NewZNew (Chandigarh) : Today, being a Saturday, an off for many, huge crowds visited CII Tourism Fest 2014, running successfully at the Parade Ground, Sector 17, Chandigarh to get benefit of the attractive packages, special offers on various holiday deals and learn about the special itineraries, unexplored destinations, unseen tourist spots and serene locations from across the world.
The three-day CII Tourism Fest, which is partnered by Ministry of Tourism, GoI, with Chandigarh as the Host city,Punjab as the Principal Partner state, with participation of Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is acting as a one stop solution and an eye opener to all travel and tour related queries of the tricity residents.
International
Yatra. Com attracts visitors with cool offers
Yatra.com has got enormous response for its highly discounted New Year packages and super saver deals for 6-9 nights at CII tourism Fest. The packages, including flights, accommodation, transfers, visa fee, meals, sightseeing for Singapore & Malaysia @ Rs 46,000; for Australia @ Rs 1,60,000, for Dubai @ Rs 41,000, for Europe @ Rs 1,60,000 are highly discounted and only available at CII Tourism Fest.
MakeMyTrip launches direct charter flights to Turkey
Make My Trip is getting enoprmous reponse at CII Tourism Fest for its newly launched packages to Turkey as the key destination for Summer 2015. To enhance value and convenience to travellers in the state, MakeMyTrip haslaunched special direct charter flights to Turkey which would start from Amritsar in May 2015.
The range of experiences that can be availed by travellers purchasing Turkey charters from MakeMyTrip are Balloon Ride over the “moon-like” landscape in Cappadocia; Spending the night in a cave hotel in Cappadocia; Visit to the “Cotton Castle” at Pamukkale; Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul; Enjoying a stroll past humongous cruise ships at the Kusadasi waterfront with the turquoise blue water in the background; Shopping in the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market in Istanbul; Strolling the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus including Temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ANCIENT world) etc”, shared Mr Mohit Gupta, Chief Business & Marketing Officer, MakeMyTrip.
Amazing Thailand
There is huge response for Thailand which is showcasing its travel packages starting as low as Rs 20,000 for its amazing cities viz Hua Hin – located at 281 kms to the south of Bangkok, it is the most traditional and popular seaside resort of Thailand; Ko samui, Thailand’s 3rd largest island, located 84 kms east of Surat Thani, about 750 kms south of Bangkok. Its most appealing feature is the loop road which makes a 50 km circuit around the island giving a glimpse of the superb beaches on the north, east and west coasts; Kanchanaburi, an ideal family travel escape from the fast paced life in the big city, which is located 130 kms to the west of Bangkok is famous for itstiger Buddhist temple housing over 135 tigers.
Its other attractions include war museum, hills and valleys and much more; Krabi – one of the most attractive provinces of southern Thailand. 814 kms from Bangkok, located 90 kms to the south east of Phangnga, it is famous for white sandy beaches, fascinating coral reefs, numerous small and large islands and verdant forests; Chiang Mai, located 700 kms from Bangkok and popular as the rose of the north, it continues its renowned tradition as handicraft centre, producing items in silk, wood, ceramics and more”, shared Mr Deepak Arora, Information officer, Thailand Tourism.
China
China has launched special package costing only Rs 444 US $ at the fest. Mr Li Qiango, Deputy Director, China National Tourist Office described that China has pristine locations like beautiful beaches, museums, heritage places, hills and valleys etc. He informed that Indian visitors to China have been on an increasing spree. The figure is estimated to be over 7 lakhs during the first ten months of 2014.
Abu Dabhi
Yas island, being the entertainment hub of the entire Middle east region, is itself a destination. Abu Dabhi is getting a lot of queries for its Ferrari World, the world’s largest indoor theme park and Al Ain, a world heritage site with world class 7 star resort in the middle of a desert”, shared Mr Bejan Din Shaw, Country Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.
“The nation has got a diverse environment comprising of desert, city, golf, beach and island. What makes Abu Dhabi attractive is that shopping is absolutely tax free”, he added.
Mauritius
“We are showcasing our special under watertrips and Sea Cars which are easy to operate, stable and safe. In both these activities, one can drive one’s own boat even if one does not know swimming. There are also self-drive tours which does not require international license”, shared Mr Anuj Singhal, Manager Trade Sales, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority termed Mauritius as a beautiful beach destination.
“For the business travelers, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) has an incentive policy which can support up to Rs 2 lakhs for MICE group of at least 100 people”, he added.
Mr Singhal also informed that Mauritius has been voted as the best golf travel destination by Reader’s Choice last year. The country is also promoting wellness tourism, and the island nation is proud to have the second cleanest air in the world.
Japan
Japan which is an all season destination fit for all, be it family, honeymooners, groups or individuals.
With the option of multiple entry visa fo Indians and totally Tax free shopping in japan, visitors are really getting attracted to it. Japan has amazing lakes, beautiful coastlines, lush green mountains and beaches to chill out.
Domestic
Maharashtra
Mr Chandrashekhar Jaiswal, Deputy General Manager, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), said that “We have showcased the Tarkarli Scuba Diving near Mumbai, wherein we would take tourists 20 feet under sea. Next week, we would start the ‘Training Sessions for the same at a cost of Rs 15000 for 15 days. We have got a lot of queries for the same at CII Tourism Fest”.
“We are also getting good response for our various USPs like UNESCO monuments (Ajanta Ellora), 78 beaches and various hill stations. In order to create a benchmark in the tourism world, MTDC is coming up with very prestigious Project worth of Rs. 5000 crores for which the corporation has acquired land in Sindhuri to establish “Sea World” which will be functional by 2020.”
Goa
“When it comes to Goa, people only think of beaches, but very few people know that 1/3 of Goa is covered with dense forest land. By the medium of this fest we are creating awareness about the forest beauty, heritage, hinterland and cultural traits of Goa. We are really happy to see the kind of response we have got from the people here. Be it the common public or corporate clients, everybody is keen to explore more about Goa. We are specially promoting backwaters and heritage accommodations in the tour packages, which are being liked a lot by tricity residents,” said Mr Pravinkumar Faldesai, Senior Manager, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.
Punjab
With the traditional set up, the Punjab stall is giving the real ethnic feel of the state’s magical influence in terms of tourist attraction.
“In this unique fest, we are especially promoting two destinations of Punjab: Virasate Khalsa and Patiala Heritage Walk. People are really looking forward to discover the unexplored Punjab. We have especially introduced the concept of Farm Tourism that is spread across 20 heritage farm houses in the state. We are also providing special tourist guide maps to the interested visitors. This is first of its kind event in the northern region, which will surely carve a niche for the tourism sector of Punjab. Such shows should be held from time to time to boost the growth rate of tourism,” said Mr Razit Bhandari, Sr Marketing Manager of Punjab Tourism department.
“To develop Punjab as a favourite tourist destination, we have divided Punjab into 4 clusters namely: Amritsar-Gurdaspur cluster, Chandigarh-Ropar cluster, Bhatinda-Ferozpur cluster and Patiala-Kapurthala cluster.”
Madhya Pradesh
“Corporate clients are showing great interest in Caravan Tourism and Ujjain-Pachmari trips. We are also promoting new tourist destinations of Madhya Pradesh like-Bhedaghat in Jabalpur, Ancient temples of Chanderi, Fort of Burhanpur. We are happy that by the medium of CII Tourism Fest, we have been able to create abuzz about Madhya Pradesh in north,” said Mr Vivek Mathur, General Manager, Madhya Pradesh Tourism.
Himachal Pradesh
“Keeping in the mind the popularity of Himachal Pradesh in terms of Tourism, we have a specially introduced student packages in this fest, which has become a straight hit by attracting lot many queries and bookings. We are also promoting hidden destinations of the state like Chindi, Narkanda, Sarahan and Khadapathar”, said Mr Varinder Sharma, Jt Director, Tourism Deptt, HP.