Riaz Munshi was re-elected as the President of OTOAI Managing Committee for the term 2022-24. Shravan Bhalla was elected as Vice President, Sidharth Khanna as Gen. Secretary, Gurdeep Gujral as Treasurer, and Monia Kapoor as Joint Secretary were selected respectively. 

TOFTigers India Wildlife Association & Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) sign an MOU in an event held at Hotel Ashok, today at the Assam Tourism Road Show in New Delhi to training Wildlife Park guides and Safari Vehicle drivers in Guest Handling and to promote and support the strategy and concept of sustainable tourism. With a vision to create a sustainable future for tourism, TOFTigers has taken several steps to achieve this goal since 2005. The MoU is yet another milestone in this journey of change and improving environmental and economic sustainability in the state of Assam. TOFTigers will actively support and promote the introduction of the training for improving the guides’ and drivers’ knowledge of conservation, ecology, and storytelling skills for better visitor experience – which will potentially help them generate more income, while also furthering conservation awareness among tourists. TOFTigers and ATDC have a strong view towards promoting sustainability and social responsibility within the travel sector. The MoU was signed in the presence of dignitaries from the state of Assam and leaders from national tourism industry who had gathered in a large number at the event. Sustainable tourism practises are about putting local communities and the environment at the heart of business operations, in addition to economic factors. “TOFTigers is dedicated sustainable tourism organisation in India and would like to support the travel industry in India towards sustainability,” said Mr. Vishal Singh, Director TOFTigers. The travel and tourism industry are one of the largest industries in the world and contributes enormously to the economic well-being and development of many countries by helping to alleviate poverty throughout the world. It has recognised cross-cultural benefits as well as educational, health …

Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, today inaugurated its first flight on the Pune-Bengaluru route. Pune is the ninth destination in Akasa Air’s network and its second city in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai. The airline is offering double daily flights on the Bengaluru–Pune route starting today with additional daily flights linking the two IT hubs, starting from December 10, 2022. Earlier in November, Akasa Air announced the addition of Visakhapatnam as the tenth destination on its network, with flights connecting the city with Bengaluru, scheduled to commence from December 10, 2022, and a second frequency on the route to be added on December 12, 2022. Since its launch in August this year, Akasa Air has been progressively scaling up its operations and by mid-December expects to cross over 450 weekly flights on a total of fourteen routes across ten cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, and Visakhapatnam. This rapid expansion of cities, routes, and frequencies is in line with the airline’s vision of adopting a phased yet rapid approach to grow its network across India. Commenting on the maiden flight and the new route, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder, and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, “Commencement of operations on this route is a momentous occasion as we expand our footprint in Maharashtra by adding Pune to our network. Both Pune and Bengaluru are important IT hubs, and enhanced connectivity on this route, backed by affordable fares, are in line with our purpose to strengthen important transportation links of our country, which will provide a boost to economic development. We will soon launch another daily flight on this route from December 10 onwards, taking daily departures from Pune …

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) will be announcing its new team today for the term 2022-24. The existing team will be taking over unopposed and some shuffle in positions is expected. Currently, Riaz Munshi is President, Himanshu Patil is Vice President, Shravan Bhalla is Gen. Secretary and Siddharth Khanna is Treasurer.

The Rajasthan Cabinet approved the Rural Tourism Scheme 2022. to create employment opportunities in the villages and protect the handicrafts industry by establishing rural guest houses, agricultural tourism units, camping sites and caravan parks. The scheme will also acquaint domestic and foreign tourists with Rajasthan’s rural culture. 

Ravi Gosain, Vice President, IATO said, “Many of us are concerned about what will happen in the future, things have changed, products have changed, and many of the FTOs with whom we do business are no longer in business. As a result, we must create new markets for ourselves. So, these are the few things we will discuss during the Convention, which is why we have specifically chosen this theme, inbound tourism what lies ahead.” 

Tourism New Zealand will conduct an exciting webinar highlighting their latest campaign If You Seek and related trade tools and assets on Tuesday, Nov 29 at 11am. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 to register.

In conjunction with PITE 2022, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) signed a memorandum of understanding with Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA), in order to boost the business ties between Penang and India. “PCEB is regularly taking the initiatives to attract business event groups to visit Penang. Connecting with the Indian market is one of the efforts that are being done, especially with India being the key market for business tourism and events in Penang. In addition to the incentive group from India, we are making strenuous efforts to organise association meetings as well in Penang” quoted Ashwin Gunasekeran, the Chief Executive Officer of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau.

Spree Hospitality is known for its luxurious and elegant hotel chain to live and relax in; spaces that are comfortable and enjoyable in equal measure, now strengthened its footprint in Maharashtra with the launch of the new hotel in Waluj, Aurangabad. Spree Hospitality, part of EaseMyTrip, the portfolio has 30 plus properties across India in the business of Hotels, Clubs and Guest houses with more than 7 hotels in the pipeline. This 4 – star property is located near Waluj Industrial area, 16 km from the airport and 8.7 km from the railway station. Expressing happiness on the latest addition in the portfolio, Vice President of Spree Hospitality Mr. Sagar Khurana said “Spree Hospitality is proud to announce its presence in the vibrant city of Aurangabad which expands our footprints in Maharashtra. We are delighted to partner with Mr. Sandesh Zambad. Aurangabad is a popular tourist hub with UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Apart from its cultural and historic significance, Aurangabad is one of the fastest developing cities for business and industry. Waluj Industrial Area was having a huge gap in providing premium Mid-Market Segment Hotel and so with the addition of Spree hotel this gap will get filled. We have already started receiving great response from the close by companies.” Offering guests a comfortable stay and pleasant experience, the hotel feature multi-cuisine restaurant, state -of – the art Banquet Hall for conferencing and social gathering and fitness centre. Spree Hotel Aurangabad soon to open lounge, rooftop banquet hall, board room and rooftop lounge. The hotel boasts aesthetically designed 32 room’s ideal for business and leisure travellers alike categorises namely Executive Room and Deluxe Room …

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “Sports tourism is an integral part of tourism. It is one of the verticals that greatly benefits the host country, as it attracts tourists from all over the world. We have noticed that Indian travellers are now quite keen to travel for sports events.”