New Online Visa Travel Rules to US

As per New online visa travel rules to US requiring people traveling to the U.S. under the visa waiver program to register online in advance, instead of filling out paper forms in flight or at the airport. This has been designed to improve U.S. security, the rules has been voluntary since August, but now became mandatory. Travelers are being asked to fill out the forms at least 72 hours in advance of travel.

There were no signs of confusion as the new system was implemented at London Heathrow's sprawling Terminal 5 — departure point for many U.S.-bound flights. The rules cover the citizens of 35 countries — from nations in Europe and Asia, to Australia and New Zealand — who don't require a visa to enter the U.S.

Travelers filling out the online form will be told whether their request is authorized, denied or pending, he said. Those who are marked "pending" must check back in 72 hours to see if they have been approved, Derwood Staeben said. People whose application is denied must apply to the U.S. Consulate for a visa. He said the U.S. Congress mandated the change.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department said in a statement that it will take a reasonable approach to travelers who have not obtained an approved travel authorization, but warned that travelers without authorization do risk being delayed or denied entry to the U.S.

There is no fee for the service, he said, and the travel authorization is valid for two years. He warned that operators of some unscrupulous Web sites are charging fees for this service, which is designed to be free of charge.

People can apply for travel authorization at any time, and Staeben said about 14,000 applications per day are being received.

Taj Group of Hotels in India

List of Taj Group of Hotels in India

Taj Mahal Hotel
Apollo Bunder,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
India - 400001


Hotel Taj President
90, Cuffe Parade,
Mumbai - 400005
Maharashtra, India


The Taj Mahal Hotel
Number One Mansingh Road;
New Delhi
India - 110011


Taj Fisherman's Cove
Covelong Beach,
Kanchipuram District-603112
Tamil Nadu, India.


Fort Aguada Beach Resort
Sinquerim, Bardez,
Goa-403519, India.


Taj Exotica Goa
Calwaddo, Benaulim,
Salcete, Goa - 403716,
India.

Jai Mahal Palace
Jacob Road, Civil Lines.
Jaipur-302006,
Rajasthan, India.


Taj Hari Mahal
5, Residency Road,
Jodhpur - 342001
Rajasthan, India.

Travel & Tourism Trade Shows in January 2009

Adventures in Travel Expo (ATE-Chicago) (10-JAN-09 to 11-JAN-09)
Place of Trade Show: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois, United States Of America

Iran Hotel Travel & Tourism International Exhibition (HT&T) (13-JAN-09 to 16-JAN-09)
Place of Trade Show: Tehran Permanent Fair Ground, Tehran, Iran

Carvan Helsinki (15-JAN-09 to 18-JAN-09)
Place of Trade Show: Helsinki Fair Centre, Helsinki, Finland

ANFAS HOTEL EQUIPMENT 2009 (15-JAN-09 to 18-JAN-09)
Place of Trade Show: Antalya Expo Center, Antalya, Turkey

for more travel trade shows in january log on at www.inuttarakhand.com/travel-tourism-trade-exhibitions-in-january.html

Toll Free Numbers in India for Travel

Club Mahindra Holidays - 1800 33 4539
Cox & Kings - 1800 22 1235
God TV Tours - 1800 442 777
Kerala Tourism - 1800 444 747
Kumarakom Lake Resort - 1800 44 5030
Raj Travels & Tours - 1800 22 9900
Sita Tours - 1800 111 911
SOTC Tours - 1800 22 3344

Top 10 Travellers Destinations in Africa Continent

The Masai Mara: The Masai Mara, in Kenya is Known for wild life. July to October is the best time to visit.

Victoria Falls: The Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe are one of the natural wonders of the world.

Pyramids of Giza: Pyramids of Giza, in Egypt represents one of the ancient architectural feats by man.

Timbuktu: Timbuktu, in Mali Known for boat journey for a dessert town. The town is fame for beautiful mud architecture.

Cape Town: Cape Town, in South Africa known for best wines in the world as well as gourmet food. Cape Town's beaches are plentiful and offer excellent swimming and surfing during the summer months from November to March.

Marrakech: Marrakech, in Morocco, is known for its cultural heritage and beauty.

Omo River Region: Omo River Region, in Ethiopia is known for white-water rafting with an unparalleled cultural adventure.

Virunga Mountains: Virunga Mountains, in Uganda is known for mountain gorillas.

Mount Kilimanjaro: Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania is known as world's tallest free standing mountain.

Zanzibar: Zanzibar, in Tanzania is known for its fascinating history and its incredible beaches.

List of Travel Associations and Societies

European Travel Commission

The European Travel Commission (ETC) with its members from more than 39 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) of Europe, is a non-profit making organisation headquartered in Brussels. The commission works to promote tourism to Europe in general, and to their individual countries in particular.

For more information about European Travel Commission : http://www.etc-corporate.org/


ABTA

The Travel Association ABTA, represents over 5,500 travel agencies and 900 tour operations, throughout the British Isles. It's Members range from small, specialist tour operators and independent travel agencies through to publicly-listed companies and household names; from call centres to internet booking services to high street shops.

For more information about ABTA : http://www.abta.com/about


IATA

IATA is a 60 year old, an international trade body, created by a group of airlines. Today, IATA represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic. The organisation also represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general.

For more information about IATA : http://www.iata.org/


The Tourism Society

The Tourism Society, was founded in 1977 with the aim of driving up standards of professionalism in travel and tourism industry. The Society has more than 1000 members from all across the world.

For more information about Tourism Society : http://www.tourismsociety.org/

for more travel and tourism associations log on at www.inuttarakhand.com/travel-tourism-trade-associations.html

Blog on Travel & tourism

The blog is a hub for all travel and tourism related informations like hotels, events, trade exhibitions, news and many more.

Travel & Tourism Trade Shows in December 2008

Halifax Tourism Expo 2008 (01-DEC-08 to 01-DEC-08)
Place of Trade Show: World Trade Convention Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Exhibition For The Incentive Business Travel & Meetings Industry (EIBTM 2008) (02-DEC-08 to 04-DEC-08)
Place of Trade Show: Fira De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

European Incentive Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (EIBTM) 2008 (02-DEC-08 to 04-DEC-08)
Place of Trade Show: Fira De Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

2nd International Tourism Exhibition (My Land Show) (02-DEC-08 to 05-DEC-08)
Place of Trade Show: Kish International Exhibition Center, Kish Island, Iran

for more travel trade shows in december log on at www.inuttarakhand.com/travel-tourism-trade-exhibitions-in-december.html

Travel & Tourism Trade Shows in November 2008

Caravan Bremen (07-NOV-08 to 11-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: Bremen Exhibition & Conference Centre, Bremen, Germany

Gaste (08-NOV-08 to 11-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: Leipzig Exhibition Centre, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany

International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IHMRS 2008) (08-NOV-08 to 11-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, United States Of America

Gastronomia Expo (09-NOV-08 to 12-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: Lausanne Switzerland, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

World Travel Market (WTM 2008) (0-NOV-08 to 13-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London, England, United Kingdom

for more travel trade shows in november log on at www.inuttarakhand.com/travel-tourism-trade-exhibitions-in-november.html

River Ganga as National River

The Indian government has decided to declare the river Ganga as a national river, following campaigns from several quarters to preserve its cultural and religious significance. A High Powered Ganga River Basin Authority, to be chaired by the prime minister, will be set up as an empowered planning, implementing and monitoring authority for the river. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, or moef, has decided to conduct a basin-wide pilot study of the ecological impact of hydel projects coming up on the Ganga.

The study will be conducted from Dharasu to Gangotri lying in the stretch of the Ganga’s tributary Bhagirathi in Uttarakhand. It will help in the planning of hydropower projects and maintaining adequate water flow in the river for its ecological health. IIT Roorkee and G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, have been asked to submit proposals for conducting the study.

Barack Obama President of the United States

Barack Obama, elected as the first black president of the United States on 4 november 2008. He is 44th president of US. He is from Democratic Party. This is the first time in US history that an African American won presidential election. Barack Obama done his graduation from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Barack Obama announced his presidential campaign in February 2007, and was nominated at the 2008 Democratic National Convention with Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate. In the 2008 presidential election he won 53% of the popular vote and 364 electoral college votes against Senator John McCain's 46% of the popular vote and 162 electoral college votes.

Ban on Airlines Advertisements

Indian government put ban on all such type of airlines ads which gives incomplete information about fairs and other conveniences. The ban focussed those ads which shows low basic fares and do not showing high surcharges and taxes. The aviation ministry and DGCA recently probed a leading low cost carrier, which had started advertising fares of Rs 99 with the steep add-ons amount finding no mention, to withdraw the campaign.

Apart from a low passenger service fee of Rs 225, all other hefty surcharges are pocketed by airlines. On the basic fee, Indian carriers levy four different types of taxes and surcharge passenger service fee, fuel and congestion surcharges and transaction fee.

List of Hotels in Karachi Pakistan

Pearl Continental Hotel
Address : Club Road,P.O. Box 8513, Karachi, Pakistan

Avari Towers Hotel
Address : P.O Box No.15503 Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi 75530 Pakistan

Marriott Karachi
Address : 9 Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi, Pakistan

Sheraton Karachi Hotel & Towers
Address : Club Road, Karachi, Pakistan 75530

Dream World Resort
Address : A/4, F-24, Near Submarine Chowk, Block 9, Clifton Karach, Pakistan.

Marriott Hotel
Address : 9 Abdullah Haroon Road, P.O.Box 10444, Karachi

Regent Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre
Address : Main Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi, Pakistan

Mehran Hotel
Address : Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi-75530

Carlton Hotel
Address : DC-5 Off Zulfiqar Street 1, Phase VIII, D.H.A, Karachi-75000 Pakistan

Airport Hotel
Address : Karachi Airport , Karachi, Pakistan

Beach Luxury Hotel
Address : M. T. Khan Road, Karachi-74000 Pakistan

Medical Tourism in India

Today India is atracting a huge crowd f childless couples from overseas for low cost treatment and friendly rules in terms of egg donors and surrogate motherhood. As per Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction, there are some 400 IVF clinics in the country, providing an estimated 30,000 assisted reproductive treatments a year.

In America, a full IVF cycle costs around 12,500 dollars, which in India costs around 4,500 dollars. Only cost is not the only factor, lack of rules and regulations in this context is equally considerable factor. In India, there are no restrictions on egg donation

In Britain, the British Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has outlawed payments to surrogates and British IVF clinics allow doctors to implant only two embryos into the uterus in a treatment. In India, five implants are allowed, substantially increasing the chances of pregnancy, and there is no shortage of egg donors.

India & UN World Tourism Organisation

India has succeeded in thwarting attempts by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at ranking tourist destinations worldwide, a move which assumes significance in view of the recent terror attacks in the country. Previous month, many countries had considered issuing travel advisories against visiting India in the backdrop of terror attacks in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.

On this India has opposed, any kind of move regarding certifications, grading or ranking of tourist destinations on various parameters at the meeting of the Executive Council of UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at Madrid last week. The UNWTO serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and promotes the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism with special attention to the interests of developing countries.

New York City opens tourism office in India

New York City has opened its latest international tourism and marketing office in India, hoping to entice more Indians to visit. The office is located in Mumbai. India's office is the 18th international NYC tourism office to open and after this India, comes alongwith Spain, Russia, China and Brazil.

As per records New York City received 157,000 visitors from India in 2007, who generated $226 million in economic impact. The city also is trying to recruit more Indian films to be shot in the city.

European Union suspends travel ban on Belarus President

The European Union now suspended a travel ban on Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, as part of an initiative to promote closer ties with former Soviet republics after Russia's invasion of Georgia.

EU foreign ministers announced the move at a meeting where they also dropped most sanctions against Uzbekistan and promised to negotiate a comprehensive free trade accord with Moldova.

Upcoming Travel & Tourism Trade Shows in October 2008

ARATUR 2008 (09-OCT-08 to 13-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Feria de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

MATTA Fair-Kuala Lumpur (10-OCT-08 to 12-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Central America Travel Market (CATM) (10-OCT-08 to 12-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Crowne Plaza San Jose, San Jose, California, United States Of America

India Travel Mart-Goa (11-OCT-08 to 13-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: TBA, Goa, India

Expo Comida Latina-Los Angeles (13-OCT-08 to 14-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, United States Of America

Carvan & Outdoor Leisure Show-London (14-OCT-08 to 19-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Earls Court, London, England, United Kingdom

Hoventa (14-OCT-08 to 17-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Budapest Fair Center, Budapest, Hungary

Caravan & Motorhome Show-Birmingham (14-OCT-08 to 19-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

Primus Horeca Ukraine (15-OCT-08 to 18-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Kiev International Exhibition Centre, Kiev, Kiev City, Ukraine

Arab World Travel & Tourism Exchange (AWTTE 2008) (16-OCT-08 to 19-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center, Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon

Tour Salon (16-OCT-08 to 18-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Poznan International Fair Grounds, Poznan, Poland

Gastro-Tech (16-OCT-08 to 18-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Kielce Trade Fair Centre, Kielce, Swietokrzyskie, Poland

Kampeer & Caravan Fair (16-OCT-08 to 22-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Jaarbeurs Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Piscina Expo (16-OCT-08 to 19-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Centro de Exposicoes Imigrantes Portugal, Santarem, Portugal

Hostelco Expo (17-OCT-08 to 21-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Montjuic Exhibition Centre, Barcelona, Spain

HOTEL BOLZANO (20-OCT-08 to 23-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Fiera Bolzano, Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Business Travel Show-Dubai (20-OCT-08 to 21-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Madinat Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Click for detail

Gourmet & Dining Style Show (20-OCT-08 to 22-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight), Tokyo, Japan

Specialised International Hotel & Restaurant Exhibition (SIHRE) (22-OCT-08 to 26-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Inter Expo & Congress Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Tour Expo (23-OCT-08 to 25-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Palace of Sport Spartak, Lviv, Ukraine

Hotel Emotion (24-OCT-08 to 27-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Fiera Milano, Milan, Lombardia, Italy

International Tourism & Travel Show (25-OCT-08 to 27-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Place Bonaventure, Montreal, Canada

Holiday Expo-Visakhapatnam (25-OCT-08 to 26-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: TBA, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Palm Beach Travel Expo (26-OCT-08 to 27-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Palm Beach County Convention Center, Palm Beach, Florida, United States Of America

Great North Group Travel Show & Fam (27-OCT-08 to 29-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Holiday Inn Austin, Austin, Texas, United States Of America

The Arab Transport Forum (29-OCT-08 to 30-OCT-08)
Place of Trade Show: Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel, Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt

Philoxenia Expo (30-OCT-08 to 02-NOV-08)
Place of Trade Show: Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, Thessaloniki, Greece

Impact of economic slowdown on Travel Industry

The travel industry has been influenced and not able to keep apart itself from the heavy economic slowdown, seen in the last few weeks.

In the month of september all major airlines has shown a great decline in the list of daily passengers. The occupancy rates in the hotels falls. The all is creating a pressutre for new concessions. Domestic airlines has cut 8-10 percentof their domestic flights. This is not all, airlines are also planning to raise the fares. Fares are 15 to 25 percent higher on many routes than they were a year ago. But that portion of the strategy seems to have stalled.

British Airways, one of the major players on the intensely competitive trans-Atlantic market, said that its full-year financial projections were at risk because long-haul premium traffic declined 8.6 percent in September from September 2007.

New Zealand Tourism Industry Association

The Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) is the largest representative body of tourism operators in New Zealand. The association is a membership-based and private sector trade organization.

Four main activities of Tourism Industry Association New Zealand

Advocacy and policy
Events
Industry development
Working with other organisations

Website: http://www.tianz.org.nz