Australian low-cost carrier, Jetstar cancelled 120 domestic flights on Friday and over the weekend as the airline’s pilots, ground crew and baggage handlers take industrial action to demand a pay rise and better working condition. 44 flights on Saturday and 46 flights on Sunday are set to be cancelled. All the passengers flying between December 13 and December 20 will be able to request a full refund. Other passengers will have their flights rescheduled, be moved to different planes or transferred to Qantas flights.    

After a huge win the UK general elections, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has assured Britain’s exit from EU by January 31, 2020. “We will get Brexit done on time by the 31st of January, no ifs, no buts, no maybes,” he told cheering supporters. The Conservatives are set for a resounding victory in an election in which Brexit was widely seen as the decisive factor, with his “Get Brexit done” mantra winning over former Labour voters in the opposition party’s traditional heartlands.

The Air Quality Index compiled by the state environment department in Sydney, Australia reached as high as 2,552 in some eastern suburbs – soaring past the “hazardous” threshold of 200. The pollution has been so bad it has set off smoke alarms in office buildings across the CBD, while ash has been washing up on the city’s usually pristine beaches. Flight arrivals at Sydney Airport has been delayed by up to 30 minutes due to poor visibility. Authorities warned people with respiratory conditions, or heart and lung problems, to stay indoors. Office workers were seen wearing face masks in the street, an unusual sight in a city more used to clear blue skies and clean air. Temperatures are forecasted to soar to 42 degrees Celsius in the city’s west.

All Schengen visa applicants lodging an application file from February 2020 and on will be subject to the new Schengen Visa Code, which among other foresee an increase in visa fee by 33.3 per cent. The updated Visa Code was adopted by the EU Council in June 2019 and it applies to all European Union Member States and associate countries that participate in the Schengen Agreement. From February 2, 2020, Schengen visa applicants will need to pay a fee of 80 Euro instead of 60 Euro per application.

According to the recent data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation, passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Nov 2019 were 1311.54 lakhs as against 1262.83 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 3.86% and monthly growth of 11.18%. In the month of October, MoM growth was 3.98% which shows November has performed phenomenally well.

Delhi ranks 6th among the emerging world cities in terms of infrastructure and smartness as per the JLL Cities index- research covering 131 major established and emerging markets identifying cities that have the strongest short-term economic and real estate market momentum. Apart from Delhi’s commercial importance, the city is also an important tourist destination, displaying a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Reflective of Delhi’s rich history as one of the centers of the Mughal Empire and the cultural center of North India are a number of religious monuments, forts, tombs, museums and art galleries spread across the city. Delhi’s vast economic base has proven beneficial to Delhi’s lodging industry, which has witnessed consistent growth over the past few years and continues to be a prime area of focus.

CAPA India forecasts that in a medium scenario, India will achieve 20 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals by air by 2031 and to achieve this, Indian carriers will need to increase seat capacity almost 4x, and foreign carriers almost 3x for India to achieve the 20 million FTA target. The recent CAPA India Research and Analysis has also concluded that, air access will remain a key strategic barrier to achieving the target. The bilateral policy settings need to be aligned with the tourism targets and a viable and profitable aviation industry needs to exist.

The World Travel & Tourism Council India Initiative (WTTCII) and Hotelivate has released sixth edition of the India State Ranking Survey along with an award ceremony to felicitate the best-performing states. Goa has been awarded ‘Destination Leadership Award 2019 for the overall best performance in 2019 where the state has managed to score 121 points out of 165, followed by Tamil Nadu which scored 111 points and Delhi which managed to fetch 110 points. Rajeev Talwar, Chairman – WTTCII & CEO, DLF adds, “We are delighted to present to you the 6th Edition of WTTCII-Hotelivate State Ranking Survey 2019. Back in 2009, with the launch of the first State Ranking Survey, the basic premises behind this endeavour was to encourage the state governments to take cognizance of the Tourism industry, which can contribute significantly towards the State’s GDP, employment, infrastructure, as well as have tangible social impact. It is encouraging to see the significant progrress made by certain states as well as to have new states emerge among leaders. States such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tripura have shown remarkable improvement since we started in 2009 and this is just the purpose of this report. The 6th Edition of this State Ranking Survey also notes, that the North Eastern States are taking rapid strides in Tourism. Their geographic position and infrastructural disadvantages, connectivity issues are something the Government & Industry should take cognizance of. Together, we need to inspire the North Eastern States to grow their unique tourism products for the world of travel.”

According to India Tourism Statistics 2019, 52,66,898 foreign tourists visited India in the first half of 2019, registering a growth of 2.2 per cent over the same period last year, when 51,51,321 FTAs were registered. However, this is still a steep decline when compared to FTA growth in 2018 over 2017, which stood at 7.7 per cent. In the first half of 2019, the month of January recorded the highest number of foreign arrivals, registering 11,03,380 FTAs.

In Q3, 100 rooms have been signed in Meghalaya and 71 have been signed in Nagaland. Right now, there are no branded hotels/rooms in these states. Also, according to an official, the state of Meghalaya already has a Courtyard by Marriott under construction.  In a Hotel Momentum India Report for Q3  by JLL, 36 hotels with 2867 rooms have been signed in the region. However, branded hotel openings during the same period are 22 which have 1474 rooms.