Bengaluru will become the first city in the country to have a helicopter shuttle service by November 2017. The Heli Taxi services will become operational between the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and Electronics City. Ministry of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, who announced the launch, said that the service will ensure quick seamless transfers to and from the airport at a cost similar to luxury taxi fare. The fare of luxury taxis, which ply on this route (KIA and Electronics City), is between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000. Thumby Aviation Private Ltd has been roped in to offer the shuttle services. To begin with, the services will be from KIA to Electronics City and subsequently will be extended to Whitefield and HAL airport. The services are expected to begin in about three months as Thumby Aviation is in the process of seeking regulatory approvals. Thumby Aviation has two Bell 412 helicopters that can ferry 13 passengers and Bell 407 choppers that can carry five passengers. Source: IANS

VITS Hotel Worldwide has recently opened its Hotel VITS Devbhumi in Dwarka, located close to prominent landmarks of Dwarkadish temple, of Dwarka Devbhumi district of Gujarat. Announcing the launch, Vikram Kamat, Managing Director¸ VITS Luxury Business Hotels says, “This is our third property in Gujarat and we are extremely upbeat on the growth prospect in the region. VITS is positioned as a moderately priced full service luxury business hotel and enjoys high occupancy rate at all our 10 properties across India. We believe VITS Devbhumi Dwarka with its strategic location, imposing décor, banqueting and host of hospitality will appeal to both leisure and business tourists.” VITS Devbhumi Dwarka offers 58 rooms providing four-star deluxe experiences. It offers well-equipped conference room, travel desk, multi-cuisine restaurants, open air terrace restaurant, gaming zone and banqueting facilities. VITS Luxury Hotels presently operates 10 properties located in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik, Latur, Ankleshwar, Silvassa, Agra, Chakan and Bhubaneshwar. The Hotel chain presently has inventory of 900 rooms with host of banqueting, conferencing, restaurant and lifestyle facilities. As part of its expansion plans VITS Hotel will unveil the VITS hospitality experience in Mumbai (Colaba), Nanded, Dahej, Ahmedabad and Mangalore by April 2018. The company plans to penetrate its reach nationally with 20 properties scheduled for launch primarily in Tier 2 and tier 3 in cities within the next three years.

Ark Travels, the Preferred Sales Agent for Star Cruises in India, is conducting its annual party titled ‘Big Bang Nautical Fiesta’ from August 13-16, 2017 and this time its onboard SuperStar Gemini. The three-night itinerary will be include Singapore-Penang-Langkawi-Singapore. Anju Tandon, Director at Ark Travels, says, “This is to say thank you for our agent partners for selling us throughout the year. Our target is to take 350-400 agents from across India that will include small regions like Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and surrounding areas, cities in Gujarat not just Ahmedabad and Surat but also Rajkot. The aim this time is not only to take the ones who are already selling us but also those who have given just one or two bookings so that we can encourage them as well as show them the product.” Moreover, Ark has been chartering cruises with entertainment onboard since last year. This includes additional entertainment apart from what the ship already offers. “We take a team of event organizers who do a lot of pool games and conduct aqua zumba, war of the DJs on the deck at night, Bollywood nights that feature well-known singers like Parleen Gill, etc. Since it’s a charter sailing, these perks are available for everyone onboard because they have all booked through Ark Travels. We will continue to focus on selling charter cruises next year as well,” Tandon adds. With respect to the forthcoming travel season, Ark Travels will be focusing on other Star Cruises brands as well like SuperStar Libra (ex-Penang) and SuperStar Virgo (ex-Nansha) till March 2017.

The Ministry of Tourism plans to introduce facilitation centers at six major airports for international patients coming to India for treatment. The first centre will open at the Mumbai airport in October. The purpose of these centers is to allow patients and their relatives, smooth passage for the treatment in the country without being approached by touts and these centers will be operational 24×7, throughout the year. The Ministry has sought help from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations. “Mumbai will be a pilot project. Depending on how it works out, centers will come up in Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad,” said Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, President, IMA and member of the ministry’s medical tourism board. Aggarwal further informed that the centers will have trained personnel who will guide patients and their relatives if they have already short-listed a hospital and will provide information about accredited hospitals in case they are yet to short-list one. “Often, when some of the patients land up undecided, they are misguided by touts. Through the centre, we can eventually eliminate the touts and avoid these patients from landing up at some quack,” said IMA member Dr. Jayesh Lele, adding that the centre will come up right after the customs clearance. The ministry also plans to have a telephone link at the counter to the Incredible India info helpline for assistance while dealing with persons in need of language services. Source: The Hindu

Alibaba Group and Marriott International have announced the establishment of a joint venture to redefine the travel experience for the hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers travelling abroad and domestically every year. Drawing on resources from both Marriott and Alibaba, the joint venture will manage Marriott’s storefront on Fliggy, Alibaba’s travel service platform. It will also market directly to Alibaba’s customer base, provide a link between Marriott’s loyalty programs and Alibaba’s loyalty program, and support Marriott hotels globally with content, programs and promotions customised for the Chinese traveller. This new venture is designed to satisfy consumers’ expectations for seamless, integrated, personalised, and convenient travel solutions that connect travellers directly to Marriott’s portfolio of international hotel brands. The travel industry is an important growth opportunity as China’s travellers are expected to take an estimated 700 million trips over the next five years. Marriott’s owners and franchisees globally will benefit from the joint venture by capturing a greater share of this growing Chinese travel market and lower distribution costs associated with the joint venture. “We are proud to join forces with Marriott International – combining our large-scale consumer base, leading-edge technology and consumer insights with their unparalleled hospitality expertise,” said Daniel Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba Group. “Together, we are elevating and redefining the travel experience for Chinese consumers to be more seamless and personalized as they embark on adventures to discover the world.” “We have long admired Alibaba’s digital expertise and deep understanding of Chinese consumers’ needs and behaviors,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “By forming this partnership, we are pairing our hospitality expertise with Alibaba’s digital travel platform, retail expertise and digital payment platform, …

Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, a part of Marriott International Inc, has announced the opening of the Le Méridien in Goa, Calangute further strengthening the Paris-born brand’s presence in India with its 10th property. Situated on the bustling Calangute- Candolim road, Le Méridien Goa, Calangute’s chic design, is inspired by Goa’s first settlement – the “Kunbi Tribe” and the arrival of the Portuguese into the state. The hotel features the Le Méridien Hub, a concept that reinterprets the hotel lobby into a social gathering space meant for guests to convene and converse. With 146 rooms (including Family Studio Rooms and Suites), each room features the signature Le Méridien Discovery Bed, 43 inch LED TV, designer bath amenities and high speed internet access. “Le Méridien Goa, Calangute is our 10th Le Méridien property in India. We are extremely elated to invite and host curious travelers to unlock India’s favourite beach destination with our carefully curated local experiences and engaging brand programmes. Goa being an ideal expansion to our brand offering, we are pleased to unveil the Le Meridien Goa, Calangute with the promise to deliver an unparalleled experience for every guest visiting” said Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President – South Asia, Marriott International, Inc. “We are thrilled to unveil Le Méridien Goa, Calangute, a highly anticipated addition to our India portfolio. With the Le Meridien’s brand promise of “destination unlocked”, the property is set to be the preferred destination for connoisseurs of all things Goan – coordinate, culture & cuisine and music,” said Norton Pereira, General Manager Le Méridien Goa, Calangute offers interactive multi-compatible meeting spaces spread over 10,000 sq. ft featuring a premium outdoor terrace venue, ballroom and a16-seater boardroom. …

Air India’s low-cost arm Air India Express will launch direct flights between Delhi and Madurai with effect from September 15. The introductory one-way fare offered on Delhi-Madurai sector starts from Rs 3,975 and the return journey fare starts from Rs 7,950, the airline said in a statement. The service will be offered four days in a week i.e. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will also be offering passengers the additional facility to buy special meals of their choice online on select sectors, the statement added. The budget carrier currently operates around 545 flights per week, connecting 15 Indian cities to 14 destinations in the Middle East and South East Asia. The airline has a fleet of 23 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft.

Demand for domestic travel climbed 8.2% in June compared to June 2016, up slightly from the 7.9% growth seen in May. India led all markets with a 20.3% rise in domestic traffic in June. However, the very strong upward trend in traffic has slowed since the country’s unexpected ‘demonetisation’ in November 2016. India’s streak of year-on-year double-digit traffic growth may have ended with June. June capacity increased 7.0%, and load factor rose 0.9 percentage points to 84.3%. In a nutshell, air travel recorded its fastest first-half growth in 12 years, pushing load factors to record highs. And the peak northern summer travel season is likely to be record-breaking. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic data for June showing that demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose by 7.8% compared to the year-ago period. “This is all good news. The demand for travel is strong and that, in turn, will make a positive contribution to the global economy. This growth will also further expose infrastructure deficiencies. In every part of the world airport and air navigation infrastructure is struggling to cope with demand. There are plenty of examples linking connectivity and economic prosperity. But few governments have been able to deliver on the imperatives of sufficient capacity, quality aligned with user needs and affordability. This year’s strong growth is a reminder that there is no time to lose,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. June capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 6.5%, and load factor rose 1.0 percentage point to 81.9%. For the first six months of 2017, the industry experienced a 12-year high in traffic growth (7.9%) and a …

Reaching out to the South India market, the Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) debuted in Kochi today. After successful shows in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Kolkata, GPS Kochi started with 750+ registrations on the first day. Buyers from cities like Salem, Coimbatore, Thrissur, Trivandrum, Calicut and nearby cities will be attending the three day event. The first day witnessed knowledge presentations by Interglobe Technology Quotient, FXkart, Genting Hong Kong, cyber security session by Prevoyance Cyber Forensic, Trawelltag Cover-More, Sahibji Group of Companies, Zanzibar Tourism and the much waited GST session by team GMJ & Co followed by presentations from Infozeal and Cleartax. The next two days will notice more buyers coming in as one on one b2b meetings begin.

Country Inn & Suites by CarlsonSM Kota opened its first hotel in Kota, making it the first-ever international brand to have presence in the city. Located within the proximity to corporate zones and educational service institutes, the hotel offers 85 rooms and suites which is suited for both business and family guests. “I am delighted to welcome Country Inn & Suites by CarlsonSM Kota to our growing portfolio in India. With 557 properties in operation and under development globally, Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM is a leader in the upper midscale hotel segment. We are glad to partner with Prem Singh Bajor and Priyavrat Singh, to pioneer the first international brand in the city and extend its hallmark, Be Our Guest service philosophy to our guests,” said Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer-South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel offers a host of modern amenities and an expansive 20,000 square feet outdoor garden and flexible banquet hall and meeting space of over 10,200 square feet for all types of corporate and social events. “I am proud to inaugurate Country Inn & Suites by CarlsonSM Kota. I am confident that guests will find this hotel a great place to unwind, relax and rejuvenate. I am also thankful for this partnership with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group that ushers in an exciting new beginning for travelers headed to Kota,” said Prem Singh Bajor, Chairman, Bajor Group of Companies.