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Bangalore – a brief overview
Famous as India’s IT hub, Bangalore offers a gentler introduction to India, for those put off by the colourful chaos of Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. In Bangalore’s wide streets, British-era monuments stand shoulder to shoulder with office towers and modern shopping malls and relics from the city’s former life as the summer capital of the sultans of Mysore.
The city is more famous for food and shopping than tourist sights, but the city’s sprawling parks and gardens provide a welcome escape from the tropical heat, and trains run day and night to the palaces and temples of Mysore and Hampi and the beaches of Kerala. Come to Bangalore and ease your way gently into the Indian way of life.
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Top 10 sights in Bangalore

Bangalore Palace
560052 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2336 0818
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Opening times:
Mon-Sat 1000-1730
Said to be inspired by Windsor Castle in England, the lavish city palace of the Wodeyars of Bangalore offers a fascinating window onto the extravagant, and often eccentric lives of India’s ruling classes. The opulent state rooms are still crammed with fading antiques and royal portraits.
Vidhana Soudha
560001 Bangalore
India
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Opening times:
By appointment
The official seat of the Karnataka state legislature, the Vidhana Soudha was constructed in grand Indo-Saracenic style just a few years after India gained its independence. The grand facade, constructed from local pink granite and topped by a series of towering onion domes, is a Bangalore landmark, but the interiors are only accessible with prior permission.
Tipu Sultan’s Palace
560018 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2670 6836
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Opening times:
Mon-Sat 0830-1730
The summer escape of Tipu Sultan, who ruled large parts of southern India before falling in battle with the British in 1799, this handsome palace is set in elegant gardens near the Jama Masjid mosque. It’s not quite as outrageous as some of the sultan’s other palaces, but the main pavilion is lavishly decorated with frescoes and carved teak columns.
Lalbagh Botanical Garden
560004 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2657 8184
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Opening times:
Daily 0600-1900
When Bangalore citizens need to escape the city crush, they come to Lalbagh Gardens for shady strolls beneath the trees and peaceful picnics among the ornamental flower beds. The garden was founded by the sultan Hyder Ali but massively expanded by the British, who constructed the Kew Gardens-style greenhouses at the heart of the gardens.
National Gallery of Modern Art
560052 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2234 2338
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Opening times:
Tue-Sun 1000-1700
Bangalore’s most important gallery is worth a visit as much for its setting (in a grand mansion formerly used as a summer house by the sultan of Mysore) as for the impressive collection of art inside. The collection is split into works created before and after independence, charting India’s progress towards nationhood.
Iskcon Temple
560010 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2347 1956
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Opening times:
Daily 0400-1300 and 1600-2030
The towering temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness offers a modernist take on the traditional Dravidian style of temple building, with a central pyramid flanked by gopurams (traditional temple spires). Inside, colourful displays explore the legends of Lord Krishna and the history of the Hare Krishna movement.
Basavani Gudi Temple
560004 Bangalore
India
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Opening times:
Daily 0700-2030
Bangalore’s rainbow-coloured ‘bull temple’ is famous for its monumental statue of Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Built in classic Dravidian style, the temple is thronged by devotees, who also pay homage at the nearby Dodda Ganapati temple, with a similarly monumental statue of Lord Ganesh.
Cubbon Park
560001 Bangalore
India
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Opening times:
Daily 24 hours (garden)
Tue-Sun 1000-1700 (museum)
Sprawling across 120 hectares in the centre of Bangalore, Cubbon Park was founded by the British as an escape from the city heat. Today, locals throng to this green expanse for romantic walks, family picnics or just to sleep in the cool, calm grounds. The park includes a small government museum and art gallery.
Attara Kacheri
560001 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2295 4864
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Opening times:
Mon-Sat 1000-1700
Flanking Cubbon Park, the Karnataka High Court is one of Bangalore’s most eye-catching landmarks, built by the British in 1868 in the style of the grand civic buildings of Whitehall in London. Painted vivid red, the courthouse was marked for demolition in 1982, but was saved following a vigorous campaign by local residents.
St Mary’s Basilica
560051 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2286 5434
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Opening times:
Daily 0600-1800
Bangalore’s most important church was constructed in 1875 in classic British colonial style. Every September, Christian pilgrims from across South India flock to the church to celebrate the Feast of St Mary, when an ancient statue of Mother Mary is paraded through the streets in a wooden chariot.
Country information
Country overview
India is a beautiful and bamboozling place, where holy cows amble along the streets, bask on heavenly beaches
next to modern hotels and where ancient temples sit perfectly at home besides shiny new offices.
Geography
India shares borders to the northwest with Pakistan, to the north with China, Nepal and Bhutan, and to the east with Bangladesh and Myanmar. To the west lies the Arabian Sea, to the east the Bay of Bengal and to the south the Indian Ocean. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Indian territory but lie off the coast of Thailand in the Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast, and the Maldives off the southwest coast.
The far northeastern states and territories are all but separated from the rest of India by
Bangladesh as it extends northwards from the Bay of Bengal towards Bhutan.
India is separated from the rest of Asia by mountain ranges, forest, and desert -the Himalayan mountain range in the north, the Thar Desert in the west and the Chin Hills and Patkai ranges in the east. The Indus River runs through the northern disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The most sacred of rivers, the Ganges, is in the east.
General knowledge
Key facts
Population: 1,34 billion (estimate 2017)
Population Density (per sq km): 371
Capital: New Delhi.
Language
Hindi is the official language of India. English is also enshrined in the constitution for a wide range of official purposes. In addition, 21 regional languages are recognised by the constitution.
Currency
Rupee (INR; symbol Rs) = 100 paise. Notes are in denominations of Rs 2,000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of Rs5, 2 and 1, and 50, 25, 20, 10 and 5 paise.
Notes: In November 2016, 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes were withdrawn from the financial system. New 500 and 2,000 rupee denomination notes are issued to replace those removed from circulation. The import and export of local currency is prohibited.
Electricity
230-240 volts AC, 50Hz. Some areas have a DC supply. Plugs are of the round two- and three-pin type.
Public holidays
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2018 – December 2019 period.
Note
Only the secular holidays of Republic Day, Independence Day and Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday are universally observed.
(a) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Idu’l Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some disruption may continue into Idu’l Fitr itself. Idu’l Fitr and Id-ul-Zuha may last up to several days, depending on the region.
(b) Hindu festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and it is not possible to forecast the date of their occurrence exactly.
2018
New Years Day: 1 January 2018
Republic Day: 26 January 2018
Holi: 2 March 2018
Chaitra Sukhladi: 18 March2018
Mahavir Jayanti: 29 March 2018
Good Friday: 30 March 2018
Buddha Purnima (Buddha’s Birthday): 30 April 2018
Idu’l Fitr: 15 June 2018
Independence Day: 15 August 2018
Id-ul-Zuha (Feast of Sacrifice): 22 August 2018
Janmashtami: 3 September 2018
Muharram: 21 September 2018
Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday: 2 October 2018
Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami): 19 October 2018
Diwali (Festival of Lights): 7 November 2018
Milad un Nabi: 21 November 2018
Guru Nanak Jayanti: 23 November 2018
Christmas: 25 December 2018
2019
New Years Day: 1 January 2019
Republic Day: 26 January 2019
Holi: 20 March 2019
Chaitra Sukhladi: 6 April 2019
Mahavir Jayanti: 17 April 2019
Good Friday: 19 April 2019
Buddha Purnima (Buddha’s Birthday): 18 May 2019
Idu’l Fitr: 4 June 2018
Independence Day: 15 August 2019
Id-ul-Zuha (Feast of Sacrifice): 11 August 2019
Janmashtami: 24 August 2019
Muharram: 31 August 2019
Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday: 2 October 2019
Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami): 8 October 2019
Diwali (Festival of Lights): 27 October 2019
Milad un Nabi: 10 November 2019
Guru Nanak Jayanti: 12 November 2019
Christmas: 25 December 2019
All information subject to change.
Nightlife in Bangalore
Cosmopolitan Bangalore has always had a reputation for excellent nightlife, and that’s despite licensing laws that require bars and clubs to close at 11.30pm.
To get around this restriction, nights out start early, with drinks over dinner, before revellers move onto a cocktail lounge or club.
Skyye Lounge
560001 Bangalore
India
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The rooftop bar at the glitzy UB City mall attracts Bangalore’s bright young things, who sip cocktails looking out over the bright lights of the city.
The Biere Club
560001 Bangalore
India
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Bangalore has a reputation as the beer capital of India, and this microbrewery with DJs and handcrafted beers provides the ideal opportunity to put that claim to the test.
Pebble
560080 Bangalore
India
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Top DJs strike a beat and party people fill the dancefloor at this legendary dance club near the Bangalore Palace.
Toit
560038 Bangalore
India
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An American style brewpub, with cool brews, a globe-trotting snack menu and lively local crowd.
Shiro
560001 Bangalore
India
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Buddha statues, dangling chandeliers and flowing drapes set the scene at this stylish cocktail lounge, a favourite with Bangalore high flyers.
Restaurants in Bangalore
With its colonial heritage and international IT industry, it should be no surprise to learn that Bangalore offers some of India’s best modern European cuisine, alongside richly spiced grills from North India and fragrant vegetarian curries from the south.
Note that chilli is used prodigiously in South Indian dishes; order a sweet lassi (Indian drinking yoghurt) on the side to douse the flames.
Dum Puhkt Jolly Nabob
560052 Bangalore
India
Tel: +91 80 2234 2338
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Price: Expensive
At Dum Puhkt Jolly Nabob, the emphasis is on Nawabi curries and grills, served in elegant surroundings that bring to mind the dining hall in a colonial hunting lodge.
Caperberry
560001 Bangalore
India
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Price: Expensive
A little piece of Spain transplanted to Karnataka, Caperberry cleans up at the food awards most years with its groundbreaking menu of elegantly presented Spanish dishes.
Karavalli
560025 Bangalore
India
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Price: Moderate
The restaurant at The Gateway Hotel casts its net across the seas of southern Indian, hauling in sumptuous seafood dishes from as far afield as Goa and Mangalore.
Olive Beach
560025 Bangalore
India
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Price: Moderate
A secret escape in Ashok Nagar, with a private courtyard lit by flickering candles and a thoroughly modern menu that hops around the Mediterranean.
Koshy’s Bar & Restaurant
560001 Bangalore
India
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Price: Cheap
A Bangalore institution, Koshy’s is the lunch stop of choice for journalists, artists, actors and travellers; the menu runs to tasty North Indian curries and fish and chips.
Calendar of events
Holi
1 – 2 March 2018
Venue: Various venues
Timed to coincide with the full moon, this Hindi water festival involves people throwing water, paint and coloured powders over each other and is great fun to witness.
Dussehra
9 – 19 October 2018
Venue: Various venues
This 9- or 10-day festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. It takes many different forms depending on the locally worshipped god, but in Bengaluru and Mysore it celebrates Rama’s victory over Ravana and includes theatre performances of Rama Lila, the Life of Rama.
Diwali
6 – 10 November 2018
Website
Venue: Various Venues in Bangalore
This is one of the biggest Hindu festivals. It marks Rama and Sita’s homecoming, and includes the lighting of lamps and firecrackers and the giving and receiving of sweets.
All information subject to change. Please check the dates on the relevant event organizer’s website.
Hotels in Bangalore
Bangalore has hotels in every price range, from the simple transit hotels loved by frugal backpackers to luxurious 5-star chains.
Heritage options are limited to the graceful Taj West End, but modern business-class hotels abound, both in the bustling centre and dotted around the suburbs.
Taj West End
560001 Bangalore
India
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Category: Expensive
Founded as a retreat for the British ruling classes, the historic Taj West End sits serenely in sprawling gardens, with rooms that conjure up the extravagance of the Raj.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
560025 Bangalore
India
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Category: Expensive
Supreme comfort and soaring city views are benchmarks of quality at the gleaming Ritz-Carlton near Cubbon Park.
Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore
560054 Bangalore
India
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Category: Moderate
Towering over the city near the northern ring road, the Mövenpick offers sparkling modernity, with sleek bars and restaurants and an indulgent spa.
Iris Hotel
560025 Bangalore
India
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Category: Moderate
A reliable business-class hotel in a handy central location, with spick-and-span rooms, a spa and a rooftop pool.
jüSTa MG Road
560001 Bangalore
India
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Category: Cheap
Comfortable rooms with blissfully cool air-con in a prime location for the MG Road shopping strip.
Best time to visit
Today: Sunday, 22.04.2018 18:00 UTC

sunny
temperature
15°C
wind direction
westwind speed
1.25 mphhumidity
93%7 days forecast
Monday
23.04.2018
34°C / 28°C
Tuesday
24.04.2018
34°C / 28°C
Wednesday
25.04.2018
35°C / 28°C
Thursday
26.04.2018
35°C / 27°C
Friday
27.04.2018
34°C / 26°C
Saturday
28.04.2018
35°C / 26°C
Sunday
29.04.2018
35°C / 27°C
Climate & best time to visit India
The weather is mainly hot most of the year with significant variations from region to region. The coolest weather lasts from around the end of November to the beginning of March, with fresh mornings and evenings, and mostly sunny days. The really hot weather, when it is dry, dusty and unpleasant, is between March and June. Monsoon rains occur in most regions in summer anywhere between June and early October.
Western Himalayas: Srinagar is best from March to October; July to August can be cold and damp in winter. Shimla is higher and therefore colder in winter. Places like Gulmarg, Manali and Pahalgam are usually under several feet of snow from December to March and temperatures in Ladakh, which is a high-altitude desert, can be extremely cold. The mountain passes of Ladakh are accessible from July to October.
Northern Plains: Cities like New Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow and Patna experience an extreme range of temperatures and are typically warm from April to mid-June, falling to almost freezing at night in winter between November and February. Summers are hot with monsoons between June and September.
Central India: Madhya Pradesh state escapes the very worst of the hot season, but monsoons are heavy between July and September. Temperatures fall at night in winter.
Western India: November to February is most comfortable, although evenings can be fairly cold. Summers can be extremely hot with monsoon rainfall between mid June and mid September.
Eastern India: Weather in states like Orissa (which is flood-prone) are defined by cooler weather from October to February, scorching heat from March to May and unavoidable drenching from the monsoons from June to October.
Southwest: The most pleasant weather is from November to March. Monsoon rains fall anywhere between late April and July. Summer temperatures are not as high as Northern India although humidity is extreme. The coast benefits from some cooling breezes. Inland, Mysore and Bijapur have pleasant climates with relatively low rainfall.
Southeast: Tamil Nadu experiences a northeast monsoon between October and December and temperatures and humidity are high all year. The hills can be cold in winter.
Northeast: March to June and September to November are the driest and most pleasant periods. The rest of the year has extremely heavy monsoon rainfall.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
absolute max | absolute min | Ø absolute min | Ø absolute min | relative humidity | Ø precipitation | days with deposit > 1mm | sunshine duration | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan | 32 °C | 7 °C | 27 °C | 15 °C | 60 % | 1 mm | < 1 | 8.5 h |
Feb | 34 °C | 9 °C | 30 °C | 17 °C | 52 % | 7 mm | 1 | 8.8 h |
Mar | 37 °C | 11 °C | 32 °C | 19 °C | 45 % | 16 mm | 1 | 8.8 h |
Apr | 38 °C | 14 °C | 34 °C | 21 °C | 51 % | 32 mm | 3 | 8.6 h |
May | 38 °C | 16 °C | 33 °C | 21 °C | 60 % | 104 mm | 9 | 7.8 h |
Jun | 37 °C | 16 °C | 29 °C | 20 °C | 72 % | 78 mm | 8 | 4.6 h |
Jul | 33 °C | 16 °C | 28 °C | 19 °C | 76 % | 106 mm | 11 | 3.6 h |
Aug | 33 °C | 14 °C | 27 °C | 19 °C | 79 % | 119 mm | 13 | 3.7 h |
Sep | 33 °C | 15 °C | 28 °C | 19 °C | 76 % | 244 mm | 13 | 4.8 h |
Oct | 32 °C | 13 °C | 28 °C | 19 °C | 73 % | 127 mm | 9 | 5.6 h |
Nov | 31 °C | 10 °C | 27 °C | 17 °C | 70 % | 52 mm | 6 | 6.3 h |
Dec | 31 °C | 8 °C | 26 °C | 16 °C | 68 % | 19 mm | 2 | 6.8 h |
year | 38 °C | 7 °C | 29 °C | 18 °C | 65 % | 905 mm | 76 | 6.5 h |
Phone calls & Internet
Mobile Telephone
Dialing code: +91
Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is limited to major towns but is increasing all the time.
Internet
The internet can be reliably accessed from an increasing number of hotels and from internet cafés across the country, many now with Wi-Fi.
Shopping in Bangalore
Key Areas
MG Road is the city’s shopping hub, attracting huge crowds of shoppers day and night. Dotted along the strip are some of the city’s best souvenir emporiums, selling arts and crafts from across India.
Markets
The city’s bustling Krishnarajendra Market (Kalasipalyam) is fast-paced and frenetic, selling everything under the sun, from saffron to saris. The rainbow-coloured flower market in the central atrium offers one of the city’s best photo opportunities.
Shopping Centres
With Bangalore’s rising fortunes, international-style malls are opening up all over the city, packed with global brands. The most glamorous address is UB City on Vittal Mallya Road, with plenty of India designer labels among the international fashion names. Also in the centre, the Garuda Mall on Magrath Road has lots of famous names. There are more malls in the rapidly expanding Whitefield area, east of the centre.
Traveller etiquette
Social Conventions
The traditional Hindu greeting is to fold the hands, tilt the head forward and say namaste. Indian women generally prefer not to shake hands. All visitors are asked to remove footwear when entering places of religious worship. Most Indians also remove their footwear when entering their homes; visitors should follow suit.
Many Hindus are vegetarian and many, especially women, do not drink alcohol. Most Sikhs and Parsis do not smoke. Women are expected to dress modestly and men should also dress respectfully. Women should not wear short skirts and tight or revealing clothing, although there is a more casual approach to clothing in Goa.
Health
Food & Drink
Water for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should first be boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is often unpasteurised and should be boiled. Avoid dairy products likely to have been made from non-boiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish. Do not eat salads, vegetables should be cooked and peel your own fruit. Don’t eat street vendor food unless it is piping hot. Tap water is not safe to drink, rely on bottled water which is widely available. However, do check the seal on bottled water.
Other Risks
Vaccinations are sometimes advised for hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, tuberculosis (for infants), polio and typhoid. Dengue and malaria are both caused by mosquito bites and are prevalent in hot and humid conditions. There are occasional, seasonal outbreaks of dengue fever. Travellers should vigilantly protect themselves against mosquito bites.
Malaria prevention is strongly recommended so use insect repellent and wear protective clothing. Obtain anti-malarial medicine from your doctor before travelling.
Even seasoned travellers may find themselves at the mercy of travellers’ diarrhoea. Hygiene standards vary. If possible, travel around with soap or antibacterial gel in order to clean your hands. The culprits that cause diarrhoea are often the microorganisms found in local water supplies, so decrease your chances by drinking bottled or boiled water. You can have alcoholic drinks but say no to ice. Drink carbonated beverages or those with only boiled water like coffee and tea.
Carry rehydration solution packets, Pepto Bismol or Imodium in case you are afflicted. Before your travel, seek medical advice about what to take for self-treatment.
Wear adequate sunscreen or do like the locals to beat the heat and avoid the sun between 1200 and 1600 when it is at its harshest; don a cotton kameez to keep covered and cool.
Note: All visitors aged between 18 and 70 years of age wishing to extend their visa for one year or more are required to take an AIDS test.
Contractual physician of Lufthansa
Dr. Raghavan, RaviConsulting office: # SF 8
„White House”
29 St. Mark`s Road
Bangalore – 560 001
India
Tel. +91-9341-232524
Manipal Hospital
Airport Road
Bangalore – 560 017
India
Tel. +91-80-25023232
Please note that Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for the treatment nor will it bear the cost of any treatment.
Visa & Immigration
IATA Travel Centre
The IATA Travel Centre delivers accurate passport, visa and health requirement information at a glance. It is a trusted, centralized source for the latest international travel requirements. The IATA Travel Centre is the most accurate source available because it is based on a comprehensive database used by virtually every airline, and information is gathered from official sources worldwide, such as immigration and police authorities.