Travel News India
Indian destinations , Agar and Sikkim have bagged positions top travel destinations list
Agra and Sikkim now feature in the ‘ 52 Places to go to in 2017 ’ list by New York Times
Tourism in India might have greater chances of inbound traffic now , with Agra and Sikkim featuring in New York Times ’ list of ‘ 52 Places to go to in 2017 ’.
While Agra has ranked third in the list , Sikkim has bagged the 17th position among the top travel destinations for this year .
Interestingly , these tourist destinations in the country have left behind popular tourist hubs like Australia , France , Thailand and others .
Air India will start reserving seats for solo female travellers
The Press Trust of India ( PTI ) reports that the national carrier will set aside six seats per aircraft for women on all its domestic routes from next week .
The third row of economy class – three seats either side of the aisle – would be designated for female travellers . This applies to the airline ’ s domestic flights operated using its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft . The move comes into force on 18 January 2017 .
The policy only applies to solo female travellers , and not to women travelling with other family members .
A UN-funded project has just introduced 12 new coastal spots in Maharashtra
If tourism in Maharashtra has been progressive , this new development will mark another milestone in boosting the industry . The state now has 12 new coastal tourist locations , identified through a project funded by United Nations and the Centre .
These new tourists sites have been identified along the 121 km coast of Sindhudurg , as part of the efforts to reduce excessive tourist traffic in the region . So far , majority of the tourist activities were concentrated in the Malvan area of the district which in turn were impacting marine life adversely .
The new locations , within 10 kms from the coast , were scouted with fundings from United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Environment , Forests and Climate Change , and an interim report submitted to the state on October 30 , 2016 .
While this new move echoes the world-wide thrust on Responsible Tourism , the state is also banking on the clear waters and marine life as the USP to attract more number of arrivals to the region . “ The water there is the clearest along the coast and there is a diverse range of corals . Near Vengurla , there is a very high diversity in fish , which includes rare predator fish ,” Chief Conservator of Forest ( CCF ) N Vasudevanwas quoted saying by The Indian Express . Besides , these new sites will also offer various sea water activities like scuba diving and snorkelling to further divert tourist pressure from Malvan .
Local residents too will be having their fair share of impact of this strategy . A report prepared on these lines anticipate employment generation for close to 3000 people in various capacities . The first batch of people in Sindhudurg , who were affiliated with the state , were reportedly earning at least Rs 40,000 .
Sindhudurg recorded around 13 lakh tourist arrivals last year owing to the affordability and variety of water sports that the region offers .
10 | Travelnjoy | January 2017