Ghan celebrates 80 years of outback train travel

Celebrating with Spirit

The Ghan will celebrate its 80th anniversary in August. The legendary train, named after the Afghan camel drivers who helped open Australia\'s interior, left Adelaide for the first time on August 4, 1929.

Since then, it has travelled 25 million kilometres or, to put it another way, the equivalent of 625 times around the world.

Right from the start, the intention was that the railway line would extend to Darwin but finances dictated otherwise and it took until February 4, 2004, before the Ghan chugged into Darwin.

To celebrate this year\'s anniversary and to stimulate business, Great Southern Rail (GSR), the Ghan\'s owner, has a choice of eight free tour and accommodation packages on new bookings made before June 3. Some of the add-ons are valued at $600.

Also, GSR is to push ahead with the Southern Spirit rail journeys it launched and then shelved last year. The Southern Spirit, which is separate from the Ghan, is described as cruising on wheels because it has 24-hour room service, meals, entertainment and off-rail excursions. Guests stay in hotels when there are multi-day stopovers in towns.

GSR management says the Southern Spirit will operate in January and February, 2010, travelling from Uluru to Sydney and Uluru to Brisbane and return.

For example, the 13-day Grand Tour starts in Uluru and ends in Brisbane, travelling via Alice Springs, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Tours and special events on that itinerary include opal mining in Cooper Pedy, Hunter Valley wine tastings and a close encounter with seals on Kangaroo Island. Prices range from $8990 to $13,990. See gsr.com.au.

Economy slows adventurers

From a small town in Canada, Bruce Poon Tip (pictured) created the world\'s largest adventure company, GAP Adventures.

Not surprisingly for a man who started the company on his credit card, Poon Tip is upbeat about the travails besetting the travel industry, or at least his section of it.

GAP Adventures, which last year took 85,000 travellers on more than 1000 different trips in 100 countries, has not been affected as dramatically as companies catering to more conventional markets, he says.

\"But adventure is different,\" he says. \"It always has been. Adventurers are willing to take a few risks anyway.\"

He concedes bookings are softer than he has seen in 19 years in the business. His prediction is that the industry will take two years to get back to where it was before last year\'s meltdown.

\"All travellers, Aussies included, are booking later,\" he says, making it hard for companies to hold their nerve (and keep their bankers at bay).

Poon Tip says this is apparent in bookings for his latest venture, the MV Expedition, the replacement ship for the Explorer, which went down in the Antarctic Ocean after hitting an iceberg in November 2007.

In sounder economic times, the trips to Antarctica, scheduled for the second half of the year, would be filling fast, he says. \"We\'re getting there but it\'s slower.\"

See gapadventures.com.

Portrait of success

Cultural tourism has long been regarded as one of the ACT\'s drawcards. Figures suggest it attracts in more than 750,000 annually with up to 70 per cent being interstate visitors.

Certainly, there were high expectations for the Degas exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, which ran over the summer and closed last Sunday.

Exhibition attendance failed to reach the lofty heights set by the Turner To Monet blockbuster exhibit of the previous year, but visitors topped 150,000 over four months. Kirsten Downie, the head of marketing and communications for the National Gallery, says the French-themed gallery shop set up for the duration of the exhibition broke all records.

http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/25221335/Reliance-Money-teams-up-with-K.html

Mumbai: Domestic brokerage Reliance Money Ltd has tied up with Kuoni Travel India Pvt. Ltd to buy and sell foreign exchange at the travel firm�s 75 retail establishments across the country.
The tie-up will be for one year but could be renewed, said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, chief executive officer of Reliance Money, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anil Ambani-controlled financial services company Reliance Capital Ltd.
�We have completed our contract with Kuoni India to set up shop-in-shops in their outlets to target the over nine million Indians who travel overseas every year,� Bandyopadhyay said. �Apart from selling them forex, we will have an opportunity of offering them travel insurance and loans, and later follow it up with our other retail services as we will have their contacts in our database.�
This cooperation with Reliance Money will enable Kuoni, which also runs outlets under the SOTC brand, to improve services to customers, said Zubin Karkaria, managing director, India and South Asia, for Kuoni Travel Group. Kuoni Travel India is part of Zurich-based tourist travel corporation Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd.
The number of outbound tourists from India is expected to touch 16.3 million by 2011, according to global business intelligence provider Euromonitor International.
Reliance Money is expected to generate revenues of Rs15,000 crore from Reliance Money Express, its business unit for foreign exchange services, in the fiscal year to 31 March, Bandyopadhyay said.
Of this, between Rs2,000 crore and Rs2,500 crore would be from domestic retail, a segment expected to benefit from the tie-up.
Bandyopadhyay said the partnership is expected to help Reliance Money to double forex retail revenues in the next financial year.
According to a January Citigroup Inc. report, Reliance Money has increased its outlets to 10,392 in the three months to 31 December, a growth of 136% compared with the same period the previous year.

Building runway for air travel\'s successful take-off

KANPUR: Why has the city in spite of being India\'s fifth largest metro, a crucial industrial hub, presence of IIT, Green Park stadium, RBI etc

has failed to establish itself on aviation map. Kanpur has failed to record any growth in terms of passenger load or revenue generation via air travel.

A comparative study with three major cities of state reflects this sorry state. Lucknow, the state capital has huge influx of passengers from all major metros. Varanasi sits pretty on the factor of it being an important holy pilgrimage, both for Buddhists and Hindus. An international flight operates from Kathmandu to Varanasi. Agra, cashes on fame of world famous Taj Mahal which contributes for bulk of domestic and foreign tourists to Agra.

Interestingly, the passenger load at Amausi airport in Lucknow comprises 60-70 per cent from Kanpur. Prashant Shukla, media co-ordinator of Air India, talking to TOI said, \"on Lucknow-Delhi route, timings are convenient, aircraft are big, fares are comparatively cheaper and meal are better. There is a price-difference of thousand rupees as one pays Rs 3000 from Lucknow while Rs 4000 is the minimum fare from Kanpur.\"

Shukla further explained the problems, \"one of the major hindrances is irregular flight timings. The city is daily visited by industrialists, IIT delegates, RBI officials etc who say we need a morning flight to commute to and fro from Delhi, as is the case with Lucknow.\"

More importantly, Kanpur has huge share of international passengers as well but they prefer to take the route of state capital. Shukla explained, \"all the international flights from Gulf, US, UK start land in Delhi at mid-night after 12 and they carry a huge load of Kanpur-bound passengers. But they all prefer to take indirect route to Lucknow in absence of immediate direct flight to Kanpur.\"

The aviation sector in Kanpur faces a tough competition from Shatabadi Express. The scenario will brighten up if fares come down or come at comparative level. There were plans to replace the 48-seater airliner with 70-seater Boeing airplane.

Travel agents, S\'pore Airlines\' talks end in a stalemate

MUMBAI\" A marathon four-hour long meeting between leading Indian travel agents and Singapore Airlines ended in a stalemate.


The meeting, between Singapore Airlines� general manager CW Foo and travel agents, had been called to resolve a three-month long issue of non payment of commissions.
The issue had also resulted in the agents boycotting Singapore Airlines.

�Mr Foo offered the travel agents a 1% commission for six months only, and after that, it would go to zero commission structure,� said a source who was present in the meeting.

Even the 1% commission is linked to productivity, he added. Also, the ticketing amount should come from basic fares only.

Mr Foo met six travel association heads including the Travel Agents� Association of India, Travel Agents Federation of India and IATA Agents Association of India.

When contacted, Travel Agents Federation of India national general secretary Ajay Prakash told ET: �The terms and conditions are not acceptable by the agents.

If they want to do business here then they have to abide by our rules, at least to some extent. We had proposed a 5% commission, but it was not accepted. We will continue to boycott Singapore Airlines.�

India beckons at world\'s largest travel fair- Feature

Berlin - India\'s travel industry is promoting traditional remedies for those stressed out by the global financial crisis, at the world\'s largest travel fair in Berlin. Buoyed by the success of its \"Incredible India\" promotion campaign, Indian travel officials this year are focusing on spa treatments and rural tourism.

The sub-continent presented itself in a two-storey exhibition stand designed like an Indian palace, at the ITB travel fair.

The exhibition kicked off mid-week, with 11,098 tourism industry exhibitors from 187 different countries.

Leena Nandan, of the Indian Tourism Ministry explained what made the country a popular destination for spas and health therapies.

\"On the one hand, we have advanced medical facilities in the country, on the other we are blessed with traditional spa methods and processes which have existed for centuries,\" Nandan said.

\"Methods like yoga and Ayurveda are gaining popularity,\" Nandan added. \"We want to tell the world that Indian tourism today offers all kinds of remedies from stress.\"

In recent years Europeans have been heading to India to seek treatment for conditions such as arthritis, rheumatic and degenerate disorders, sports and spinal injuries and also digestive diseases.

Dr. A.M. Anvar, of the Punarnava Ayurveda Hospital in Kerala, on India\'s southwestern coast said, \"We have a lot of patients coming to us from Germany.\"

\"Our facilities are world-class and the treatment is five times cheaper than what you would get in Europe,\" Anvar said.

Plush Indian hotels, palaces and camps in Rajasthan competed for attention at the fair. Gaj Singh, of Alsisar Hotels in the northern city of Jaipur said said adventure tourism was taking off in the region.

\"We have a lot of places opening off the beaten track,\" Singh said, adding that people were \"going to far off places, and getting involved in sports and camel safaris.\"

\"Rural tourism and cooperatives are developing,\" Singh added, since people wanted \"to visit the real, rural Rajasthan.\"
Entrepreneur Ranjit Sinh Parmar, from Ahmedabad in the northwestern state of Gujarat said, \"The ITB is important for us.\"

\"Central Europe rates among the top five tourist markets into India,\" Parmar said. The main other markets were the UK, France, the US and Canada.

But he said not all tourists came from abroad. \"In India we also have a very large domestic market that is quite vibrant,\" Parmar added.

The five-day travel show at Berlin\'s Funkturm exhibition grounds opens Saturday to the public.

Why is Shirdi so famous

Why is Shirdi so famous?

Shirdi is home to Sai Baba – a saint revered by Indians and foreigners alike. Sai Baba is worshipped with equal fervor by both Hindu and Muslim devotees.

Sai Baba is said to have lived in an old mosque in Shirdi, teaching one and all his message of love, compassion, helping the needy, contentment, inner peace and devotion to the spiritual master and God. His message and teachings continue to guide lakhs of devotees who visit his temple in Shirdi every year.

Throughout his life, Sai Baba reassured his devotees by telling them that he is always there for them and they need not fear any calamity. In today’s fast paced life, Sai Baba’s message of contentment and his reassurances of support and love are a welcome refuge for devotees all across the globe.

The Sai Temple in Shirdi

The Sai temple has been built on the Samadhi of Sai Baba and is a major attraction for devotees. While the mandir is built of stone, the inner sanctum is of white marble and houses the sacred Samadhi. Just behind the Samadhi is a statue of Baba in Italian marble, with a silver umbrella on top.

In front of the temple is an assembly hall with a capacity of 600. The assembly hall also houses a number of articles that Baba employed during the course of his life. These articles are treated with veneration and are kept in showcases for the benefit of devotees. The first floor of the temple has a gallery depicting Baba’s life and teachings for the benefit of devotees.

Overall, the Sai temple is a source of peace and contentment for devotees. Thousands flock to the temple on weekends for having darshan and spending time in the quiet environs. People of all ages and from all walks of life visit the temple and benefit from the peaceful aura and the blessings of Sai Baba.

Other Places of Pilgrimage Near the Shirdi Temple

Dwarkamai

Dwarkamai was originally an old, dilapidated mosque. After coming to Shirdi, Sai Baba named it as Dwarkamai and lived there throughout his life. He gave audience to devotees, cured people of their diseases and put their worries to rest. Given the significance of the place as Baba’s abode, it is revered by one and all.

The first floor of Dwarkamai houses a portrait of Baba and a stone slab on which he used to sit. There are other rooms, housing a chariot and a palanquin. The chariot room has a small temple in front of it with a saffron flag.

The second floor of Dwarkamai has a stone stool which Baba used while bathing. Among other articles, the level also contains Baba’s grinding stone and alms bowl. Another attraction for devotees is Baba’s oil painting encased in a wooden shrine.

Gurusthan

Sai Baba first came to Shirdi as a child ascetic and was spotted under a Neem tree. This same tree is revered today as the Gurusthan. A small shrine, housing a portrait and a marble statue of Baba, along with pictures of Jyotirlingas and a statue of Nandi (Lord Shiva’s mount) form the temple. A unuque fact about Gurusthan is that the branches of the neem tree have out through the roof of the temple – an uncommon sight.

Lendi Baug

This Baug (garden) was made and tended by Sai Baba himself. He used to come here for rest, every morning and afternoon. It also houses a pit that Sai Baba dug for keeping a lamp. Today, an octangular lamp called “Nanda Deep” has been built in memory of baba’s lamp. The lamp is built in marble, housing a flame in a glass box and surrounded on either side by a Neem and a Peepal tree.

How do I get to Shirdi?

By plane
You could fly to either Nashik or Aurangabad, which are the nearest airports. While Mumbai and Pune are not far off, they lend themselves itself to a comfortable drive or a biking trip. All in all, Shirdi is well connected with both public and private transport carrier options available in plenty.

China expects domestic air travel to grow 10% in 2009

China\'s aviation industry is expected to post at least 10 percent growth in its domestic passenger traffic this year thanks to government efforts to boost the economy, while international traffic is likely to fall sharply, the country\'s top aviation industry official said on Wednesday.

China\'s domestic passenger traffic increased 13.47 percent in February from a year earlier, after registering 20 percent growth in January, said Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
However, international cargo traffic plunged 28 percent from a year earlier, while international passenger traffic dropped 16 percent, Li said on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People\'s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

China\'s entire aviation industry, which lost 28.2 billion yuan ($4.12 billion) last year, made a combined profit of 40 million yuan in January, Li said.