Travel buzz: Kerala to start hop-on, hop-off boat service

Kerala to start hop-on, hop-off boat service

Kerala government’s new tourism initiative of hopon hop-off boat service as well as water taxi service at Kochi and Muziris heritage site is expected to start in August. Initially, it was planned to start with three 25-seater AC boats for hop-on hop-off services at Kochi heritage site. The sites in Kochi and Muziris also would be linked with the service.

New whale and dolphin watching body launched in Japan

Anew body was launched promoting whale and dolphin watching in Japan. “There are more than 200 whale and dolphin watching operators... engaged in this rapidly growing eco-tourism industry around coastal Japan. It’s a positive alternative for coastal communities,” said Patrick Ramage, programme director for whales at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The body will help the country move away from its controversial slaughter of the mammals

Nepal upgrading air safety to end eu ban

Nepal will install new radar and weather monitoring systems to improve safety and try to get its airlines removed from an EU blacklist. The Himalayan nation, which counts tourism as a major revenue-earner, has suffered a number of air crashes in recent years which have usually been blamed on inexperienced pilots, poor management and bad maintenance.