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Showing posts with label Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tour. Show all posts

Wednesday, 15 September 2021

09:24

Dakshin Darshan With Mallikarjuna Yatra

Dakshin Darshan With Mallikarjuna Yatra


DAKSHIN DARSHAN WITH MALLIKARJUNA YATRA (WZPSTT14)

IRCTC takes the privilege of operating an exclusive Pilgrim Special tourist train for   Dakshin 

Darshan with Mallikarjuna Yatra  (WZPSTT-14) starting from Indore with confirmed train tickets in Non AC Sleeper Class and 3rd AC Class for its esteemed passengers. The destinations covered in Itinerary include Mallikarjuna - Tirupati – Rameshwaram – Madurai – Kanyakumari. It is one of the most affordable all inclusive tour package. Booking of Pilgrim Special Tourist Trains is available online on our website (www.irctctourism.com). Booking can also be done through our Tourist Facilitation Center and Regional Offices.  

Boarding & De-boarding Points:   Indore, Dewas, Ujjain, Shujalpur, Sehore, Habibganj, Hoshangabad, Itarsi, Betul, Nagpur, Sevagram  and Balharshah. 

Destination Covered: -   Mallikarjuna - Tirupati – Rameshwaram – Madurai – Kanyakmari

Package Details

Package Name

Dakshin Darshan with Mallikarjuna Yatra

Traveling Mode

Train

Departure Station

Indore

Class

3AC & SL

Frequency

27.11.2021

Meal Plan

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

 Itinerary Dated :- 27.11.2021 – 06.12.2021 ( 09Nights/10 Days)


Route:-  Indore - Mallikarjuna - Tirupati - Rameshwaram - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Indore.

Tariff:(Including GST)

All price mentioned are per person

 

Category

Price Per Person

Standard ( SL)

Rs. 9,450/-

Comfort (3AC)

Rs. 15,750/-

Source:IRCTC

 

 

 

 


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Sunday, 13 May 2018

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Thursday, 26 April 2018

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Monday, 8 May 2017

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Monday, 10 April 2017

08:18

From red flags to the red carpet – the changing entrepreneurial landscape in Kerala

From red flags to the red carpet – the changing entrepreneurial landscape in Kerala
This is the third part of the four part series which attempts to take a deep dive into the opportunities that present itself in Kerala and how the state is shaking off the lethargy of the past and creating a miraculous industrial future !Brevity has been conscious for the style of the prose and but the data is vast to fit tomes , when one looks at ‘TOURISM’ in Kerala.
One look at Kerala and you feel that God has been unfairly kind to the state. Bestowed with a topography of the heavens, it presents the best of hills, plains , rivers, lakes and the idyllic coastlines. The sylvan backwaters and the heady city mosaic are sketched with multiple shades of green. A color which presents the best of environment, borders every picture ever clicked in Kerala.

Kerala has been on the radar on many a decade. The natural beauty of the state has been lauded in many a publication including the National Geographic and the Conde Nast traveller. In a rapidly urbanising India , the rest of India also come into Kerala to savour a natural blend of the ‘green’ with the ‘concrete’ – where the it has never been a war but a natural symbiotic growth. This is at a time where the ‘concrete’ seems to be clearly winning over ‘green’ in the rest of the world , why just India.

The business case for tourism is also vibrant and compelling. A dollar spend in a sector begets a dollar or two in building the economy in the region. The multiplier is quite high when it comes to manufacturing – roughly  $ 4.5 for every $1 spend on the economy. But for a tourism conducive locale like Kerala – the multiplier for tourism is more $6.7 for every dollar spend. This is because , it is not just the employment and the ecosystem that tourism generates but the linkages it has around the entire business landscape ! From a business standpoint there is no debate !

Traditional  KERALA
The state is a veritable collage and cultural fusion of the world. The best of Kerala is also seen in Kochi where the best way to understand people is to savour the Onam ( popular festival)sadya(feast).The delicious aroma of cooked rice, mingled with pieces and the woodsmoke  wafts through air where the banana leaves are laid .The leaves are brightened by the silver drops of water dancing on the green contours of the leaves. All the dishes are arranged in an order that makes the palate look like a painting. Several islands of colours spread on the leaves. The best of Kerala is not a ‘see and go’ theatre – it is a ‘stay and experience’ proposition !

Artisitic KERALA
The Muziris Biennale has proved that Kerala has a world culture breathing in it. The wide diaspora of Keralites working around the world and profuse indulgence of the Dutch ,Jews and  Portuguese has given an artistic identify which not only finds similarity with the global tourist, but also presents a unique flavour that only Kerala and that too Kochi ,  retains. Within a short time since its inception , the Muziris Biennale has been rated amongst the best and is on the world tourist calendar.

Egalitarian KERALA
The HDI indicators of Kerala are not be scoffed at.  The best countries in India and the world will take a decade to reach some of the figures that Kerala boasts of. A society such as this will focus on development locally and show the world that ‘small and local’ will thrive. The conscious society is law abiding and is well aware of its duty and its rights. An exemplary model of secularism and plurality, it has amongst the highest density of religious institutions, where people of different caste and creed celebrate together. The local governance is participative, inclusive and provides last mile governance through a well networked web of Panchayats and Taluks.

‘Konnected’ KERALA
Kerala has among the fastest rising mobile population in India and this prepares for e-commerce in unprecedented ways. The average time the young and old Keralite not just connecting but transacting commerce on their phone is reaching astounding levels. Digital literacy is high and slowly the digital infrastructure will swell to meet the demands. Every service provider has Kochi as one of the priority cities to focus on looking at the potential market of consumers.

With the right focus on building infrastructure and ‘smartly’ aligning  policies , sky is the limit. A small incident  which comes to me – some years ago , when treasures were covered in the Sri PadmanabhaSwamy Temple in Trivandrum , in Kerala – there was a media frenzy in valuing the temple assets and comparing it to the Vatican and other such much visited places of spiritual importance. That is not the important tenet around the discovery – the importance is – ‘this is perhaps , God , telling the non residentKeralaite that – “All the wealth in the world resides in God’s own Country“!



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Tuesday, 7 March 2017

08:24

ASTHA TRAIN – AN ALL INCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS TOURIST TRAIN FROM PURI

ASTHA TRAIN – AN ALL INCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS TOURIST TRAIN FROM PURI

06-03-2017
Bhubaneswar

ASTHA TRAIN – AN ALL INCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS TOURIST TRAIN FROM PURI

# A rare opportunity for common passengers and Tourists to visit
​ ​​important religious places of Northern parts India

# A Complete Tourist Package for 09 Coaches

# Point to Point booking for common Passengers in 07 Coaches

Indian Railways will launch an all-inclusive 'Aastha Tourist Special Train' from Puri which will take travellers to a mix of popular pilgrimage destinations in northern parts of the country at an affordable price on 4thApril 2017 for a period of 11days & 10 nights upto 14thApril 2017.

This is a rare opportunity for the passengers of this region who are not getting confirmed tickets or are not getting direct trains to the particular religious destinations who may avail this facility either by tourist package system or by common train ticket booking.

This dedicated tourist special train from Puri is a very unique concept where a dedicated tourist train would take tourists to various religious destinations of north India like Gaya, Mathura, Vrindavan, Agra, Haridwar & Rishikesh, Amritsar and Vaishnodevi in Northern parts of India from Puri/Bhubaneswar.

Astha Special Tourist Train will be covering important tourist places in the country. Boarding points for tourists of Astha Special Train from Puri will be Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Kharagpur, Asansol and Gaya. Common passengers can also book their tickets for their journey to the particular destinations from the boarding points like journey in other regular trains.    

The train will have 16 Sleeper Class coaches of which nine coaches will be for the pilgrims to be run by IRCTC and seven will be for common passengers from point to point destinations.

 Source:ECOR

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Tuesday, 7 February 2017

07:39

SHIMLA TOURIST TRAIN -SHIVALIK DELUXE,PALACE,QUEEN COACHES

SHIMLA TOURIST TRAIN -SHIVALIK DELUXE,PALACE,QUEEN COACHES

Shivalik Deluxe Express
Introduced on the lines of Shatabdi Express this train chugging its way up the hills has only one stop - Barog. The journey time - 4 hrs. 45 min. The amenity fittings match the modern times. wall to wall carpet, wide glass windows, reversible cushioned chairs, improved toilet facilities, cabin for couple, tables for meal, tube lights, music system, micro phones for communication with the guard to name just a few. With a sitting capacity of 120 it connects the Howrah-Kalka mail. 

The fare is Rs. 305 per ticket either way between Kalka and Shimla. Breakfast is served in UP and dinner in DN direction.

Reservation can be secured in any Computerized Railway Reservation Office.

Shivalik Palace
(KALKA - SHIMLA) [TOURIST COACH] :
For an exciting and charming journey for the elite class tourist between Kalka and Shimla, the Shivalik Palace (Tourist coach) has free on board catering with an exclusive range of kitchen ware. Special features include - decorative lights, musical cordless bell, music system, variety of indoor games, magazines and books, most ultra modern amenity fittings in bathroom, artificial decorative plant, dining table with beautiful cushioned chair, folding beds etc. Shivalik Palace is meant normally for a party of 6 persons. 

The fare is Rs. 8,285 (both ways). Rs. 4,790 for UP direction Rs. 3,495 for DN direction. 

Two complimentary retiring rooms at Shimla for one day.

Shivalik Queen
(KALKA - SHIMLA) [TOURIST COACH] :
Shivalik Queen coach has been launched for honeymooners. Each coupe offers exclusive privacy and big windows for panoramic view of hills. The coupe has wall-to-wall carpet and the windows are elegantly curtained. There is an alarm bell for communication with driver while microphone keeps you in touch with the guard. Free newspaper and magazines are provided at Kalka and Shimla. 

The Rs. 790 per couple.

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Sunday, 5 February 2017

07:10

IRCTC offers tour package to Dubai from March 28 to 31

IRCTC offers tour package to Dubai from March 28 to 31

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced a package tour to Dubai between March 28 and 31 this year.

Sight-seeing

IRCTC Joint General Manager N. Sanjeevaiah said tourists would be taken for sight-seeing for the Dhow cruise with a dinner on board, Dubai city tour, Miracle Garden, experience the desert safari with a barbeque dinner and belly dance, Burj Khalifa and Dubai shopping.

In Abu Dhabi, they will visit the Grand Mosque, Shik Zayed Centre, Heritage Village, Ali Port, which is the largest man-made port on the drive to Abu Dhabi, and also a drive around the 14 km-long Corniche on the beach overlooking residential apartments, apart from seeing the Global Village, Mr. Sanjeevaiah said.

Tourists would be flown out from here to Dubai by Emirates flight number EK 527 at 10.15 a.m. on March 28 and land at Dubai International Airport Emirates Terminal at 12.45 p.m. the same day.

Return flight

The return flight no. EK 524 will leave Dubai at 9.50 p.m. on March 31 and land at the Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here at 2.45 a.m. in the wee hours of April 1, a release said.

Package includes air tickets, visa charges, travel insurance, accommodation in a three-star hotel on twin/triple sharing in Dubai, air-conditioned vehicle for road transportation, an English-speaking guide/escort, three meals, four lunches and three dinners in Indian restaurants, two 500-ml packaged drinking water bottles, tourism fee in Dirhams for three nights stay in Dubai, all entry fee in sight-seeing places and all applicable taxes.

Package cost

Package costs Rs. 64,047 and Rs. 55,486 for single and double/triple occupancy respectively, while for a child, it will be Rs. 52,010 and Rs. 49,394 with separate bed and without bed, respectively. Group size will be 25 persons.

Tourists can book them at the IRCTC zonal office on Sarojini Road, Paryatak Bhavan, Secunderabad railway station and those at Vijayawada and Tirupati too, apart from browsing the website, the IRCTC Joint General Manager said.

Source:The Hindu
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Friday, 30 December 2016

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Saturday, 22 October 2016

08:04

Indian Railways organises Conference on Heritage Rail Tourism jointly with Asia Pacific Heritage & Rail Tourism Organisation

Indian Railways organises Conference on Heritage Rail Tourism jointly with Asia Pacific Heritage & Rail Tourism Organisation 

Heritage Rail Tourism Conference was organized by Indian Railways at National Rail Museum, New Delhi jointly with Asia Pacific Heritage & Rail Tourism Organization (APHRTO), from 19-21 October, 2016. Participants from many countries including Japan, UK, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, senior officers of Indian Railways and other stakeholders of Heritage Rail Tourism were present in the Conference. 

Shri Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia delivered a talk on ‘Heritage Rail Tourism in Australia’ in a curtain raiser held on 19th October 2016. 

Shri Tim Fischer (Australia), along with Shri Adrian Shooter (UK), Shri David Morgan (UK) and Dr. Nui (Taiwan) and accompanied by Secretary, Railway Board and Executive Director/Heritage, Railway Board met Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 19th October 2016 to discuss ideas on developing Rail Heritage Tourism in India. The participants also visited Heritage Transport Museum, Gurgaon, being managed by Heritage Transportation Trust, New Delhi. 

Dr. Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog delivered keynote speaker in the inaugural session held on 20th October 2016. The inaugural session was graced by Shri Hemant Kumar, Member Rolling Stock, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, CMD/Air India Ltd., Shri R.K. Verma, Secretary, Railway Board. The international conference, the first time ever organized in National Rail Museum on Heritage Rail Tourism is having three technical sessions with 14 papers being presented by national and international delegates primarily covering various aspects of Rail Heritage and promoting Heritage Rail Tourism in the world. 

The Annual General Meetings of APHTRO and WATTRAIN (World Association of Tourist Trams and Trains) had been held as a side event. It was envisaged that this APHTRO Conference will bring ideas and visions for strategizing Rail Heritage Tourism in India. 

Source:PIBNEWS 
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Tuesday, 30 August 2016

06:57

‘Awesome Assam’ Assam Tourism and IRCTC Tour Packages

‘Awesome Assam’ Assam Tourism and IRCTC Tour Packages

Value addition, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) and Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDC) have joined hands to link their popular packages.le from Assam in getting better tour deals in other parts of the country through the IRCTC.

As per the agreement between the corporations, the IRCTC will act as a booking agent and utilise the ATDC properties and facilities for both inbound and outbound tourists of Assam. On the other hand, the rail tour packages operated by the IRCTC can also be sold from the ATDC.

With ‘Awesome Assam’ as brand entity, the Assam Tourism is also in the process of roping in a big name from either the Indian film world or the sports arena as its brand ambassador to catch the fancy of backpackers. Value-added packages will give a further fillip to the tourism promotion.

Debasish Chandra, Group Generurists from outside to the excellent locations in Assam, and the MoU, initially for a period of two years, would bring flexibility into that. The IRCTC can bring tourists both by train and air. There is immense potential to extend this tie-up to other northeastern states,” he said.

As per government data, in 2015-16 a total of 5,642,950 domestic tourists and 26,320 foreign tourists visited Assam. In the past decade, domestic tourist visits recorded an average annual growth of 15.3 per cent and foreign tourist visits registered 8.2 per cent growth in the state.

“There would be a fund pool for such packages and the ATDC will allow the IRCTC to use its local network and enterprise resources for ensuring smooth operation of the tour packages and maximum convenience to the tourists. The packages can also be extended to our tour operators for a wider reach,” said ATDC Managing Director Anurag Singh.

Domestic tourists who travel by train will be greatly benefitted through the composite tour packages of the ATDC and IRCTC, which would be offered on concessional rates by both the parties involved.

The most popular tour circuits operated by the ATDC, including the Guwahati-Shillong-Cherrapunjee trip, religious tour package within Guwahati, and visits to Kaziranga, Manas and other wildlife tourism spots, would get further boost through this tie-up.

Seeking a long-term cooperation with the IRCTC, the ATDC would soon launch eco-tourism training for both urban and rural youth around the destinations.

“Initially, 50 locations, including Merbeel, Dibru-Saikhowa and Pobitora have been chosen across the state for specialised training for eco-tourism. After the training, the trainees will be able to start their eco-tourism projects and camps, including home stays in remote locations,” the ATDC MD said.

Source:RailNews
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Thursday, 4 August 2016

23:03

IRCTC changes tracks to take on travel portals like Cleartrip, Yatra & Makemytrip

IRCTC changes tracks to take on travel portals like Cleartrip, Yatra & Makemytrip

IRCTC, railway ticket booking platform, is partnering with internet-led companies such as Paytm, BlaBlaCars and Amazon to expand its footprints...

IRCTC, railway ticket booking platform, is partnering with internet-led companies such as Paytm, BlaBlaCars and Amazon to expand its footprints beyond railway travel and enter air ticketing, hotel bookings, e-commerce, and ride-sharing business.
A K Manocha, chairman and managing director of IRCTC said he wants IRCTC to become an online travel aggregator offering a host of services.
On the e-commerce front, IRCTC’s contract with Amazon ended in June and it has invited fresh bids for its e-tailing sector. Official at IRCTC confirmed that it is in talks with Flipkart and Snapdeal for the e-commerce business.
IRCTC has also tied-up with Paytm for sale of its unreserved ticket, Manocha said. If the consumer makes the transaction via Paytm he will be able to redeem the service charge with payback points offered by Paytm. “This will be cheaper as well as convenient for public than going to the booking counter,” he added. IRCTC targets sales of about 15-20 million unreserved tickets via the Paytm platform.
In June 2015, the ticket booking platform had tied up with BlaBlaCar to offer ride sharing to its travellers.
Raghav Gupta, India country manager at BlaBlaCar said, “We have an advertising tie-up with IRCTC on their website. If a person needs to travel from city A to city B, with train options they will also see the option of BlaBlaCar.”
This ensures visibility across 4.25 crore registered users of IRCTC across India.
The contract is reviewed every six months and currently the discussion with IRCTC is underway. Gupta shared that IRCTC contributed a significant portion to the total number of rides booked and it pays a fixed fee for banner display on the website. Manocha said that IRCTC is building a cloud for cab pooling and a database for all the users.
Big data analytics will be used in a commercial way to provide for better services, this will also facilitate the removal of the current limit on bookings done through an ID.
IRCTC has recently also signed a memorandum of understanding with SBI to work out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, including internet ticketing and unreserved ticketing system.
Given the scale and the user base of IRCTC it has an edge over travel portal such as Cleartrip, Yatra, and Makemytrip, among others. Also IRCTC’s reach in Tier II and Tier III cities can help the e-commerce companies garner larger traction from such areas. After e-tailing, travel and hospitality was holding the largest share of funding in the first half of 2016 with 21%.
In April, Oyo Rooms’ mopped up $100 million from Greenoaks Capital and Softbank being the only $100 million+ deal in the internet sector in the April-June quarter, according to a report by Jefferies India. Other deals in the travel segment in 2016 include $250 million raised by Ibibo Group, $17 million by Treebo Hotel, $14 million by Stayzilla.com and $8 million by FabHotels.


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Thursday, 16 June 2016

07:47

Ministry of Tourism celebrates International Yoga Day on June 21,2016

Ministry of Tourism celebrates International Yoga Day on June 21,2016

Yoga is a 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin in India, which aims to transform both body and mind; and on 11th Dec. 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga. 175 nations, including USA, Canada and China co-sponsored the resolution and it had the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA Resolution of such nature.

Ministry of Tourism is celebrating the 2nd International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2016 by hosting a FAM Tour for a group of 50 foreign delegates consisting of Tour Operators/ Travel Agents/ Media Persons/ Opinion Makers/ Scholars from 20 countries which are source markets and the markets that matter for promotion of Yoga and Wellness. This group of 50 delegates will split into 2 group, which will participate in Delhi and Chandigarh on 21st June, 2016, separately. Both the groups will then follow a tour program including visit to the wellness & spiritual centres in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Trivandrum, Cochin, Neyyar (Kerala), Pondicherry & Chennai.

Source:PIBNEWS
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Wednesday, 15 June 2016

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Monday, 4 April 2016

22:27

IRCTC’s summer trip to Sri Lanka

IRCTC’s summer trip to Sri Lanka

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd., announces ‘Wonders of Sri Lanka,’ a summer-special tour, for four nights and five days commencing from May 4.

“It covers important places of leisure such as Sigriya, Kandy, Bentota and Colombo. The coast includes flight tickets, accommodation, sightseeing, meals and visa charges,” a release said. 

For details, contact 9840902918/919/9003024169 or visit www.irctctourism.com.

 Source:The Hindu 



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Saturday, 12 March 2016

22:43

IRCTC Introduces Cab, Porter Services

IRCTC Introduces Cab, Porter Services

HYDERABAD: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced cab and porter services in  Secunderabad, Kacheguda, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Guntur and Vijayawada railway stations. Passengers can avail these services through  www.irctctourism.com.

Passengers going to Tirupati can avail cab services to Tirumala, Srikalahasti, Kanipakam and other surrounding places through IRCTC.  For small car segment upto 0-10 km, the charges would be Rs 165,  10-20 km (Rs 330), 20-30 km (Rs 495) and 30-40 km (Rs 660). For medium car, upto 0-10 km, the charges will be Rs 200, 10-20 km (Rs 400), 20-30 km (Rs 595) and 30-40 km (Rs 795).

Cab services at Tirupati Railway Stations : Zone-A (4 hours, 40 km), Tirupati Railway Station to hotel in Tirupati and surrounding places. Rs 660 for Indica, Rs  1,100 for Qualis and Rs 1,430 for Tempo Traveller.Zone-B (8 hours 80 km), Tirupati railway station to hotel in Tirupati.  Tirupati to Tirumala and back to Tirupati and temples in Tirupati to hotel in Tirupati and temples & surrounding places in Tirupati (Rs 1,540, Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,420) Zone-C (12 hours 120 km, Tirupati railway station to hotel in Tirupati. Tirupati to Tirumala and back and temples in Tirupati or Tirupati to Srikalahasti or Kanipakam and temples in Tirupati (Rs 2,145, Rs 2,640 and Rs 3,630).

An additional Rs 70 extra per hour, Rs 9 extra for Indica,  additional Rs 120 extra per hour, Rs 12 extra per for Qualis and additional Rs 100 extra per hour, Rs 16 extra  for Tempo Traveller would be charged.

e-catering to be Extended to 30 More Stations

(IRCTC) now has a variety of menus offered by popular food outlets in select stations. To know more, visit their website www.ecatering.irctc.co.in. This facility is now available in Secunderabad, Vijayawada and Tirupati  stations, and would be extended to another 30 stations. Popular food outlets viz. Dominos Pizza, Sandarshini, Hello Curry, Arya Bhavan, Bhimas, Sindhuri park, and IRCTC food plazas are presently delivering meals through e-catering. Once ordered, the food would be delivered at passenger’s seat in select stations. Amount can be prepaid while booking or by Cash On Delivery.


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Monday, 4 January 2016

08:00

Lack of publicity tells upon ‘Araku special’

Lack of publicity tells upon ‘Araku special’

The train has been introduced following demand from passengers

A contrasting picture of two passenger trains was seen on Sunday. One was full of passengers, bound for Araku, while the other a special train to Araku, which has hardly any patronage.

In the first train 1 VK Passenger, there was not even enough space to sit, while the second special train, which left in a gap of about an hour, passengers could have the whole berth for themselves. The choice of the passengers seemed to defy logic. But, the reasons are not hard to find. Most of the passengers were unaware that the railways was running Araku specials for the first time on Saturday and Sunday bowing to the demand from the travelling public.

It was around 6.30 a.m. on Sunday. Hundreds of passengers were rushing towards the general booking counters at the main entrance of Visakhapatnam Railway Station. Many rushed towards the counters, while some approached the ATVM operators for tickets to trains leaving early in the day.

No one has asked for tickets for the Araku special. “They don’t seem to know that a special is being operated to Araku,” said an ATVM operator. Ironically, while there were repeated announcements on the public address system on the Visakhapatnam - Koraput Passenger and occasional announcement of 1 VK passenger and other express trains, only one announcement was made for the Araku special and that at 7.35 a.m., after the 1 VK left the station around 7.15 a.m.

The 1 VK was full with some passengers standing in almost all the coaches. Interestingly, the Araku Special was standing on a shunting line in the station but no announcement was made about the availability of the special train. Had the Araku special kept on the vacant platform adjacent to the one on which 1 VK was standing, those who failed to get a seat on 1 VK would have shifted to the special train and travelled in comfort.

Silent exit

The special made a silent exit, without any announcement, around 8.15 a.m.

Tourists, who opted for the rail-cum-road package tour of the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), were accommodated in a single coach on 1 VK. There were 80 seats in the coach and it was full. Even the APTDC customers were ignorant of the special train. “We are encouraging our customers to use the road package, when our quota of berths on the train is exhausted. This is because the railways is not in a position to allocate more berths to us in view of the heavy demand during the peak season (October-January) every year,” an official of APTDC had earlier told The Hindu and the present demand shows there is no change in the situation.

Tourists, who come mostly from West Bengal and Odisha, book their journey mostly online months before the beginning of the peak season.

Damodar, a teacher at a GVMC School, said: “I came to know of this train through newspapers. It was announced only a few days ago and more publicity could have resulted in more number of passengers utilising the special. These days FM radio is very popular, the railways could have at least used the FM radio stations to spread the message. Further, there were no announcements at the railway station.” Ravi Kiran of Visakhapatnam was seen engrossed in reading a newspaper seated near the window in the Araku special. He said: “I came to know about the train through newspaper,” he said.

Three youths travelling in a different coach said: “We came to know of this train through the Internet.”

Some passengers wondered whether the Araku special would be available next weekends also.

More publicity could have resulted in more number of passengers utilising the special service

Damodar

A teacher

Source:The Hindu
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Wednesday, 4 November 2015

08:01

India is aiming to attract one million UK visitors by 2020, Says Tourism Secretary

India is aiming to attract one million UK visitors by 2020, Says Tourism Secretary 

Shri Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism headed the Indian delegation at World Travel Market in London today and said that India is aiming to attract one million UK visitors by 2020 through a number of key pro-active initiatives. The Secretary announced that many of the new initiatives will form part of India’s proposed new National Tourism Policy to catapult tourism to greater heights. 

Following the success of India’s Electronic Tourist Visa scheme, launched in November 2014, proposals are already in process to extend the e-Visa’s validity from 30 to 180 days in 2016. Proposals are also in place to make it available in 150 countries worldwide (currently 113) ensuring multiple or double entry. Through the new Electronic Tourist Visa, applications are generally processed within three working days. 

Speaking on the occasion Shri Zutshi said that we are committed to make it easy for travellers wanting to come to India, not least through our e-Visa scheme but also the improved air connectivity with India. We aim to attract more visitors through the promotion and development of our niche tourism experiences such as adventure, wellness, golf, spiritual and the ‘Paradise Unexplored’- the North East. we are working to improve the infrastructure at many of our beach destinations, the Secretary added. 

Stressing India’s appeal as a year-round and diverse destination, Shri Vinod Zutshi further announced the creation of a new Medical Tourism Board and Golf Promotion Committee, both of which are charged with developing the infrastructure, product and appeal of both medical, wellness tourism and golf. 

India will also be appointing new tourism marketing representatives in Argentina, Brazil, Russia, China and Japan in the next two years. 

India’s largest-ever WTM delegation includes representatives from almost all of India’s states with a record attendance of 6 tourism Ministers and over 50 private India based Travel Organisations and State Governments. 

Global tourism arrivals to India in 2014 were 7.68 million, up 10.2% over 2013 – India is outperforming global inbound tourism which rose by just 4.7% in the same period. From the UK, visitor arrivals were 838,860 in 2014, an increase of 3.8% over 2013. 

Source :PIBNEWS.
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Thursday, 8 October 2015

06:23

IRCTC offers tours from Vizag to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore


IRCTC offers tours from Vizag to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Bhubaneswar, is offering a package tour from Visakhapatnam to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Singapore starting on December 3.

The package is for five nights and six days with two nights’ stay each at KL and Singapore. There will be a group of 20 passengers and they will start from the Visakhapatnam International Airport.

The places to be covered in KL include: National Mosque and Museum, Twin Towers, Sunway Lagoon and KL Towers. Activities in Singapore will include: drive around the city, China Town, colonial landmarks, Little India, Merlion, Sentosa Island by cable car, Universal Studios, underworld oceanarium and Singapore flyer.

The IRCTC will provide to and fro flight tickets, 3-star AC hotels, exclusive AC vehicle, English-speaking guide for the entire trip, lunch and breakfast in Indian restaurants with continental breakfast for the entire trip and an IRCTC tour manager from Visakhapatnam Airport to Malaysia and Singapore and back, according to IRCTC officials Kranti P. Sawarkar and Sanghamitra Roul.

The package tour will cost Rs. 66,700 per person (sharing occupancy). The package cost is inclusive of all taxes.

The IRCTC Bhubaneswar is also conducting a Tirupati tour package from Visakhapatnam with confirmed reservation by the Tirumala Express on Fridays. The package includes to and fro train tickets, accommodation, meals, transportation, confirmed Sheegra darshan ticket, darshan at Tiruchanur, Kanipakam, Srikalahasti and Srinivasa Mangapuram.
 The all-inclusive package starts at Rs. 4,142 per person.

Interested persons can contact Bhubaneswar on the mobile numbers 09777440059/50 or landline 0674-2303657 or log on to www.irctctourism.com for online booking.

Source:The Hindu
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Thursday, 3 September 2015

23:38

IRCTC move to provide online cab services

IRCTC  move to provide online cab services

IRCTC cab service plan sparks protest

Agra: Protesting against the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) move to provide online cab services, to ferry tourist in and around Agra and Mathura, Agra Cantt station driver and tour operators union has alleged that IRCTC did not consult them even once before launching the service. 

There are total 220 registered cabs and 550 taxi at Agra Cantt station that have been ferrying tourists in and around of Agra for last 40 years.

Speaking to TOI, Riyaz Usmani, vice president of union said, "We don't understand, how IRCTC can ignore our presence and prefer to hire new tour operators. Our union has been working for last 40 years here. IRCTC is hurting our livelihood as nearly 770 drivers and their families are associated with the business at Agra Cantt station." 

He said, "We all drivers are qualified, well-aware of local places and are accredited by the department of tourism. This is totally absurd on the part of IRCTC, that they have not given us chance to work in collaboration with them." 

Sandeep Dutta, public relation officer of IRCTC, said, "We are not giving any kind of favor to anyone. It was open tender and all tour operators were free to participate in it." 

In a bid to encourage tourism and provide hassle free cab service, IRCTC will be launching cab service between Agra-Mathura and Fatehpur Sikri this week. It will provide an option on its website to book cab other than train tickets for the same. 

The service will need to be booked at least 36 hours in advance so that the allotment of individual taxis and porters can arranged. The facilities can be reserved while booking tickets through IRCTC website. The passengers will be provided details about the cab 45 minutes before the arrival of the train at the destination. 

A passenger will need to pay Rs 1,500-1,600 for a half-day ride, which will take him to local monuments, while for full-day one has to pay Rs 2700 in which cab service provider can take the tourist to Mathura or Fatehpur Sikri to tour forts and other religious places. 

Meanwhile, UP tourism has also come up with a plan to give around 35 tour packages to tourists. 

 Source:TOI
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