Addressing the World Tourism Day 2024 event, Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice-President of India, stated, “The Ministry of Tourism and Culture and Ministry of Civil Aviation is set to face significant challenges ahead, as the tourism sector is booming. You will have to be in action 24X7 to fully exploit the enormous potential of tourism in this country.” He emphasised the major transformations over the past decade, including the doubling of airports and the development of world-class infrastructure—spanning railroads, highways, and expressways—that now rival the best in the world.  

Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, announced the launch of the ChaloIndia campaign, offering free visas for the first 100,000 foreign visitors to India on World Tourism Day 2024. He also highlighted the unifying power of tourism, stating, “Tourism is the sector that connects us all and bridges the gaps between cultures and nations”.

ETrav won the ‘Fastest Growing B2B Travel Portal’ award at the India Travel Awards. The platform offers diverse services, including flights, holiday packages, and hotel bookings, with a robust network across the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and America. “The award goes to our agents who have significantly contributed to our growth,” said, Heniel Rupaarelia, MD, ETrav Tech. 

Join an exclusive Festivals #InAbuDhabi webinar on Thursday, 26 September 2024 at 3 PM IST. Explore the vibrant festivals and cultural events happening in Abu Dhabi, offering insights into the region’s rich traditions. For more details, contact Jaspreet Kaur at +91 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com. 

The Phocuswright Global Travel Market Report 2024 highlights the increasing dominance of online travel, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% between 2023 and 2026. By 2026, online bookings are forecasted to account for 65% of all travel bookings globally, up from 61% in 2023. 

During his visit to India, Martin Nydegger, CEO, Switzerland Tourism, stated, “While traveling less is not possible, our strategy is to aim for travel better. This is our strategy for long-haul markets like India. We aim to keep the market growing by steering the traction towards longer stays, extension of seasons, and sustainable travel.” 

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, in partnership with Ritz Carlton Al-Bustan Palace, Mark Tours, and Oman Air, invites the Indian travel trade to an exclusive webinar on Oman’s destinations and product offerings. Gain valuable insights and updates for your clients on 18th September at 3 PM IST. Don’t miss the opportunity to win exciting prizes! For more information, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call 9650196532. 

Resigning from his post as MD of Global Panorama Showcase (GPS), Harmandeep Singh Anand, MD, Jagsons Travels, said, “Due to pre-occupation and other commitments, I resign as MD of GPS. Rishiraj Singh Anand takes over as the show’s MD. Sharing updates for GPS, Rishiraj says, “We have the roadmap for GPS till 2026 ready with 14-city shows. We will have 8 cities every year with 4 key cities of Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Kochi, as constant. We also have our EDWIN planned, including Spain in November, Turkiye in December, Bali in March, etc and Ladakh and South Africa will continue year-on-year.” 

VFS Global was honoured with the ‘Process Excellence in Visa Outsourcing’ award at the India Travel Awards. Ragini Abichandani, General Manager, Operations & SPOC, IRCC South Asia, and Kersi Dastoor, GM, Operations, received the award. VFS Global operates over 3,400 centers in 153 countries, processing 292 million applications since 2001.   

Padraic Gilligan, Chief Marketing Officer, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), recently unveiled the results of SITE’s Incentive Travel and Motivational Events Global Survey. One of the major takeaways from the survey is the dominance of the finance and insurance sectors in using incentive travel programmes. According to Gilligan, “Finance and insurance have consistently been the largest users of incentive travel, and this year is no different.” These two sectors accounted for 35% of all responses, underscoring their ongoing reliance on incentive travel to drive performance and engagement.