Tourism sector giant, Thomas Cook is planning to sell its stake in its Indian operations under a new programme to sell its non-core assets in order to reduce debts.

The company said that it is inviting bids for its 77.1 per cent shareholding in the Indian unit, Thomas Cook India. The UK giant's Indian company has been profitable and has recorded strong growth over the years.

The National Visitor Survey, conducted recently by Tourism Research Australia, showed that the domestic tourism in the state of New South Wales has increased by 7% in December quarter. This growth in domestic tourism is seeing as a good sign for New South Wales tourism industry, according to the Tourism Minister for New South Wales Jodi McKay.

Data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that the tourism industry was doing fairly well. This is despite the decreasing number of international arrivals in the country. The data given is for the month of January.

However, the number of short-term visitors grew by 4.8 per cent for the full year ending January.

New Delhi, Dec 25 : Impressed by the growing healthcare infrastructure and quality of doctors in this country, Mauritius is seeking India's help to boost its medical tourism industry and has invited Indian healthcare majors to invest in the island nation. Two hospital chains have already responded.

Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad, Granada, Mustique and Saint Lucia are amongst the famed Caribbean islands where holiday-makers luxuriate on palm-fringed beaches, sipping pina-coladas topped with freshly picked pineapple and hibiscus flowers. Barbados nestles amongst them — the most visited of the Caribbean islands. Here too, exists a world of aquamarine beaches, steel bands, beautiful villas and fine dining.

Darjeeling, Sep 6 : Tourism in Darjeeling, is taking a hit following a moral policing by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists.

The Gorkha community has been demanding a separate state called "Gorkhaland” carved out of West Bengal to protect their culture and heritage.

Cradled in the hills of the eastern part of West Bengal, Darjeeling has always been a favourite spot for tourists because of its snowcapped mountains, and the pristine scenery.

The recurrent shutdowns and protests by GJM activists is great causing inconvenience to tourists, some of the local felt.

Tokyo  - A strengthening yen and a fall on Wall Street dragged stocks down in Wednesday trading in Tokyo.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed down 249.60 points, or 2.37 per cent, at 10,280.46.

The broader-based Topix index lost 18.96 points, or 1.96 per cent, to stand at 949.81.

On currency markets at noon (0300 GMT), the dollar traded at 92.87-92 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 93.25-28 yen.

The euro traded at 1.4210-11 dollars, down from late Tuesday's quote of 1.4367-70 dollars, and at 131.99-132.00 yen, down from 134.00-04 yen.

Hit hard by the slowdown tour operators in the country are set to get a leg up from their subaltern brethren who are sprucing up their homes and skills of the English language to welcome vacationers to their unique pastoral ambience.

After testing out the concept with 13 villages across the country, the Ministry of Tourism has now decided to expand its rural tourism initiative to 130 other centres in the hinterland to develop them as tourism destinations. This is part of the Ministry’s Visit India 2009 campaign which comes in the wake of the successful of the ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

Gujarat's long-pending demand with the railways for shifting of the Western Railway headquarters from Mumbai to Ahmedabad on the ground of the state boasting the largest rail track network in the zone, backed by CM Narendra Modi, is not under consideration of either the rail ministry or the rail board.

This was stated by Mumbai-based additional general manager of the Western Railway, RS Chug, in reply to a question by this reporter during a media briefing after flagging off the Gandhidham-Kamakhya (in Assam) train from Gandhidham, about 60-km from here, on Saturday.

"Such a decision is taken by the rail ministry and the rail board as this is a policy matter. There is, at present, no such move under consideration in the railways," Chug said.

The government would do all possible efforts to attract more tourists in India. It has proposed special incentives and packages to promote tourism. The central government has declared 2009 as the year to `Visit India' to make country as a favorite tourism location.

The tourism industry is likely to suffer major losses in the coming times, following the recent terror attack in Mumbai. Tourism sector is already facing the heat of the global slowdown, causing 20 per cent drop in the business. Many foreign countries such as US, France and Australia are advising their citizens to refrain from traveling to India till the recovery of normalcy. Their warning becomes more important when the terrorists in India are targeting the foreign nationals.