Destination Management Company Sen Travel Group has appointed Absolute Hospitality Services as its sales office in India and looks forward to servicing the Indian clients. The group services tour operators and travel agents worldwide. It specialises in tailor-made travel itineraries for both individual and group of travellers seeking to provide authentic experiences in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The founder of Sen Travel Group, Tran Thi Xuan Nguyen is passionate about travelling and has turned this passion into business. The company aims to provide top quality and great value travel products to tour operators and travel agents in India. Team at Sen Travel Group is professional, dedicated and good at what they do. Their local knowledge and first-hand experience enables them to customize and create the most suitable products, itineraries and experiences as demanded by agencies partners and their guests. People still view Vietnam through the lens of war, however Tran says, “in reality Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are blessed with fascinating natural beauty; tranquil village life, ravishing coastline, emerald-green mountains, breathtaking national parks, dynamic cities, outstanding cultural interest and above all the world’s best cuisines.” Anuradha Singh and  Randhir Narayan – Directors of AHS, welcome Sen Travel Group to the portfolio of International DMCs. Anuradha commented “we are always excited to introduce new destination & new experiences to Indian Travel Trade ”.

Wadia Group-owned airline GoAir can now fly to international routes by early next year as GoAir receives the government’s approval to fly to nine countries including Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhastan. The approval for the Mumbai-based carrier which has been operating for over a decade, comes more than two months after the Government eased the overseas flying norms for Indian airlines. The nine countries include Iran, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. “We have got approval to fly to nine countries. We expect to start international operations from the next summer schedule,” GoAir Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told PTI. Generally, the summer schedule commences from the last Sunday of March and extends to the last Saturday of October every year. GoAir would be the first Indian private carrier to fly to any CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). CIS countries for which the carrier has got flying nod include Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Azerbaijan. Only in June this year, GoAir saw its fleet rise to 20 planes with the induction of first A320 neos. Around the same time, the government decided to do away with the 5/20 rule and replaced it with 0/20 norm as part of the new civil aviation policy.

Sunil Kumar, President, United Federation of Travel Agents Associations (UFTAA), has revealed that the association board is reviewing the venue it had selected for its 50th anniversary celebrations this November. It had selected Istanbul as the destination. However, recent developments have forced the board to review it. While on his way to the airport for his flight to Istanbul last night to attend a meeting with the UFTAA board members, Kumar revealed, “We will review the venue for our Golden Jubilee Congress that is expected to be held anytime after November 22, 2016. The exact dates will also be confirmed at this meeting.” UFTAA will also be getting ready for the Passenger Agency Conference (PAConf) that will take place in September in Singapore, he added.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has finally frozen on the venue and dates for its 63rd convention. Sunil Kumar, President, TAAI, revealed, “We have decided on Abu Dhabi as the venue for our next convention that will be held from October 14-16, 2016. We are in the process of blocking air seats now. It is one of the strongest destinations in the Middle East region and also an easy place to reach from India. “We want a strong convention this year with a strong focus, for our members as well as our partners. We will focus on both inbound as well as outbound. We are amidst signing contracts for this right now and have blocked rooms and convention space at the grandiose Emirates Palace,” he said. The team is now working on the convention theme, logistics and other details.

With an aim to promote tourism through film shoots internationally, Divine Holiday Management and International Destination Management Company, with offices in Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines, has recently announced their new subsidiary company Divine Line Production. The company will facilitate film shootings in Europe, Australia, USA, Thailand and Mauritius. They are also doing a big budget Hollywood film to be produced by Warner Bros. in Mauritius. Terence Cardoz, Owner, Divine Line Production, said, “We are International Line Producers and work very closely with Worldwide Film Commissions, tourism boards, government authorities, embassies, consulates and airlines to support production houses for film shoots to any destination in the world. We assist production houses with accommodation’s, logistics, permissions, equipment’s, junior artists, crew during the shoot. We also assist and ensure government subsidy in many international destinations. Due to our close contact high commissions worldwide it makes it even easier to assist production houses for Recce and Crew visas. We also assure the best deals on Air Tickets to any destination in the world during the shoot.” The Countries that they are currently promoting for film shoots are Austria , Italy , Switzerland, Germany, France , Belgium , Netherland , Luxembourg, Spain , Portugal , Czech , Slovak, Hungary, Georgia, Malta, Kyrgyzstan, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Slovenia ,Malta, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, UK , Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, India, Nepal, UAE, Oman , Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Malaysia, South Korea , Singapore , Thailand , Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand , South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius , Reunion Island, Namibia & Rwanda.

Air India commenced the first ever flight between Ahmedabad and Newark via London. The Flight AI 171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight is receiving immense response from the passengers and not only inaugural flight but all bookings till September 16 are sold out. The first passenger to check in was handed the boarding pass by Chief Guest, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Hon’ble Minister, Revenue, Education (Primary, Secondary and Adult), Higher and Technical Education, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt of Gujarat. The B787 flight to Newark will be the first commercial operation of the aircraft to the US from India. It will meet a long standing need and demand of more than 6 lakh Indians in Ahmedabad and expatriates in Newark and neighboring cities as well as off locals visiting the Indian sub-continent, who have been looking for seamless connections for work and leisure travel to Newark and London. AI-171 will operate three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It will take off from Ahmedabad at 05:00 hrs and reach London at 10:15 hrs, depart from London at 12:30 hrs and arrive at Newark at 15:00 hrs. The return flight AI172 will leave Newark at 22:30 hrs and reach London at 10:15 hrs next day, leave London at 12:30 hrs and land at Ahmedabad at 02:00 hrs. Speaking on the occasion, Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director, said, ‘’Air India is happy to start this new flight on August 15, 2016. It is a dream fulfilled for the people of Ahmedabad on India’s 70th Independence day. This is the third international flight introduced by Air India and we shall be …

Keys Hotels, part of Berggruen group of hotels, was officially launched in Vishakhapatnam, inaugurated by guest of honour, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister for Civil Aviation with Anshu Sarin, CEO, Berggruen Hotels. It is the second Keys Hotel in the state. Strategically located in the heart of the city, Keys Hotel, Vishakhapatnam is an ideal choice for both business and leisure travellers. The hotel is located close to the famous tourist attractions of the city such as Visakha Museum, Submarine Museum, R K Beach and the Kailasa Giri. Anshu Sarin, CEO, Berggruen Hotels Pvt. Ltd. said, “Southern part of the country, especially Andhra Pradesh is a critical market for us and the launch of the hotel in Vishakhapatnam will enhance our presence in the region reinforcing our commitment of growth in the state. Moreover, as part of our expansion strategy of entering into smart cities, we aim to attract business travelers from multiple industries besides leisure travelers. ”

Following explosions in public areas in some provinces during August 11-12, 2016, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed local authorities to step up security at key locations throughout Thailand as preventive measure and to ensure safety and security for business travelers and local residents. Meanwhile planned events and business events activities continue in Thailand as the nation celebrated the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and Mother’s Day on 12 August, 2016. The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has issued a statement advising international stakeholders that Thailand’s MICE industry continues to operate as normal, and all public and private sector stakeholders are working together to monitor the situation. It said that all hotels, venues and attractions are open and ready to welcome business travellers. Transportation links, major roads and airports continue to operate, including Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain and MRT services and both Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi International Airports. However, business travellers are advised to prepare adequate travelling time to avoid getting caught in traffic due to large movements of people during this long-weekend holiday period.

Australian hotel operator, AccorHotels has signed an agreement with the Australia India Travel & Tourism Council (AITTC) to further strengthen the opportunities for promoting tourism between Australia and India. As part of the partnership, AITTC will endorse AccorHotels market-leading Optimum Service Standards program for Indian visitation. AITTC will facilitate a service training program to help AccorHotels staff better understand cultural practices and learn basic greetings so they can respectfully serve these guests. Training is expected to commence in Sydney and Brisbane this August and AITTC will issue hotels with a certificate of accreditation once completed. In addition, AITTC and AccorHotels will be working together on promoting both inbound tourism from India as well as outbound opportunities to India. “Our goal is to see growth in bilateral tourism and this partnership with AccorHotels, which has strong presence in both India and Australia, so it will be win-win for both organisations,” says Sandip Hor, Chairman of AITTC. Chief Operating Officer, AccorHotels Pacific, Simon McGrath said, “We have been very fortunate to develop a great relationship with the Australia India Travel & Tourism Council, and look forward to working with them to better equip our hotels with the skills and knowledge to welcome visitors from India. AccorHotels launched its Optimum Service Standards for Indian visitation program to better cater to the specific cultural needs and growing numbers of Indian travellers to Australia and New Zealand. Accredited hotels have adopted services to meet the needs of this emerging travel market including the translation of hotel welcome kits, menus and business cards, Indian meals in the restaurant, Indian adaptor plugs, TV channels and newspapers to make guests travelling from India feel at home.

In a landmark move the Vadodara Municipal Corporation has abolished health licences for hotels and restaurants operating in the city. According to a notification issued by the Corporation, Sanitary Health License under G.P.M.C Act was duplication as health and sanitation are already covered under Food & Safety Act 2006. “Central Govt and State Govt has in recent times been emphasising on ‘ease of doing business’ and simplification of regulations to reduce difficulties faced by general public. Considering this matter, with immediate effect, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Ward Offices, Health Department, has cancelled issuance of Health License under Sec. 376 of G. P. M. C. Act, wherever license under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 is required and issued,” states the notification. Hailing the move as a milestone in the history of corporate India, The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), the apex body representing hotels and restaurant across the western region of India has commended Vadodara’s new Municipal Commissioner and expressed hope that other cities will follow the precedent. “For the last nine years we have been petitioning Municipalities across the Western Region for the exclusion of this particular license as it was a repetition and merely added to paper work and red-tapism. The association welcomes the decision and appreciates the affirmative and expedited action of H.S. Patel, Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara,” says Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI.