Tag: Travel

Global, India, Travel

Incredible India Wins Pata Gold Award 2019

The Incredible India “Find the Incredible You” campaign released globally by the Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19 has been declared winner of the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Award 2019 in the “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category. This year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and individuals worldwide.

The Ministry of Tourism, as part of its promotional initiatives annually releases Global Media Campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand-line in the Television, Print, Digital and Social Media, in key and potential source markets overseas.

To take the Campaigns to the next level, the ‘Incredible India 2.0’ Campaign was launched in September 2017, which marks a shift from generic promotions undertaken across the world to market specific promotional plans and content creation. The campaign focuses on digital and social media and the promotion of Niche Tourism products of the country.

As part of the 2.0 Campaign, five new television commercials were produced by the Ministry, which were aired globally in the television, digital and social media. These were:

  1. Yoga   :           “The Yogi of the Racetrack”
  2. Wellness :      “The Reincarnation of Mr. and Mrs. Jones”
  3. Luxury  :        “The Maharani of Manhattan”
  4. Cuisine  :       “The Masala MasterChef”
  5. Wildlife :       “The Sanctuary in Paris”

The campaign strategy was to shift the focus from the external experience of tourist destinations to the internal experience of travelers themselves. This series of transformative experiences was brought alive through unique storytelling in the format of autobiographies of travelers, with the tagline “Find the Incredible You”.

The series of films have received a very good response and have registered over 153 million views on social media. They were earlier awarded the First Prize in the category of TV Cinema Spot at the International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards at Berlin in March 2019. Continue reading “Incredible India Wins Pata Gold Award 2019” →

Articles, Travel

Book, Beach & Boca Chica! Sun, Sand & Santo Domingo!

Those of us who chose to make Canada our home, obviously love the snow! The world looks pretty! Even so, when it snows non-stop, for weeks, we seek the sun! Reading week for my university student was a perfect time to get warm and cozy. That’s when we landed in Punta Cana!

Since our preference was a not so touristy location, we chose an all-inclusive resort in a small village-town called Boca Chica. The bus journey from the airport to our resort was scenic, laden with hills and greenery! Arriving at our destination by night, our family, a hungry bunch headed straight for dinner! This beach resort, which was home for the next week had plenty to offer! Food, drinks, beach, nightly entertainment, easy access to the village……

On day two, we decided to visit Santo Domingo, the vibrant city that combines splendid centuries-old cathedrals and buildings with amazing parks, lakes and caves.

Travelling in a private car was a fun way to get around. Our enthusiastic driver, who spoke English was more than willing to be our tour guide. He brings us to gorgeous Zona Colonial, where the city’s oldest sights and trendiest shops co-exist adjacent to each other.

Although Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone is small and walkable, the slow-moving Chu Chu Colonial train is an exotic way to explore the area’s treasure of antiquity. This 45-minute guided tour gives you a ride through cobblestone streets as you admire the historic monuments, cathedrals and archaeological ruins that have been there for centuries. Continue reading “Book, Beach & Boca Chica! Sun, Sand & Santo Domingo!” →

Business, Global, India, Travel

Mumbai Airport makes India proud @ ‘Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards’
Mumbai International Airport bags the runner up award in the Favourite Airport Category at The 8th Edition Of Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards

Adding to its extensive list of laurels, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) administered by GVK MIAL bagged the runner up award in the ‘Favourite Airport’ category at the prestigious ‘Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards’.

The star-studded award ceremony, hoisted by bollywood diva Chitrangada Singh held at The Lodhi, New Delhi on 29th November, was attended by government officials, industry leaders, influencers and leaders from the travel and tourism fraternity. The annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards has set the benchmarks in the hospitality and travel industry year on year, since its inception in 1989 in the United States of America.

Selected by thousands of readers in a survey carried out by Condé Nast Traveller, the award reflects Mumbai airport’s excellence in service parameters that go towards satisfying the needs of travellers.

The accolade is an acknowledgement of GVK MIAL’s continuous efforts towards setting quality benchmarks and implementing best practices for the airport industry across the globe. Continue reading “Mumbai Airport makes India proud @ ‘Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards’” →

India, Lifestyle, Travel

EXPLORE ‘SCOTLAND OF THE EAST’ – MEGHALAYA WITH EXCITING JETESCAPES
’ HOLIDAYS FROM JET AIRWAYS

~ All-inclusive holiday packages starting at Rs. 34,160 from Bengaluru~

With the onset of the holiday season, JetEscapes Holidays from Jet Airways – India’s full-service, premier international airline is offering brand new, all-inclusive holiday packages to visit the ‘Scotland of the East’ – Meghalaya in the country’s north-eastern reaches from the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru.

With holidays starting at Rs.34160/- JetEscapes offers guests tailor-made travel packages which include a Jet Airways return economy airfare (inclusive of all taxes), airport transfers, three-star hotel accommodation with breakfast and sightseeing. Guests can also customise packages with accommodation in four or five-star properties for a luxurious experience.

The new packages will give guests the opportunity to take a trip to discover the less explored and increasingly popular Northeast India as part of a three-night/four-day Shillong-Guwahati holiday, or four-night/five-day visit and stay to savour the Northeast with Cherrapunjee – all this for an unforgettable experience, replete with

snow-clad Himalayan peaks, dense hilly jungles nestled in a cool and pleasant environment. Travel is easier and comfortable via direct daily connectivity between Bengaluru and Guwahati via Jet Airways’ 9W 659. Once in the Northeast, guests can experience the iconic confluence of many cultures, races and tribes together with a legendary visit to the Umiam Lake, Nohkalikai falls, Seven Sisters falls, Mawsmai caves and Elephanta falls. Continue reading “EXPLORE ‘SCOTLAND OF THE EAST’ – MEGHALAYA WITH EXCITING JETESCAPES” →

Business, Global, India, Travel

JET AIRWAYS’ COMMENCES INDIA’S FIRST NON-STOP SERVICE BETWEEN MUMBAI AND MANCHESTER
~Manchester becomes the 21st international destination on the Jet Airways network~~New flight is the airline’s 5th direct service between India and the UK~ ~Student to benefit from the unique EduJetter programme~ ~Tailor made holiday options from JetEscapes~

Manchester, further expanding the airline’s connectivity in the United Kingdom (UK). This new service is the first non-stop service connecting India, via its economic capital with Manchester, the 3rd largest city in the UK.

With the launch of its 5th non-stop service to/from the UK, Jet Airways is now the largest carrier between Mumbai and the UK and Manchester, the 21st international destination on the carrier’s network. 

Ahead of the launch of its inaugural service from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Jet Airways conducted a multi-faith prayer followed by ceremonial lamp lighting ceremony to mark the occasion of its inaugural flight. This inaugural function was led by Mr Raj Sivakumar – Senior Vice-President, Worldwide Sales & Distribution, Jet Airways. Continue reading “JET AIRWAYS’ COMMENCES INDIA’S FIRST NON-STOP SERVICE BETWEEN MUMBAI AND MANCHESTER” →

Articles, Travel

La La Way @ Las Vegas

Vegas! We were  here for a good time, not a long time!

We were on a tight schedule, and wanted maximum fun with minimum days! Vegas was our answer! Considered as the world’s most favourite destination for providing non-stop entertainment, we decided to visit this city during Thanksgiving. We discover that there’s plenty of action on the Strip, even for teetotaler and vegetarians like us!

Being  non smokers, Planet Hollywood was an ideal choice for our stay, as this Casino has a great air vent system, to extract the smoke.The casino also has a mall in it, which is perfect for this tourist town, and shoppers really enjoy it. Just like the other hotels in Vegas, PH has several pools, workout area, spa etc. In terms of location on the Strip, it is next to Paris, and a short walk to Caesars, New York  and Aria. The view from our window was awesome, all the way to the boundary of mountains with tall palm trees!

Any visit to Vegas is incomplete if you don’t watch at least one of the amazing shows that they city puts up! So what do we do? Watch a show:))

So an evening was devoted to watching ‘LOVE’ by Cirque Du Soleil at the Mirage. It was well worth it!

The landscape of ‘LOVE’ is inhabited by fictional characters plucked from the Beatles’ lyrics. Sgt. Pepper, a central figure, encounters many familiar faces, including Lucy in the Sky, Eleanor Rigby, Lady Madonna and Mr. Kite. In an exception to this stylistic choice, the “Here Comes the Sun” scene features a character resembling Krishna. Similarly, several scenes include mop-topped, dark-haired figures in black suits who resemble the Beatles. Continue reading “La La Way @ Las Vegas” →

Business, Global, Travel

Summer In The City: New York City, Orlando and Chicago top travelers’ lists
Marriott International Finds Cities Top The List For Vacation Plans

Marriott International’s newly released Second Annual U.S. Summer Travel Trends Report says that travelers are favoring cities over beaches in Summer 2018 and planning to take an average of two trips. And among families with children, it’s becoming more common for the kids to pick the destination, the report shows.

“Pack your walking shoes because for the second year in a row, city destinations are at the top of travelers’ lists,” said Brian King, Global Officer, Digital, Distribution & Global Sales, Marriott International.  “Travelers are heading to the cities to soak up the summer sun in urban destinations like New York City and Chicago which come alive in the summer with amazing food, festivals, and live outdoor concerts.”

So where are people going this summer? Here’s a peak at the top five destinations for vacations this summer’s most heavily traveled weekends, based on an analysis of over 1 million Marriott.com searches and bookings:

Memorial Day Weekend Travel

The first official holiday weekend of summer promises to be a busy one when it comes to weekend getaways. The top five most booked cities for Memorial Day Weekend travel topping the list: Continue reading “Summer In The City: New York City, Orlando and Chicago top travelers’ lists” →