The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India participated in FITUR from the 18th to 22nd of January in Madrid which is one of the world’s largest international travel exhibitions. In cognizance of the situation after the pandemic, This participation is significant to step up the recovery of inbound tourism to pre-pandemic levels. The Ministry of Tourism took a space of 253 sq. meters, with over 30 participants co-exhibiting with the India Pavilion to participate in the Exhibition. The India Pavilion was graced by the presence of the King and Queen of Spain and was formally inaugurated by His Excellency, Mr Dinesh K. Patnaik, Dr Abhay Sinha, DG SEPC, Indian Ambassador to Spain, Mr Mohammed Riyas, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Kerala, and Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Inauguration of the India Pavilion was done with Ribbon Cutting followed by Indian cultural performances and Yoga sessions. After the inauguration, the Indian delegation and participants went around the India Pavilion and booths of various participating states and tour operators. The participation was coordinated by Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC). During the day, Incredible India organized various Culture Performances, Yoga Sessions, Mehndi and Bollywood Dance Performances. The Indian Delegation led by Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism participated in key business meetings with senior leadership from Melia Hotels International, Palladium Hotel Group, Expedia Group, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cushman & Wakefield, and the Indo-Spanish Chambers of Commerce. These meetings facilitated by the dedicated Industry Development & Investment Promotion (IDIP) Division at the Ministry of Tourism managed by Invest India, had discussions around investment opportunities in the Indian tourism & hospitality sector. …

Tripjack is excited to announce the opening of a new office in Chennai, India. The office will act as a focal point for the business operations in the area and offer a variety of services to local travel partners. It will be led by a team of experienced travel professionals who are committed to delivering the highest level of service and will look at new avenues to explore business growth in the region. The team will work closely with local travel partners servicing them across all categories including Flights, Hotels, Cruises, Holidays, Rail and Visas. Speaking on the announcement, Hussain Patel, Director, Tripjack said, “We are thrilled to open a new chapter in Chennai, which is an important hub for both business and leisure travel. We believe expanding our footprint will enable us to serve our travel partners in a more personalized and direct way. Along with our high-quality service we look to explore new avenues of growth in this region.”

The MoT has issued fresh guidelines for recognition of tourism service providers. Based on te requests from stakeholders, the MoT will now consider turiner of 2019-20 applicable till Dec 2023. The minimum annual turnover required for this was Rs 20 lakh.

The Centre will organise the country’s first Global Tourism Summit on April 10-12, in New Delhi as part of India’s G-20 presidency. Tourism Ministry officials from various northern region states emphasised how G20 will be the Centre’s main area to establish India as a key tourism destination, during its year-long leadership. Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Publicity, Ministry of Tourism, said: “The summit is being organised to showcase various opportunities for investment and trade in the sector, especially in the hospitality sector. This will allow global visitors to explore Indian tourism products and services that will provide an opportunity to the local players to cater to the global demand and compete in this sector.”

Speaking about various schemes offered by the government of Punjab, Gurkirat Kripal Singh, Secretary, Tourism & Cultural Affairs, said, “As the gateway to the nation for Central Asia, a lot of cultural exchange has happened in Punjab where a lot of events have taken place, of significant historical value. The government of Punjab is embarking on a series of new initiatives to achieve the ends from the point of view of Punjab. Of Punjab’s upcoming initiatives, adventure tourism, water tourism and caravan tourism topped the list.”

Swiss Hotel Apartments – A luxury hotel apartment chain in Switzerland inked a partnership agreement with Wanderlust Marketing, Global Destinations experiential travel representation vertical to sell and market their various 5 star serviced apartments in India. This association will offer Indians travelling to Switzerland, access to a range of unique accommodation experiences and apartment style options. Post pandemic travel trends for Indian travellers reveal holiday accommodation goes beyond merely hotel categories or room types. The FIT traveller segment has shown an increasing preference to explore authentic local stays and a want for deeper engagement and immersion into the destination, culture and its people. Swiss Hotel Apartments as a leading luxury hotel apartments provider in Switzerland, take on responsibility to make their guests’ experience as remarkable as possible, not just the stay but the complete journey from the time they book until the check out. They have properties in Montreux, Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lugano ranging from Studios, One, Two, Three Bedrooms, Villas to Chalets. The apartments can sleep 2 to 10 guests. These are Family friendly, spacious, modern apartments with fully equipped kitchens, taking care of the smallest detail towards the guest’s comfort making them feel home. Swiss Hotel Apartments is a member of Suisse Tourisme and Apartment Holiday Comfort and ranked as 5 Star Hotel Apartments in Switzerland. In their initiative to tap into the ever-expanding market potential that India has on offer and to leverage the growing demand for apartment style accommodation, the agreement with Wanderlust Marketing commences with immediate effect. Swiss Hotel Apartments intend to offer significant value and flexibility to honeymooners, families, ad-hoc groups of friends and business-cum-leisure travellers with access to their unique stay options- across …

Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has been named top in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for punctuality. As per the results of the 2022 On-Time Performance Review by global aviation analytics leader, Cirium, the airline’s on-time arrivals stood at 91.38%, almost 5% ahead of the region’s second highest ranking airline. The annual Cirium On-Time Performance Review is considered the global gold standard for airline   and airport performance, its results based on data collected from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information. It defines on-time flights as those that arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival. Captain Nasser bin Ahmed Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer at Oman Air, said, “During 2022, the global operational environment has been challenging, with many airports affected by disruptions and resource challenges, as well as the lingering effects of Covid-19. Despite such a backdrop, we have continued to maintain an excellent service record. To have achieved this recognition for on-time performance against some of the world’s most reputable airlines is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all Oman Air staff across our global network. As we enter into 2023, we look forward to continuing to pursue excellence in all elements of our guest experience, from punctuality to convenience, our products and services, and of course our signature Omani hospitality.” Continuing to position itself as a major international carrier, Oman Air has set several benchmarks for quality, comfort and hospitality in the last year, earning itself the 2023 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), among others. Evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting market, the airline has made …

The Ministry’s new scheme ‘PM’s Development Initiative for the NER – PMDevINE – with an outlay of Rs 6,600 cr has been approved earlier in Oct 2022 separately under which larger and high impact proposals under infrastructure, social development and livelihood sectors are taken, says G. Kishan Reddy, Minister, DoNER. Scheme will transform the North-Eastern Region and boost socio-economic empowerment and enable livelihood opportunities.

FHRAI has submitted a representation to Arvind Singh, IAS, Secretary, MoT explaining concerns faced by hotels in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh over delay in classification of 1, 2 and 3 star hotels. Pending from the last 3 to 6 months, hotels in these states that are seeking either re-classification or classification of their properties are facing hardships. With licenses having expired or being due for renewal, including that of liquor license, most hotels are not able to renew the licenses due to the delay in the classification process.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board signed 8 MoUs with chapters of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). The MoUs were signed by principal secretary and MD of MP Tourism Board Shiv Shekhar Shukla with the Presidents of GOPIO France, Mauritius, Reunion Island, Martinique, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and GOPIO international. They seek to establish greater cooperation in the tourism sector and promote important destinations in Madhya Pradesh.