Category Archives: Agents

8 states of NER comprising 8% of country still has only 0.3% share of domestic tourists

Harpreet Singh (IPoS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DONER), mentioned that tourism continues to be an important sector for the Indian economy and majority of the infrastructure development projects undertaken by the Government are towards the tourism sector. He added that the 8 states of NER comprising 8% of the area of the country and close to 4% of the population has huge potential for tourism but it still has only 0.3% share of domestic tourists and 0.93% share of the foreign tourists. There holds immense potential which needs to be tapped in the NE region through effective infrastructure development and better connectivity, added Singh.

Read More »

Tech-savvy, adaptable Gen Z driving changes in travel preferences in digital age: Noesis

The millennial generation and Gen Z are driving change in the hospitality business and it is important to understand their expectations. The incredibly tech-savvy and adaptable Gen Z are leading to changes in travel preferences in this digital age. For them, 4 out of 5 methods for planning a trip are online-based channels. Thus, a shift from multichannel marketing to omnichannel marketing will be more effective. As a result, the hospitality sector must adapt to these developments. This generation is the first digital natives and value experiences.

Read More »

Odisha takes initiatives to transform itself into a ‘preferred global sports destination’

Over the past few years, Odisha, under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister  Naveen Patnaik, has undertaken several ground-breaking sports initiatives to transform itself into a ‘preferred global sports destination’. From hosting marquee events to developing world-class infrastructure to strengthening sports grassroots programs, Odisha has been at the forefront of supporting all forms of sports. It is also the hub of High Performance Centres. The state has contributed massively to the development of sports is a prime example of sports tourism. Hockey is deeply connected to Odisha’s rich culture. It has produced champions like Dilip Tirkey, Pramod Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Sunita Lakra, Amit Rohidas, Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, among others. Hon’ble Chief Minister himself was the goalkeeper for his school team, hence he has  a deep   emotional connect with the sport. Hockey is integral to the state and attracts audience in  thousands. Odisha has been one of the pivotal reasons behind Indian Hockey’s success in the recent years. The Odisha State Government became an official partner of Hockey India in 2018, and since then Indian Hockey teams have significantly improved. Over the years, Odisha has hosted various marquee tournaments such as Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, FIH Men’s Series Finals 2019, Olympic Hockey Qualifiers 2019, FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, FIH Hockey Pro League 2020, 2021-22 and 2022-23. The FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 was hosted with grandeur at the state-of-art Kalinga Hockey Stadium, which was refurbished with two new galleries, increasing the capacity to 15,000 seats.  It received an overwhelming response from hockey followers world-wide. It attracted massive tourists from India as well as around …

Read More »

DGCA to make amendments to CAR to give more rights to passengers

In view of rapid expansion of air services within India and on international routes to/from India and with the increase in the volume of passenger traffic, it has been noticed that sometimes Airlines downgrade passengers (tickets). For example when a passenger who has booked his ticket on first class, business class or premium economy, is downgraded to a lower class at the time of check-in due to various reasons like unserviceable seats, change of aircraft, overbooking, etc. In order to cater to such situations, DGCA is in the process of amending its Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) “Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights.” to protect the rights of air travellers affected by downgrading of their ticket. The amendment will allow the passenger, who is downgraded involuntarily from his booked class of ticket, to receive the full value of ticket including taxes as refund from the airline and the airline will carry the passenger free of cost in the next available class.  However, this proposal will go through stakeholder consultation and the final regulation shall be published and made applicable afterwards.

Read More »

Recovery of India tourism post Covid can be witnessed through numbers to Jammu & Kashmir: Singh

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, mentioned that the recovery of India’s tourism post Covid can be witnessed through the whooping number of tourists of approximately 20 lakhs, who visited Jammu & Kashmir till October 2022. “As most of the countries of Asia Pacific opened up a little late post Covid as a preventive measure, we are still going slow on global tourists coming into India, affecting our inbound numbers but we have been able to revive strongly due to our rapid vaccination drive and prompt Government action for opening up to the globe attracting foreign tourists,” he said.

Read More »

ATOAI requests tourists to book only licensed adventure operators in view of 2 recent accidents

Commenting on the recent paragliding accident in Kullu involving a 30-year tourist from Maharashtra, Ajeet Bajaj, President, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), says, “It is a very unfortunate incident and we send our heartfelt condolences to the family. The ATOAI stands for responsible adventure travel and we have issued safety guidelines which have been endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism and we expect all adventure tour operators across India to follow the guidelines in letter and in spirit to mitigate risk in adventure activities. For tourists, our request is to always do their due diligence and opt only for government-approved, licensed adventure operators.”

Read More »

Akasa Air commences its maiden flight from Lucknow, the 11th destination on its network

Akasa Air operated its first flight from Lucknow – the 11th city in its network, marking the airline’s entry into Uttar Pradesh. Akasa Air will offer daily flights on the Lucknow-Bengaluru and Lucknow-Mumbai route starting today. The first flight on the Lucknow-Mumbai route departed at 1100 hrs IST from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. Commenting on the commencement of the first flight from the state, the Honourable CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath stated, “Uttar Pradesh is one of the leading states in domestic tourism and tourist movement in India. Our state is transforming into the most preferred investment destination in India and therefore, enabling new growth trajectories for shaping the vision of a new India. Witnessing India’s newest airline, Akasa Air, starting operations in Uttar Pradesh early in their journey, reaffirms my faith in the potential of the state in generating employment and ensuring economic prosperity for our country.” Commenting on the commencement of the maiden flight from Lucknow, Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air said, “We are thankful to the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath-ji for his support on this momentous occasion as we launch our inaugural flight from Lucknow, the 11th city in our fast-growing network. Lucknow is renowned for its rich culture, architecture, and cuisine while being a popular tourist destination, established textile and an emerging automobile hub. We believe, with the important work being done by the Honourable Minister to further boost tourism in the state, Lucknow will surely become an important part of our plans while we start today with connecting this key state capital with Mumbai and Bengaluru.” “The Akasa story is aligned with …

Read More »

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board’s Rural Tourism Programme a success

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board’s Rural Tourism Programme could not have come at a better time. The target was to make tourism destinations friendly through a cultural experience-based tourism which involved local communities. With the intention of offering new products and experiences to tourists visiting Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board came up with the Rural Tourism Programme. The intention behind the Rural Tourism Programme is to connect rural communities with tourism for their social and economic development besides preserving the local environment. Rural tourism not only provides tourists with a completely new experience, it creates engagement between city and village dwellers through meaningful interactions. It also strengthens the rural economy, generating employment at the village level, minimises migration towards urban areas, preserves local culture & heritage, and encourages art and craft as well as landscape conservation. MP Tourism Board launched the Rural Tourism Programme in 2018. Covid slowed progress a bit but the work went on. The work first started in about 10 villages on a pilot basis. Villages close to prominent tourist sites, like Orchha, Khajuraho, Panna National Park and Sanjay-Dubri National Park, were initially selected. Seeing positive results, the scheme has been extended to many more villages. MADHYA PRADESH’S PIONEERING RURAL TOURISM PROJECT MP Tourism Board has launched its Rural Tourism Project under the auspices of the Madhya Pradesh Responsible Tourism Mission. Under the Rural Tourism Project, 100 villages across MP have been identified with the goal of developing them as Tourism Villages. As per the scheme, the state has been divided into six key cultural experience regions. Baghelkhand, Bundelkhand and Chambal in the north and northeast apart from their cultural specialities, also showcase the essence of …

Read More »

Europamundo Vacations creates Facebook and Telegram Groups for travel agents

Europamundo Vacations has created new Facebook and Telegram Groups, exclusive for travel agents. Through  this exclusive community, travel agents can receive updated content from publications, videos, photos, and = much more. This material can be used on social media, shared with customers as well as on travel agencies’ own websites. This is an original, simple, and very practical way to be up to date and not to miss any news from Europamundo Vacations. In addition, as part of this community, agencies can participate in a draw to win an Europamundo tour—Maximum of an 8-day trip for European or North American trips. Low or mid-season departures in a double room with 50% discount for one companion.

Read More »

‘No room for complacence, need to re-instate some health and screening measures, esp intl arrivals’

Showing concern about the recent spurt in Covid cases, Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI, said, “To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson ‘The price of good health is eternal vigilance!’ We’ve all gone back to business as usual and assumed that the virus has been conquered but the recent spurt has clearly demonstrated that there is no room for complacence. So, while it might affect tourist numbers in the short term, there is a need to reinstate some health and screening measures, especially for international arrivals.”

Read More »
error: Content is protected !!