The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, is planning to extend its e-ticket booking facility to 23 hours a day, taking into account the increasing number of foreign tourists and NRIs visiting the country. Currently e-ticketing facilities are unavailable between 11.30 pm and 5 am. Though the final date is yet to be decided upon, the Ministry of Railways plans to put the extension plan into operation this month itself.

According to a PIB release, in an important passenger friendly move, the Ministry of Railways has decided to accept two more proofs of identity for travelling on e-tickets. These are: i) Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognised School/College for their students. ii) Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph. The new provision will come into effect from June 15, 2010.

UK-based online travel booking site, Expedia has launched a new website Expedia Hotel View (www.expediahotelview.co.uk). The new service combines Google Street View technology with Expedia hotel data to enable consumers to virtually experience the location of their selected accommodation, before purchase.

According to a PTI report, pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi and Amarnath shrines will be costlier from next month. As per a notification issued recently by the Jammu and Kashmir government under the Motor Vehicle Taxation Act 1957, vehicles carrying passengers to Mata Vaishnodevi Yatra will be charged Rs 2,000 at entry point for a period of three days and after that Rs 2,000 will be charged per day.

According to a PIB release, as a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, the Government of India (GoI) had launched the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) scheme for citizens of five countries- Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore visiting India for tourism purposes from January 2010. During the period January – May 2010, a total number of 2,750 VoAs were issued under this scheme.

Jet Airways carried 8.69 lakh revenue passengers in May 2010, registering a buoyant 41.2 per cent increase as compared to the same period last year. The seat factor for Jet Airways’ domestic operations also stood at 82.5 per cent, a marked improvement over the same period last year and also a ten per cent increase over the preceding month of April 2010.

Dubai-based luxury hotel chain Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts recently appointed Delhi-based OM Tourism as its sales and marketing representation for the Indian market.

State-owned Vietnam Airlines on Thursday became the first Southeast Asian carrier to join the SkyTeam global airline alliance, which is boosting its Asia presence as travel demand in the region picks up.

Heavenly Bed? Check. Super foods breakfast? Got it. Complimentary night stay? Absolutely! Just a few months after the introduction of new Westin Hotels in India, Westin Hotels and Resorts today announces the launch of the Westin Summer Offer in India.

Etihad Airways has been ranked among the best three airlines in the world by a leading Swiss business magazine.