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Posted: 26 Apr 2007 07:36
by hnair
Singha wrote:is it a brand of fishnet underwear ? in NE we know of it as a large pill one
takes to perform better...a curious classmate of mine got one from a older
gang of boys and ingested it after dinner. he claims he passed out and when
regained senses in morning found his mosquito net all torn and bedsheets
on the floor...said he prolly thrashed wildly from its effects.


the 'wilderness' wherein a steaming tea and chicken will be already grilling
on the spit. tent will be all ready.
:D observed this recently...
Oh no - Tantex is a Tamilnadu co-op that produced underwear at reasonable prices. probably the first in the South to transition from the rip-chords that leaves an unseemly mark at the waist to the wide elastic band. Quite popular in the South. Got upstaged later on by the VIP brand. I jokingly used "fishnet" to describe its physical condition, after over usage (holes galore after umpteen thrashings at the wash stones) :D

About "conditioned wilderness". yeah, I remember this five-star tents on the banks of Kabini at Kerala-Karnataka border. But they did serve the best BBQ chicken I ever ate. Plus, the elephant herds are scouted out earlier on and the tourist herds are led there :)

Posted: 06 May 2007 22:17
by pradeepe

Posted: 06 May 2007 22:18
by pradeepe
Varkala beach in Kerala

interesting comments
Varkala was a deserted beach which we came upon on our motor car trip from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanya Kumari in April of 1953. We were told of a sacred Lord Krishna temole at Varkala which we were in search of, and found both this beautiful beach and the legendary Janardan temple. Legend has it that the temple deity is dressed up by the Temple Namboodiris as the seductress Mohini in one of the Avatars of Vishnu, once a day, and it was in that beautiful image that we saw Lord Krishna that hot afternoon in April 1953. One of the idol's hands is lifted halfway, with the palm in a cupped pose. The priests explained to us that over thousands of years, the hand has moved centimeters upwards, leading to the belief that the little water that remains in that cupped hand will eventually move to the mouth to drink the water. That day will bring this Kali Yuga to an end. I was 14 when I visited the Varkala temple that day, and have never been back there, but I must go to see if the memory of that cupped hand half way up has moved any closer to the deity's mouth, that will indeed make me believe in miracles.
The view of the shimmering waters below the red cliffs of Varkalais so tempting that we ran down hill to the water's edge, but something withheld us from eentering the waters. Somethingperilous, and sure enough, the temple priest was shouting to us from above not to venture into the sea, as there was a sheer continental shelf, that is a drop on the sea bed to extreme depths, which sea bathers must be made aware of.
The picture on this photograph shows the red flag and mentions the coast guards and life savers, which is excellent security indeed. There is a small waterfall from the cliffs, and the water there is so sweet to taste in the burning hot sun and sands of Varkala. All in all, Varkala is an idyllic dream place.

Posted: 10 May 2007 01:44
by pradeepe
Incredible India Campaign

Apologies if posted before.

Posted: 15 May 2007 10:39
by Raju
RAHUL JOINING UNION CABINET IN NEXT RESHUFFLE
15 May

Sonia had secises to induct Rahul in to the Union Cabinet as Minister for Tourism, in the next reshuffle.

Sonia does not want to reinforce defeat by exposing Rahul in the Cingress Organisation Affairs. In the Organisation, all and sundry jhonnies get access to Rahul and give stupid advice that seems to be attractive to the other unenlightened jhonnies around Rahul.

Sonia feels that as a Minister Rahul will gain tremendous experience not just in administration but in understanding the Protocol of What to Speak in Public and What not to speak. As a Minister, seasoned bureaucrats will always be present at Rahul’s side to advise him correctly. Thus in t5he next two years Rahul will be properly rquipped with the necessary Ministerial Training.

The Ministry of Tourism is ideal. It is easier to handle. It can be India’s beggest Revenue Earner. Rahul can visit every part of the country to develop Tourism.

There are many who want to spike Sonia’s decision to induct Rahul as Union Minister.

Posted: 22 May 2007 23:33
by SaiK

Posted: 23 May 2007 05:43
by Gaurav_S
Imagine: a museum hub at India Gate
The area around the India Gate lawns could turn into a world-class museum hub before 2010, if a proposal of the Tourism Ministry currently being examined by the Planning Commission, is approved.

The proposal, shown to the prime minister, is to shift all the government offices in the India Gate area to some other location, and convert existing buildings there into nine theme museums, so as to turn the area around the war memorial into an even bigger tourist destination than it presently is.

There are also plans to introduce laser shows and sound-and-light shows at the spot, and build open-air theatres for music concerts. All vehicular traffic will be banned on the Rajpath stretch. The entire plan will cost Rs 821 crore.
8)
"There is no rationale for having mundane government offices or defence officers' hostels at such a prime location," said a senior ministry official.

The ministry has recommended that all the prominent buildings - which once belonged to the erstwhile princely states - located on the periphery of the India Gate C-Hexagon roundabout, except Hyderabad House, should be converted into theme museums.

It has proposed that Baroda House (presently the Northern Railway headquarters) be converted into a Rail Museum, the Princes Park defence officers' hostel into a Space Museum, Patiala House (currently a district court) into a War Museum and Bikaner House (where the Rajasthan government has some offices) into an Earth Museum. The Jaipur House already has the National Gallery of Modern Art on its premises. The plan is to include the adjoining Air Force Officers' Mess and turn it into a full-scale Art Museum.
HT

GoI looks to be preparing stage for bideshis visiting India in 2010. Give them a new complete dose to make sure they keep on visiting often. However, myself doubtful if it will be prepared within 2 1/2 years.

Posted: 16 Jun 2007 04:22
by Gerard
Business traveller's diary
Is Chennai the Miami of the future? After a hedonistic fortnight of combining business travel with birthday celebrations, frequent flyer Max Levene finds these distant cities aren't as disparate as they seem

Posted: 14 Jul 2007 09:44
by Suppiah
http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/001200707140322.htm

A damning indictment of the state of India's hotels and facilities by guess who - Chinese official. Of course you dont expect him to say that most of the problem is because stalinist traitors in their pay block reform at every turn whether it is airports/ports/land ceiling/rent laws etc. etc.

Posted: 21 Aug 2007 21:25
by ramana
LINK:
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/581

[quote]
Home>arts-culture
Grandeur of Tawang Monastery Awaits You
By Binita Tiwari
Itanagar


Image

Aug 02: On the way to Tawang Monastery, (district Tawang) Arunachal, the snow peaked overlooking mountain, piled up clouds gaurd the largest monastery of India “Golden Namghyal Lhatseâ€

Posted: 26 Aug 2007 14:25
by shyamd
Tourists to get fast clearance at airports
Friday August 24 2007 10:30 IST

NEW DELHI: Faster clearance at the immigration counters, being pursued hotly by the tourism and hospitality industry to facilitate quick and trouble free arrival of foreign travellers, may well be on the cards soon.

Coaxed continuously by the Tourism Ministry, the key ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs and the Dept of Information Technology (DIT) are now working together to put in place a new IT-driven mechanism that will allow fast clearance to foreign passengers at the immigration counters, thus cutting the waiting time from 90 minutes to barely 10 minutes.

Earlier, the initiatives of the Tourism Ministry to get clearance for visa on arrival for 16 favoured countries were scuttled by the Union Home Ministry on the adverse comments by the Intelligence Bureau.

According to top official sources, concerns of both the Tourism and the Home Ministries can now be taken care by installing a revolutionary mechanism called the Adverse Person Information System (APIS) that would not only take care of the worries of the Intelligence Bureau but would also allow faster clearance to foreign tourists at the airports.

To make the mechanism work, the DIT is working hard to connect all the Indian missions and embassies abroad and all the Indian airports with a high grade computer network that would pass on information about India-bound passengers on a daily basis.

‘‘Under this system, if a mission or an embassy finds anything adverse about an Indiabound foreign national, it will put his or her name along with its observations and other details in the APIS. The immigration department would be required to check the APIS regularly. As the immigration clearance would hinge totally on the information provided by the APIS, there would be no problem to clear the passengers even if they are not from the favoured country and also give visa on arrival to passengers in some cases,’’ said a govt official.

Officials in the Tourism Ministry feel that if the visa on arrival is granted, India can raise its abysmal share in the world tourism trade that stands at a meagre 0.38 persons in terms of traffic volume and 0.69 pc in terms of total revenue receipts.

According to World Tourism & Travel Council forecast, India could become a favoured destination of foreign tourists if it manages to install proper systems in place and would be able to contribute $3 billion gross foreign exchange receipts and give employment to over 25 million people in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Posted: 28 Aug 2007 12:07
by Paul
In India, customer feedback is king

In the country's booming service industry, the comment card is greatly valued. Not responding to one is not an option.
By Bruce Wallace, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 27, 2007
MUMBAI, INDIA -- The best consultants money can buy may have helped the Indian government come up with the phrase "Incredible India" for its current tourist campaign. But there are moments while traveling across this chaotic, colorful land when a tourist might wonder whether a more appropriate slogan would be: "How're we doing?"

In India, the comment card is king.

You're probably used to the ubiquitous opinion cards that greet hotel guests as they drop their bags on the bed. The kind of questionnaire that is ignored, swept into the wastebasket.

But that's not so easily done in India. Here you are more likely to be pursued by a hotel staff member urging you to pass judgment on his performance.

"Please, just a moment to tell us your thoughts, sir," said the man who brought a comment card along with the beer I'd ordered beside the hotel pool in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta.

"It would be very helpful if you could fill out the opinion card, sir," said the too-lively waiter who brought room-service coffee to wake me up before an early morning flight. "I have also brought you some special cookies from our bakery." Big smile. "Would you fill out the card, sir?" An awkward pause as I tried to dodge, mumbling, ". . . No pen . . . later."

"I could wait," he said.

"No" is just not an answer. In a rush to check out of the Oberoi Hotel here, I told the cashier I didn't have time to fill out the satisfaction card that accompanied my bill.

She thrust it at me anyway. "Mail it to us," she said.

Days later, when a completed form was clearly not coming back, I got an e-mail signed by P.R.S. Oberoi, the chairman himself, urging me to spare two or three minutes of my valuable time to fill out the online version.

It's not just Indian hotels. Feedback forms have become fixtures for airlines and finer restaurants. At the crowded, cacophonous departure lounge at Kolkata's airport, a huge wooden suggestion box now sits in the middle of the hall, pleading for comments. (Where to begin?)

Seeking feedback is not entirely new for India. But the enthusiasm with which it is pursued may be a small, unscientific hint of the awakening Indian economic giant we hear so much about.

State-run airlines never cared much what you thought about how they brought the food tray. At Indian Airlines, a state-owned carrier being merged with state-owned Air India, you have to seek out the comment cards yourself.

"We place them in the cabin for any passengers wishing to make a complaint," says Ashok Sharma, Indian Airlines' general manager of public relations. "We don't push them on people."

But Jet Airways is a hungry, consumer-friendly carrier, part of the new India. A decade after India's nationalized industry was opened to private competition, Jet has become India's biggest domestic airline, its website slogan asking: "Remember what service used to be like?"

I've now taken two Jet Airways flights. On both I was among the many passengers handed a comment card, which the attendant dutifully showed up a few minutes later to collect.

And this was no quick survey. Jet wanted to know how I'd booked the tickets and how efficient the process was (pretty smooth, actually). It had the usual questions about the quality of the in-flight meal. (Sorry, like Earth's rotation, there are constants of nature.) But they also asked about the check-in process and whether the greeting was friendly and whether the staff was pleasant.

Another newcomer is Kingfisher Airlines, which bills itself as a luxury carrier largely on the basis of its rudimentary in-flight entertainment programs. My flight from Kolkata to Mumbai opened with a video greeting from Chairman Vijay Mallya, a big hitter in Indian business, telling us we weren't just passengers on his plane, we were "guests." If there were any problems, we were to let him know personally by e-mail.

Just to be sure we had a chance to express ourselves, Kingfisher flight attendants handed out a form as well. Called "the Good Times Monitor," it asked about a wide variety of things, such as the suitability of the cabin temperature and the clarity of the on-board announcements (a very good question, and I've never known where to go with my complaints about them before).

It concluded by asking, "Did we delight you?" and gave us a chance to thank any member of the crew who particularly delighted us.

These surveys should not be taken lightly. Jobs are at risk. A former flight attendant in Mumbai told me that the company takes the feedback very seriously, especially concerning crew members who receive complaints. But employees also can also receive cash bonuses if they are mentioned approvingly by name, she said.

Ah, I thought. That explains the female flight attendant who paused after handing out the comment card to tell me I had "nice eyes." Kingfisher's Mallya writes in the airline magazine that feedback from passengers is "vital to our success." Vital!

So I finally found myself taking the time to provide a little thoughtful feedback. I dutifully filled out the airline forms. And after three days of chasing me with questionnaires, staffers at the Hyatt Regency Delhi wore me down with their endless requests to hear how they were doing.

As I checked out, with a taxi idling and the clock ticking down for my flight, I finally succumbed to the form that the cashier pushed across the counter at me.

Too late, I realized it wasn't a questionnaire that would have allowed me to swiftly tick off some boxes. This form was nothing but a sheet of lined paper, with room for about a 500-word essay.

I sighed, picked up a pen and in a few words told the manager what a determined staff he had. I signed and sealed it, and turned to go.

Around me, the staff were watching. They beamed approvingly.

bruce.wallace@latimes.com

Posted: 30 Aug 2007 05:48
by Gaurav_S
Coming, better fare on tracks
Harish V Nair, Hindustan Times

[quote]Hauled up repeatedly by the Delhi High Court for the nauseating state of affairs in the kitchens in railway stations, pantry cars in trains including Shatabdis, Rajdhanis and those for the poor, the Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been directed to take a series of steps to improve the quality and image of railway catering services.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice M.K. Sharma, which was hearing a PIL on the issue filed by lawyer Varun Goswami, put a stamp of approval on all the measures announced by IRCTC Manager Anil Gupta in an affidavit.

Menu cards

From now on you will be provided menu cards. Besides, menus will be pasted in all the compartments.

The menu card will also contain telephone numbers on which complaints regarding poor service and suggestions can be registered.

Punitive measures

Private kitchens licensed to supply food and outsourcing food production without the IRCTC's permission will have their licenses revoked and fined Rs 1 lakh.

A fine ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 will be imposed on licensees overcharging, serving less than the stipulated quantity and supplying banned water pouches.

Change of menu

The Railway Ministry has formed a high-powered committee to recommend revision and rotation of menus, tariffs and to suggest standards for base kitchens.

Quality control

Fifty-eight quality control professionals with diplomas and degrees in hospitality with at least two years of field experience have been recruited by IRCTC to supervise and assess the functioning of the licensees and immediately address grievances of passengers.

Modernised kitchens

The corporation has taken steps to modernise the kitchen at New Delhi station that caters exclusively to passengers of Rajdhanis and Shatabdis- and those at Old Delhi station and Nizamuddin which have restaurants managed and run by the IRCTC. Regular use of gloves by the kitchen staff is being encouraged and an effective pest control programme implemented.

Shocking revelations

Two rounds of surprise checks by a High Court-appointed committee found the following at New Delhi, Old Delhi and Nizamuddin stations: dirty walls, uncovered food, exhaust fans out of order, litter and stench at all the kitchens. Committee member Varun Goswami said, “In a check on five trains some months later, cockroaches, chapatis rolled on filthy tables, grease and dirt were common.â€

Jallikattu - Taming the Bull

Posted: 11 Oct 2007 13:20
by SaraLax
From a traveler's excellent photo collection.....

Jallikattu - Taming the Bull
The crowd is shouting encouraging that brave man who is trying to tame the bull by catching him on his shoulder and to hold on as long as possible. The bull is totally desorientated and tries to find the exit as he has to run between the living hedge of ecstatic man hitting his bump and all man and animal adrenaline is rising , everybody is trapped in that exciting feeling to throw himself at this furious animal to challenge all danger.

That's the feeling you catch as a consuming fire to all spectators near or far away, all engaged to that dangerous game, finally you need to shout it out, with all the people all around.

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 23:28
by IssacB
Need Info on India Travel.

My daughter who is a sophmore at college wants to visit India post taking a class in art in History.

She has picked out the following places to visit - Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta caves, Konrak, Saranath, Bodhgaya, Khujarao (sp), Taj, and Jaipur.

Contacted a tourism firm here in the US specializing in India Tours and spoke to an Indian there.

Here's what I am looking for help with.

Where do ou go to check out? The possible itinerary he suggested was - Car travel times in ( ). Jet Air = Jet Airways


Trip 1 Bombay to Aurangabad by Jet Air
Aurangabad - Ellora by Car (1 hr)
Aurangabad - Ajanta by Car (1 hr)
Return to Bombay by Jet Air

Trip 2 Bombay to New Delhi by Jet Air
New Delhi to Jim Corbett by Car (6 hrs)
Jim Corbett to New Delhi by Car (6 hrs)

Trip 3 New Delhi to Patna on Jet Air
Patna to Konark by Car (4 hrs)
Konark to Patna by Car (4 hrs)

Trip 4 Patna to Bodhgaya by Car (7 hrs)
Bodhgaya to Varanasi by Car (7 hrs)
Varanasi to Saranath by Car (??)
Saranath to Varanasi by Car (??)

Trip 5 Varanasi to Khujarao on Jet Air
Khujaroa to Agra on a Train/Car (5 hrs)

Trip 6 Agra to Taj by Car (??)

Trip 7 Agra to Jaipur on Jet Air

Trip 8 Jaipur to Bombay on Jet Air and then Elephanta Caves

How to estimate distances from place to place to plan our trip. According to what I have been able to discern, e.g., Bodhgaya is 100km from Patna. But according to the travel consultant, it would take us 7 hrs by road travel to get there and another 7 hrs to get back. Question then being, is the distance that difficult to traverse or did he get it totally wrong (or I too may have misunderstood)?

Your comments and suggestions much appreciated.

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 00:05
by SBajwa
I think 100 kms in 7 hours make sense (at least in bihar). Most of the timings are dot on!! Do not lower your time expectations. I will additionally add another 1-2 hours for each.

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 00:13
by IssacB
Thank you for that feedback. I will pad our travel times, especially auto, accordingly.

Here's what I have found, as travel possibilities, playing with Google to minimize auto travel (my daughter gets car sick; so 7 hrs from Patna to Bodhgaya would be a non-starter)

1. Ajanta/Ellora - Fly from Bombay to Aurangabad and then by car (1-2 hr)
2. Konark - Fly from BOM or Delhi to Bhubaneswar and then 65 Km by Car
3. Bodhgaya - Fly from Delhi to Patna and 165 km by train to Gaya and then 16 km by car. Or fly Indian Airlines or Sahara in to Gaya
4. Sarnath - Fly bombay or Delhi to Varanasi and then 13 km by Car
5. Khajuraho - Fly in to from Varanasi or Agra or from Delhi
6. Taj - Fly to Agra from Delhi or from BOmbay or from Varanasi
7. Jim Corbett - Working on it.
8. Elephanta caves - day trip from BOM.
9. Jaipur - Fly in to from BOM or Delhi

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 01:10
by Virupaksha
IssacB wrote:Thank you for that feedback. I will pad our travel times, especially auto, accordingly.

Here's what I have found, as travel possibilities, playing with Google to minimize auto travel (my daughter gets car sick; so 7 hrs from Patna to Bodhgaya would be a non-starter)

1. Ajanta/Ellora - Fly from Bombay to Aurangabad and then by car (1-2 hr)
2. Konark - Fly from BOM or Delhi to Bhubaneswar and then 65 Km by Car
3. Bodhgaya - Fly from Delhi to Patna and 165 km by train to Gaya and then 16 km by car. Or fly Indian Airlines or Sahara in to Gaya
4. Sarnath - Fly bombay or Delhi to Varanasi and then 13 km by Car
5. Khajuraho - Fly in to from Varanasi or Agra or from Delhi
6. Taj - Fly to Agra from Delhi or from BOmbay or from Varanasi
7. Jim Corbett - Working on it.
8. Elephanta caves - day trip from BOM.
9. Jaipur - Fly in to from BOM or Delhi
you could probably make jaipur as a via stop between delhi and bom
konark - try it out from Patna to bhuvaneshwar

using what I learnt in my geography class :oops:

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 20:39
by Surya
Hi Guys

Sorry if this has been asked before.

ANy single website where I can check for flights from Mumbai to Coimbatore??

Or do I have to check diff airlines??

Thanks in advance

Surya

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 21:21
by Neela
Surya wrote:Hi Guys

Sorry if this has been asked before.

ANy single website where I can check for flights from Mumbai to Coimbatore??

Or do I have to check diff airlines??

Thanks in advance

Surya
www.makemytrip.com

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 21:43
by sanjaychoudhry
There is another one: www.ezeego1.co.in

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 21:46
by Yerna
Hi Guys,

I am planning to gift a 3 - 4 day vacation package to my parents as a retirement gift to my Dad and I am thinking Kerala. Anyone has any idea what is the best online site to look for such packages? And if anyone has done anything similar, can you share your experience?

I am thinking of a house boat trip in the Kerala backwaters for a day and staying at a decent resort for couple of days. Any other ideas are welcome too. Help me guys!

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 01:59
by pradeepe
Yerna wrote:Hi Guys,

I am planning to gift a 3 - 4 day vacation package to my parents as a retirement gift to my Dad and I am thinking Kerala. Anyone has any idea what is the best online site to look for such packages? And if anyone has done anything similar, can you share your experience?

I am thinking of a house boat trip in the Kerala backwaters for a day and staying at a decent resort for couple of days. Any other ideas are welcome too. Help me guys!
Yerna, I found these links I saved from when I was planning something similar. Do not know how good they are though.

http://www.visionholidays.co.in/kerala_ ... ckage.html

http://www.southindiatourism.net/

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 22:06
by gopal.suri
Likely M Visa for foreign patients visiting India for treatment

The M Visa would be valid for one year duration and can be extended further on arrival in India. There will be provision for a patient to be accompanied by the companion. Indian tourism ministry is already working on low budget hotels and Bed and Breakfast Schemes to provide accommodation to the tourists.

Posted: 16 Nov 2007 10:28
by Yerna
Thanks Pradeep. The sites you have provided are good but do not have too much information. I will need to talk to some real travel agents when I am in India. Thanks anyway.

Posted: 01 Jan 2008 04:34
by bala
Recently I visited the Coorg area, my first visit to the land of FM Cariappa and Gen Thimmaiah. Known for its lush green mountainous slopes (Western ghat) the place is ideal for tourism development. So far, the infrastructure of roads prohibits quick access and getaway and hotels are few and sparse. The place is mostly inhabited by wealthy Coorgies who own coffee estates. A 10+ acre patch of coffee can yield around 5 lakh income a year. Enterprising coorgies are renting out their estate homes for tourism. Little known vista points, waterfalls and other activities abound. If the road infra improves (need a good road from Blore to Madikere) the potential for a coffee tour (similar to wine tasting in Napa, California) is huge. Access roads are bad and often untarred. Coffee and pepper (yes the same which yielded more value than gold for its weight) are grown everywhere. Wild honey is also tapped in various areas. But the lush green vegetation has abundant wild life. A place like Nagarhole is worth a visit for its wild life of elephants, tigers, spotted deer, bison, etc. The river Cauvery has a lot of tributaries that feed water from the various valleys and hills. Irappu falls on river irappu is a great user friendly fall to visit. Some ex-service men run hiking tours, rock climbing tours and river crossing (by rope) tours. The potential for tourism in western Karnataka is huge and unexploited.

Posted: 28 Feb 2008 23:10
by bala
This smugness in tourism numbers is not good. Typical babu statistics quotes.

India receives 4.633 million foreign tourists
The Survey states that the overall development of tourism infrastructure coupled with other efforts to promote tourism saw the country receive 46.33 lakh foreign tourists during January-December 2007 registering a growth of 13 per cent over the previous year. The Survey indicates that foreign exchange earnings from tourism were likely to touch $9,696 million an increase of 25 per cent over the previous year.
For comparisons sake:

World's Top Ten Tourism Destinations with number of tourists

1. France: 75,100,000

2. Spain: 53,600,000

3. United States: 46,100,000

4. China: 41,800,000

5. Italy: 37,100,000

6. United Kingdom: 27,000,000

7. Hong Kong: 21, 800,000

8. Mexico: 20,600,000

9. Germany: 20,100,000

10. Austria: 19,400,000

Again need the 10x goal within 10 yrs.

Posted: 24 Mar 2008 06:21
by Bade
Kochi port getting ready to host Volvo ocean race
The Kochi stopover will help showcase India as an emerging economic giant while highlighting the country’s business potential as well as the opportunities for tourism and leisure, he said. The city will witness a 10 day visual extravaganza of water sport action.
luxury yachts

Apart from the world’s fastest ocean racing yachts with modern technology backup, the event would also attract hundreds of other luxury yachts and sailing vessels, making the event truly spectacular, he said.
Some recent pics of Kochi waterfront

There is plenty more to be done to make it more attractive from a tourism point of view.

Posted: 30 Mar 2008 08:42
by Cain Marko
Apologies to all if this is not the best thread to ask this question, but I need some solid advice:

I'm arriving at IGI (Delhi International) airport at 8:30p.m, i'm carrying only carry-on luggage so expect to get out of customs and immigration quickly, however, I have a train to catch @ 22:40 hrs at New Delhi Rly Station. I figure I'll have about an hour and a half to make it to the station. Would that be enough time if I take a prepaid cab?

Any delhi-ites around? Whats traffic like around 9:00 p.m?

thanks and regards,
CM.

Posted: 26 Apr 2008 19:17
by gogna
Molested UK girl: I will seek justice
4/26/2008 12:30:10 PM

In an another shameful case of a foreign women tourist molested in India by the locals, a 20-year old British girl was reportedly molested by two men in Kerala today (April 26). The victim, hailing from Kent, who is on a tourist visa, alighted at Karanthur near here late last night after she realised that she had boarded a wrong bus en route to Thiruvananthapuram, police said.

As she engaged an auto rickshaw to be dropped at the state-owned bus stand here, the auto driver and his friend reportedly tried to "play mischief" with her, they said. However, as she began screaming, the duo dropped her near a private bus stand and fled. Some persons, who noticed the UK girl weeping at the bus-stand, took her to the police station where a case was registered.

Police identified the vehicle and nabbed the duo, the sources said, adding that she was later sent to Thiruvananthapuram. However, the victim was not subjected to any medical examination as she had accused the auto driver and his friend of only "misbehaving" with her, they said. The UK girl had arrived here from Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu, yesterday (April 25).

UK girl molested in Kerala. Is it a blot on Incredible India?
Total Number of Votes

http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=7667
(With inputs from PTI)

Posted: 26 Apr 2008 19:21
by ranganathan
Not surprising. Law is pretty lax in India. The cops should do some encounter type of thing on these morons to send a message. A very cold hard message.

Posted: 09 May 2008 15:40
by bart
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-t ... -2008may11

Very nice travellogue of a Jewish mom and son visiting India.

Posted: 09 May 2008 15:43
by bart
ranganathan wrote:Not surprising. Law is pretty lax in India. The cops should do some encounter type of thing on these morons to send a message. A very cold hard message.
A good start would be to change our popular culture as promoted by our movies.

Half-naked white women dancing in item numbers, and regularly depicting foreign women as easy. Also spreading the concept that eve teasing is an acceptable or even 'hero-ish' way to approach a woman.

Posted: 25 May 2008 12:45
by Singha
for those with money, there are luxurious Brahmaputra cruises available
nowdays with stays in land for forest safari also.

http://www.assambengalnavigation.com/index.htm

there are photos of the suites on ship and hunting lodges.

Posted: 27 May 2008 17:43
by Singha
Coffee Day has branched out into luxury hotels now

http://www.theserai.in/

each villa has high walls and private pool, with a bed helpfully placed
in a cabana next to it.

Re: Indian Tourism: News & Discussion

Posted: 15 Jun 2008 23:23
by AshokS
I have a trip to India in August with classmates (non desis) from my business school. Part of the trip is school sponsored (visiting companies, industry officials in Bglore), the other part will be for vacation. While I travel to India several times a year for business/personal trips, this will be the first time I am going there with a group of b-school friends looking to have a good time. We will spend 1 week on the school trip and 3 to 4 days for the personal trip.


I have a couple of thoughts for the personal trip;

- Goa trip with motorcycles, beaches, parties - but that seemed too conventional.
- Northern India trip maybe around HP, with whitewater rafting coupled with a trip to Delhi/Mumbai for 1 day
- Nepal - trek in the mountains, not really on the top of the list with my friends, but I would like to do that??
- J&K - Is it safe to go, worth going??
- Southern India might be too hot, but any suggestions there would be welcomed (Bangalore - and touring the area ??). Kerela?

Any suggestions? These guys are i-bankers, hedge fund managers, etc so they won't be adverse to dropping some coin (within reason) for fun. I want to do more than the usual parting stuff, since this will be a good opportunity to see the less known aspects of India while having a good time. I am leaning towards the Whitewater rafting and Goa for now.

Thanks!
A

Re: Indian Tourism: News & Discussion

Posted: 16 Jul 2008 12:12
by Avinash R
India: 'Must visit' destination for people from Asia Pacific
Wed, Jul 16 10:11 AM

India has emerged as one of the top five travel destinations for the people of Asia Pacific, a new survey has said.

The survey, commissioned by Visa, had asked people from Asia Pacific countries to list their top 'must visit' destinations.

Out of 4,500 people, who were surveyed, Australia came top on the list of 'must visit' countries with 63 per cent of the respondents opting for it. It was followed by Singapore (42 per cent), New Zealand (41 per cent), Japan (40 per cent) and India (27 per cent).

"In recent years, India has become an important destination on the global tourist map with more than two million foreign visitors between January and May 2008," said Santanu Mukherjee, country manager, South Asia, Visa Asia Pacific.

Domestic tourism proved a big draw for the tourists with more than half of the Indian respondents in the survey expressing interest in exploring their own country.

Indian respondents preferred India in their top priority list with 53 per cent women and 49 per cent men wanting to explore the well known tourism destinations of India.

India also emerged as a big draw among the Indian youth with more than 53 per cent of those belonging to the age group of 35 years opting India as 'must see' destinations.

Re: Indian Tourism: News & Discussion

Posted: 16 Jul 2008 14:15
by Singha
thailand seems to have a incredibly good and cheap tourism infra in
places like bangkok, phuket, pattaya :(( I mean the hotels there cost half of what it costs here. so many tours, so many shows for the night (family friendly and "those shows" too), giant buffets, tons of well maintained looking temples and gardens.

I signed off on shq booking us a trip in sept. around 8 days between bangkok and phuket 50:50 with a trip to phi-phi which again seems like a
well org'ed industry to have day trips to phiphi, krabi etc in everything from large ferries to speedboats.

we are not 10% are organized. no wonder they attract tourists like pakistan attracts fleas.

emailed queries to hotels and get well styled responses in hours!!

and the food would easily rate as one of best cuisine familes in the
world.

pity the Ahoms didnt bring that cuisine when they hopped over into
India in 1228. who here doesnt like chicken tikka in thai yellow curry ?
confess! repent!

Re: Indian Tourism: News & Discussion

Posted: 16 Jul 2008 14:54
by Amitayus
Singha wrote: pity the Ahoms didnt bring that cuisine when they hopped over into
India in 1228. who here doesnt like chicken tikka in thai yellow curry ? confess! repent!
But nothing like the chital fish (Ahoms pronounce it as 'seetal') of Brahmaputra. Simply out of the world.

Re: Indian Tourism: News & Discussion

Posted: 16 Jul 2008 15:38
by vina
Singha wrote:thailand seems to have a incredibly good and cheap tourism infra in
places like bangkok, phuket, pattaya :(( I mean the hotels there cost half of what it costs here. so many tours, so many shows for the night (family friendly and "those shows" too), giant buffets, tons of well maintained looking temples and gardens.

I signed off on shq booking us a trip in sept. around 8 days between bangkok and phuket 50:50 with a trip to phi-phi which again seems like a
well org'ed industry to have day trips to phiphi, krabi etc in everything from large ferries to speedboats.
Yeah.. You will enjoy it. Somehow think that 4 days in Phuket is too much. Nothing much to do there beyond 2 days. 3 Max . Okay, I guess you are going to Krabi from Phuket as well.

Phi-Phi island is a day trip. Get yourself a snorkel (it costs around Rs 900 or so here in India). You can shop around for Phi-Phi tours in Phuket and book yourself a trip. There is a circus /cultural show in Phuket which was good. Check that out. Personally, I dont like the all inclusive packaged trips, it simply puts too many crimps on me. I prefer to go do stuff there myself and have a more flexible itinerary.

Thailand is a great place and you are right of course. Their tourism is infinitely better organized than most other places in the world and light years ahead of India. Also the entire country is , nice, neat and well maintained and their cities are much better places than ours . The fact that on a per capita basis they are 3 times richer than us must help as well and they dont have the mass poverty we still have in India. n

The reverence and devotion they have for Buddhism is simply great (they follow a mix of Buddhism and Hindusim and you will see shrines to Narayan, Bhrama, statues of Ganesha and stuff like Nagaraj .. (Nagaraj is a common theme to Thai Buddhism and Hinduism) and of course the Thai Ramayan (Ramakien)). They also love their king.

The temples and palaces are superbly maintained. There are things we definitely should learn from them.
and the food would easily rate as one of best cuisine familes in the
world.
pity the Ahoms didnt bring that cuisine when they hopped over into
India in 1228. who here doesnt like chicken tikka in thai yellow curry ?
confess! repent!
Yup. Thai cusinine is absolutely great..hmm . mouthwatering. What is the percentage of "Ahoms" in modern day Assam ? My sense is that most Ahoms over the centuries would have intermarried /intermingled and melted away into the general population of Assam right?