Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI and Member Board – CII National Committee on Tourism and Hospitality, on behalf of the travel trade fraternity, submitted its inputs and recommendations to Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution at the 3rd edition of DPIIT – ASCON Consultation Forum with Industry Associations’ theme ‘Stimulating Growth for Aatmanirbhar Bharat -Leveraging Opportunities Post Pandemic’. The six key recommendations were collated into a presentation under Investments, Cost of doing business, Ease of doing business, Trade Policy, Technology & R&D & Job creation & Skills. Some of the key recommendations by the committee are: Inclusion of Tourism in Concurrent list. The National Tourism Policy has had multiple deliberations, but a revised policy is still awaited. Waiver of statutory dues and licenses. ECLGS 5.0 for disbursing another 20% on outstanding loans. Govt. to restore SEIS to 7% for travel and 5% for hotels & to restore without legal entity wise capping of 5 crores. Auto-renewal of licenses without any fees for this financial year. Enabling investments in the industry in a time-bound manner through single-window clearances. Promote travel spending LTA Tax Exemption and Allow a 200 per cent weighted exemption. Need of National Tourism Fund to be created. An empowered Taskforce to be created with members from the Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Tourism, Environment, Shipping, Civil Aviation and Culture. To restart scheduled international flights in tandem with tourist visas to stimulate inbound tourism & necessary provision to be made in the new Foreign Trade Policy 2021-26 for custom duty waiver. Opening up tourism by starting e-visa, through Vaccine certificates & promoting India as a Safe Tourist Destination. Campaigns to attract young …

Delhi features as a top source market for Thomas Cook India. Lockdown fatigue and pent-up demand is resulting in strong travel desire from Delhites – Thomas Cook India has been witnessing a robust 60% month-on-month increase since re-opening in June 2021. A surge in demand for the upcoming Festive & Winter Season, Expo 2020 Dubai and honeymoon travel due to marriage season in North is powering travel growth from Delhi. Thomas Cook India reports that the demand is back to 65% of pre-pandemic levels overall: domestic travel at an impressive 290%; international at 55% (acquisition data Sept 2021 vs Sept 2019). Maldives, Switzerland, France, Russia, Spain, Egypt are the top destinations, while Expo 2020 Dubai is seeing a brisk demand currently. Additionally, Delhi is also witnessing a strong demand for overseas education travel and Thomas Cook India has delivered well on student travel to USA and Canada with quarantine packages. Delhi NCR Travel Trends: Thomas Cook India’s survey has revealed insightful consumer behaviours & travel trends for Delhi 62% prefer international destinations; favourites include Maldives, Dubai, Switzerland, France 78% prefer Domestic holidays; Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand; with North East and Andamans now seeing strong demand *(*data not equal to 100% as multiple choice options were provided to customers) Top Experiences: Delhites enjoy outdoor adventure trips like Biking in Ladakh, Rafting in Uttaranchal ,Kashmir, Rajasthan, South India; mountain destinations and experiences like ATV rides/a picnic lunch in an apple orchard; Andamans and beach destinations with water sports like sea karting, snorkeling, etc. Winter holidays with festivities of Christmas markets in Switzerland & France or Russia’s Lapland & Northern Lights, Nile cruises, hot air ballooning in Cappadocia (Turkey) and Expo …

Switzerland Tourism will conduct a webinar on Thursday, 28 October, 2021, focusing on three unique touristic offerings – BLS Interlaken, Schilthorn and the Lake Geneva Region. This captivating webinar will highlight the scenic cruises on the Lake Thun and Brienz with BLS Interlaken, Schilthorn, the famous ‘James Bond Mountain’ and the French-speaking Lake Geneva Region along its popular attractions. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Objecting to gross misstatements and inadequate disclosures contained in the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) issued by Oravel Stays (Oyo), FHRAI has made an official submission to SEBI to suspend its IPO process. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI, says, “The investigation by the Competition Commission of India is a serious one. To our understanding, there has not been a single instance where a company being investigated for anti-competitive practices by the Director General of the CCI has been permitted to initiate an IPO.”

Sharing his perspective on the new entrant in the LCC segment, Gavin Eccles, Managing Partner, GE Consulting & Advisory, says, “Key for Akasa Air is to differentiate through ancillaries.  Make ancillaries a key part of the travel proposition.  And, what that means is moving beyond just ancillary development with seats, boarding, etc., but to really look at the total travel proposition.  One area growing well at the moment is an in-house tour operator that allows the airline to sell the leisure proposition via a controlled inventory system. Could we see Akasa Air Holidays?”

Travel Agents Federation of India – Gujarat Chapter has written to the Ahmedabad Airport Director regarding an announcement made for Ahmedabad runway repair from 3 January 2022 to 31 May 2022 from 9am to 6pm excluding public holidays and Sundays. The latter states, ‘We propose that this repair and maintenance work if possible should be executed in night hours from 10pm to 5am starting from March 2022 with a short completion period. We seek your immediate support to make these changes happen and save the tourism industry from losing its current pace.’  

According to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the recovery of the sector has been hampered by the lack of international coordination, severe travel restrictions and slower vaccination rates in some parts of the world which still hamper many regions of the world. The research reveals that at the current rate of recovery, Travel & Tourism’s contribution to the global economy could see a similar moderate year on year rise of 31.7% in 2022.

IndiaTourism New Delhi office recently conducted a two-day vaccination camp at The Park, New Delhi with both Covishield as well as Covaxin vaccines being offered. It invited everyone from the travel fraternity to participate in this drive to ensure full vaccination.

Hoping to cash in on the growth potential of spiritual getaways in India, VITS Kamats Group has launched 70-room VITS The Somnath Gateway in the temple town of Somnath. Located in close proximity to the Somnath temple, it offers a peaceful abode for pilgrims with all the necessary devotional settings.

The sixth edition of France’s worldwide culinary extravaganza, Goût de/Good France was celebrated over five continents between 14th-22nd October. French Embassies and Consulates hosted culinary events promoting a commitment to a “greener” and more inclusive global gastronomy ‘à la française’. This year the gastronomy of the ‘Centre-Val de Loire’ region was honoured. In Mumbai, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet,  the Consul General of France in Bombay hosted an exclusive soiree at the French Residence on 21st October where guests enjoyed the succulent flavours of France’s renowned cuisine thanks to a specially curated menu designed by the Sofitel Mumbai for this occasion. Seen here on the left is Sami Bouakaze, Deputy Consul, Consulat Général de France à Bombay alongside Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, Consul General of France in Bombay, at the event. France’s worldwide gastronomical event, Goût de France/Good France, is back for its 6th edition, and restaurants in India once again participated in force. From October 14 to 22, dozens of restaurants across India served French-style menus focused on sustainable gastronomy. They joined chefs and restaurants across the world and over 150 French embassies and consulates in this annual event celebrating French cuisine. This year’s edition focused on the gastronomy of the future by highlighting commitment to a more eco-friendly, sustainable cuisine, as well as on the Centre-Loire Valley region, the “Garden of France” whose gastronomy dates back to the Renaissance and has shaped an exceptional way of life, opening a window onto French excellence. Restaurants across India, chefs, importers of French products and other stakeholders of gastronomy in India took part in the initiative by creating menus that promote French gastronomy, French gourmet food products and wines in sync with the themes of the event. …