In Brief

Mysore Palace Opens Up To Tourists

Mysore royal family heir Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar has decided to open up the Mysore palace to tourists. It will be officially opened to the public from January 2006 but tourists have been unofficially allowed since July this year. Reportedly, the palace has already seen about 1,000 visitors in the first three weeks. Spread over 450 acres, the 125-year old palace was built by Chamarajendra Wadiyar in the mid-1880s after he bought the place from an Englishman for about Rs 40,000.

India Warms Up To Medical Tourism

Relatively low costs of special healthcare in the country is attracting foreign nationals, looking for cheaper and quicker medical attention. This, combined with its reputation as a tourist destination, is making India a hot seat for medical tourism. Most patients hail from Afghanistan and South Asia although Americans and Europeans are not far behind. It is estimated that an open heart surgery in India costs one-fourth of the fee charged in the US and the bill is still lower even after adding the cost of boarding and a sightseeing trip to the Taj Mahal.

Even before the government decided to introduce medical visa to capitalise on the new-found interest in India, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in Delhi was receiving upto 800 foreign nationals every six months. The medical visa would be issued to all foreign nationals including nationals of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who come to India for medical treatment. The initial period of such a visa would be one year or for the period of treatment, whichever is less.

Delhi Tourism Showcases India In London

London witnessed glimpses of Indian craft, culture and cuisine after Delhi Tourism and the Mayor of London entered into a joint venture as part of on-going cultural exchanges between the two cities. The festival, that showcased dances, performances by artists and traditional crafts from various parts of the country, was inaugurated by Sheila Dikshit, chief minister of Delhi.

The two-day exposition, held on June 18 and 19 2005, saw more than 20 craft persons from various parts of India, demonstrating their skills.

Tourism Boards Eye Tier II Cities

Tier II cities are the latest target for tourism boards looking for growth. After luring tourists in the metros, many tourism boards are now trying to woo prospective travellers from smaller and tier II cities by educating them as well as the industry and by organising roadshows.

On their radar are places like Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Kochi, Pune, Nashik, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore and Jammu.

The open sky policy of the government has contributed to this growth by creating a surplus in the air capacity. The year 2004 closed with a figure of 5.8 m outbound travellers with the developing cities (B-cities) contributing nearly 38 per cent. This year these figures are expected to touch 7.5 m. Industry sources expect the contribution of B-cities to surge by at least 15 to 20 per cent with these cities growing from anywhere between 25 to 30 per cent per annum.

MTDC Goes The Corporate Way

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has become corporate-friendly. It is now offering schemes at 60 of its resorts on all their properties in the State for corporate houses to relax and conduct training programmes.

Under its Deposit Scheme, a company can avail of discounts on all MTDC properties. Employees can choose from a range of destinations like the beaches at Tarkali, Ganpatipule and Harihareshwar, heritage sites like Ajanta Ellora, Karla and Lonar crater or sanctuaries of Pench and forts at Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. Its resorts will provide visitors with fully-equipped conference halls like the one in Karla. Even the Deccan Odyssey, the royal Indian luxury train, offers a conference hall that has a business centre with Internet, fax, ISD and STD on board. Other facilities on the train include a health spa, gymnasium, beauty parlor and an ayurvedic spa. Companies can avail of the Deccan Odyssey package from October 2005.

South India Opens Up to Spaniards

Although northern India has a strong market in Spain, its southern counterpart has not enjoyed as much international exposure. But interest in south India has been growing of late. Spain's Club de Vacaciones, in collaboration with Spanair, is now planning a weekly charter to Goa from Madrid. Scheduled to touch down in August this year, the Spanish charter seems to have opened a new market for tourism in Goa after its international tourism season shrunk to a mere six months from October to March. The charter's local handlers, Travel Corporation India (TCI), expects 120 passengers a week on the long haul flight. It starts in the off-season and will operate till May 2006.

MoT Awards Transline Head For Promotional Work

The Indian Ministry of Tourism recently awarded Jayendra Singh Jhala of Baroda-based Transline Tours & Tours for his contribution towards promoting Gujarat as a tourist destination. The certificate was presented to him by the regional director, Ministry of Tourism Government of India, Gour Kanjilal. The travel agency specialises in inbound traffic to Gujarat and other destinations in India and offers customised holiday packages including trips to palaces, heritage sites, handicraft, fairs and festivals and religious yatras.