Ravi Gosain, VP, IATO said, “Technology plays an important part in our lives, and travel is not different from that. In the coming years, it will change the life of travel agents and tour operators in the way they are working.” 

The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that the travel and tourism industry is facing a staffing deficit of 1.2 million in 2022, with Italy the most hard-hit country. Pay is a major issue in key sectors of the industry, especially in hospitality.

Continuing with its series of webinars to help the travel trade discover Spain, the Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai, along with Valencia Tourism, will conduct an exclusive one-hour webinar titled ‘Know Valencia’ on Tuesday, Sept 6 at 3pm IST. Sign up today for the Spain Specialist Program (SSP) and register now to attend the webinar. The webinar will conclude with an exciting quiz on the destination and the winner will leave with a 5-day trip to Valencia in November 2022. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

According to Boeing Managing Director (Marketing) David Schulte, India’s airlines will lead air traffic growth through 2040, growing at a rate of 6.9 per cent. Strong recovery is gaining momentum in Indian aviation and it is one of the fastest growing markets. 

Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC Travel Group, said “People have started to organise MICE events and weddings in India due to the difficulty of obtaining European visas and high airfares, which is a positive change for the Indian market.” 

The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, announced on Twitter that UK has started issuing priority and super priority visas to students from India. “There is a high demand and we recommend you apply for your visa as early as possible with the required documentation,” he said. 

A survey conducted by the community platform LocalCircles on air passengers said that 1 in 4 fliers either lost their baggage or found it delayed during the last three years; 35 percent found their checked-in baggage damaged one or more times.  

Ajay Prakash President, TAFI said that there are several travel agents who applied for TAFI membership because they wanted to be a part of the convention. “So perhaps a convention is a great way to boost membership!”. 

In an effort to boost the tourism industry amid the economic crisis, the Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said the island nation has extended its multiple-entry tourist visa to five years Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said that Sri Lanka now offers one-year multiple entry visas, reports Xinhua news agency. The country also issues single entry visas with a six-month stay period. Fernandor said that the cabinet of ministers approved his proposal on Monday. “Cabinet agreed to extend five-year multiple-entry tourist visas for 35 countries to help boost repeat tourism in Sri Lanka. A tourist can stay in Sri Lanka for six months in one stretch with this scheme,” he said. The Minister said that the country had earlier offered a three-month “digital nomad” visa for tourists to attract foreigners engaged in remote work. The Minister said that tourism picked up in July and August after the anti-government protests gradually fizzled. He added that they expect 1 million tourists to arrive in Sri Lanka in 2022. “We expect $2 billion from tourism this year,” he said. –IANS

To promote eco-tourism in the state, Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra approved 13 new eco-tourism places and nature camps including 10 new eco-retreats and three new nature camp places.