Indian Railways to Introduce Premium AC Trains

The Indian Railways has decided to run 17 more premium AC-special trains between Delhi and Mumbai. These additional new trains will ply on busy routes, while the railways will also explore the possibility of running semi-high speed trains between 160-200kmph to Chandigarh and Agra. The premium train to Mumbai, to handle the extra rush during Christmas and New Year, had fetched increased earnings of about 48% as compared to Mumbai Rajdhani. The fares for this train were charged under dynamic fare mechanism scheme much like airlines. “Such dynamic pricing was widely appreciated by users and media and gave increased earnings of about 48% as compared to Rajdhani services on the same sector. We are considering operation of this scheme on a larger scale,” Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said in his Interim Budget speech 2014-15. The 17 premium trains will run from different parts of the country, which are considered high density routes.  (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

 

China Plans Longest Undersea Tunnel

China is planning to build the world’s longest underwater tunnel, according to state media reports. The China Daily reported officials with the Chinese Academy of Engineering as saying that blueprints for the project have already been drawn up and will now be submitted to the central government for approval. The plan is to create a 123 km tunnel under the Bohai Sea, connecting Yantai in Shandong province with Dalian in Liaoning province. If approved, work could start as early as next year, with completion scheduled for 2026. But the project won’t come cheap; the record-breaking tunnel is expected to cost up to USD 36 billion to build. This would mark a significant reduction from the current 1,400 km drive or eight-hour ferry ride, and would provide a major new gateway to China’s northeast. The 123km new tunnel would surpass the combined length of the two longest underwater transport tunnels currently in existence – Japan’s Seikan Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France. (Traveldailymedia.com)

 

Saudi to Invest USD 30.9 Billion in Tourism over Next Decade  

The Saudi government is investing heavily in its tourism sector, principally to provide employment opportunities for Saudi graduates. According to a 2013 MENA tourism and hospitality report by research consultancy Aranca, investment in the travel and tourism sector is expected to increase at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4% to SAR 30.9 billion over a ten year period from 2013 to 23. The number of tourists visiting KSA is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 2% to 21.3 million over the period 2013 – 2023. Revenues will total SAR 60.9 billion by 2023 – due to an increase in the number of Hajj and Umrah tourists and growth of international shopping centres. To cope with the increasing number of visitors, the Saudi government has outlined a plan to invest more than US$ 30 billion in its airports by 2020, including US$ 10 billion in private investment for the sector. (Traveldailynews.com)

 

Tourism Ties between Greece and China to Be Strengthened

Greece and China will launch a task force to strengthen the tourism ties between the two countries; it was decided on 17th February in Athens during a meeting between Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the new Chinese Ambassador to Athens Zou Xiaoli. During the meeting, it was agreed to organize a Greek-Chinese Symposium on tourism issues in Athens this year with representatives of the tourism sector from both countries. The visa requirements of Chinese citizens wanting to travel to Greece were discussed. The Greek tourism minister referred to actions launched by Greece to simplify the entry procedures for citizens from third countries. (Travelandtourworld.com)