The ‘Consultative Meeting with Union Ministers on Draft National Tourism Policy’ has commenced. G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture & DoNER, said, “The meeting featured discussions on approaching the pre-covid tourism numbers and innovative ways to tourism development through the Public Private Partnership model. Deliberations were done on wellness and medical tourism through ayurveda. Categorisation has been done on the basis of selected cities, selected hospitals and strategies have been prepared for leveraging arrivals from countries such as Gulf countries, African countries and South Asian countries. Special emphasis was given upon the development of tourist circuits in North Eastern region. The meeting also featured discussions on the development of regional connectivity scheme such as UDAN and infrastructure development such as seaplane and helicopter usage.”

John Koldowski, Advisor, PATA, has said that in terms of International Visitor Arrivals (IVAs), Asia is predicted to become a stronger component of the market mix or the visitor mix into India and both Europe and the Americas are going to become less in a relative sense. “These markets will still generate numbers, but in a relative sense, they will be less than those of Asia,” he said.

Liz Ortiguera, Chief Executive Officer, in her presentation at the PATA India webinar, titled ‘Asia Pacific Destination Forecast’ shared that India has outperformed many Asia-pacific countries in the recovery with faster capacity rebuild. “We expect India to be the ‘new China’ over the next five years,” she claimed.

The pandemic with its unprecedented hardships/challenges have caused Indians to actively seek spiritual solace. Thomas Cook (India), and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have witnessed a strong 35% growth in spiritual tourism. In a focussed endeavour to tap into this high potential yet unorganised segment, the Companies have expanded their portfolio to include a range of ready-to-book pilgrimages and personalised spiritual journeys. Products start at an affordable Rs. 20,000.00 per person for a 5-day tour, with premium-personalised options priced at Rs. 200,000.00 per person for a 6-day tour. India’s seniors segment and 45+ age group form the core segment for Pilgrimage Tours. Keeping this in mind, the Companies’ top pilgrimage tours extend across: the popular Char Dham Yatra and Do Dham Yatra (option to charter a helicopter as well; VIP darshans) Muktinath in Nepal, Amarnath Yatra, Vaishno Devi shrine with Kashmir, Varanasi with Prayagraj, Ayodhya, etc. India’s couples and solo travellers (30-45 yrs) are displaying strong preference for the Companies’ customised spiritual tours that include meditation, yoga and wellness programs like the Yoga Centre/Ashram in Coimbatore, Dharamshala and Rishikesh; Panchakarma programme at Kumarakom, etc. India’s millennials/young professionals and families present the highest growth opportunity – and their preference is for spiritual journeys in combination with outdoor-adventure and authentic local culture/culinary experiences. Thrilling experiences like white-water rafting and night trekking in Vaishno Devi, Kathadi (close to Rameswaram – an emerging hub of water sports), Badrinath’s famous valley of flowers trek; bungee jumping in Rishikesh, etc. are inspiring India’s millennials to explore the land of spiritual journeys. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) said, “Post the pandemic, we are witnessing a definitive surge in Spiritual …

The Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta, has signed an agreement this morning in Tarragona with the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, to undertake ten projects for the restoration and maintenance of historical heritage for tourist use owned by the state for an amount of 35 million Euros. This investment is part of the Modernization and Competitiveness Plan for the tourism sector financed with European funds. The objective is to improve the capacity of the rich historical and cultural heritage of Spain throughout the territory to continue attracting both national and international tourists. The Ministry of Culture and Sports will be in charge of carrying out these ten projects in various cities, all of cultural and tourist interest with direct implications for the cultural, environmental and economic sustainability of the environments in which they are located. On the one hand, 15 million Euros will be allocated to the reform and enhancement of state-owned museums and transferred management of Cáceres and Tarragona, both World Heritage. Specifically, 7 million will be allocated to the Tarragona Museum and 8 million to the Cáceres Museum. On the other hand, 4,720,040.96 Euros will be allocated to the restoration and consolidation of castles and public walls declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and Tourist Interest. The castles of Sagunto (Valencia), Adsubia (Alicante) and Santed (Zaragoza) will be consolidated and restored. Several sections of the Zamora wall and the wall of the town of Burgo de Osma (Soria) will also be restored. The distribution between the different actions will be made depending on the needs of each of the projects. Finally, 15,279,959 euros will be allocated to the Landscape of Light in Madrid, …

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading airline, is set to start thrice weekly operations to Chennai, India as of 2 July 2022. Chennai will join the vast Ethiopian network as a fourth destination in India after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Ethiopian started its service to India with a debut flight to New Delhi in 1966, just 20 years after the airline was founded. Ethiopian pioneered the air transport linkage between Africa and India. Recently, Ethiopian marked its 50th year anniversary of uninterrupted service to Mumbai. The flights to Chennai will be operated using B737-8 aircraft as per the below schedule. Flight number Effective Date Frequency Departure Airport Arrival airport Aircraft type ET  0692 02-Jul-22 1.3..6. ADD MAA ET  737 – 8 ET  0693 02-Jul-22 1.3.5.. MAA ADD ET  737 – 8               Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew said, “I am excited that we are getting closer to our customers with our signature service and global connectivity options. We have been connecting Asia and Africa for 55 years now facilitating trade between the two continents. The addition of Chennai as a fourth passenger destination in India is a testimony of our resilience and unwavering commitment to serve our customers in India and the continent at large. We will continue to serve India with enhanced frequency and more destinations in the future.” Ethiopian has been serving India without any interruption even during the pandemic cementing the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries. India is one of Ethiopian Airlines key destinations in the Asian continent and Ethiopian currently flies to three passenger and five cargo destinations with its enhanced services and modern fleet. In line with …

Spree Hospitality, boutique and mid-market hospitality operator, has added one more feather to its wings with the opening of Sparsh Hotel and Resort in Uttar Pradesh, in Bareilly. This 4-star property is just 7 km away from Airport and 8.5 Km from railway station. It is also in proximity to some popular tourist attractions and other places of interest in Bareilly. Some of the tourist attractions include Bareilly Sports Stadium, Jagannath Temple, Phoenix Mall and Fun City situated nearby to the property. The property rooms are comfortable and spacious with luxury amenities to make guest feel satisfied. When looking to satiate one’s cravings, the in-house restaurant in the property offering multi – cuisine food to satisfy the tastebuds. At Spree Hospitality the safety of the guest is the top priority and so Sparsh Hotel and Resort by Spree committed to deliver clean and safe environment through health and safety protocols. The property boasts of green lawn, massive outdoor pool and banquet hall.

Sharing his disagreement with offering discounts to travellers, Naveen Kundu, Managing Director EbixCash, says, “Burning money has become a fashion and in pursuit of gaining market share everyone is discounting which is not required there is enough and more business available for everyone in this country. We have to learn to live out of fear and handle the market dynamics better. I see most travel companies offering discounts to customers. Those who have to travel will travel irrespective of discounts. If that wasn’t the case, airlines and hotels wouldn’t be full.”

Adding another hotel to its portfolio, Ananta Hotels & Resorts has launched 52-key Jagira Ananta Elite Gir Hotel in Gujarat. Gagan Katyal, says, “We have launched Ananta Gir, our latest resort outside Rajasthan. It will have four types of residential options and will be located right at the doorstep of this sole home to the Asiatic lions in Gir.”

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism, Kishan Reddy recently launched an app called ‘Museums of India’. He said, “It is a digital archive showcasing 750 glorious heritages from 8 national museums. The app offers features like Search & Retrieval, Access to 3D interactive objects, and Category-based browsing. This app will enable all of us to see and listen to stories, paintings, photography and speeches from the museums across the country.”