Golden Tulip Hospitality group, South Asia has announced the opening of its first 5-star luxury hotel Royal Tulip Kufri, Shimla. This will be the group’s first property in the Himalayas. Royal Tulip Kufri features 54 guest rooms and suites, offering panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Kufri valley. Located at 8,600 feet above sea level in the charming town of Kufri, Royal Tulip Kufri offers the majestic views of the Himalayas exquisitely spread over acres of Cedar forest range. Vimal Singh, Managing Director, South Asia-Golden Tulip Hotels & Resorts/Louvre Hotels Group, said “We are excited to present Royal Tulip Kufri, the first international luxury hotel in Kufri that will offer the highest standards of luxury, comfort and world class services to its customers.” Singh further added, “The opening of the hotel is significant for us. Royal Tulip will be the perfect destination hotel for leisure travelers and family holidays. In keeping with the Group’s motto Royal Tulip, Kufri brings an ethos of International Standards with local flavors. The company is looking to expand aggressively in the next few year across South Asia thereby adding significant value to the hospitality sector.”

Ayana Hospitality, promoted by the ICS Group (India) has launched its flagship property ‘Ayana Fort Kochi,’ a luxury boutique hotel in Kochi, Kerala. The hotel is a 200-year-old courthouse that has been restored. Akhil Behl, Chief Executive Officer, Ayana Hospitality, said, “It has been designed and renovated in perfect harmony with the legacy of the property, the environs and culture of the region. Our efforts towards guest’s experiences are not limited to the hotel premises only, but are far more rounded and encompassing. Going forward we will add more unique properties to our portfolio and will strive to raise the bar in personalized tailored luxury.”

AccorHotels brought its international economy brand, ibis, in the capital of Kerala with the opening of ibis Kochi City Centre. ibis Kochi City Centre is also the first AccorHotels’ property to open in Kerala. The property features 115 guest rooms furnished with the signature ‘Sweet Bed’ by ibis, in-room amenities and Wi-Fi access. The hotels has two meeting rooms with state-of-the-art technology that can accommodate up to 70 guests for meetings and private events. Fitness enthusiasts can sweat it out at the hotel’s Cardio Centre. Located on Ernakulam’s commercial hub – MG Road, the hotel is a few steps away from the upcoming Kochi Metro station and a short drive from the Ernakulam Railway Station. Jean-Michel Cassé, Senior Vice President, Operations, AccorHotels India said, “We are pleased to open our first AccorHotels’ property, ibis Kochi City Centre in Kerala.  Kochi is an upcoming smart city and commercial hub and we are proud to open its first international economy hotel. With a sharp focus on today’s connected business traveller, the hotel promises to be a sophisticated stay destination with a host of innovative facilities, all at an attractive price point. We are proud to introduce the ibis brand to the city and look forward to fortifying our commitment to the picturesque state of Kerala.” Speaking on the opening, Ajit Jose, General Manager, ibis Kochi City Centre, said, “We are delighted to launch our very first ibis in Kochi. The property is reflective of the growing needs of corporate travellers while catering to the needs of leisure travellers to this fast-emerging metropolis. Guests can look forward to the innovative brand concept with welcoming, designer common areas and the modern food and beverage …

V.M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turismo de Portugal. The MoU was signed by Dattaraj V. Salgaocar, Chairman of VMSIIHE, and Luis Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal, in the presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa who is presently in Goa on a state visit. The knowledge exchange programme between the two countries will see a collaborative effort in the fields of research, trainings, teaching-learning methods and other aspects in the near future. The MOU valid for 2 years, mutually agrees to conduct student training and teacher mentoring modules in addition to institutional support. The MoU focuses on a shared vision, to encourage and develop the training and qualification of human resource personnel working in the field of tourism, as well as to coordinate and execute professional training for students and faculty. Professor Irfan Mirza, Director, V.M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education, said, “Together we can collaborate and enhance the quality of education we offer to our students. At our institute we offer a unique curriculum, internationally trained faculty and world class infrastructure to prepare the students for the ever changing needs of the hospitality industry. Our goal is to make this institute the center of excellence for the hospitality industry in India and we believe we have come one step closer to that goal with the signing of this MoU.”

SpiceJet has inked a deal with Boeing for purchase of upto 205 aircraft. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet revealed that the new deal is the enhancement of its existing order of 55 aircraft with additional 100 firm B737-8 MAX and 50 purchase rights for B737-MAX and wide body aircraft. The total orer of 205 aircraft is valued at $22 billion (Rs. 150,000 crores). The aircraft delivery will be done between 2018 to 2020.

Sarovar Hotels has sold majority of its stakes to Louvre Hotels, the second largest hotel group in Europe. The acquisition deal was formally announced in New Delhi by Ajay K. Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels, in the presence of Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels; Pierre-Frederic Roulot, CEO, Louvre Hotels Group and Saurabh Chawla, Head of Group Development, Louvre Hotels Group. According to Bakaya, there will not be any change in the management of Sarovar Hotels after the acquisition and they will continue to run the hotels the way they used to. He added that the new development would only help the company to expand its reach.

The 23rd edition of Madame Tussauds is set to open in New Delhi this June at Regal Cinema, Connaught Place. The wax attraction will exhibit over 50 figures from diverse leagues such as history, sports, music, cinema etc. The attraction will showcase 60 per cent of local celebrities and 40 per cent of international leaders as wax figures which will be created in an excess of Rs. 1.5 crores each. Merlin Entertainments, the operator of the attraction, plans to offer competitive ticket fares in order to attract large segment of Indian visitors and once open, Madame Tussauds will also offer special fares for students, and groups, informed Anshul Jain, General Manager and Director, Merlin Entertainments India. “The wax attraction will provide an immersive and exhilarating experience of the glittering world of renowned celebrities and personalities of the likes of Amitabh Bachachan, Narendra Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Kim Kardashian, etc. We will also have a broader focus on Indian celebrities and I am sure that all the locals and tourists will cherish meeting their idol,” says Jain. Marcel Kloos, Director-New Openings Europe and Emerging Markets, Merlin Entertainments, adds that the attraction can accommodate 500 visitors at a time and will be open from 9 am to 8pm. The tickets will also be available online for the same once the attraction is open.

VisitBritain is organising a three-day destination showcase in Pune for travel agents. The showcase started with a panel discussion on the travel trends which included panellists from the industry. Followed by two days of B2B appointments with the sellers. There were 76 buyers from across 9 cities and 28 suppliers from 25 organisations present at the showcase. Previously, VisitBritain had hosted the destination showcase in Delhi and Mumbai and this year in Pune. On the occasion, Sumathi Ramanathan, Director-Asia Pacific, Mid East & Africa, VisitBritain, commented, “We want to explore the opportunities that the Pune market has to offer and we see good potential is this market as well when compared to the other cities in India.”

Maharashtra Tourism Minister, Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal called on the Governor of Wakayama Prefecture Yoshinobu Nisika, Japan as part of his maiden visit to strengthen the MoU between Wakayama Prefecture, Japan and Maharashtra especially with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. Rawal said, “Our marketing strategy for this year is Visit Maharashtra Year 2017 and as a step to achieve the same, we are delighted that in the first month of January itself we could extend our goodwill to Wakayama Prefecture as a part of our marketing and goodwill strategy. The delegation discussed matters pertaining to renewal of the MoU between the government of Maharashtra (GoM) and Wakayama Prefectural Government (WPG) in 2018.” Rawal requested the Governor to use Mumbai as the commercial entry hub for Japanese industries as well as a holiday gateway to India at large and Maharashtra in specific. The tourism minister stated that Wakayama prefecture should play the role of catalyst in the mutual development of both the states.

The Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, will now be open to public only in February. The new terminal was to be made operational on January 1 to decongest the domestic Terminal 1D. The delay is reportedly because two of the airlines have refused to move out of 1D, which recently underwent refurbishment and a security survey. The new terminal is part of the expansion plan of 1D.