Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts will be keeping its fingers crossed that the troubles in Kashmir end soon. It has agreed to take over the management of a resort in Srinagar next April. Other Indian moves by Inter-Continental will include the opening of a resort in Goa next year and a hotel in Bombay in 2001.
The Grand Palace Resort in Srinagar is being renovated, and will have 122 rooms and 56 suites. Srinagar had been seeing domestic tourists returning in droves until the Kashmir troubles re-ignited.
New recruit The market is saturated with guides on Hong Kong and Macau, but another has been published. We have received a review copy of Accommodating Asia . . . Hong Kong/Macau. The book, which costs $145, is sprinkled with comments from tourists. At a little over 100 pages, it is hardly comprehensive, and is unlikely to be able to compete with established guides.
Alien visitors UFOs have put a small Scottish town on the tourist map, attracting overseas visitors. Nearly half the inhabitants of Bonnybridge, near Falkirk, claim to have seen a UFO in the so-called Falkirk Triangle. The Comfort Hotel in Falkirk is cashing in by offering weekend breaks for alien addicts.
Tall ships As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the California gold rush, a parade of barques, schooners, square-riggers and other tall ships from around the world will sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco Bay on July 2.
Sky lounge British Airways is planning to create a 'lounge in the sky' for Club World passengers that will feature flat beds, an entertainment system with larger screens, in-seat power for lap-top computers, e-mail, phones and fax.
