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In a world where there are innumerable places to go on vacation, more and more people are looking for distinctive places that are less crowded. These eccentric treasures provide beautiful aesthetics, serenity, and the chance to fully immerse oneself in the present. These magnificent locations are ideal for escaping off the grid and partaking in life-changing experiences if you’re sick of traveling the typical tourist routes. The founder and director of Zuper Hotels & Resorts, Akaal Manchanda, offers a list of six unusual holiday places in India that not only offer priceless memories but also a revitalising travel experience. Lgatpuri All types of tourists can find something to do here, whether they’re adrenaline addicts, photographers, vacationers, nature lovers, or people looking to recharge. You may tour a lot of historic forts, beautiful waterfalls, valleys, and temples. In addition to this, it offers a variety of adventurous pursuits, including camping, hiking, rock climbing, and more. Panchgani There are five Sahyadri hills surrounding this peaceful hill town in the Satara district. Anyone can get lost in the lovely wilderness due to the tranquilly and pleasant weather. You will fall in love with this hill station the moment you see the calm Krishna River meandering through villages and small farms, the enigmatic Rajputi Caves, picturesque Sydney Point, Devrai Art Village and the Cliff Resort. Source: news18

To encourage domestic travel and ensure safety, the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train was established. With a departure from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the route covers Mysuru, Bengaluru, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Rameshwaram, Madurai, and Tirupati. One AC-2 Tier, three AC-3 Tier, and seven Sleeper Class carriages make up the train. The concept fits with government programmes to promote exploring India’s history and landscapes. Supplying all-inclusive travel packages that include transportation, lodging, meals, and sightseeing. Source: travelnewsdigest

In order to preserve the temple’s sanctity and uphold “Indian culture,” the Maharashtra Temple Federation has decided to forbid pilgrims from wearing certain attire, such as half-pants, that it has deemed “indecent” inside the temples.Sunil Ghanwat, the coordinator of the federation, declared: “We are forbidding immoral apparel, such as half trousers etc. for the devotees. We merely ask that no one wear an inappropriate outfit or half-pants when entering the shrine. According to him, the decision will initially be put into effect in four temples in Nagpur before being applied to all temples in Maharashtra. He further mentioned that a significant campaign would be conducted across the state to enforce the dress code at all Maharashtra temples and educate devotees about donning an outfit appropriate for entering a temple. At the temples’ entrance gates, signs urging worshippers to preserve the sacredness of the building and adhere to Indian culture will be placed. Shri Gopalkrishna Mandir Gorakshana Sabha (Dhantoli), Shri Sankatmochan Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple (Belori), Shri Brihaspati Temple (Kanhorlibara), and Shri Durga Mata Temple (Hill Top) in the Nagpur area also adopted the dress code, according to Ghanwat. Source: hindustantimes

The roadway to Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is more than 50% finished, according to NHAI officials. Phase 1 of the 180km long, six-lane highway, which runs from Akshardham to the Eastern Peripheral Motorway (EPE) interchange in Baghpat and covers around 31.6km, will be the first to open. The first phase consists of two packages: package 1 from Baghpat’s Akshardham to Khekra (14.75 km) and package 2, from Khekra to the EPE junction (16.45 km).As it travels through densely populated regions of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, Phase 1 contains an elevated stretch of around 18 kilometres. The route in Delhi has around six kilometres of an elevated part, while the remaining 12.5 km will fall under the control of Uttar Pradesh, according to officials. The commuters currently need five to six hours to traverse the 240 kilometres between Delhi and Dehradun. According to NHAI officials, this travel time would decrease to roughly two and a half hours once the new route is open. A proposal to connect the 20 km long Northern Peripheral Road, which runs from NH-9 to Loni, to the Delhi-Dehradun highway segment in Loni was made by the Ghaziabad Development Authority earlier in January. But according to people who are aware of the situation, these intentions have not yet come to fruition. Source: Hindustatimes

Go First Airlines stated on Saturday that all of its flights will be cancelled through May 30 and that all passengers will receive a full refund. Go First Airlines’ official media account tweeted, “Due to operational reasons, Go First flights until May 30, 2023, are cancelled.” We sorry for the trouble this has caused.We regret to inform you that Go First flights scheduled to depart till May 30, 2023, have been cancelled for operational reasons. We apologise for any inconvenience these flight cancellations may have caused,” it said. The letter stated, “A full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly.” The statement read, “We acknowledge that the flight cancellations may have interfered with your travel plans, and we are committed to offering any help that we can.” We will soon be able to resume booking since, as you are aware, the company has submitted an application for quick resolution and resumption of activities. We appreciate your patience, the message continued. Go First Airlines was urged to submit a thorough reorganisation plan by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday in order to sustainably resume operations. Go First requested permission to use the moratorium period to create a thorough restructuring plan for restarting operations and present it to the DGCA for the necessary regulatory approvals before restarting operations, according to their response to a show cause notice issued on May 8. A senior DGCA official confirmed this information. In light of this, the DGCA instructed the airline on Wednesday to submit a thorough restructuring/revival plan for a long-term revival of operations within a 30-day window. According to the official, “the airline has been asked to furnish, among other things, the status of the availability of operational aircraft fleet, post holders needed, pilots and other personnel, maintenance arrangements, funding/working capital, arrangements with lessors and vendors, etc. for the sustainable revival of operations.” The DGCA will assess the resurrection plan after Go First submits it before taking any further appropriate action, the source continued. (ANI) Source: the print

Leading brand valuation consultant Brand Finance evaluates 5,000 of the most well-known brands each year and releases over 100 studies that rate brands across all industries and nations. The annual Brand Finance Airlines 50 2023 rating includes the top 50 most valuable and powerful airline brands in the world. Several important choices, including a 20% interest in LATAM Airlines Group receiving conditional clearance from authorities, contributed to Delta’s brand value rise this year. With the acquisition, Delta will have a strong footprint in South America, and it will be able to grow its network and provide consumers with more affordable rates. “The pandemic may have grounded aeroplanes, but it couldn’t stop people from dreaming of travel,” said Savio D’Souza, Director of Brand Finance. Airlines are ready to take flight when the world reopens, with their brand values on track to make up lost ground by 2024. Ethiopian Airlines is the airline with the fastest growth (79%). The fastest-growing airline brand internationally is Ethiopian Airlines, which has increased its brand value by 79% to US$498 million and is currently the largest airline brand on the African continent. Other rapidly expanding brands include China Southern (brand value increased 39% to US$3.2 billion), United Airlines (brand value increased 42% to US$7.8 billion), and Vueling (brand value increased 44% to US$527 million). The strongest airline brand is ANA, with a AAA rating. Through a balanced scorecard of criteria assessing marketing spend, stakeholder equity, and business performance, Brand Finance not only calculates brand value but also assesses the relative strength of brands. Brand Finance’s evaluation of stakeholder equity complies with ISO 20671 and combines actual market research data from more than 100,000 respondents in 38 countries and 31 industries. The strongest airline brand this year is ANA (brand value up 5% to US$2.4 billion), which received a AAA brand strength grade. In 2022, ANA’s global network resumed operations following a two-year break brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Flights to a number of well-known locations, including New York, London, and Paris, were restarted by the airline. Middle Eastern Airlines: Qatar and Saudia are expanding quickly, with Emirates leading the area in size and strength. The most valuable airline brand in the Middle East and the fourth most valuable airline brand worldwide is Emirates (brand value up 2% to US$5.1 billion). The first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East was hosted by Qatar Airways, which saw a 23% increase in brand value to US$2.5 billion. The airline won praise for its successful sponsorship of the FIFA World CupTM and fulfilment of its pledge to provide travellers with an improved experience during the mega-event. In order to meet the Kingdom’s ambitious tourist aim for 2030, Saudia (brand value up 14% to US$651 million) is likewise expanding quickly. The brand has made significant investments in streamlining its business processes to enhance customer satisfaction in order to reflect its unique position as the Kingdom’s flag carrier and the crucial role it must play in shaping the world’s opinions of the Kingdom. As shown by its involvement in Formula 1 (Official Airline of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team) and Formula E (Official Airline Partner), the brand is also making an investment to increase its visibility and familiarity in important foreign markets. Eva Airways is in first place on the Sustainability Perception Score, whereas Delta has the best Sustainability Perception Value. Brand Finance evaluates the contribution that particular brand characteristics make to generating overall brand value as part of its study. Sustainability is one such quality whose importance is expanding quickly. Delta not only has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value (SPV) of any brand in the Airline 50 200 ranking—USD544 million—but it is also the most valuable airline brand in the whole globe. Although Delta has made efforts to improve its sustainability, its top spot in the SPV table does not represent an evaluation of its total performance. Instead, it shows how closely its brand value is linked to public opinions of sustainability. With a score of 5.0 out of 10, Eva Airways has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Score among the 50 Airlines in 2023. The airline has a long-term vision for a cleaner future and has set a specific goal to attain Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. This entails actively putting numerous energy-saving techniques into practise.

SEATTLE, Washington. Following a fruitful prebooking period, Holland America Line formally began accepting reservations for its two newest Grand Voyages on May 24. This will be the first time Holland America Line offers two Grand Voyages of more than 120 days concurrently, with the Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole and Grand World Voyage both sailing in January 2025. Both cruises leave from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a roundtrip basis and allow passengers to explore five continents on the Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole onboard Volendam and six continents on the Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam. According to pre-bookings for these voyages, we create unique itineraries that appeal to our global journey passengers, said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer of Holland America Line. “Our team created two fantastic Grand Voyages, so our guests can’t go wrong with either,” the spokesperson said. We’re thrilled to provide two contrasting but equally impressive itineraries. Pole-to-Pole Highlights of the 2025 Grand Voyage — Volendam 133 days. departing from Fort Lauderdale on January 25, 2025, roundtrip. Travels in a south-north-south direction through the Panama Canal, then descends down South America’s west coast to Antarctica before ascending through Argentina and Brazil to the Amazon River’s main stem. The ship then travels over the Atlantic Ocean to Africa, then north through Europe and up to the North Cape, then turns around and travels west across the northern Atlantic Ocean via Iceland and Greenland until coming to a stop on the eastern coast of North America. From South to North, the ship Volendam travels across Antarctica for four days of picturesque cruise before heading to the North Cape. 28 nations, 5 continents, and 68 ports altogether. Fuerte Amador, Panama, Callao (Lima), Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Reykjavik, Iceland are the other eight overnight visits. Memorable experiences include crossing the Panama Canal, Cape Horn, Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and the Strait of Gibraltar, as well as seeing Greenland, Iceland, the Norwegian fjords, and the North Cape. Highlights of the 2025 Grand World Voyage: Zuiderdam 124 days. departing from Fort Lauderdale on January 4, 2025, roundtrip. Before making the South Pacific voyage to Australia, passes via the Panama Canal and travels to Easter Island. explores the Great Barrier Reef on the way to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, travels via the Suez Canal to Portugal, and then crosses the Atlantic Ocean to reach Cape Town, South Africa, through the Seychelles. 46 ports altogether, spread across 32 nations and 6 continents. Callao (two nights), Easter Island, Papeete, Tahiti, Sydney, Australia, Singapore, Cape Town, Mombasa, Kenya, Safaga, Egypt, and Barcelona make up the other nine overnight visits. Manta, Ecuador; Seychelles; Cape Town and Durban, South Africa; Aqaba, Jordan; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Gibraltar, United Kingdom are the seven late-night trips. Memorable moments were passing through the Panama Canal, spending two nights in Callao so that we could see Machu Picchu and Easter Island, taking a gorgeous cruise around the Great Barrier Reef, spending two full days in Cape Town, and having the chance to travel from Jordan to Petra and experiencing Luxor from Safaga. More than any two concurrent cruises for Holland America Line, the combined Grand cruises will include more than 4,000 live entertainment, 1,400 shore excursions and 5,800 pickleball games. Here is an infographic that highlights the scope and depth of the journeys. Major Meeting in Barcelona In order to commemorate the two Grand Voyages, Volendam and Zuiderdam will meet on April 24, 2025, for a joint overnight call in Barcelona, Spain. The perfectly timed dual visit will be celebrated with unique events involving both ships. Source: traveldailynews

Tongcheng Travel Holdings Limited, a pioneer and industry titan in China’s online travel sector, has released its unaudited consolidated results for the three months ending March 31, 2023. HONG KONG SAR. Highlights from 2023 Q1 With 2022 Q1 Year-over-Year Comparison Strong Rebound in Revenue and Profit. To RMB2,586.1 million, revenue climbed by 50.5% over the previous year. The adjusted EBITDA margin grew from 25.5% in the first quarter of 2022 to 28.3%, representing a 67.0% year-over-year rise to RMB732.2 million. The period’s adjusted net profit rose 105.6% year over year to RMB503.6 million, and the adjusted net margin grew from 14.3% in 2022 Q1 to 19.5%. Average MPU and MAU numbers have reached record highs. Average monthly active users (“MAUs”) climbed to 286.1 million, up 16.9% from the previous year. Average monthly paying users (“MPUs”) climbed to 41.4 million, up 30.6% from the previous year. Paying ratio increased to 14.5% from 12.9% in 2022 Q1. The removal of pandemic limitations in early 2023, according to Mr. Ma Heping, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tongcheng Travel, “has resulted in an outstanding recovery of China’s domestic travel sector. We are happy to have met the long-unmet market demand and set all-time highs for business revenue in the first quarter of 2023, thanks to the strategic planning we did in earlier years that allowed us to continue growing even in the face of the pandemic. We have expanded our capacity for innovation, broadened our user base, and extended our reach into non-first-tier locations. We are well-positioned to benefit from the market recovery because to our adaptable and extremely effective methods that react quickly to market shifts. We anticipate stable consumer demand and have faith in our ability to beat the market with further expansion. Reservations for lodging and transportation reached record highs. Both of the Group’s two key businesses—reserving hotel rooms and purchasing tickets for transportation—reached record highs during the time period under consideration. The record high in overall ticketing volume helped to create a 35.9% year-over-year growth in revenue from transportation ticketing services to RMB1,382.7 million. The lodging industry saw significant growth, with revenue rising by 53.6% on a yearly basis to RMB834.3 million. Additionally, the number of hotel nights sold reached a record high and increased by almost 130% from the same time in 2018 to 2019. Other revenue climbed by 134.1% year over year to RMB369.2 million, including revenue from advertising services, membership services, corporate travel services, supplementary value-added user services, hotel management services, and attraction ticketing services. Businesses in hotel management and packaged tours as New Growth Drivers Tongcheng Travel developed organically and via acquisitions to create new growth opportunities. Following the acquisition of certain conventional travel agency firms, it extended the hotel management company coverage under a thorough brand matrix and began to build its own package tour business. The group’s entry into the domestic and international leisure travel markets is anticipated to come through the package tour industry. Developed new scenarios and also tapped into the Tencent ecosystem to diversify user traffic Through both online and offline traffic channels, Tongcheng Travel kept expanding its user base and varying the sources of user traffic. In order to improve user experience, it expanded the services through Weixin Search (), which includes hotel booking, transit ticketing, and tourist attraction tickets. It offers simple and convenient access. The Company has created use scenarios by leveraging the ecosystems of mobile makers, short-video platforms, APPs, and others while expanding its reach within the Tencent ecosystem. In order to attract customers from non-tier-one cities, it established alternate ways to tap into new situations like buses, metro, and intra-city buses. It also collaborated with hotels to redirect people to its platform using QR code scanning. Enhanced Efficiency with Technology and Advanced Digitization Tongcheng Travel investigated the viability of implementing Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) in operations with regard to customer service, product development, and content management in order to further boost user happiness. Additionally, it improved its Huixing system, which provides intelligent travel solutions, to help consumers plan their journey more effectively at busy times when resources are limited. Tongcheng Travel worked to further the industry’s digitalization while also enhancing its own capabilities. Through its extensive range of hotel PMS brands, it offered Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to more independent, chain hotels and alternative lodgings to assist them in enhancing operational efficiencies. By utilising its big data capacity and regional tourist resources, Tongcheng Travel formed strategic partnership with Yichang Sanxia Airport to promote it as the hub airport in southwest Hubei Province. Additionally, by creating transit goods for them, it helped rural airports in Inner Mongolia increase throughput. The “Tongcheng Thousand Villages Programme” developed village tourism. Tongcheng Travel is committed to generating socially responsible value for its stakeholders and society at large as a socially responsible business. To support the growth of the local green economy and assist additional communities in creating sustainable tourist models, it introduced the “Tongcheng Thousand Villages Programme”. Additionally, Tongcheng Travel established “Tongcheng Rest Stops” for outdoor workers and offered special customer care for the deaf. These initiatives were named one of the top 10 “Excellent Cases of Corporate Initiatives 2023” by the China Consumers Association. Strong Rebound Over the Labour Day Weekend The travel business in China is now recovering. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s data centre estimates that over the course of the 2023 Labour Day holiday, 274 million domestic tourist trips were made, an increase of 70.8% year over year and a recovery of up to 119.1% of the same period in 2019. The robust recovery was an unmistakable indication of people’s love for travel. “We have high hopes for the future growth of China’s tourism sector. The infrastructure associated to tourism will greatly improve, especially in non-tier-one cities, providing a larger variety of services to the travel sector and more convenience to travellers. Consumer behaviour has changed fundamentally as a result of the pandemic, as seen by the growing appeal of short-haul vacations and

KUCHAL LUPU – Tourism Malaysia recently unveiled a new 4-minute promotional video called “Dive Into The Unimaginable” that highlights the wonders of the underwater kaleidoscope and stunning array of aquatic flora and fauna found in Malaysia. This video was created to capitalise on the potential of the water sports segment, particularly scuba diving, in luring tourists to the nation. Divers return to Malaysia because of the country’s diverse marine life, warm, clear seas, stunning islands, and spectacular beaches. The film showcases some of the top diving locations, including as the Tioman and Aur Islands in Johor, Kapas Island and Perhentian Island in Terengganu, and the crystal-clear seas of Sipadan in Sabah. A new collection of 41 unique scuba diving packages called “Dive Into The Unimaginable Packages” has also been released by Tourism Malaysia to go along with its promotional video. This collection will be promoted both domestically and abroad through all available channels, including its social media platforms and overseas offices. These new personalised programmes, which cater to divers of all skill levels, whether novices, amateurs, or professionals, will fit everyone. However, a group of knowledgeable teachers and guides will assure your safety, and the packages include lodging, food, and transportation for your comfort while visiting Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia’s Datuk Musa Yusof stated: “To pique the interest of more scuba diving enthusiasts, we also organise an online contest in which participants can share their best experiences engaging in scuba diving in Malaysia and stand a chance to win exclusive diving packages and more.” During the Malaysia International Dive Exhibition (MIDE), which runs from May 26–28 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur, both scuba diving packages and the competition will be marketed. At this annual exhibition, which aims to promote the diving sector and draw an average of 12,000 visitors, Tourism Malaysia will send eight agents. Source: traveldailynews

Both the all-inclusive boutique hotel S Hotel Jamaica in Montego Bay and its sister establishment Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston have received the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice 2023 award. These winners, who rank in the top 10% of all global listings, honour companies that have regularly earned positive Tripadvisor ratings over the past 12 months. The Best of the Best award, given annually to establishments rated in the top 1% of hotels globally and included among the top 25 all-inclusive hotels in the Caribbean, was given to S Hotel Jamaica. General Manager of S Hotel Jamaica Ann Marie Goffe-Pryce remarked, “The Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award is wonderful for not just S Hotel and our sister hotel Spanish Court but also for Jamaica. “S Hotel got the Best of the Best award and was included among the top 25 all-inclusive hotels in the Caribbean, which is especially exciting given our recent conversion to an all-inclusive hotel. We share this honour with our visitors since we wouldn’t have won without their glowing testimonials and persistent sharing of their fantastic experiences, even though the hotels placing within the top percentile is a tribute to our warm hospitality. John Boris, Tripadvisor’s Chief Growth Officer, congratulated the 2023 Travellers’ Choice Award winners. “The rivalry has been further heightened by the travel renaissance we’ve witnessed over the past year. Receiving a Travellers’ Choice Award proves that you have given the people who matter most—your guests—great experiences. This is no simple task, and I am continuously astonished by the hospitality industry’s resiliency and capacity for adaptation in the face of shifting expectations, persistent labour shortages, and growing expenses. Cheers to another fantastic year!” Ages 16 and over are welcome at S Hotel Jamaica, which offers a variety of dining options, wellness amenities, guest experiences, and local excursions. The 125-room Spanish Court Hotel, located in the heart of Jamaica’s cultural district, is home to the well-known Rojo Restaurant, which showcases a variety of Jamaican and international cuisine, as well as The Sky Terrace and Bar with breathtaking city views. S Hotel and Spanish Court Hotel are popular choices among travellers since they consistently add unique features to effectively differentiate the hotels in this fiercely competitive industry and produce a really unforgettable experience for its customers. Source: breakingtravelnews