Once a quiet riverside ritual, Dev Deepawali has evolved into UP's largest soft-power spectacle -- merging faith, art, enterprise into a global cultural brand that reflects state's growing confidence.
The Maharashtra government has amended a policy to allow serving and consumption of alcohol on premises near dam backwaters, aiming to curb illegal liquor sales and promote tourism.
India's new national accounts will leverage new data sources and surveys to enhance the measurement of the country's informal economy, and introduce double deflation methods across sectors, replacing the current system that relies on a single deflation mechanism in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations.
The latest move removes one of the key friction points for visitors, temporary liquor permits, while allowing licensed hotels and restaurants operational flexibility.
After going through an anxious period following the hanging of Afzal Guru, accused in the parliament attack case, the tourism industry in Kashmir is looking to reinvent itself.
'Why have we failed to address the issue of ensuring a requisite buffer zone in J&K, given that cross-border links of some J&K politicians are known?', asks Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
'The natural barrier that is Aravalli, you are demolishing it, then who will stop the desert?' 'In future, I predict that people will roam around with oxygen cylinders in Delhi because they won't be able to breathe.'
'We have created massive infrastructure in the past six years.'
The ruling National Democratic Alliance on Friday secured a thumping majority in the Bihar Assembly, winning 202 seats in the 243-member House, as results for all the constituencies were declared by the Election Commission.
BJP MLA Michael Lobo claims that the sale of idli-sambar in beach shacks is contributing to a decline in international tourists visiting Goa. He attributes the issue to the influx of businessmen from other places, including Bengaluru, who are operating food stalls in the shacks. Lobo also cites other factors impacting tourism, such as the war in Ukraine, the lack of younger foreign tourists, and conflict between cab aggregators and local taxi operators.
A proposal to change the name of Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station, to "Aburaj Teerth" and ban non-vegetarian food and alcohol consumption in public has sparked protests from local businesses, who fear severe economic consequences. They argue that the name change will cause confusion and the restrictions will drastically reduce tourist numbers, impacting livelihoods.
The GR says that shops and commercial establishments may remain open on all days of the week, provided that every employee is allowed a continuous rest period of at least 24 hours in a week.
According to the minister, the government views the incident with utmost seriousness.
The Trump administration is implementing a pilot program requiring visitors from countries with high visa overstay rates to pay a bond of up to USD 15,000.
Following the alleged molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore, a Madhya Pradesh minister advises players to inform local authorities when going out due to their popularity in India.
Following the alleged molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore, a Madhya Pradesh minister advises players to inform local authorities when going out due to their popularity in India.
Registration of a homestay with the tourism department is mandated under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982.
The aircraft, later, flew to Guwahati after an improvement in the weather conditions in Guwahati, said KC Meena, the director of the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport at Agartala.
State Tourism Minister Bratya Basu said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had directed the Tourism Department to go ahead with the setting up the board.
"You have seen that in Islam, it is said that they oppose 'bootparastee' (idol worship). It is their matter and their philosophy. We perform idol worship. We worship the 'saakaar brahma' and the 'niraakaar brahma', which is allowed by the Sanatan Dharma.... Some are saying 'I Love Mohammad' and indulging in arson and vandalism." "They know that this is Sharadiya Navratra, the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. If they spread chaos during the Sharadiya Navratra, work like 'Chundd' and 'Mundd', then Goddess Bhagwati is not going to tolerate it. Goddess Bhagwati crushes such 'Chundd' and 'Mundd'," Adityanath said.
Strong demand for cultural and spiritual hubs is expected for destinations like Varanasi, Kolkata during Durga Puja, and Pushkar for the camel fair, besides leisure destinations like Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur and Coorg.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran criticised those who were trying to give a communal colour to the tourism department tweet on the Kerala delicacy -- "Beef Ularthiyathu" and said in the southern state none links food with religion.
"Commonwealth Games in India would leave lasting impact by boosting tourism, and creating jobs, the Government said in a statement.
Experts question whether a cloudburst caused the recent flash flood in Uttarkashi, India, citing insufficient rainfall and other potential factors like ice chunks, rockfalls, or landslides.
After the Kerala government declared the coronavirus outbreak as a 'state calamity', as the three positive cases were detected from Thrissur, Alapuzha and Kasaragod, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted that the sector had suffered a hit. The sector had aggressively launched promotional advertisements in the domestic and international markets after the floods to revive the sector. However, all the efforts took a beating, with mass cancellations of hotel bookings after the outbreak of the infection in the state was reported.
In an interactive session at the 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event at Chennai, Viswanatha Reddy, director, KTD, said the state helicopter tourism was proposed for Mangalore and Hospet. The department had identified Mangalore, Karwar and its coasts, which would have casinos, bars and so on for cruise tourism. He said 14 more helipads would be set up soon in addition to the present 23.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has stated that the conversation regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has not been stalled. He claims the issue was raised at the recent NITI Aayog governing council meeting, and the formal speech distributed at the meeting includes a mention of the return of statehood. Abdullah also addressed concerns about the impact of the Pahalgam terror attack on tourism, emphasizing the importance of local Kashmiris visiting tourist spots first to revive the industry and ensure a sense of security.
Is a sulking Eknath Shinde on the way out as Shiv Sena chief?
Tourism to Corbett and Almora could be particularly hit as a result of the fire, which has destroyed 2,200 hectares of forest.
As the election nears, political positions on prohibition are shifting.
After chairing an emergency meeting with senior officials to discuss the situation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that heli services on the Char Dham route will remain suspended for two days, as the weather is bad and the safety of the passengers is the government's top priority.
Amid speculation that he may do yet another volte face and return to the National Democratic Alliance, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday visited Buxar district, bordering Uttar Pradesh, to attend a function where senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey was also present.
The study found out that in terms of tourism budget, Jharkhand ranks the highest with Rs 160 crore, compared to West Bengal's Rs 31 crore (Rs 310 million), Orissa Rs 44 crore (Rs 440 million), Bihar Rs 25 crore and Chattisgarh Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million).
Kant, a retired 1980-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre, was appointed as India's G20 Sherpa in July 2022, months before India assumed the G20 Presidency.
Many states are realising that hosting mega events puts the spotlight on them and raises their profile.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday alleged that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi visited Pakistan on an invitation from its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence, and that he worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.
If the threat from the 'Maovadis' (Maoists) is fading, the danger now lies with the 'MoUvadis' -- those who might exploit the resource-rich Abujhmad region through corporate or State-backed projects.
India is set to bring eight cheetahs from Botswana in two phases, with four arriving by May 2025. This follows the successful reintroduction of cheetahs to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, with the population now at 26, including 14 cubs born in India. The initiative aims to boost cheetah conservation efforts and create inter-state collaboration for their protection. The project has already seen significant investment, with over Rs 112 crore spent on cheetah rehabilitation.
Sharing details about the decision, tourism minister Jaivir Singh said the tourism department would provide the company land for the international-level museum on a 90-year lease for a token amount of Re 1.
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