Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

TravTalk hosted special panel discussions on ‘Importance of India Market in the GCC’ and ‘Enticing Indian Tourists’ at ATM 2024. During these sessions, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President, APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority; Markus Tan, Regional Director, India, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Singapore Tourism; and  KD Singh, Founder and President, TravelBullz discussed strategies and initiatives to attract Indian visitors.

Today, Jumeirah unveils its new brand identity marking a key milestone in its growth strategy to double the size of the portfolio by 2030. The new visual identity is the first stage in a journey of brand evolution designed to inspire a new perspective of luxury for discerning travellers. Building on its origins and reputation for generous hospitality, the move will see Jumeirah reaffirm its position as an industry pioneer, with curated experiences that shape perceptions and trends. As part of its accelerated growth strategy, Jumeirah has recently announced new properties including Jumeirah Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in the United Arab Emirates and Jumeirah Le Richemond Geneva in Switzerland. Jumeirah’s renewed vision and investment strategy will also see a focus on boutique style properties featuring up to 150 keys, prioritising suite category rooms and villas and residences. The luxury hospitality brand is actively targeting owner and operator opportunities in gateway cities and resort destinations in Europe, The Americas, Africa, and Asia. Thomas Meier, Chief Operating Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer at Jumeirah said: “Twenty-five years ago, we opened the iconic Jumeirah Burj Al Arab with ambitions to redefine luxury hospitality and over the years we have built an exceptional portfolio of properties across three continents. Today we look to the future of our brand and business with the same pioneering spirit and a robust strategy that will enable the next stage of sustainable growth for Jumeirah. Refining our visual identity and enhancing our guest experience is the first step on a journey of regional and international expansion, that will captivate the most discerning of traveller. We have strong foundations to build from and an exceptionally …

Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency announces its partnership with the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India to organise a mega familiarisation (FAM) trip for its members from 30 June to 6 July. The initiative is dedicated to highlighting the myriad attractions of Türkiye to Indian travel agents. A total of 40 OTOAI members from across India will be participating in this exciting endeavour, representing diverse regions and tourism interests.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2-day Fiji Tourism Exchange, Brent Hill, CEO, Tourism Fiji, said, “Indian tourists visiting Australia or New Zealand can be a great source market for Fiji, which is visa-free for Indian nationals, and we plan to tap that.” Over 80 suppliers are showcasing their products to 125+ buyers from key markets including three travel agents namely Kesari Tours, PickYourTrail, and Thomas Cook India from India.

Manish Sharma, Chairman, Gujarat Tourism Corporation Society, said, “Indian electoral process has been increasingly in demand during assembly elections. UP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka have been highlighted as “tourism-friendly states”, and visitors can be “easily facilitated to experience the process” here. If government takes the initiative of promoting election tourism, 5-7 lakh tourists can be brought to India for elections alone.”

Indian Ministry of Tourism showcases its strength at ATM 2024 with a strong delegation led by Gyan Bhushan, Senior Economic Advisor, MOT and Arun Srivastava, Joint Director, General, MOT. It also launched a campaign to promote India as a holistic destination. More than 55 participants from India including State Tourism, IRCTC, tour operators, hotels, airlines etc are participating in the show.

Fourteen members of the Travel Agents Federation of India, Karnataka Chapter recently flew from Bengaluru to Sindhudurg’s Chipi airport with India’s youngest airline, FLY91, to explore the tourism and trade opportunities in south Maharashtra’s emerging travel destination. The three-day FAM trip to Sindhudurg was facilitated by FLY91. During the trip the agents toured various beaches surrounding Sindhudurg, like Chivala, Tarkarli and Devbag and explored water sports and cultural offerings in Maharashtra’s southernmost district. The TAFI-Karnataka delegation comprised of Shanthi Sony, managing partner of Sonys Travel Lines and secretary of TAFI-Karnataka, Sitesh Parekh, managing partner of Active Skylink Travels and treasurer of TAFI-Karnataka, Shekar G. Kandur, founder and managing partner at Flight Shop Holidays, among several others. According to Ashutosh Chitnis, Chief Revenue Officer, FLY91, “The delegation of travel agents registered with TAFI’s Karnataka chapter who were flown onboard FLY91 from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport to Chipi airport in Sindhudurg, was also given a tour of a popular cashew processing factory and introduced to local businessmen linked to the travel and tourism industries to explore exciting tourism offerings and experiential opportunities in Sindhudurg.” Competing with the tourism prowess of Goa, the neighbouring Maharashtra district is aspiring to be a popular beach tourism destination as well as a hub for the production of the popular Alphonso mangoes and a traditional food processing industry. With FLY91, India’s pure play airline, enhancing air connectivity to and from Sindhudurg’s Chipi airport to destinations like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, etc. The travel sector is keen to explore Maharashtra’s tourism-oriented district for touristic and trade-related opportunities.

As per International Air Transport Association (IATA), in March 2024, there was 13.8 per cent increase in global passenger demand vis-a-vis the same month in 2023. International passenger demand saw a rise of 18.9 per cent compared to March 2023, while domestic demand rose to 6.6 per cent, showcasing a positive landscape for aviation industry.

As per HVS Anarock, total air traffic in India reached 370 million in 2023, a 26 per cent increase over 2022. This includes 303 million domestic air traffic, and 66.6 million international air traffic, and 9.2 million foreign tourist arrivals. Fueled by favorable demographics, and increased investments both leisure and business travel increased in the country.  

The four-day Arabian Travel Market (ATM), 2024 begins at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The international travel trade event witnesses a 21 per cent year on year increase in the participation of hotel brands, while new travel technology products register a 58 per cent increase. Over 41,000 attendees are expected this year.