A beautiful Hill station in Kerala

Munnar - A picturesque Hill station in Kerala, mostly occupied by Tea plantations and evergreen forests. Here I am posting a few photos of my recent trip to munnar.

Rajamalai, where Eravikulam National park located is a must see tourist spot in Munnar. Rajamalai is famous for Neelakurinji(a rare kind of plant blooms once in 12 years) and Nilgiri Tahr.

Nilgiri Tahr

Mattupetti dam is another beautiful tourist place nearby. There is an Echo point and boat services are available through the dam reservoir.

A tour to southern end of India

Kanyakumari, a beautiful tourist place at the southern tip of india in tamil nadu state. A place where you can watch both sunrise and sunset.

Kanyakumari considered to be a sacred place because this is the meeting place of three ocean - Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian sea.

Kanyakumari Amman temple on the edge of the ocean at the confluence of three oceans attracts many pilgrims.

main attractions of Kanyakumari are Vivekananda rock and Thiruvalluvar Statue, both are situated on two giant rocks looks like two small islands in the ocean.

Boat services to these rocks are available here.

No one would like to leave the peaceful and tranquilizing atmosphere here.

Then we headed towards Kovalam beach in Kerala about 87km away from Kanyakumari. A fine sandy beach backed by lush coconut trees. Kovalam has been one of the most popular beaches in India among tourists, especially europeans.

There are many restaurants, Hotels and resorts providing services to the tourists.

Thiruvananthapuram - the Capital city of Kerala, is 16km away from kovalam.

Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu - Top tourist destinations of india

Andhra Pradesh topped the domestic tourist arrivals list, with over 150 million tourists, while Tamil Nadu attracted the maximum number of foreign tourists at over 2.3 million for the year 2009. Though Andhra Pradesh is the most popular destination for domestic tourists, it ranks 7th when it comes to foreign tourist visits.

Kerala is not even in the list of domesic tourist visits list and is 8th for foreign tourist visits. Karnataka is 4th for domesic tourist visits and not in the list for foreign tourist visits.

Most foreign visitors are from France followed by USA, Spain, China, Italy, UK, Turky, Germany, Malasia, Mexico.

Read the complete statistics here

An idol of Lord Buddha found in Hyderabad

A limestone idol of Lord Buddha, dating back to the 2nd century AD of the Satavahana dynasty, found by The department of archaeology and museums, Andhra Pradesh, at Chada village in Atmakur mandal of Nalgonda district. A limestone parasol, Buddhist sculptural panels and large sized bricks were also excavated from the sight apart from the Idol. For safe custody The findings have been shifted to the Ramannapet police station.

A release issued by the department stated that the three feet tall idol was found by villagers when they were working on the land at Chada, which is situated 40 km away from the famous Buddhist site, Phanigiri. Jayesh Ranjan, the principal secretary of tourism, Andhra pradesh, has directed officials to conduct small-scale excavations at the spot, to study the cultural potential of the site.

In the past, Buddhist traces were found at Vardhamanukota, Aravapalli, Tirumalagiri and Gazulabanda in Nalgonda district. The department is now planning to create a circuit of all these Buddhist sites in the district to facilitate tourism activity.

Conventions India Conclave, 2010 in Bangalore

The Conventions India Conclave, held in Bengaluru at the Lalit Ashok Hotel, from August 27th to 28th, 2010, provided an opportunity for interactions with the India Convention Promotion Bureau’s (ICPB) members — all specialists in the organisation of meetings and conventions and also other suppliers. This core group, made of members from the airlines, leading hotels, convention centres, tour operators, travel agents, professional conference organisers, state tourism development corporations and other organisations providing ancillary services plays a pivotal role in any major event of this nature in the country.

The mounting opportunities for holidays and leisure have made India one of the leading venues for MICE. The MICE infrastructure in the country has been developing rapidly and convention hotels and conference venues of international standards are being set up in cities across the country. With the corresponding expansion in the network of airline operations, India is ready to position and market itself as an important MICE destination. The prime focus of the ICPB is to disseminate information regarding the infrastructural facilities and related services available in India for organising meetings, incentives and conventions and also to assist the tourism industry to effectively market the MICE potential of India internationally. Overseas participants at the Conclave also had an opportunity to join the tours on offer to give them an opportunity to inspect the infrastructural facilities and view the dazzling diversity of India with its colours, tastes and the unique aromas. It also acted as an excellent platform for participants from many different but related disciplines to interact, seek information and share experiences.

In order to strengthen the brand positioning of `Incredible India’ as a MICE destination, buyers from overseas were invited to meet with suppliers from India’s MICE industry and experience the product themselves. Attending the meet this year were also a slew of large multi-national and trans-national corporations who had an interest in improving their meeting-related purchasing. The Conventions India Conclave is the country’s only marketing event of its type for the MICE industry.

India Tourism lures Japanese visitors with Hyderabadi Food Festival

India Tourism, Tokyo got together with Jet Airways, Ashok Chain of Restaurants and Roko Group to give the citizens of Tokyo a flavour of one of India’s finest culinary experiences with the ‘Hyderabadi Food Festival’ from 15th to 31st August, 2010. The festival was launched on Independence Day by Mr. H.K. Singh, Ambassador of India, in the presence of Mr. Saito, Advisor, Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA).

A major promotion for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi was also made. Riding parallel to the duration of the festival was an open seminar / promotion organised in co-ordination with M/s TCI and M/s Club Tourism. The event was attended by over 150 people and door prizes on offer included free air tickets, restaurant coupons, Indian handicrafts and lots more. The Hyderabadi Food Festival was inspired by the very popular India Food Fair held in Hotel Okura, Tokyo in July in association with the Taj Group of Hotels. Indiancuisine has found much favour amongst the people of Japan and festivals such as these are proving to be an excellent marketing tool for India as a holiday destination.

Indian Tourism offices abroad

New York ( United States of America )

Mr. P Rangarajan, Assistant Director,

Indiatourism

1270, Avenue of Americas ,

Suite 1808 , 18th Floor , New York 10020 USA .

Phone : +1-212-586-4901/ 4902 /4903,

Fax : +1-212-582-3274,

E-mail: ny@itonyc.com,

Los Angeles ( United States of America )

Mr Sanjiv Vasihist ,

Assistant Director, Indiatourism

3550 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 204 ,

Los Angeles , California 90010 2485 USA .

Phone: +1-213-380-8855.

Fax : +1-213-380-6111,

E-mail : indiatourismla@aol.com ,goitola@aol.com

Milan ( Italy )

Mr G C Bhuyan

Manager, Indiatourism

Via-Albricci 9.

Milan 20122 , Italy .

Phone: +39-2-8053506.

Fax : +39-2-72021681,

E-mail: info@indiatourismmilan.com , director@indiatourismmilan.com

London( United Kingdom )

Mr. Jagdish Chander ,

Director

Indiatourism

7 Cork Street , London WIS 3LH.

Phone : +44-207-4373677, 7346613

Fax : +44-207-4941048,

E-mail: london5@indiatouristoffice.org

Toronto ( Canada )

Mr. Ronjon Lahiri,

Director,

Indiatourism

60 Bloor Street, West Suite 1003 ,

Toronto , M4 W3, B8, Canada .

Phone : +1-416-962-3787 / 3788,

Fax : +1-416-962-6279,

E-mail : info@indiatourismcanada.ca

Dubai ( United Arab Emirates )

Mr.T W Sudhakar,

Regional Director (In Charge),

Indiatourism

Post Box 12856, NASA Building,

AL Maktoum Road , Deira, Dubai , UAE.

Phone: +971-4-2274848, 2274199.

Fax : +971-4-2274013,

E-mail:goirto@eim.ae, goirto@emirates.net.ae

Frankfurt (Germany)

Mr. M.N Javed ,

Regional Director,

Indiatourism

Basler Strasse 48, D-60329,

Frankfurt, AM-MAIN 1, Federal

Republic of Germany.

Phone : + 49-69-2429490, 24294927

Fax : + 49-69-24294977,

E-mail: office@india-tourism.com

Johannesburg (South Africa)

Mr. T.W.Sudhakar,

Director,

Indiatourism

P.O. Box 412542,

Craighall 2024,

Hyde Lane, Lancaster Gate

Johannesburg-2000,South Africa.

Phone : +27-11-3250880,

Fax : +27-11-3250882,

E-mail: goito@global.co.za

Amsterdam ( Netherlands )

Director,

Indiatourism

Rokin 9/15, 1012 KK Amsterdam ,

Phone: +31-20-6208991,

Fax : +31-20-6383059,

Email : info@indiatourismamsterdam.com

Australia (Sydney)

Mr. Krishna R Arya ,

Joint Director General ,

Indiatourism

Level 5, 135 King Street

Glasshouse Shopping Complex

Sydney, NSW 2000

Tel: + 61 2 9221 9555,

Fax: + 61 2 9221 9777

E-mail: info@indiatourism.com.au

Paris ( France )

Dr R K Patnaik,

Assistant Director

Indiatourism

11-13, Bis Boulevard Haussmann,

F-75009 Paris ,

France .

Phone : +33-1-4523 3045, 4523 3965

Fax : +33-1-4523 3345

E-mail : indtourparis@aol.com

Singapore (Singapore)

Mr Rajesh Talwar ,

Director ,

Indiatourism

20, Kramat Lane,

# 01-01 United House,

Singapore 228773.

Phone : +65-6235-3800,

Fax : +65-6235-8677

E-mail: indtour.sing@pacific.net.sg

Tokyo ( Japan )

Regional Office

Mr. Manmohan Sadana ,

Regional Director,

Indiatourism

Isei Bldg. 7F/8F, 1-8-17,

Ginza, Chuo-ku,

Tokyo 104-0061,Japan

Phone: + 81-3-3561-0651/2,

Voice Guide: 81-3-3561-0653/4

Fax : 81-3-3561-0655,

E-mail: indtourt@smile.ocn.ne.jp

China (Beijing )

Mr. Shoeb Samad

Director

Indiatourism

Add: 29th Floor, East Tower,

LG Twin Towers,

B-12 Jianguomenwai Dajie,

Chaoyang District, Beijing

Tel. +86-1065686294 ,

Fax +86-10-65688594

E-mail: beijing@indiatourism.org.cn

Kumarakom backwaters

Kumarakom village is a cluster of little islands on Vembanad lake in Kerala and is a part of Kuttanad region, famous for its mangrove forests, green paddy fields, coconut trees, etc. Cruising through the Kumarakom backwaters is an amazing experience of a lifetime.

Cheap small rowing boats to luxurious houseboats(Kettuvallams) are available here for backwater cruising. Kettuvallams are the houseboats of kerala previously used to transport goods. Now these houseboats are well modified, using as luxury houseboats having all the facilities like well furnished luxury rooms, toilet, kitchen etc. You can spend the whole day in these houseboats and enjoy the beauty of this place.

Kumarakom Bird life Sanctuary spread across 14 acres is on the banks of Vembanad lake. This Bird sanctuary is a favorite haunt of migratory birds. You can watch the birds while cruising round the islands.

Vembanad lake is habitat for several marine species like Karimeen(Pearl spotted fish), Prawns and Shrimp. Kumarakom is famous for Karimeen and Toddy(an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palm trees)

There are several lakeside resorts here offer comfortable accommodation and exclusive leisure options like Ayurvedic massage, meditation, yoga,boating, fishing and swimming.

Alapuzha is the nearby backwater tourist destination. You can journey right upto Kochi through the backwaters.

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is a beautiful sea side tourist place, in the southmost end of India in Tamilnadu state. Kanyakumari is not only a tourist place, a popular pilgrim destination too. This is the only place in india where you can watch both sunrise and sunset because, the three oceans - Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian sea meets here.

Kanyakumari takes its name from Goddess Kanyakumari Amman and the temple of the presiding diety is on the edge of the ocean at the confluence of three oceans.

Important tourist attractions of Kanyakumari are Vivekananda rock memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue, both are situated on two giant rocks reached out of the sea, looks like two small islands in the sea.

Vivekananda memorial is on the rock named Sreepada parai (means the rock blessed by the touch of feet of the goddess). You can see the footprint of the goddess Kanyakumari there. Swamy Vivekananda(one of the most famous philosopher and spiritual leader of india) is said to have sat in deep meditation on Sreepada parai. There is a meditation hall inside the Vivekananda memorial monument. Spending some time there would be an amazing experience.

Thiruvalluvar Statue built in the memory the great Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar on the adjescent rock of Sreepada parai is one of the biggest statues in Asia.

Regular boat services are available here.

Kanyakumari was formerly a part of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. When the agitation of larger tamil population of Kanyakumari for the merger with tamilnadu intensified, the States reorganisation commission also recommended the same. In 1956 Kanyakumari district formed and merged with Tamilnadu state.

There are somany interesting tourist spots in and around kanyakumari.

Thekkady - a tourist place in Kerala

Thekkady is an important tourist place of kerala located at an altitude of 900 to 1800 meters above sea level. Main tourist attractions of Thekkady are Periyar National Park, Thekkady Lake, Boating, The evergreen forests, Wild animals etc.

Periyar wildlife sanctuary is very dense evergreen forest spread 777 squire kms area declared as Tiger reserve in 1978. Periyar wildlife sanctuary is famous for its evergreen forests, savannah grass lands and wild animals elephants, sambar, gaur, Nilgiri langurs, tigers, wild boars, lion tailed macaques...

The sanctuary is situated around an artificial lake formed by Mullaperiyar Dam accross the Periyar River. The herds of elephants playing in Lake is a wonderful sight while boating through the Periyar lake.

Thekkady is also known for plantations of various natural spices like black pepper,clove,cardamom,cinnamon,chilly,tamarind etc. Forest department,Kerala tourism development corporation(KTDC) and many private agencies offers many programs to promote adventure tourism in Thekkady.

Munnar - a beautiful Hill station in Kerala

Munnar is one of the most popular tourist places in Kerala, located 1600m above sea level in southern “Western Ghats” (A mountain range in the west of India). Munnar is situated at the confluence of Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala rivers. The speciality of Munnar is its cool climate and greenery. A vast area of Munnar is occupied by tea plantations and evergreen jungles.

The Whole hill area is known as "High range" and rarely “Kannan Devan Hills”. In the age of British empire they developed this area to cultivate tea plants. The Bungalows built by them are still there in use.

Several Protected Wildlife areas in Munnar attract many tourists. You can see several threatened and native species like Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius), Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Gaur, Sambar and Neelakurinji here.

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is a rare kind of plant blooms once in 12 years. Eravikulam National park is known for Neelakurinji, Nilgiri Tahr and a few other protected species. Neelakurinji last bloomed in 2006. A vast area of mountain covered with Neelakurinji, giving the whole area a blue shade is an amazing spectacle for the visitors…

Many residents of here are employed in Tourism business. In Munnar there are above 3000 small and big resorts and several small hotels and restaurants.