Travel in city Jaipur

The master weaver stands up and starts to sing. His voice echoes around the carpet warehouse, a high warble pure and true, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goosebumps ripple along my arms. Below him, cross-legged on the floor, three members of his family work as one, their fingers knotting hundreds of threads in a hypnotic dance of hands. A carpet of incredible intricacy stretches away from the little group, oranges mingling with reds and ochres, set within a border of midnight blue and tassels the colour of tea.

India is actively promoting itself as the next big wedding destination. At the first “Wed in India” Expo ongoing in Jaipur till Wednesday, tourism ministry official Manisha Saxena said that the rapid infrastructure development across India is aiding destination weddings. 

Indian hotel chain Sarovar Hotels and Resorts managing director Ajay Bakaya has a big hurdle to cross: maintaining the quality that his hotels have historically offered. Sarovar is one of the fastest-growing hotel chains in India. The company has opened seven hotels so far this year and is looking at opening another eight to 12.

Thailand-based hotel company, Minor Hotels, has set ambitious targets for its India expansion, aiming to open 50 properties over the next decade.

Despite having met as college students in Los Angeles and currently living in New York City, Mitali Gupta and Nick Ruzicka have always known they’d get married in India. Mitali grew up in Delhi, and always assumed she’d return to her native country for her wedding one day. For Nick, who is half-Indian and grew up in the Bay Area, it was a bit more complicated: his mother left the country at age 17 and his exposure to the culture was limited to less frequent visits to his grandfather.

Lonely Planet editor Akanksha Singh traveled to Jaipur to experience its history and culture. Here, she shares some tips and insights for anyone planning a similar trip.

With all that moms do for us, it can be hard to find a gift that adequately expresses our gratitude. Instead of generic gifts like flowers and chocolate, experiential gifts are a more thoughtful gesture. Whether mom is burnt out and in need of a break from the family or retired and ready to travel, the gift of a vacation is one that keeps giving years after memories are made on her trip. The below list offers something for whatever mom is seeking—from elephant encounters in Thailand to truffle-hunting in Tuscany to forest bathing in the California Redwoods.

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is bringing back its Gateway brand from “cold storage,” but it will be a reimagined version: A full-service hotel offering in the upscale segment.

On an otherwise unremarkable Saturday in Tucson last month, I visited the intersection of the Harlem Renaissance and romance lit with Netflix darling Tia Williams, brushed up on global security threats with MSNBC contributors Barbara McQuade and Frank Figliuzzi, got an easy Roman-Jewish cake recipe from cookbook wunderkind Leah Koenig, and caught a dramatic reading by National Humanities Medal winner Abraham Verghese. All before lunch. And tens of thousands of people around me were doing much the same thing: making the rounds at the famed Tucson Festival of Books, where I’d decided to spend a few hours on a trip to see my parents. As I began to realize the more people I met in line, many had come to town just for this.

Deciding where to visit in India is not easy.

“I assure you that the worst is behind us, and we have already stabilized our operations,” Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan wrote in an internal note to employees Thursday.

French hospitality company Accor signed a record 11 hotels in India last year and opened six properties, it said in a statement released on Thursday. 

Malaysia Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with India’s largest airline IndiGo. The agreement would allow the airlines to provide the networks of both carriers to their respective customers. 

The CEO of India’s Mumbai Travel Retail Pvt Ltd (MTRPL) expects to take to the global stage now that it has a new corporate branding: Ospree. The move pulls together the company’s disparate duty-free operations at seven airports in India and will make it easier to bid for contracts globally.

The Adani Group is set to invest INR 600 billion in its airport business over the next five to 10 years. This investment will be used to expand seven of the existing airports in its portfolio and will be split evenly between ‘airside’ expansion and ‘cityside’ development, the conglomerate said. 

New routes to Antalya and Jaipur set for mid-June, ahead of wider expansion in Etihad’s global network.

Northern India’s state of Rajasthan is the largest Indian state by area (and the seventh largest by population), covering 132,139 square miles — translating to roughly 10% of India’s total geographical area. The city is known for its tourist attractions like hill forts and palaces, having garnered the nickname “royal state of India” for its royal history. Here’s where to stay in this historic city.

If your New Year’s resolution was to earn more miles and points, take more trips, and reap more value from loyalty programs, the best points and miles deals in February will definitely interest you. Airlines, hotels, and credit cards have promotions and deals to kick off your travel year. Here’s how you can benefit.

Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels, commonly known as Park Hotels, is set to have its IPO on February 5. The group currently operates 30 hotels in 20 cities across India, with 2,298 rooms. Through a strategic mix of ownership, management contracts and leased properties, the group aims to open 56 hotel by 2026.

AirAsia has announced the launch of a new route from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur. Set to take flight from May 1, the new connection will mark AirAsia’s eleventh route from India, and third new route in 2024 alone. This will also be the Malaysia-based carrier’s entry into the state of Gujarat, as it looks to rapidly grow its connectivity from Malaysia to India.

Amid the diplomatic dispute between India and Maldives, Sonu Shivdasani, CEO of resort chain Soneva, wrote about the potential impact on the tourism industry, and hoped for a reconciliation.

When in Jaipur, it’s imperative to dine with a great view—the city affords some of the best backdrops with monuments and markets. At outdoor restaurants in Jaipur, these panoramas come with good food and great vibes.