As air fares soar, Taj loses sheen

MUMBAI: Summer may not be the best of times to walk around the landscaped gardens of Taj Mahal, but the scorching sun never stopped Agra from featuring among the top 15 travel destinations in India. But this year, with a steep rise in air fares, Agra has slipped to the 20th spot even as backyard destinations like Mahabaleshwar have gained in popularity . This is so because budget-conscious Indians have ticked off air travel from their summer holiday itinerary.

The Taj sees around 2-4 million visitors annually with about 0.2 million comprising foreign tourists, who visit the place between October and February. Summer sees a rise in domestic tourists, with the mausoleum attracting people from all over the country.

Hotels in Manali: Comfort in the Lap of Nature

Himachal Pradesh is dotted with exciting tourist destinations which are full of superb hills, waterfalls, jungles, temples, wildlife and other things of natural beauty. This is a state where five distinct seasons i.e. spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter make dramatic distinctions throughout the year. Sun, snow and rain create a range of options and combinations. Himachal Pradesh is a perfect destination spend your holidays and enjoy. There are many places to explore in Himachal Pradesh: Solan, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu Manali to name a few.

Kullu-Manali is aptly called "Himachal´s Silver Valley." Manali is blessed with unique natural beauty. When beams of moonlight dance on the snow-covered peaks and valley or the sun rays skim over the waters and snows the entire valley glows in iridescent silver.

According to a popular legend, the Sage Manu descended from his boat in Manli to recreate the human race after catastrophic floods inundated the whole earth. Manali was thus named after sage Manu, and Manu Maharishi Temple built on the spot reminds us of that incident.

Pollution endangering tourism in Rohtang Pass

Situated at a height of 4111m above the sea-level, Rohtang Pass is 51 km away from Kullu. It provides a wide panoramic view of mountains, rising far above clouds, which is a sight truly breathtaking.

The Rohtang pass offers skiing as well as trekking opportunities. Thousands of tourists travel to these snow-bound slopes daily to enjoy the breathtaking natural scenic beauty and participate in adventure sports.

Destination North India

Tourism is now the largest service industry globally, in terms of gross revenue as well as foreign exchange earnings. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for 2006 forecasts that travel and tourism will generate 234 million direct and indirect jobs world-wide, accounting for 8.7 per cent of the global employment, and it will contribute to 10.3 per cent of the global GDP in the near future. According to a tourism satellite accounting for India, tourism's contribution to the GDP of the country has been 5.9 per cent in 2003-04, while employment in the tourism sector, both direct and indirect, has been 41.8 million in the same year, accounting for 8.78 per cent of total employment in the country.