the growth to be at 11%, 13% and 15% in the short, mid and long term for the overall hospitality industry. The…
IndiGo to start direct flight between Delhi and Almaty from September 23, 2023. With this, Almaty will be IndiGo’s 32nd international destination and the 111th overall station within the extensive 6E network. The introduction of this new route aims to improve India’s connectivity to Kazakhstan, renowned as Central Asia’s prominent financial center. Speaking on this, Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, expressed, “We are excited to introduce new direct connectivity between Delhi and Almaty, Kazakhstan, opening access to one of the world’s ten largest countries. This addition holds great promise for leisure travelers, who can now explore Kazakhstan’s…
Along with heavy loss of human lives, the incessant rains and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh have also damaged infrastructure, bringing the Himachal tourism industry to its knees. With the mass cancellation of hotel bookings, the occupancy has dropped by five per cent. The rain fury in the hill state has damaged nearly 1,400 roads, with over 170 incidents of landslides and flash floods. Dozens of vehicles were washed away, while over 70,000 domestic and international tourists were stranded in the state due to road blockages in July. The tourists were, however, rescued safely by the state government. Hoteliers and…
According to a report in The Mint, the ministry of road transport and highways has asked states and union territories to stop charging additional levies in the form of passenger tax, checkpost tax and border tax from tourist vehicles. In a letter to principal secretaries, transport secretaries and transport commissioners of states and UTs, the road ministry said vehicles with all India tourist permits have a mechanism where permit fees are shared with the states. Any charge in addition to that is unjustified and restricts the free movement of tourist traffic, it added. Though transport services come under the purview…
Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said that foreign tourists’ arrival in the region increased by 59% after the recent G20 working group meeting in Srinagar. The meeting not only strengthened political relations but also opened new possibilities in the tourism sector, he said. Sinha, while addressing the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, said people have embarked on a new journey of peace, love and stability, which will lead to development and a golden future. Hundreds of people including government officials, for whom attendance was mandatory, participated in the function at the redeveloped stadium. “The recent…
