IATO President Pronab Sarkar says budget did not give any encouragement to the tourism industry. “There was no mention of the tourism industry, and no benefits or plus points were announced. Apart from speaking about five tourism circuits and second phase of the Incredible India campaign, nothing else was mentioned.” Detailing their expectations and the disappointment that followed, Sarkar says, “We were expecting e-visa changes to be applicable, which were announced in December. The Prime Minister is talking about branding India and mentioning tourism amongst the five pillars, but no one has looked into the prospects of this Industry. Thus, the government needs to be sensitised. As association, we tried seeking appointment with him and did write to him on Twitter, but haven’t heard from anyone as yet.”

P.P. Khanna, President, ADTOI, says, “The Union Budget didn’t directly focus on tourism, but was more directed at the rural sector, youth and infrastructure. However, there was a mention of the Global Incredible India campaign. Also, the proposal of developing India International Institutes for foreign languages would really benefit the tourism industry, and would offer employment to almost 1 lakh students graduating from these institutes every year. The dedication towards Clean India and Skill India would also result in a boost to tourism and creating employment in this sector, and boosting domestic tourism.” He highlighted another positive which is the waiving off of Service Charge on IRCTC bookings. “The focus on rural tourism might lead to better infrastructure and education in these areas, which in turn would help bring tourists to these areas as well. However, the effect of all these things would only be seen in three to five years.”

Homa Mistry, CEO, Trail Blazer Tours India, takes a very despair outlook to the omission of tourism and hospitality from the Union Budget 2017-18. “Tourism has been going through very tough times and we have realized we are on our own. I did not have any expectations from the government and as always the Budget did not have anything for the tourism and hospitality industry. I am just not surprised,” he says. Mistry remains cautious about the upcoming Goods and Services Tax. “We are however looking forward to the Good and Services Tax (GST) Bill which too shall be more of a bomb dropped on us,” he adds.

Etihad Airways has announced a third daily flight on the Abu Dhabi – Bengaluru route, effective March 26, 2017. The triple daily schedule will provide greater choice to local passengers travelling between the two cities, and improved connectivity to destinations across the GCC, North America and Europe via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub.The capacity increase underscores the airline’s commitment to offer guests more travel options between Abu Dhabi and key destinations across its network. With a new daily late night departure from Abu Dhabi, and early morning service from Bengaluru operated with a two-class Airbus 321, the schedule provides additional online connectivity to and from a number of destinations, including Doha, Jeddah, London, Dublin, New York and Dallas. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our expanded services between Abu Dhabi and Bengaluru are in line with Etihad Airways’ strategy to offer greater travel options when aircraft availability and market conditions permit. “The extra flights to Bengaluru will cater to the strong demand between both cities, and bring closer our global network to and from Bengaluru over our Abu Dhabi hub.” Etihad Airways launched flights to Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, in January 2011 with four services a week, rising to daily two months later. It has steadily grown capacity with additional frequencies and aircraft upgrades to its current double daily operation. More than 700,000 guests have been flown on the route over the past six years. Partner carrier Jet Airways will codeshare on Etihad Airways’ enhanced Bengaluru services, and also offer connectivity from Bengaluru to destinations across India.

ETAA will be hosting its second domestic convention from March 3-5, near Hyderabad. The convention will be held at Leonia Resort which is one hour away from the Hyderabad airport. As of now Tourism Fiji have confirmed to be the co-sponsors for the convention and other tourism boards may soon join in. The convention will host B2B sessions, presentations from the exhibitors and sponsors showcasing new products and destinations to its members. The third day will be a optional sightseeing tour of Hyderabad which will be part of the package. Speaking on the occasion Jagat Mehta, President, ETAA said, “We want to showcase new products to our members and maximise their business possibilities so we will be having exhibitors showcasing unique products at the convention. We may also plan to keep knowledge sessions on GST and its effect on the travel industry once there is a clear picture by the government. We expect 200 plus members across the country to attend the convention.” ETAA will also be hosting knowledge sessions in Kolkata on 4th February and Hyderabad on 10th February focussing on up-selling and cross selling where professionals from the travel and trade industry will be present.

Now, passengers can select on-board entertainment in advance from the comfort of your own home with the Lufthansa Companion App. For the first time, passengers will have the option of making a selection from the on-board program from home before setting off and adding their favorite items to a playlist. The on-board program is available up to six weeks in advance. Once on board, passengers then synchronise their personal favourite playlist with the screen in front of the seat, and there is also the option to use the own mobile device as a second screen. During the flight, passengers can then choose something to watch from their favorites list, and at the same time call up flight information, go on social media websites via FlyNet, do a little online shopping in the WorldShop, or find out a few things about the destination they are heading for.

South Korea recorded an increase of 27.3 per cent in Indian arrivals in 2016 as compared to 2015. A total of 195,579 Indians travelled to South Korea last year. According to Byungsun Lee, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, “South Korea will be more accessible to the Indian traveller now. With the positive growth trend, our focus this year will be to promote affordable packages from Delhi and Mumbai with our partners. We shall also seek association with neighbouring tourism boards to jointly promote both destinations and create a win-win situation.” The constant efforts made by the Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office on educating the travel trade partners to promote the destination and proactive business approach from the Destination Management Companies (DMC) have been the key factors in the result. Connecting with the end traveller through tactical media platforms and increase in the airline connectivity from Delhi will play as game changer this year.

IndiGo has communicated to Delhi International Airport Private Ltd (DIAL) that it is ready to shift its domestic flights to Terminal 2. The airline, along with SpiceJet and GoAir operate from T1. Indigo has reportedly told DIAL that they are ready to shift to Terminal 2 and make that an all-IndiGo terminal. They have also given DIAL the option to keep Indigo fully at Terminal 1 and shift all others to T2, and that they are fine with both decisions. The main priority for Indigo right now is to have all their domestic operations under one roof for the sake of passenger convenience. Indigo is against DIAL’s idea of splitting domestic flights between T1 and T2.

Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC) has joined hands with BookMyShow for an online ticketing platform on Pilot Project basis. This means that DTTDC through BookMyShow will offer online ticketing for major tourist attractions which includes Dilli Haats – INA, Janakpuri and Pitampura, The Garden of Five Senses, Guru Teg Bahadur Memorial and the Delhi Hop On Hop Off shuttles (HO-HO), and all other entry tickets/ events and paid shows, etc. Kapil Mishra, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Govt. of Delhi announced this partnership saying that Delhi Tourism has taken the lead in giving the Tourism sector a digital push, through this partnership between DTTDC – BookMyShow on Pilot project basis. The objective behind this association is to help promote tourism in the state. Tourist attractions that will be made available for booking online and Promotion of Delhi Tourism events will be done through this project to add more convenience to the National and International Tourist, besides Delhiites. “With increased smartphone and internet penetration, the convenience associated with online ticketing can be definitely leveraged across different sectors today. Tourism is centered around providing great experience and we are confident with this pilot project DTTDC will be able to add tremendous value through its offering,” said Mishra. In addition, the registration, entry and other ticketing details of all events being organised by Delhi Tourism in the State will be posted on the BookMyShow platform. Kumar Razdan, Country Head, BookMyShow said, “As we pave our way into online tourism ticketing in India, we are thrilled to partner with The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC). Delhi is a city of monuments, historical sites and is rich in heritage. With …

Uber has announce a partnership with Cleartrip, the online travel company. While on a trip, Uber riders can choose to receive recommendations on the Cleartrip app, on exciting events and experiences to do in the city they are present in, from India’s largest collection of activities and events. Anyone booking airline tickets, and local activities on Cleartrip will now also be able to book a ride in the Cleartrip app, without leaving the site or switching apps.