Tourism in India is a tale of amazing potential, confusing paradoxes, missed opportunities and massive under utilisation of resources. Compared to rest of the tourist hotspots around the world, India has mind boggling variety of tourist attractions of all types which can attract almost every single type of tourist out there. Ancient archaeological heritage of India which goes back to nearly 4000 years is spread all over India, from Laddakh to Kanyakumari.
India is blessed with such awe inspiring ancient monuments at a scale unrivaled by any other country in the world. Forts of Rajput rulers in Rajasthan, artful temples of Bundels, luxurious monuments constructed by Mughals, amazingly beautiful Konkan temples are just a small fraction of this wealth spread across it’s length and breadth. Adventure tourists have some of the best and virtually untouched destinations in Laddakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, Sikkim, Mizoram and other north-eastern states . Wild life enthusiasts have the option of seeing some of the rarest wildlife not found anywhere else in world in Gir, Jim Corbett and many other national parks.
Adventure tourism, specially in north-eastern states has a lot of potential but hasn’t been explored even partially. The north-eastern states states have some of the best places for adventure activities like trekking, mountain climbing, camping and much more. Culinary tourism in India which has the biggest potential is just a small speck. Considering the vast culinary diversity of India, the country should be the top destination for all foodie tourists.
So many religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism originated in India and their followers from all over the world wish to visit places important to their faiths. Medical tourism in India due to high quality healthcare at very low prices attracts people from all over the world. Culture and food junkies can’t find any place better than India with it’s diversity in languages, people, food, music, literature and culture which go back thousands of years. To top that, India is one of the cheapest tourist destinations compared to most of western countries. There is no other country in the world which offers so much diversity in such a package. Anyone would think that with so many blessings, India would be the tourist hub of the world. To top it all, India is one of the cheapest destinations in the world for tourists.
In 2011, 62 lakh foreigner tourists arrived in India. Tourism sector in India employs nearly 4 crore people and is $ 121 billion dollar industry. Seems impressive, only till compared to 2.5 crore tourists per year Malaysia which has little to offer except beaches and and cheap shopping. Top tourist destination in world is France with 8.2 crore tourists in 2011 and 8.3 crore in 2012. India is not even in top 10 tourist destinations in world or even Asia. It’s actually ranked 38, preceded by countries like Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Egypt and even Tunisia. Just for sake of perspective, go through the following list:
( 1 million = 10 lakh, 100 lakh = 1 crore)
Country No. of tourists
Tourism in India is more than just Taj Mahal, Chandratal Lake, Spiti
Turkey 3.5 crore
Morocco 92 lakh
Tunisia 69 lakh
South Africa 80 lakh
China 5.8 crore
Saudi Arab 1.7 crore
Egypt 94 lakh
Thailand 1.9 crore
Looking at these figures, one can’t help but wonder what is wrong with Indian tourism sector. It’s not that people around the world are unaware of what India has to offer. Established travel forums like TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet are full of foreigners discussing and asking for information related to travel in India. Sections related to India are the ones with maximum number of posters. On Tripadvisor, India section has more than 10000 threads, exceeded only by 15000 threads of Thaliand. A lot people from all over the world wish to visit India but are turned away by numerous factors.
Some of such issues are:
1) Complicated visa procedures: Infamous Indian red tape and bureaucracy is a nuisance outside the country too. Unlike other tourist hotspots, India makes it much more difficult and expensive for tourists to get a visa. India offers on arrival visa to only a handful of countries including Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and 4-5 others. In comparison, Malaysia offers on arrival visa to majority of countries except Israel, India, China and some African countries.
2) Bad infrastructure : Even though rapid development is happening, India is still a long way from having a world class tourist infrastructure.
3) Safety : Image of India has taken a severe beating recently due to various factors. Pakistan sponsored terrorism in various parts of India is also a big turn 0ff.
4) Lack Of Promotion Unlike other countries where governments and private organisations, spend large amounts of money and effort to promote tourism in their own countries, Indian efforts in this case have been very limited. Incredible India campaign which was launched with much fanfare a few years back ran out of steam pretty quickly.
Above mentioned points are not unique to just India. A lot of countries face similar problems, have very little tourist attractions but still manage to attract many more tourists than India. We need to learn from them and make necessary changes as soon as possible. Some recent high profile projects like Golden Quadrilateral Highway project, Delhi Agra expressway, high speed trains with bio toilets etc are steps in right direction. But a lot more needs to be done. A lot of our customers are solo travelers, men and women of all ages. Some of them spend months or even years traveling inside India without facing any problem. But the recent bad press and selective reporting has messed up image of India badly. In an industry where perception counts for a lot, an effort has to be made to promote the attractions and good points of India rather than just the bad news.
Development of infrastructure accompanied by positive publicity should be the top priority for us. There have been small baby steps, but what we need is a sustained organised effort.
Indian Food Blog: Himachal Pradesh The snow-clad mountains, lush green valleys, the freshness in the air, tranquillity in the environment, these are a few things that describe Himachal Pradesh at its best. From the road vendors to the authentic cafes and restaurants, Himachali people will pour their hearts out in their dishes. Akotri is made with buckwheat mixed with wheat that is usually prepared on occasions of festivities.The thought of a buckwheat cake might not sound so great but is both scrumptious and healthy. With the goodness of ghee, it provides you with enough nutrients and calories to survive a good hike. Sidu is a local bread made from wheat flour. The flour is kneaded and set aside for some hours for the yeast to settle and the dough to rise. The dough is put on the bonfire to be par-cooked and then later steamed to complete the cooking. This distinct bread is usually enjoyed with ghee . Ambal has mouth-watering taste due to the mixed sweet- sour flavours. Ambal is pumpkin dish usually served with rice and rajma. The dish is neither totally liquid nor totally dry. This dogri dish packs a lot of flavours and is a must try during the winters. Madra is a delicacy that belongs to Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. This dish consists of the soaked chickpeas or vegetables. Madra is one of those dishes that represents the food culture of Himachal Pradesh and is available at every restaurant, and on festivals, offered to you with utmost love. Rajma Chawal is a delicious dish and contains good quality of carbohydrate and protein that can suit your taste. This popular dish is loved by people of all age groups. Rajma Chawal is perfect for a Sunday brunch or on a get-together with family and friends. It is cooked by using rajma(kidney beans) rice, onions, tomatoes and melange of spices. Kheru is a very tasty and authentic himachali dish. It is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Kheru is prepared with sour curd, coriander seeds, onions. Kheru is usually served with piping hot rice but can also be eaten with rotis or parathas. Sepu Vadi is simply a mouth watering dish. Sepu Vadi is cooked mostly on wedding occasion in Himachal Pradesh .Normally this dish is made with spinach , curd gravy and split Urad Dal.
For tourists all over the world, it’s hard job to avoid getting cheated by different kinds of tourist scams. Touts and middlemen are a bane of tourists everywhere. They are pesky, greedy, dishonest and always looking for a way to con unsuspecting tourists out of money by any means possible. This article is intended to help tourists avoid getting cheated by scams perpetrated by such touts and other scammers. But first, we’ll explain what we are talking about by the help of some real life incidents. Examples of travel scams 1) Tea tasting scams There are numerous versions of this tourist scam all over the world. In this, a very friendly local will ask you for a minor favour like taking a picture, then try to gain your trust by any means possible. Then they offer to take you to a very unique restaurant, festival etc for a special tea tasting session, best food in town or something similar. When it comes to the point of paying for it, they show their true colours by presenting an amount that could buy enough food to feed 100s of people for weeks. 2) Providing wrong information The most recent one we heard was from an American tourist who wanted to see Delh’s Red Fort (Lal Qila). He got out of his hotel from Paharganj, which is only 10-15 minutes drive from the fort and started looking for an auto-rickshaw to get there. A tout came up to him and offered him to take him there in his ‘private car’, which would have cost 5-6 times what auto-rickshaw would have charged. When the tourist refused, the tout told him that due to terrorist threat, only private cars were allowed inside the fort and auto-rickshaws and other vehicles are not. Fortunately, the tourist was smart and he ignored everything the tout said. He hired an auto-rickshaw and visited Red Fort without any issue. 3) Tour of workshops, showrooms One of the most infamous scams in many tourist hot-spots is touts, guides, taxi-drivers etc taking to you for a tour of a workshop, garments factory, rug factory etc and claim that it’s just part of the tour and they are under no pressure to buy anything. But the unsuspecting tourists are tricked in to buying some useless trinket at vastly inflated prices by the silver-tongued touts. 4) Recommending shady businesses Touts and middle-men like to recommend particular hotels, shops or relevant business establishment by promising good deals and discounts. Everyone from taxi drivers to guides to travel agents and hotel owners are guilty of this. In some cases, they can get you something you may or may not require, but it’s almost always at inflated prices due to commissions involved. The business owner is obligated to pay sums as high as 50% of the sale value to the referrer. How to avoid travel scams while traveling As evident, any tourist is very likely to be approached by unscrupulous touts in a wide variety of situations. Here is how you can avoid losing your money in any of common travel scams: 1) Read reviews Most of reputable businesses worth their salt have an online presence by the means of a website, reviews of forums and various travel related sites like Tripzar, Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor and many others. Look around for what other travelers are saying about them. Many businesses will have some bad reviews. In that case check how they responded or did anything to make up for the bad experience. There are many business with no online presence which can be good, but always ask fellow travelers before spending your money. People who are in business for long care about their reputation and are more trustworthy than small time touts who care only about money. 2) Contact in advance and keep things clear It’s important that a tourist knows every relevant detail before handing over the money. It’s easy to fall for common travel scams if you don’t know how your money will be spent by agents. If you are planning any trip, make sure to have information about every hotel, car, guide, driver, food, sightseeing etc. written down for quick reference. It’s helpful in more than one way. Not only you have a good idea of what you are paying for, but you can also weed out the things you don’t need or ask for upgrades and better facilities. 3) Avoid the shops random strangers and untrustworthy guides insist on As mentioned above, most business owners pay a very large percentage of their sales amount to whoever brings clients to them. . While a small commission is OK, most of the time, it’s so much that the tourists end up buying things at many times their reasonable cost. Taxi drivers may offer you reduced fare if you agree to visit some showrooms or shops on the way. Avoid them at all costs. If you absolutely have to go, then always check for reasonable price and bargain hard. 4) Keep low profile This may sound strange to some, but do not show off your expensive branded clothes, electronics, wads of cash etc as a status symbol. Keep a low profile, don’t let other people know of your economic status. People who look rich attract more unsavoury characters than simple and broke backpackers. 5) Ignore them, don’t engage A lot of places frequented by tourists will have numerous vendors, guides and beggars trying to sell you something or asking for money. Don’t pay any attention to them or make eye contact or do anything to make them think that you might be interested in buying something from them. Not everyone is a tout, but most such people are poor who just want to make some money qucik. 6) Call bluffs of fake officers Some travel scams involve scammers pose as officers of some government agency and try to fleece money.It’s rare but if you ever have the misfortune of meeting any such low-life, ask
Chaat – Indian Street Food Various varieties of Chaat are some of most popular Indian street food dishes and quite more than just snacks for people in India. Chaat is among the lightest, cheapest and most convenient meal to have when someone is in a hurry. Indian street food is incomplete without a mention of chaat. A confusing point that many people don’t get is that a lot of Indian street food items are called chaat. Some of more popular chaat dishes are papdi chaat, gol gappa also called paani puri,and bhalla chaat. Chaat is a street food dish, but some kind of it always served during most parties in India. Even posh, high-end restaurants have started serving chaat items, but they are often beaten by the street food vendors who have been doing it for generationsA large number of chaat food items exist in India, many with completely different flavours, looks and ingredients from the rest. Many chaats are eaten cool and thus are enjoyable even in summer. Pani puris for example, are just water flavoured with digestive spices served in hollow balls made of crisp flour. Sometimes they are garnished with chick peas and boiled mashed potatoes. The flavoured water is usually salty made using pudina (mint), rock salt, pepper, and some other ingredients depending upon where you eat it. For people who like sweetness, bit of sweet and tangy tamarind chutney is added. A number of different flavours among pani puris are available catering to almost every type of fan. The flavoured water is considered to help with digestion and is useful in preventing dehydration during hot summers of India. Many people drink pani puri water by cups. Puris are the most common ingredients for other types of chaats. They are small, crisp and crackle loudly when broken. Boiled or fried potatoes and two or more types of chutney ( a type of sauce) are also used. One chutney, made of imli (tamarind) is sweet and tangy . Second one is spicy and made of pudina (mint), ginger and green chillies. Many street food items, including chaat may or may not have dahi (curd, yooghurt), another popular food item in India. It helps with digestion and makes tolerating excess spiciness easy for people who are not used to it. Dahi bhalla chaat is a very popular and tasty street food item, specially popular during summers. The yoghurt is thickened and sometimes sweetened, giving it a smooth creamy texture which gels really well with bhalla . It is sometimes sprinkled with chaat masala, onion garnishing and bits of fried potatoes.Chaat masala is another thing which helps with digestion but is used more in a wa, not just to increase the flavours. It may have different varieties and ingredients in different places. Most popular are powders of , dried raw mango (aam choor), ginger, pepper, rock salt and dried pomegranates ( anaar daana). Apart from their use as chaat masala, these ingredients are also used in combination with other different ingredients as churan to help with digestion. Bhel puri, from Maharashtra is a very tasty light snack made of sev ( thin noodle like crisps made of besan) and puffed rice. They are sprinkled with chaat masala, chutney and garnished with tomatoes and onions. It’s a good snack to have, light on stomach and low on oil. Aaloo tikki is another very popular chaat dish made of boiled and then crisply fried potato cakes. They are served as soon as they are cooked, garnished with chaat masala, chutney and sometimes yoghurt. It’s a heavy dish due to fried potatoes but it’s popular all the same. McDonalds in India even launched a McAaloo Tikki burger to cash in on its popularity.Even if the chaat may seem heavy or tough to digest, yoghurt and chat masala make sure that your digestive system stays fit and healthy. As with everything else, it’s not good to eat chaat in excess, especially if you don’t know about Indian food in details How to eat chaat or any other food in India While traveling in Delhi or any other Indian city, you will find a number of street food vendors selling different varities of food with chaat vendors being a significant majority. Some of them will be there just to make a quick buck and be done with the whole thing, while others serve their food with pride and care for customers. Important thing is to know how to distinguish between the two. Good street food vendors care for their clientele and serve only the best quality food. You can tell it from their loyal customers. Make sure that the food vendors you visit obey basic hygiene rules. Confirm that the food ingredients are covered and protected from dust and flies. Most street food vendors use disposable plates, but if they are not, make sure that they are clean. Read this article to know more about how to keep safe from water and food related problems while traveling. We hope that this article will help you enjoy Indian street food, specially chaat better. Happy munching. Contact us for feedback, queries or for booking an Indian street food tour. Image courtesy: Wikipedia
Manipur has been dubbed “The Jewelled Land” due to its natural beauty. The food of Manipur is considered to be very healthy as they use a fresh vegetables a lot. The preparations are simple yet, tasty. Manipuri food is spicy and contains less oil. Chakhao Kheer is a delicious kheer. It has a pleasing shade of purple and is prepared using milk, black sticky rice, and cardamom powder. It’s typically fancy with dried fruits like raisins,cashews or different nuts. It is usually prepared on special occasions like festivals and weddings. Eromba is prepared nearly always with a fish referred to as Ngari. Eromba is made by boiling a large number of vegetables together with some Ngari and king chili. It’s mixed till the mixture becomes sort of a paste. Kangsoi is a vegetable stew that consists of seasonal vegetables that are cooked and flavored with sliced cloves, garlic, onions, salt, maroi and a touch of ginger lidded with ngari, dried fish, or deep-fried fish items and water. The stew is mostly served with rice and consumed piping hot. Singju is a kind of dish that consists of chilies, tomatoes, onions ,finely cut banana stem, cabbage, banana flower, lotus stem, a reasonably scented herb, tree beans, coriander leaves, ginger mixed with ngari fish. Singju is seasoned with red chili powder, salt, roast chickpea powder and roast herb powder.
India is a fascinating land of eclectic cultures. This is because from the earliest times people of myriad races and nationalities have come to India-some as conquerors who came for some time and others who made India their home. All of them contributed something to the brilliant mosaic that makes up Indian culture, and nowhere is it more visible than in its varied cuisine. From Kashmiri cuisine with its more than a dozen meat dishes to the extensive vegetarian fare of the Gujarat’s; from the robust cuisine of the Punjabis to the delectable fish based recipes of the Bengalis, and from the fiery Goan curries to the fiery Chettinad chicken dishes of the South, one could go on till the cows come home and still not be done with describing the glories of Indian food. For the sake of convenience let’s just pick up two cities as examples of places where you can sample the best of Indian food. Though I daresay, just about any city would do considering the fact that Indians love their food as they do. Delhi Delhi is one of the most ancient cities of the world and has been the centre of many empires including the Mughal and the British. Some of the most popular eating joints in the city are: 1. Karims’ – This is near the historic Jama Masjid(Friday Mosque ) that was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who also had the Taj Mahal built. You can sample the best of Mughlai food in the shape of Chicken Shorbha, Mutton Shorbha, Tandoori Chicken, Tandoori Raan, Tandoori Burra, Murgh Massalam and a variety of Indian breads. For those who know Mughlai cuisine Karim’s is right there at the top. 2. Parnthey Wali Gali – This is located in the Chandni Chowk or the moonlight square area of Delhi, and again the Emperor Shah Jahan, had this place come up in his rule as a trader and merchant hub. Paranthey Wali Gali or the fried flat bread street consists of a number of pretty basic eating joints that serve old style paranthas(fried Indian bread) in a variety of stuffing options. The bread is quite wholesome and filling, fried as it is with clarified butter. This is accompanied by a little vegetable side dish or two. For anyone visiting Delhi a visit to the Paranthey Wali Gali is de rigueur. 3. Moti Mahal Restaurant -This chain of restaurant’s claim to fame has to be the invention of the butter chicken, the ubiquitous chicken dish that defines Indian Punjabi cooking. That apart you can have top rate chicken tikkas, dal makhni, seekh kebabs and shami kebabs. Lucknow This imperial city was home to the Nawabs who were known for their fascination with food, and this led to the evolution of the world famous Awadhi cuisine. A few examples of this awesome way of preparing food are given below- 1. Kakori Kebab -Made from the mince obtained from the tendon of a leg of mutton, it is defined by its legendary softness. 2. Shami Kebab – Again made from mince tempered with raw mango. Absolutely mind blowingly delicious. 3. Boti Kebab – Delectable kebabs that are the result of lamb marinated in yoghurt, which is then skewered and cooked. If your mouth is watering already and you can’t wait to get on that plane to India you may want to start making the arrangements right now. Guest post by Amy Lawson from National Express .
This article is meant to be a brief India travel guide for tourists who need some information about means of transport in India . Anyone traveling to India for the first time is sure to be overwhelmed by the diversity of cultures, languages, people, food, climates and almost everything else. It isn’t possible to write a comprehensive India travel guide which can cover even a fraction of what a tourist may encounter in India. We aim to cover as much vital details as possible without drowning the reader with too much information. We have already posted some India travel guides on this website,: Traveling safely and for cheap in India during monsoons, How to keep safe from water and food related problems while traveling and How to avoid scams and touts while traveling This guide intends to cover some of the general issues related to transport and travel in India. So let’s begin with : Travel by trains in India India has the biggest system of railway lines on the planet and the service is very good, if not excellent. Traveling in India on via train gives you the chance to explore India in detail and in general is cheaper than domestic air travel. Train travel in India offers good connectivity all over India for people with all kind of budgets .For someone with an inquisitive and open mind, it’s a great way of meeting all kinds of Indian people belonging to different regions and classes. There are different types of trains with different levels of service catering to people with different budgets and needs. Trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi are air-conditioned, fastest in India and provide meals. There are other trains like Duronto, Garib Rath, various Express and other trains which offer varying levels of service at different prices. Apart from that, there are some luxury trains Palace on Wheels, Maharajas’ Express, The Golden Chariot and a few more. These trains are run jointly by Indian railways and tourism ministries of different states in which they operate. Journeying on these trains covers all aspects of transport, food, lodging and sightseeing. Service and level of comfort offered is among the best in world One major drawback of trains is that it can prove difficult to procure tickets. Another one are the delays which can happen frequently on long routes. If you are very tight schedule, relying on trains for your India journey can backfire. Inter-city or inter-state travel in India by Bus In India, travel by bus is 2nd most popular way of cheap travel and in some cases, the only way of public transport to reach places like Manali, Laddakh etc, not yet connected by train network. There are different types of buses available on budget of the traveler. Ordinary buses are usually very crowded and it’s not possible to reserve tickets. They don’t have any air-conditioning or comfortable seats either, But they are very cheap as even a 5 hour journey may cost only Rs 100. Then there are luxury buses with better seats which may or may not have air-conditioning available. They are generally more comfortable and price for a 7-10 hour journey may vary between Rs 300 to Rs 800 for different places and operators. Tickets in air-conditioned buses cost around 1.5 times to double for same kind of seats. Apart from these, there are luxury buses operated by private as well as government which offer maximum comfort at slightly higher prices. These buses are usually supplied by Volvo or Mercedes and have more comfortable seating arrangements than the rest. Travel by Car A car with driver is the most comfortable and safest way of travel in India.It is possible to get a car on rent and drive it yourselves, if you have necessary paperwork, but Indian roads are too chaotic for a foreigner. It’s better to hire a driver along with the car. Salary for driver is about Rs. 150-300 per day which is included in rent for the car and you don’t have to pay for his food or lodging. Different varieties of vehicles have different rent prices and they vary between Rs 8 per km to Rs 20 per km for most models which include Ambassador, Tata Indigo, Toyota Qualis and a few others. Renting a car is a good option for various reasons as you have much more flexibility and don’t have to worry about following a strict schedule or missing a train or worry about tickets. Having a good driver who can communicate well also means that he can help you with finding good hotels, restaurants and other amenities easily. But be wary of drivers who act as touts. A majority of them try to take tourists to businesses which offer them commissions. It isn’t exactly illegal, but tourists should evaluate their choices before making decisions. They should make sure that they are getting good value for their money for the services availed. Travel by motor-bikes Using a motorbike (motorcycle) can be a great adventure if you are up to driving on dangerous roads. Royal Enfield is the most popular brand for motorcycle enthusiasts in India. It’s less fuel efficient but is powerful enough for most Indian roads including those on mountains. Motorcycles with engines of 100 to 220 cc are more common and cheaper and cam offer a mileage of 40kmpl to 70 kmpl depending upon various factors. It is possible to rent or buy new or used motorcycles. Rental cost per day for bikes vary between Rs 600 to Rs 1500 in different places for different bikes. While buying, it’s advisable to go for 2nd hand bikes which may cost anything between Rs 12000 to Rs 40000. Travel in Indian cities by auto-rickshaws (tuk-tuk) Auto/ tuk-tuk/three-wheeler is a good albeit slightly uncomfortable choice for short-distance travel inside Indian cities. Due to their small size, they can dodge traffic rush easily but have slow speeds which is actually good due to less safety features. Before getting in to an
This photo series highlights best of street food items from different regions in India. First is Jammu. 1.Kimb a citrus fruit is skinned, juice & seeds squeezed out and then mixed with spices, salt, bit of sugar etc. A sweet, sour and spicy snack commonly prepared in many homes, but rare to find it for sale. 2. Bhijja Kulcha with Rajma (kidney beans). World’s best Rajma are grown in Jammu and this is evident in the number of Rajma dishes available in region. Another popular dish is Raajma Chawal served with mango pickle, chutney and clarified butter on some food shops on NH1 near Banihal. 3.Pattode, made with Colocassia Leaves. These are made in many parts of northern India. But each region has it’s own flavours. 4.Chana Kulcha, a very popular snack food item sold by street food vendors outside schools. Now there are a few other versions of it, like one with soyabean. 5.Kaladi Kulcha . Kaladi is a dense, salted cheese very popular in most parts of Jammu. It may have a bit of fungus on it which gives it a unique flavour. Eaten by heating on a pan with little oil and addition of salt, sauce or spices. It can be eaten with or without the bun. 6.Kachalu chaat. Another very popular street food snack for school children. Made of Taro rootstock and mixed with a wide variety of spices like tamarind, chilli, rock salt, pepper and more. Different places have different flavours. 7. Bhalla. Though this dish is quite common in most of northern India. But residents of Jammu just love these bhallas sold by small vendors in a few bus stands in southern border of Jammu. Served with spicey chutney and radish. Source: Pictures from various sources on net. Please contact for credits.