The latest air ticket data analysed by ForwardKeys reveals that comparing April-September 2021 against the same six months in 2019, a significant shift in source markets is evident. The USA, which used to account for 31% of actual air tickets into India pre-COVID has doubled. The UK, a traditional source market, has shrunk by more than half to only 6%.

Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board, has said that their government may soon open land borders with India so that the number of tourists visiting can grow. “There are immigration points between India and Nepal near Darjeeling, Siliguri, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Bihar. I have suggested to the industry in India that they make land transport packages to Nepal,” he said.

Air India has announced that it is all set to launch flights between Hyderabad and London from May 9, 2021 to September 6, 2021. The non-stop flights will be operated every Monday in the said period, and the carrier has allowed bookings through its website, booking offices, call centre, as well as through authorised travel agents.

According to JLL, hotel conversions in India had seen a consistent increase, nearly doubling from 33 conversions in 2016 to 65 in 2019. However, the conversions plummeted to just 29 hotels in 2020 under the impact of the pandemic. The uncertainty in the market made existing or committed hotel owners adopt a cautious approach than take conclusive investment decisions.

Indian LCC IndiGo claims that the airline has already processed close to Rs1030 crore of refunds, which amounts to about 99.95% of the total amount owed to its customers. The pending credit shells are mostly cash transactions wherein IndiGo is awaiting bank transfer details from the customers.

In its commitment to get travellers safely where they need to be, Qatar Airways has announced that it will no longer require passengers to present a negative RT-PCR test report when departing India, where this requirement was implemented previously. However, any government regulation imposed or required by the destination or transit country will continue to apply. The airline has included a total of 13 countries in its list of exempt nations, including the Philippines and Nepal.

Razaidi Abd Rahim, Director, Tourism Malaysia, South India and Sri Lanka, shares that they are looking forward to participate in the Gulf Travel Show 2021 which will be held from March 31-April 1. “It marks our inaugural participation, and not only refreshing and widening our contact base, but most importantly, strengthening brand Malaysia Truly Asia,” he says.

With the continuous rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, flight tickets are expected to cost more. HS Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, says, “There has been a continuous rise in price of ATF, so it has been decided to increase the lower fare band by 5 per cent, keeping the upper fare band unchanged.” 

As part of Tourism New Zealand’s virtual road trip series, the region to be covered this month is Northland. The webinar is scheduled for March 23, 2021 at 11am and will be similar to what it did with Auckland, Christchurch, West Coast, Nelson Tasman, Queenstown and Wellington wherein pre-recorded video content shared by the New Zealand product operators will be shared. Northland is New Zealand’s northernmost subtropical region. It is also a place of deep cultural and historical significance. To experience this road trip, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 or register directly at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/224/4v7gki13

IATO says that for members who have paid their annual subscription for FY2020-21, membership will be automatically renewed for FY2021-22 and they will not be charged the annual subscription fee. The Association also says that members who have not yet paid their annual subscription for FY2020-21 can pay till March 31 this year or even the next.