Prem Krishnan, Additional Director, Kerala Tourism, stated that Caravan Tourism has been recently launched and is gaining momentum. As part of the initiative, 14 tourist hubs are planned to be established along with caravan parks. Private players interested in investing in the caravan business are being offered incentives by the government.  

The government is planning to launch two mega adventure tourism trails in the Himalaya and the Ganga this year. Addressing a session at the G20 tourism working group meeting, Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy said, “The trails are expected to be launched this year. The ministry will work with states and industries for development of two adventure mega trails in 2023 — the Ganga trail and north-western Himalayan trails.”

Liam Findlay CEO Miral Destinations said M!CE was the first industry to recover from the pandemic, with India being the fastest-recovering market. “To tap the potential, our company has dedicated resources and a specialized team to attract M!CE companies and events to come Yas Island. We offer a very attractive incentive scheme”, he said. 

As part of an interactive and informative sessions, Oman Tourism recently completed its three city sales missions with more than 20-25 prominent outbound trade partners each from Cochin, Hyderabad, and Kolkata in India. The sales missions were held on 21, 22 and 24 March 2023. The objective was to create awareness about the Sultanate of Oman in the trade and motivate them to sell the Sultanate of Oman as a leisure destination to their clients. The sales missions were graced by two delegates from the Muscat head office—Mr. Yousuf Khalaf Al Mujaizi, Assistant Director, Business Development and Mr. Mubarak Salim Al Harrasi, Head, Section of Arab and Asia markets. The sales missions were also attended by the members of Oman Air, whose participation was the focus of the three events. Two persons from each of the Indian cities were presented Oman Air tickets for answering a simple quiz post presentation. The event started at around 11.00 hours with a presentation by Oman Air and Oman Tourism, which was followed by a networking lunch. After learning about the exquisite culture, heritage, and adventure on offer in Oman, the trade partners were extremely eager to promote the picturesque destination to their clients. The response from the tourism industry was extremely positive. The team was thrilled with the excellent feedback from the three markets and is anticipating an increase in visitors from these cities to Oman. Earlier on 20 March, meetings were conducted in Cochin with five trade partners in their offices about the need to promote the Sultanate as a picturesque destination with their customers. On 25 March in Kolkata, a sit-down lunch was organized at a hotel with five trade partners …

Ahead of the 2nd Tourism Working Group Meeting, Harsh Vardhan Shingla, Chief Coordinator of G20 India, highlighted the opportunity for India’s North Eastern region to showcase its cultural heritage and tourism potential. At a press conference in Darjeeling, Shingla announced that 10 ambassadors from G20 nations would visit the area and engage with local stakeholders to discuss the region’s potential. 

Airports Council International (ACI)-Asia Pacific has warned that the aviation industry’s recovery is threatened by rising airfares in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions, despite stable airport charges. ACI-Asia Pacific’s latest industry outlook reveals that, despite airports’ substantial efforts to freeze or lower airport charges in 2022, airfares rose by an average of 53% compared to 2019. 

Fast-growing cruise tourism becomes a prominent segment of the global tourism industry Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism said the upcoming Global Tourism Investors Summit 2023 will focus at promoting cruise tourism at a high scale as this is the space ready to make great giants. 

Nikhil Kumar, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Andaman Tourism said, “Efforts and synergy between the private and public players is necessary to transform Andaman into a hub for island tourism. We propose to establish ourselves as a yacht destination and are also looking for approval that will allow us to have offshore casinos.” 

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, announced its partnership with CHOOOSE, a Norway-based climate tech company, to develop a climate software solution to support MAG’s commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the MAG Sustainability Blueprint. Through this partnership, Malaysia Airlines’ individual and corporate customers can understand and address the emissions associated with their flights by supporting verified carbon offset projects directly when booking through the airline’s official website starting in June 2023. The climate projects selected by MAG, in collaboration with industry experts, are certified by internationally recognised carbon certification standards. Group Chief Sustainability Officer of MAG, Philip See, said, “We recognise the importance of our role in creating a sustainable future for the aviation industry, and we are committed to not just reducing our carbon footprint but rally participation from our customers to be part of this significant journey, towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” By embedding the CHOOOSE-powered solution directly into the customer booking flow, MAG provides transparency around the carbon emissions of every journey and educates customers on their carbon impact with precise calculations according to latest industry standards. Customers can then choose to address the carbon emissions of their flight and support high- quality carbon projects by purchasing verified carbon offsets in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Following the transaction, CHOOOSE will provide a certificate confirming the customer’s climate offset purchase. The partnership will expand to include the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Additionally, through the new programme, corporate customers will be provided with tools to automatically estimate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their company’s employee travel, to voluntarily offset …

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world to recognize the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. In the Philippines, women have played a significant role in the tourism industry, contributing to the growth and development of the sector. Let us see how the Philippines celebrates International Women’s Day in terms of tourism. The Philippines is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural beauty, cultural attractions, and hospitable people. The tourism industry in the country has grown significantly in recent years, contributing to the country’s economic growth. Women have played a critical role in this growth, working in various capacities, including tour guides, hotel staff, and travel agents. To celebrate the achievements of women in the tourism industry, the Philippines organizes various events on International Women’s Day. These events aim to showcase the contribution of women to the sector and inspire other women to pursue careers in tourism. They also provide a platform for women in tourism to network and share their experiences, challenges, and success stories. The nation goes above and beyond in supporting and showcasing women travellers, offering them a seamless and safe experience when travelling to and from the country. The Philippines also recognizes outstanding women in the tourism industry through awards and honours. These awards aim to recognize women’s contributions to the growth and development of the sector and inspire other women to excel in their careers. For example, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines organizes the Mabuhay Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the tourism industry. In addition to these events and awards, the Philippines promotes gender equality in the tourism industry through various policies …