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Indo-Pak thaw brings in windfall for Pak hoteliers Lahore: The thaw in relations with India has proved a boon for Pakistan's hotel industry. Occupancy rates in all types of hotels, including the five- starrers, are almost 100 per cent, The Nation reported Monday. The paper said that in some cases the great influx of Indian tourists from across the border makes it difficult for the hoteliers to accommodate all the guests. "In the wake of more friendly policy, tourists from across the boarder visited Pakistan in a great number. Thaw in relations with India has leased a new life in hotel industry as the tourists and business delegations have started pouring in without any fear keeping the peace process kicking," the paper quoted Shaista Qaiser, the Assistant Marketing Manager at Lahore's Pearl Continental, as saying. "We usually categorize customers in three categories - Budget Customers, those who have limited budget and come from other cities for any special purpose and stay in a hotel for a short period. Second, local and foreign tourists who go to different cities for leisure. Third, Corporate and Elite clients, who have business assignments or meetings to attend and stay in five star hotels," she said. "During Pak-India cricket series, hustle and bustle revived in hotels due to large number of Indian cricket fans in the City," she added.
Haseeb Gardezi, the deputy general manager at the same hotel, said:
"Keeping in view the inflow of tourists Pearl Continental is constructing
a 40-storey Elite Tower to cater to its requirements." Stating that
tourism could not be promoted until hotel industry makes progress, Gardezi
said: "Keeping in view the positive economic indicators in hotels business,
many international hotels like Hayat Regency, Obroi International, Sheraton
and Serena are also planning to jump into the competitive but favorable
market of Pakistan." According to the paper, Khuram Hashmi, Marketing
Manager of the Pearl Continental Hotel, said that hotel industry was
a medium to attract foreign tourists. Protest against diversion of Ganga (Go To Top) Varanasi: Hindu seers in Varanasi are up in arms against diverting the course of the river Ganga for the construction of a dam. Called the "Bhagirathi" in the Himalayan region, the mighty river runs its course of over 2,500 km through plains, where it takes on the name of the Ganga, before merging into the Bay of Bengal. The river was diverted across a few hundred kilometers in Tehri, where the project is coming up. Hindus, however, say the Ganga is divine and tampering of its course by mortals is sacreligious, which would attract the ire of the Goddess. "We have taken a vow to protest against the construction of Tehri dam. Until Ganga is allowed to flow freely from Gangotri to Gangasagar and the garbage is cleaned up we will not live in peace. We are against the dam," Swami Narendranath Saraswati, a holyman said. But for all the hue and cry, the protest is unlikely to make even the slightest dent to the multi-billion dollar project, which is nearing completion. World's fourth largest multi-purpose dam is being built at an estimated cost of 1,700 million dollars and has been under construction since 1976. It has been mired in controversy ever since environmentalists, alarmed by instability of the earthquake-prone region, expressed concern over its safety and locals complained of poor rehabilitation packages. But
the federal government has stood by the project saying it was completely
safe and built with the higest safety standards. Authorities also claim
over 10 billion rupees has been spent and more than 80 percent of the
affected population have been rehabilitated. When completed, the dam
is expected to generate 2,400 megawatt electricity, control floods in
the area and irrigate areas where water is not available during the
summer. It's fishing time in Goa (Go To Top) Panaji:
It is fishing time in Goa e where the markets are flooded with huge
varieties of fishes. The varieties include prawns, bagra, palm prijt,
king fish or shrimps. Buyers find fish healthier and tastier compared
to other non-vegetarian foods like mutton or chicken. "The fish is good
because it is fresh and tasty. Also it is good for health unlike mutton
and chicken. It is hygienic and does not upset your stomach," said Shailendra,
a fish lover. The tourists say that the fishes are fresh, which are
better than the cold storage stock. "Basically it is not iced fish.
It is fish out of water, so the taste is definitley better than the
Bangalore fish," said John, another fish lover from Bangalore. This
year the small state's fish production was 91,000 metric tonnes as against
21,000 metric tonnes last year. Fishing activity in Goa employs more
than 20,000 people directly and indirectly. It also generates exports
of around Rs. 500 millions. Orissa zoo inmates in cool comfort (Go To Top) Bhubaneswar:
Alarmed by the soaring mercury, authorities at a zoo in Orissa are
working round the clock to help the animals tide over the scorching
summer. Last year, the Nandankanan zoo in Bhubaneswar was rocked by
the death of two white tigers and a crocodile due to the intense heat.
Having faced much flak, the zoo is this year taking no chances. Cooler
shades made of natural reeds and sprinklers have been installed in all
the enclosures, with the cat family getting special preference. All
the animals have been put on a new summer diet, which includes hefty
doses of fruits like watermelons and mangoes, which have been an instant
hit, especially with the monkeys. Vitamins and electrolytes are being
added to the food and drinking water to prevent dehydration. "We have
made arrangements to have sufficient water in most of the cages. If
some other requirement is there like water spraying, giving medicines
to animals, if they have some heat stroke, we attend to it. At the same
time, our veterinary doctors are also paying regular visits, if there
is stress then action will be taken," Ashok Dinakar, deputy director
of the zoo, said. Officials are also in contact with other renowned
zoos and saying they have got many valuable inputs on cheap but highly
effective heat control measures. "This year what we have done is that
we have put white linen in the cubicles so that the heat is reflected
back and the cubicles are not heated up," Manoj Mahopatra, in-charge
of the zoo, said. Thai tourism wants to jet-ski into India's Andamans (Go To Top) Bangkok: Tourism in Thailand appears to be going places, and that too in jet-setting mode. According to a report in Singapore's the Strait Times, officials of Thailand's foreign and tourism ministries have actively set their sights on promoting a possible tourism link between the country's Phuket Island and Port Blair, the capital of India's pristine Andaman Islands. Plans include the introduction of jet skis, adventure sports like parasailing, water safaris and establishment of treetop houses in protected forests. There is also a proposal in the pipeline to relax Indian environment laws to allow development within 50m of the sea rather than the present 200m. The paper quoted Senior Thai Foreign Ministry official Snanchart Devahastin as saying last week that prospects for economic links between Phuket and Port Blair, particularly for tourism and fishing, were quite bright. He confirmed that a formal twin-city agreement was being drafted, but added that the proposal still had to go through various stages before the governments of the two countries gave their final approval.
Meanwhile, Thai airline PB Air is already running charter flights between
Phuket and the Andamans, and officials here hope this will be a regular
feature by next year. Environmental groups in both countries, however,
are a bit skeptical about this proposal, saying that it could sound
the death knell of indigenous tribes in the Andamans like the Jarawa
tribe, which belongs to the Negrito group of tribes, the report adds.
Pankaj Sekhsaria, the author of the book, Troubled Islands, which deals
with the Andamans, however, has sounded a note of caution. While Phuket
is famous for its tourism, it is also infamous for the ills that come
with the kind of intensive tourism that has been developed there," he
told The Straits Times. "How will it be assured that the problems related
to sex and drug-related tourism do not creep into the islands? He asked.
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