Sharif in favour of no visas for travel between India, Pak

Highlighting the need to increase people-to-people contacts, former Premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday favoured abolition of visas for travel between India and Pakistan.

During a meeting here with Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, Sharif, whose party is a key member of Pakistan's ruling coalition, said there is a need to increase trade and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

"Sharif told me that there is no need for visas between India and Pakistan," Deora told PTI after the meeting.

India Tourism Booms, But Just Try Finding a Hotel

With India's economic boom generating more foreign and domestic travel in the country, room rates have shot up in New Delhi and Mumbai, where a night at a central five-star hotel can cost more than $500. The Ministry of Tourism predicts India's room shortfall will increase by more than 50% to about 150,000 rooms by 2010 because of the increasing demand.

Indian and international hotel chains are seizing the opportunity. Marriott International Inc. has 24 hotels in its pipeline to open by 2011. Hilton Hotels Corp. has agreed to put up 75 hotels over the next seven years in a partnership with Indian land developer DLF Ltd. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. plans 12 Sheraton and Westin-branded properties in the next three years.

Better infrastructure, marketing boosting Indian tourism

infrastructure, accessibility and marketing have helped Indian tourism in achieving high growth, Tourism Secretary Shilabhadra Banerjee said here Friday. Speaking at the inauguration of the South Asia Travel and Trade Exchange (SATTE) Open World travel and tourism fair, he said India is attracting more foreign travellers and is witnessing a consistently high growth in the tourism sector for the past three years.

Last year, an estimated five million tourists visited the country, compared to 4.45 million in 2006 and 3.92 million in 2005.

“Improvement in accessibility, infrastructure and marketing have helped India to register high growth in tourism,” he said.

Expedia brings the best of international travel deals to India

Expedia India will give users access to over 3,000 holiday options, besides special deals and offers. The best of international travel deals will also be a click away for Indians who have been bitten by wanderlust.

Indian travellers will also benefit from a variety of innovative tools like 360-degree virtual tours of rooms and facilities in popular hotels worldwide and have access to over 280,000 independent traveller reviews. To enhance customer experience, the portal will also have a friendly and expert local customer support team to talk to.

All products on Expedia India are for sale in Indian rupees. Prices are quoted upfront and include all taxes and supplier surcharges so customers are easily able to understand the total cost of their travel, without any hidden charges.

Holiday in India - without the Taj

CALCUTTA, India travel — No doubt the Taj Mahal steals the breath away. But as a repeat visitor to India, I have often arrived at its gates too exhausted to have much breath left to steal.

Many tourists report being treated like gobs of tourist putty in the hands of Agra's masterful touts, cajoled into unwanted side trips to trinket shops or pressed to hire an unauthorized tour guide.

In a survey published in 2006, the government of India found that 63 per cent of foreign tourists complained of being cheated or harassed "in many tourist destinations like Agra," as well as Delhi, India's capital.

But there are endless alternatives for a holiday in India without the Taj, and even first-time visitors to the country might choose one of these circuits - provided they can stand up to friends back home boggled by the idea of visiting India without seeing the fabled monument.

On a nine-day visit to India earlier this year, my brother and I chose Calcutta, not Delhi, as our gateway into India. By doing so, we effectively ruled out a visit to the Mughal masterpieces of India's north, in the hope of finding adventure in a place with few tourist headaches. We succeeded.

Calcutta - also known as Kolkata - is the former capital of British India. Now the capital of West Bengal state, the city welcomed us with unforgettable scenes of everyday life.

The Leela Kempinski Mumbai among Travelocity's Indian top six list

Travelocity has ranked The Leela Kempinski Mumbai among the six best performing hotels in India, for the quarter ending 2007. The hotel was chosen from among 500 Indian hotels.

Established in 1986, The Leela, Kempinski Mumbai is close to Mumbai’s international airport. It has 390 rooms and suites, with a special business floor for the corporate travelers. It features state of the art meeting rooms, spa and health club, along with dining options including Indian, Italian and Pan Asian cuisines.

Air Arabia, the fastest growing international airline in India

Air Arabia, the first foreign low-cost carrier to fly to India and the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa now has the distinction of being the fastest growing international airline in India.

Air Arabia started operations to India with the launch of services to Mumbai in March 2005. Since then, the company has achieved massive growth and currently serves 11 destinations in India, with the launch of services to New Delhi on the 31st of March 2008.