26th February: Borderlands Group participates in the launching of ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’

30 participants from the Borderlands Group participated in the launching of ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’ campaign. The campaign was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal amidst a grand function organized on February 26, 2010 at Tudikhel...more

26th February: ‘FAGU PURNIMA- THE FESTIVAL OF COLORS’

“Every other building is a temple and every other day is a festival’, this is a famous saying about Nepal that goes very well with the numerous festivals that are observed in Nepal. Nepal will be celebrating one of its important festivals...more

25th February: Bhotekoshi River Festival in the offing

Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT) is organizing a River Festival at the Bhotekoshi River from February 27-28, 2010. ‘Holi celebration with Whitewater Rafting’ is the theme of the festival. Additionally, the participants will also get to enjoy a stay at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort. The second day of the festival also includes free rafting trips for the invited local community people.

24th February: Borderlands organizes Team Building Program for Linez Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

A Team Building and Staff Retreat Program was organized for the staff of Linez Marketing Pvt. Ltd. from February 12-13, 2010 at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort. The program...more

4th February: Borderlands Group participates in PATA Adventure Mart

Borderlands Group actively participated in PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2010 (ATRTCM) held at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kathmandu from February more

4th February: Maha Shivaratri Festival in the offing

The religious ‘Maha Shivaratri’ Festival, one of the most important festivals of the Hindus, falls on February 12, 2010. ‘Maha Shivaratri’ marks the night when Lord Shiva performed the divine art form known as ‘Tandava’, a dance performed by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is also believed that Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati on more

3rd February: The Borderlands Group organized a program for Alliance Francaise

The Borderlands group organized a picnic for the students and teachers of Alliance Francaise at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort that is situated 16 kms away from the Tibet border. 25 students and 4 teachers were part of the group who came to the resort during the program. The picnic, that took place from January 30-31, 2010, also included a visit to the natural Hot Spring (Tatopani) and border shopping at Khasa Bazaar, Tibet. Music, dance and campfire were other highlights of the picnic. Additionally, the program also assisted in improving the bonding between the teachers and the students and was more or less like an orientation program for the 1st level students of Alliance Francaise. Overall, the picnic was a huge success as the participants enjoyed themselves immensely.

2nd February: Borderlands PDP organizes a Program for USAID/ Nepal DG/PS team

The Borderlands PDP organized a Staff Retreat/ Team Building Program for the staff of USAID/ Nepal Democracy and Governance/ Peace Support (DG/PS) team from January 28-29, 2010 at Park Village Resort...more

27th January: Borderlands Group and Gokarna Forest Resort launches its High Rope Course

Borderlands Group, in association with Gokarna Forest Resort, launched the ‘Borderlands/Gokarna Forest Resort- High Rope Course’ on January 26, 2010 amidst a program organized at Gokarna Forest Resort...more

24th January: Borderlands Staff Retreat Program organized

The Borderlands Management organized a Staff Retreat program for the Borderlands team on January 23, 2010 at Gokarna Forest Resort. Mr. Anil Chitrakar, Mr. Bhushan Tuladhar and Mr. Rajendra Mulmi were...more

22nd January: Wizz Air to add two new routes in the near future

In a bid to expand its operations from Poland, Wizz Air is all set to add two new routes to its exiting operation. Katowice to Weeze/ Dusseldorf and Warsaw to Turku will be the new addition with Katowice to Weeze/ Dusseldorf starting from June 13 and initially operating 4 times a week. On the other hand, the flight from Warsaw to Turku will start on April 10, 2010 and will initially operate 2 times a week.

19th January: Nepal participates in Vakantiebeurs Holiday Fair 2010

Nepal Tourism Board and 6 travel trade companies successfully participated in Vakantiebeurs Holiday Fair 2010. Organized at Utrecht, the Netherlands, from January 12-17, 2010, the main objective of the Fair was to provide an opportunity to meet the exhibitors and get first hand information. The Fair is the largest consumer travel fair and the world’s largest trade event in the Benelux region. Multimedia presentation and a quiz program was also organized by Nepal Tourism Board during the fair.

18th January: Sprice.com joins hand with Hotels.com

With the objective of offering wider accommodation choices at better rates, Sprice.com, one of the world’s leading travel search engine, announced a partnership with Hotels.com, the global hotel specialist. Following the partnership, travelers will get a wider choice of over 110,000 hotels worldwide on Sprice.com.

17th January: Ryanair announces partnership with Perfect Getaways

On January 12, 2010, Ryanair signed a deal with Perfect Getaways, the holiday home search engine, which will offer self catering accommodation including villas, cottages, apartments and holiday homes on Ryanair Rentals’ page of the Ryanair.com website from February 1, 2010. Ryanair Rentals provides a unique opportunity for holiday homeowners to advertise their properties to Ryanair’s 73 million passengers looking to purchase holiday accommodation in the area they are flying to.

14th January: Nepal bags ‘Most Integrated Presentation Award’

Nepal stall bagged the ‘Most Integrated Presentation Award’ at the Indian Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) held in Chennai from January 8-10, 2010. Nepal Tourism Board and eight tour operators represented Nepal in the mart. The participants disseminated information about Nepal and interacted with new/existing tour operators and the local media. ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’ was also highlighted and various packages targeting the Indian tourists were promoted during the fair that was organized by Fairfest Media Limited.

13th January: London and Kathmandu to be linked via road

Oz- Bus, the adventure bus company that runs tours from London to Sydney and London to New York is now selling a new shorter option from London to Kathmandu that will begin from February 14, 2010. The trip, that can also be reversed, will run 9 times a year with the first departure on February 14 and the last on September 26. After 11 days of travelling through some of Europe’s greatest cities, the bus reaches Istanbul. From there, the legendary route followed by the hippie trailers of the 1960s and 1970s takes the passengers through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India and then to Kathmandu-Nepal.

12th January: The ‘24th Midwinter Waterbird Count’ underway

The 24th Midwinter Waterbird Count, the longest-running annual monitoring program of wildlife organized in Nepal, commenced from January 9-25, 2010. Bird lovers, ornithologists, locals and students are actively involved in the count in at least 30 different wetlands known to harbor both residential and migratory water birds. The program is jointly supported by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, National Trust for Nature Conservation and the Wetland Project- Nepal. The data generated will provide an outlook on the status, distribution and population of waterbirds in the country.

11th January: NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2010 to be organized

The city’s largest dining program to date, NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2010, will be held from January 25- February 7, 2010. The event is produced by NYC and Company, supported by founding sponsor American Express and participating sponsors Coca-Cola and JetBlue Airways. New features include: an NYC Restaurant Week Truck, returning notable restaurants, exclusive benefits for American Express Card members etc. More than 260 participating restaurants will be featured in the event.

8th January: Lufthansa and Frankfurt Airport

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has voted Lufthansa and Frankfurt Airport as the top of the class in terms of passenger baggage handling. This achievement has been recognized in the ‘2009 BIP Best Airport Award’. IATA regularly examines the baggage handling performance of the world’s major international airports as part of its Baggage Improvement Program (BIP). The inspections conducted by IATA are highly detailed as, in all, 150 individual points in 22 crore baggage transfer processes come under the microscope.

7th January: ADTA initiates to reduce energy, water and waste

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is spearheading a major campaign to deliver substantial sector-wide energy, water and waste reduction by the end of 2010. Under the Environmental, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS), ADTA is targeting 10% energy, 20% water and 20% waste-to-landfill savings. The initiatives have been rolled out in a series of EHSMS seminars and workshops to help the stakeholders.

6th January: ‘At the Top, Burj Dubai’ opens its doors to the public

The world’s tallest building, ‘At the Top, Burj Dubai’, opened its doors to the public from January 5, 2010. Apart from having the world’s highest observation deck, the building also houses Armani Hotel Dubai, world’s first Armani Hotel to open in Dubai that will be officially launched on March 18, 2010. Online bookings for the Armani Hotel Dubai will go live in late January 2010.
The tickets to enter the building will be time stamped at 30-minute intervals, on specific days, in order to carefully manage the daily rush of sightseers.

5th January: EVA Air to connect Taipei and Toronto

Effective March 29, 2010, EVA Air will start direct passenger flights between Taipei, Taiwan and Toronto, Canada. In addition to reducing the travel time, the introduction of the service will make trip planning significantly more convenient. Initially, three flights a week will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays using a technically advanced Boeing 777-300 ERs. The airline is offering competitive fares and service options that appeal to a broad range of business and leisure travelers.

4th January: Top 10 places in the world to beware of pickpockets

TripAdvisor, the world’s most popular and largest travel community, has listed top 10 cities in the world where visitors should beware of pickpockets. Based on TripAdvisor’s travelers and editors, the list includes: Barcelona-Spain, Rome-Italy, Prague-Czech Republic, Madrid-Spain, Paris-France, Florence-Italy, Buenos Aires-Argentina, Amsterdam-Netherlands, Athens-Greece and Hanoi-Vietnam. The travel community has also advised visitors to be extra careful while enjoying the various attractions of these places.

3rd January: Continental’s staff retreat at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort

Staff of Continental Trading Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. and their family members went up to the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort to enjoy themselves and to spend quality time with their family members, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A total of 21 people spent the night of January 2, 2010 at the resort and also went up to Tatopani (Hot Spring) and the Tibetan Border.

31st December: Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London announces soft opening

The third Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London has announced that it will have a soft opening on February 4, 2010. Situated at the foot of Westminster Bridge in the heart of London’s South Bank and only steps away from the city’s most iconic attractions, the hotel will offer limited availability during the launching as it undergoes final preparations including the completion of its full-service spa, swimming pool and gym.

30th December: Monte Carlo Travel Market bags the 2010 Star Diamond Award

American Academy of Hospitality Services has voted Monte Carlo Travel Market (MCTM), luxury exhibition organizer, as one of the finest Travel and Lifestyle exhibitions worldwide. The award is without doubt the most prestigious and comprehensive award held specifically for the luxury travel and hospitality services industry and is hailed as the ‘Oscars of the industry’.

29th December: Borderlands Group to take part in PATA’s Adventure Travel Mart

The Borderlands Group, in partnership with Yeti Travels Pvt. Ltd., is all set to take part in PATA’s 2010 Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference & Mart scheduled to be held at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kathmandu, from February 1-5, 2010. The program is endorsed by Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). For details, please log on to: www.pata.org

28th December: REBAN-Pokhara Chapter organizes the 11th Pokhara Street Festival

The 11th Pokhara Street Festival is currently underway at the three kilometer stretch of road from Fishtail Gate to the Camping Ground, Pokhara. The annual event organized by REBAN- Pokhara Chapter, from December 28, 2009- January 1, 2010, aims at promoting Pokhara as a ‘Paradise Destination’. Cultural dance/ shows, variety of sumptuous food, sports, entertainment activities etc are some of the highlights of the festival. Pokhara is a major tourist hub for national as well as international clients.

27th December: Equal Access organizes a Staff Retreat at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort

The Borderlands PDP organized a Staff Retreat Program for the staff of Equal Access at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort that is situated just 16 kms away from the Tibet border. ...More

25th December: Christmas being celebrated in Nepal

Christmas, December 25, is being celebrated throughout the world and in Nepal as well with a lot of fun and fervor. Christmas trees, aglow with lights, are on display and various programs are also being organized to mark the event in major tourist hubs of the country.
The Borderlands Group wishes all a merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year 2010.

24th December: sunshine.co.uk releases top ten travel destinations to celebrate New Year’s Eve

sunshine.co.uk, UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent, has released the list of top ten places to be on New Year’s Eve. The places, from around the world, famous for their New Year celebrations are: New York-USA, Sydney- Australia, London- England, Rio de Janeiro- Brazil, Paris- France, Edinburgh- Scotland, Cape Town- South Africa, Bangkok- Thailand, Las Vegas- USA and Niagara- Canada.

23rd December: Come and be a part of Nature-treks.com’s Ghorepani Adventure

Winter months from December to February is considered to be a good time for low altitude treks as the season offers great mountain views and because less people trek during this time, the trekking routes are not crowded. Nature-treks.com offers the amazing 12 days trip to Ghorepani ...More

18th December: Regular train service launched from London to Salisbury & Tisbury

Effective December 13, 2009, a regular train service has been launched that provides a daily, hourly route out of London’s Waterloo to Salisbury and Tisbury and onwards to Exeter. With the implementation of the service that is regular and faster than ever before, the tourism bosses in Wiltshire are hopeful of seeing an increase in the number of visitors in 2010. The service brings the average journey time between London and Salisbury down to less than two hours.

17th December: PM Nepal addresses the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties

On December 16, 2009, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal addressed the 15th meeting of Conference of Parties (COP-15) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bella Center, Copenhagen. Up to 115 heads of states are expected to address the summit that will come to an end on December 18, 2009. The PM drew the world’s attention towards the impact of climate change in addition to lobbying for ‘Save the Himalayas’ campaign. Speaking on behalf of the least developed countries, he urged the developed countries to opt for a legal binding on carbon emission.

16th December: National Conference on Machhapuchhre Model Trek organized

Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research- North South (NCCR N-S) and Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) organized a national conference on the newly opened Machhapuchhre Model Trek in Kathmandu on December 14, 2009. The trekking trail covers seven village development committees including Lahachowk, Ghachowk, Machhapuchhre, Rivan, Lwangghalel, Dhital and Sardikhola VDC in Kaski district.

15th December: Alpine Air to start operations soon

By the third week of January 2010, Alpine Air, a Nepali international airline, has plans to start its regional flights on Kathmandu-New Delhi- Kathmandu route. The airline has leased two Airbuses from Bahrain Air and will use Airbus 319-100 having a seating capacity of 132 seats on its regional flight. The airline also has plans to operate flights to Kuala Lumpur, China and Doha by 2010.

14th December: Larnaka International Airport opens in Cyprus

Larnaka International Airport in Cyprus, the new state-of-the-art airport which is three times bigger than its predecessor, has officially opened its doors. Bright, modern colors & Cypriot design is featured throughout the airport. Passengers can visit the Kypriaka store which offers a wide range of high quality local merchandise ranging from intricate lace work & silver-plated gifts to gastronomic specialities. With the opening of the new airport, Cyprus now has two modern airports.

13th December: Tourists entering Nepal via TIA to get pre-paid SIM cards

Effective December 13, 2009, tourists entering Nepal via Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will be distributed pre-paid SIM cards. Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), in collaboration with Nepal Telecom, will be distributing NTC brand GSM pre-paid SIM cards for the tourists.

11th December: UNWTO and CNN International move ahead with their strategic partnership

UNWTO & CNN International are moving ahead with their strategic partnership signed last month. The alliance between UNWTO & CNN Tourism, Advertising Solutions & Knowledge (TASK), aims to strengthen the travel & tourism industry. UNWTO & the TASK Group will share content, join forces on industry newsletters & cross promote services across each other’s respective platforms while collaborating on industry events to ensure the best breed of knowledge & latest data is imparted to sector professionals.

10th December: Thailand is voted the favorite sailing venue in Asia

According to a recent sailing survey, Thailand was voted the favorite sailing venue in Asia and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta the best regatta in Asia. The survey was conducted by ‘Top of the Gulf Regatta’ in cooperation with Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. The survey aimed to find out the sailing trends and provide useful information in helping to attract more sailors to Thailand.

9th December: Work begins for the construction of Pokhara International Airport

The government has given a green signal for the construction of an international airport in Chhinedanda, Pokhara. On December 8, 2009, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sharat Singh Bhandari, inaugurated the construction work for the airport, the loan for which has been provided by the Chinese government. A 2,500 m long and 50 m wide runway will be built on 106 ropanis of land. The airport will be an alternative to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and its estimated total cost is around Rs 13 billion.

8th December: Staff Retreat/ Team Building Program organized for UNDP- SPCBN

UNDP- Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal (SPCBN) took part in a Staff Retreat/ Team Building Program organized from December 4-5, 2009 at Country Villa, Nagarkot...More

7th December: Leadership Development Program organized for Lincoln School students

A Leadership Development Program was organized for Lincoln School students from November 30- December 4, 2009. 22 students and 5 teachers from Lincoln School (Grade 7) and 4 students from the local school participated in the Environmental Study Program organized at Sundarijal...More

4th December: Historic high-altitude ‘cabinet meeting’ at Everest Base Camp concludes

The historic high-altitude cabinet meeting successfully concluded on December 4, 2009 at Kalapathar, the foothills of Mt. Everest. Chaired by PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, the meeting was attended by 24 cabinet ministers, journalists etc. The meeting aimed to draw the world’s attention to the threats of climate change in the Himalayas & was held for nearly an hour. Apart from setting the agenda for the upcoming Copenhagen summit in Denmark, the meet also added Banke National Park as a new national park & extended the territories of Api-Nampa conservation area in Darchula & Gauri-Shankar conservation area in Ramechhap & Dolakha & Bardiya National Park.

3rd December: Apa Sherpa and Dawa Sherpa receives WWF award

Apa Sherpa and Dawa Sherpa, Nepalese climbers and Climate-for-Life ambassadors, received WWF’s ‘Leaders for a Living Planet’ award on December 2, 2009. The prestigious award was given amidst a ceremony held at Gland, WWF secretariat in Switzerland. The award is the highest honor given to an individual by the global wildlife agency. WWF International’s Director General Jim Leape gave away the award.

2nd December: Electronic ticketing to be launched in Myanmar

As of December 1, authorized travel agents in Myanmar will be able to issue electronic tickets on behalf of Malaysia Airlines, hence enabling tremendous improvements in the efficiency of their sales & ticketing process. Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading revenue partner for airlines, has announced that it will be the first GDS to exclusively launch electronic ticketing with Malaysia Airlines in Myanmar through its unique electronic transitional automated ticketing platform (eTAT).

1st December: Bardiya National Park hosts the International Elephant Polo competition

The 28th International Elephant Polo competition, organized by World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA), Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge and supported by Bardia National Park, commenced on November 30, 2009 at Thakurdwar of Bardia National Park, Nepal. National and international participants from Nepal, UK, USA, Hong Kong, Scotland and Singapore are participating in the week long tournament that ends on December 5, 2009.

30th November: Borderlands PDP organized a Leadership Development Program for the students of the British School

A Leadership Development Program was organized for Grade 6 students of the British School from November 23-27, 2009 at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort. A total of 13 students and 3 teachers participated in the five days program. To make the experiential learning more effective, the ...More

29th November: World Bank Nepal takes part in a Staff Retreat Program

Borderlands PDP organized a Staff Retreat Program for the staff of World Bank Nepal from November 22-25, 2009 at Mirabel Resort...More

27th November: Accor UK renews its contract with ABC Connection

Accor UK renewed its contract with ABC Connection for three years following a review of its sales & marketing strategy. Accor UK is a leading hospitality group while ABC Connection is an online publisher. With the renewal of the contract, descriptions & images of Accor UK’s Sofitel, Novotel & Mercure branded properties, plus several Ibis hotels will be promoted directly to leading booking agents, travel management companies, corporate travel managers & online hotel & venue guides via ABC’s network of distribution partners.

26th November: Nature-treks.com organizes the Gokyo Valley and Everest Base Camp Adventure

Nature-treks.com organized the Gokyo Valley and Everest Base Camp Adventure, the ultimate adventure in Nepal, from November 3 to 19, 2009 for a group of 6 English people. The main highlights...More