Cycling enthusiasts come together with ixigo to celebrate The World Heritage Week

Nov. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- New Delhi, November 25, 2013 – ixigo.com (http://www.ixigo.com/), India’s leading travel planning and search engine, together with The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Delhi Chapter organized a cyclothon under the fourth edition of ixigo’s community initiative – mixigo on November 24th in Delhi NCR. More than 140 cycling enthusiasts came togetherto raise awareness on the preservation of Delhi’s rich cultural and historical heritage to celebrate the World Heritage week

(19th-25th November),so that the city remains an important tourist destination for years to come.

The event which drew participation from prominent cycling groups including the Delhi Cyclists, West Delhi Cyclists and many others was flagged off at 7:00 AM from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In the first leg, the cyclists touched important heritage points including India Gate and Qutub Minar. More cyclists joined the mixigo cyclothon at Qutub Minar and the event concluded at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Gurgaon, covering a total distance of 28.6 kms. Refreshments for all cyclists and volunteers were sponsored by Squarecoins.Squarecoins is an innovative mobile based loyalty program available at 50+ cafes/restaurants across Delhi/NCR.

As a precursor to the event, ixigo encouraged participating cyclists to get  their friends to donate generously  for the conservation and restoration of heritage sites in the city. An amount of INR 30,000was raised, and the proceeds will be given to INTACH Delhi Chapter.

“mixigo aims to bring travel enthusiasts together and share their views and experiences. This time, we wanted to take mixigo to the next level by instilling a sense of responsibility and reconnecting people to the cultural heritage of the city,” said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and Co-founder, ixigo.com. “With population, traffic and carbon-emissions becoming unmanageable, cycling is emerging as a popular mode of travel. The cyclothon therefore was an apt fit for the event. More importantly, partnering with a prominent body like INTACH Delhi Chapter gave us the opportunity to make a real difference towards responsible tourism.”

“We at INTACH Delhi Chapter are dedicated to preserving, restoring, and drawing attention to the cultural heritage of Delhi. We are therefore, extremely glad that ixigo has come forward to support us in this cause. Delhi has a rich heritage and deserves to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage city.  We look forward to a long term association with ixigo” added Swapna Liddle, Co Convenor, INTACH Delhi Chapter.

mixigo is an initiative by ixigo to get like-minded travel enthusiasts together to discuss and benefit from each other’s experiences and knowledge in a conducive environment. ixigo plans to take mixigo

to travelers across India and get more travel experts on-board its fast growing community initiative. In addition to this, thousands of travelers have already contributed photos, comments, answers and tips to ixigo’s trip planner platform (http://www.ixigo.com/what-is-a-good-itinerary-for-a-mount...) . ixigo also has a travel stories (http://www.ixigo.com/manali-to-leh-the-annual-bikers-pilg...) section on its website, where travelers can share insightful itineraries and read experiences of other travellers.

About ixigo.com

ixigo.com is India’s leading travel planning and search website, voted as the Product of the Year 2013, in the Travel category. Launched in 2007 by IIT, INSEAD and Amadeus alumni, ixigo.com’s vision is to simplify the life of travelers through innovative travel products for Internet & mobile. The website searches, aggregates and curates travel information across hundreds of travel sites and allows travelers to access relevant information on tourist destinations, places to visit, things to do, modes of transport, driving directions, hotels, restaurants, weather and more. Today through its various mobile apps ixigo app, pnr status, road trips, trains, buses, goa travel guide) and the website ixigo helps approx. 2.5 million travelers every month to find answers to their travel related queries, gather key information, plan and travel more.

ixigo.com has launched many industry-first innovations and won several prestigious awards and recognitions from TiE, NASSCOM, Business Today, Red Herring & Mint. ixigo.com is an investee company of SAIF Partners &MakeMyTrip Limited. For more information, visit www.ixigo.com and keep up with updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ixigo and Twitter at www.twitter.com/ixigo

About INTACH Delhi Chapter

The chapter has come a long way since its inception in 1984. Over the years, under the able guidance of its convenors and co-convenors, the chapter has undertaken several conservation projects and organized activities aimed at promoting heritage awareness among the public. The Chapter’s journey so far (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/journey_so_far.php) has had its fair share of trials and tribulations presenting the Chapter with invaluable insights helping it to move closer to its stated goals.

The Delhi Chapter has been actively involved in a variety of projects to promote the cause of heritage conservation. One of its first achievements has been the creation of a comprehensive inventory of built heritage in Delhi, which culminated in the publication of Delhi The Built Heritage: A Listing (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/listings.php). Furthermore, the Chapter, over the years, has made several legal interventions (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/legal_interventions.php) in the form of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) or campaigns to save threatened heritage. The Chapter has also undertaken several projects in the city. These include the projects of St. James Church (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/st_james_church.php), State Bank of India in Chandni Chowk (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/state_bank_of_india_in_chandni_chowk.php), Lado Sarai Gumti (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/lado_sarai_gumti.php), Sultan Ghari Ruins (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/sultan_garhi_guins.php), Mehrauli Archaeological Park (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/conservation_of_mapark.php),Signage all over Delhi (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/signage_all_over_delhi.php), Heritage Buildings Signage in Chandni Chowk (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/signage_in_chandni_chowk.php) and Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Trail and Signage (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/the_mehrauli_archaeological_park.php).

The Chapter draws its strength from its broad based membership. The members (http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/members.php) have been responsible in guiding the course of the Chapter and have helped spread the heritage movement nationwide.

Media Contact:

Simran Kodesia simran@ixigo.com  (+91 8588832406)