Travel & Tourism Insights

​Hainan (China), April 6 (IANS) Coconut and straws featured in the opening speech by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang which largely revolved around the economic travails of his country at the Boao Forum here. Li, who did not mince words about the difficult times ahead for the world's second largest economy, said how a small piercing tool had made drinking coconut water with straws more hygienic for tourists in Hainan, an island province in southern China. The reference to coconut water and tourists in Hainan was aptly made to underline China's plan to develop this island into a world-class tourist hub, which hosted the four-day economic summit in Boao city in March. Having seen its economy slow down to a 25-year low of 6.9 percent in 2015, China seems to be making a transition from industry to service sector, which grew by 8.3 percent as compared 6 percent manufacturing growth last year. Described as Oriental Hawaii by the Chinese media, Hainan, located in the South China Sea, is blessed with pristine beaches, volcanic mountains and tropical rain forests. The place is a heaven for those who have a fondness for seafood. The island, which until 2010 was more known for producing tropical fruits, is vying to catch up with established international tourist destinations in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia. It was only in 2010 that the Chinese government decided to turn the laid-back island into a global tourist spot. Over the years, Beijing seems to be fiercely promoting tourism in Hainan but it is yet to become popular with international tourists. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, 97 percent of the tourists who thronged Hainan in 2014 were Chinese. "After agriculture, tourism is the next big thing in Hainan. The goal is to make this island as an international tourist spot by 2020," Zhao Hong, division director of Hainan Tourism Commission, told IANS. Hainan generated over 57 billion yuan as revenue from tourism in 2015, an increase of 13 percent from the previous year. In February, the provincial government doubled the cap for buying duty free products from 8,000 yuan to 16,000 per trip for domestic tourists. The resort town of Sanya has one of the world's largest duty-free shops. Hainan has 82 five-star hotels, some located on a 7.5-kilometre long Yalong Bay in Sanya. A total of 23 international hotel groups are operating in Hainan. Besides scenic beauty, Sanya's infrastructure is developing rapidly. The tree-lined roads and magnificent high-rises give a sense of infrastructure and environment going in hand in hand. Zhao says that heavy industries are not allowed in Hainan. The sail-shaped skyscrapers on the man-made Phoenix Island in Sanya look magnificent. The government is planning to expand the Sanya Phoenix International Airport. The Hainan Airlines is already in the list of Fortune 500 companies. The island also boasts of a 650-km high-speed rail network which connects all the major airports. China claims it to be the world's first circular high-speed railway line. The train, which runs at a speed of 250 km per hour, takes a little over three hours for a trip of the entire island. Travelling on this train, which has a cafeteria and other modern facilities, is a real treat since it passes through tropical forests and man-made tunnels. Sanya also has tourist police - a first of its kind. It was launched in December last year to protect tourists. It was set up after a tourist complained that he was charged 1,520 yuan for a dish of prawns. The tourist was in for a shock when he was told that the price per prawn was 38 yuan. "The number of tourists is increasing from Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Russia," Li Yongquan, a tour guide in Hainan, told IANS. Locals say more and more "white-skinned" people can be seen smashing volleyball on Sanya's beach over the years. But the Chinese outnumber the foreigners​

Agra, April 5 (IANS) India's fastest train, Gatimaan Express, reached the Taj Mahal city from New Delhi on Tuesday in 99 minutes, with an official saying it had set a new benchmark for railways. "It sets a new benchmark for Indian Railways. We have to keep doing better," said Divisional Railway Manager Prabhash Kumar, who welcomed the passengers at the Agra Cantt station at 11.50 a.m. The passengers got off the 12-coach train looking fresh and excited, officials said. The train includes eight Chair Cars of 78 seats each and two Executive Chair Car coaches with 56 seats each. "A total of 411 passengers came in the inaugural run including a contingent of journalists," a Northern Railway official in New Delhi told IANS. Officials admitted there were many empty seats on Monday. The train will ply six days a week. The train was flagged off by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu at 10.11 a.m. from the Nizamuddin station in south Delhi, said Neeraj Sharma, the chief public relations officer. From now on, the Gatimaan Express will leave Delhi every morning at 8.10. It will make its return journey from Agra at 5.50 p.m. "Launching of Gatimaan Express is an important step for railways. Our drive to scale new heights continues unabated," said Prabhu at the launch. He also inaugurated an executive lounge at the Agra Cantt station via remote from Delhi. The earlier fastest train connecting New Delhi and Agra was the Bhopal Shatabdi, which used to take 117 minutes to reach the Taj Mahal city from the national capital. It completed its return journey in 122 minutes. The Gatimaan Express runs at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour and claims to provide improved onboard service, upgraded food menu and free onboard WiFi entertainment. For the first time, the railways have experimented with train hostesses. The train has bio toilets, radium strips on both sides of the coaches so that light is reflected back for security, jerkless draft gear system as well as braille signs. The fare for a Chair Car seat is Rs.750 and for an Executive Chair Car seat Rs.1,500. On Monday, a team of railway officials found shortcomings at 14 spots between Delhi and Agra. Workers toiled till late at night to set things in order. The Shatabdi started in 1988. It was originally meant to cover the distance between New Delhi and Agra in 90 minutes but this was extended for safety reasons. Meanwhile, the loco pilots of the Agra railway division continued their protest on Tuesday for being denied permission to run the train. The ministry has asked the Delhi division to provide the staff. Among those not really excited about the new high speed train are the tourism industry leaders. "All three premier tourist trains -- Taj Express, Shatabdi and now the Gatimaan -- reach Agra in the morning and return in the evening," said Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association. "The tourists do not see the necessity of spending the night in Agra after seeing the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. At least one train must run from Delhi to Agra in the evening," he said.

Panaji, April 1 (IANS) Beaches in Goa will soon be WiFi-enabled and also covered by closed-circuit television, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said on Friday. The state, known for its beach and nightlife, had tapped into a central government scheme to ensure internet service along the coastal hotspots, he told reporters on the sidelines of a media event here. "All the beaches in Goa will be covered by Wi-Fi, thanks to tourism ministry's Swadesh Darshan scheme under which the Goa government has got Rs.100 crore," Parulekar said. Goa attracts nearly 40 lakh tourists every year, including half a million from abroad. Parulekar said under the scheme, CCTVs would be installed along the beaches for strengthening security. ​

​Singapore, March 19 (IANS) The Singapore ArtScience Museum on Saturday unveiled a new exhibit that merges cutting edge technology with artistic design and creativity in 15 larger-than-life installations mimicking ecosystems, cities and space. "Art is usually static with limited interaction. Now technology has opened new opportunities for artists to stretch their imagination," said Fujiwara Tetsuya, the managing director of Panasonic System Solutions. Panasonic in Asia Pacific partnered with the Singaporean ArtScience Museum and teamLab, a Japanese art and technology collective, to create the earth-inspired exhibit, EFE news reported. The 1,500 square-metre exhibit "FUTURE WORLD: Where Art Meets Science" under the first theme "Nature" invites visitors to explore rooms where flowers bloom and die and butterflies flutter in interweaving pixels on gallery walls. Using teamLab's interactive 4D vision technology "visitors experience the universe from within it, as it surrounds, enfolds them and responds to their presence, thus helping visitors understand themselves as part of the vastness of celestial space", said teamLab. The second concept, "Town", reflects a cityscape that invites visitors to populate towns by inputting digital data, watching cities grow and physically build and construct architecture with fibreglass light cubes. Finally, the crystal universe of "Space" transports viewers into a darkened galaxy with star-studded skies, with over 170,000 LED lights used to light up the re-creation of the universe. "We hope to invoke in visitors a new and imaginative sense of wonder in the world around us," said Honor Hagar, the executive director of the ArtScience Museum.​

​Bangkok, March 18 (IANS) Thai hoteliers in major tourist destinations are preparing measures to deal with serious drought this summer, the media reported on Friday. Members of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) are running water-saving campaigns after being warned that this year's drought will be the worst in a decade, The Bangkok Post. "We have asked for cooperation from our member hotels to help save water," said THA president Surapong Techaruvichit. Many hotels, particularly big ones, have their own water reserves and some have already bought water. In Phuket - one of most visited places in the country, the THA reported that hotels have enough water reserves for use until June. According to the Public Works Department, hotel guests use an average of 350 litres of water per day. Normally, people consume 180-200 litres per day. Saving water in Thailand has become a major issue after warnings that many provinces are expected to run out of water for household consumption and other essential use. ​

​Jakarta, March 18 (IANS) Indonesia has waived visa requirements for 79 more countries, expanding the list to 169 visa-free nations as it continues its efforts to boost foreign visitor numbers. President Joko Widodo on March 2 signed a decree granting visa-free entry to tourists who wish to travel in the country for 30 days, said a statement published on the Cabinet Secretary website on Friday."The presidential decree comes into effect once it is ratified, " the statement said, noting that the Legal and Human Rights Ministry authorised it on March 10. According to the statement, Australia is included in the list of countries after the country was mooted three times last year but later the reciprocal issues were dropped over, Xinhua news agency reported.Throughout last year, the Indonesian government expanded the list to 90 from 15 visa-free countries. The government has set a target to attract 20 million foreign tourists annually by 2019 as an effort to boost growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Last year alone, 9.73 million tourists visited the Indonesia​

​Abu Dhabi, March 14 (IANS/WAM) The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) has launched a new, improved version of its Visit Abu Dhabi mobile application.The app, which allows users to gain instant access to "all that’s new" in the emirate, is now live and features several upgrades and enhancements. Version 4.0 of the app, which allows access to the same content as the authority’s destination portal, VisitAbuDhabi.ae, is available for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.Mouza Al Shamsi, acting executive director of marketing and communications at TCA Abu Dhabi, said, "We’ve listened carefully to customer feedback and our app has been completely redesigned following the latest user experience trends to make the whole experience even more immersive and easy to use. All of the key features that you’re familiar with from our previous versions are still present but now they’re even faster, smarter and bursting with functionality." "A number of useful and intuitive new additions are also present, including integration with The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, which will allow users to book a taxi directly from within the app will allow the user to discover the best route and schedule to get to any point of interest, said Al Shamsi. "The app has also been integrated with TripAdvisor, to allow access to reviews for all locations, hotels and restaurants," she added.​

​London, March 16 (IANS) SITA, a Switzerland-based IT and telecommunication company, on Wednesday unveiled "Smart Path" -- a single biometric token that can be used at the airports for hassle-free entry and exit movement. The new technology, unveiled during the world's largest airport exhibition "Passenger Terminal EXPO" being held in Germany from March 15-17, allows passengers to move through the airport and board the aircraft simply by presenting themselves for a biometric check. Once verified, there is no need for the passenger to present a boarding pass, a passport or travel documents again. "We have built on this unique expertise to create SITA 'Smart Path' -- a single, secure, self-service process using existing common-use infrastructure that simplifies secure, passenger processing for everyone - airlines, airports and border authorities," Matthys Serfontein, vice president, airport solutions at SITA, said in a statement. With "Smart Path", the passenger's biometric details are captured through a facial scan at the first touch point in the journey. The record is checked against the passenger's travel documents, typically the passport, and a secure single token is created. Then, at each step of the journey - from check-in, to aircraft boarding or border control - passengers gain access simply with a facial scan and without having to show their passport or boarding pass. SITA is currently working with a number of major airlines and airports to integrate biometrics into the passenger journey and expects that by 2020, passengers using biometrics will be the norm at airports across the world.​

​New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) A holiday is meant to relax you, but the endless planning, long flights, and jet lag leave you restless -- no wonder then that many people feel they need a holiday to recover from a holiday! Carrying less and taking care of alcohol limits can make the journey smooth for you. Global travel search company Skyscanner conducted interview with cabin crew across airlines and asked them a bunch of questions on how to make your travel experiences better and the answers may surprise you. * What is the simplest way to get upgraded?: While all airlines have their own policies regarding upgrades, the best chance to get upgraded is by not being a total douche at the check-in counter. That completely eliminates all odds of an upgrade. The sure shot way though is to enrol yourself into a frequent flyer programme -- especially if you tend to have a preference for a particular airline. Most airlines will upgrade their frequent flyers. * How to avoid paying for overweight baggage?: Carry less is the solution. Apparently the trick is to balance out the weight between your check-in and hand baggage. Always pick a backpack over a trolley bag (as hand baggage) since the former is unlikely to be suspected for being too heavy. * What is the alcohol limit on international and domestic flights?: Despite whatever you’ve read, this highly depends on two factors -- your behaviour, and the cabin crew’s mood. Since everyone has a different capacity, flight attendants constantly monitor signs of passengers being too high (like suddenly breaking into a jig), and if you are, consider it your last drink! In general, every subsequent drink reduces your chances of the next one. * How to calm down a constantly crying infant?: Every child is different, but in general, taking them to the galley brings out the curiosity in them and keeps them busy for a bit. Distractions always work since they are usually crying out of sheer boredom. Never give them sugar since the temporary rush makes them even more irritable. Moreover, many infants cry due to pressure in the ears and feeding during take-off and landing helps since the jaw movement keeps their ears open. * What does it cost to cargo your pet?: This is highly dependent on the airline and its individual policies along with the size of your pet. Also there are restrictions on how many animals are permitted on board so you need to book much in advance to ensure a place. Certain breeds are not allowed at all since their genetic traits make them unsuitable for air travel. * How to ensure that your baggage arrives first?: The simplest way is to request for it to be marked as ‘priority baggage’. If you’re a frequent flyer, this request will always be processed but even if you’re not, nicely asking for it will help you get a tag. Also marking your bag as fragile helps. * How to beat jet lag?: Pop a melatonin pill before the flight. This works like a charm for many people. Also, if you reach a place in the morning and it's night time in your home country, do anything but keep yourself awake till it’s night wherever you are. This resets your body clock and helps you adjust to the time difference easily.​