Tag Archives: Senior Vice President

The official destination marketing organisation for the five boroughs of New York City – NYC & Company – recently invited a select group of travel agents in Mumbai for an evening of cocktails and meet Makiko Matsuda Healy, Managing Director (Tourism Market Development), NYC & Company who was in the city for a quick visit. The evening also involved a quick run through of some of the new tourism projects that are taking shape in New York, particularly the new hotels that have come up, new attractions, and the airport that is getting an upgrade. Making this short presentation was Christopher Heywood, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, NYC & Company, who also took questions from the agents. There were about nine agents from eight agencies who focus on leisure FIT and group holidays to North America.

Jet Airways has announced that it has signed a new order for 75 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, taking the total order to 150 aircraft. The Boeing 737 aircraft type is the backbone of Jet Airways’ fleet. The 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will serve the airline not only to replace its existing fleet but also to equip it with modern and environmentally progressive airplanes, thereby fueling the airline’s expansion strategy to support its network and growth aspirations. Vinay Dube, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, said, “Our new order for the additional 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will allow us to deliver a differentiated and world-class customer experience to our guests. This additional order re-emphasises our trust and confidence in Boeing and also reaffirms our commitment to operate extremely modern, reliable and fuel efficient aircraft as part of our fleet. This order underscores Jet Airways’ commitment to the growth and sustainability of the Indian aviation market.” “We are honoured that Jet Airways has again placed its trust in Boeing with its order for 75 more Boeing 737 MAXs”, said Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific & India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “These additional Boeing 737 MAX airplanes will help Jet Airways continue to be an industry leader by combining a superior passenger experience with reliable and efficient operations.”

Travelport and Priceline.com have signed a long-term renewal agreement for Travelport to continue providing pricing, booking and ticketing technology and content to Priceline. The renewal comes approximately 20 years after the two companies signed their first agreement for Priceline to process reservations through Travelport’s GDS. Throughout the past two decades, Travelport and Priceline have worked together to make the process of buying and selling travel easier for customers seeking great travel deals. “Travelport has proven to be a valued partner over the last 20 years in helping Priceline customers find and book the best deals,” said Brigit Zimmerman, Senior Vice President of Flight, Hotel and Packages, Priceline.com. Jason Clarke, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Agency Commerce, Travelport, added, “We are committed to supporting Priceline with our industry-leading search and pricing capabilities, as well as offering Priceline new technologies that offer faster connections, greater content and more relevant choices.”

Thomas Cook (India) has announced the appointment of Romil Pant as Senior Vice President for its Leisure Business, both international and domestic. Pant comes with more than two decades of experience in operations and credit management across sectors, including, telecom, financial services and travel. In his role, Pant will provide leadership and functional expertise to drive productivity and results across the company’s leisure businesses, while focussing on Thomas Cook India’s omni channel growth strategy. Pant has previously worked with MakeMyTrip.com, Capital First, HSBC, Citi Financial and Essar Cellphones. He is a Masters in Finance from University of Delhi.

Travelport and Air France-KLM have signed an agreement for the distribution of content through Travelport’s platform. Air France-KLM and HOP! content on Travelport’s platform will include Travelport’s rich content, branded fares, fare families and multiple ancillaries. Travelport customers will continue to benefit from Travelport’s tools beyond booking capability that enable workflow automation, change management processes, multiple content integration, robotics for fulfilment and other vital services. This agreement also enables customers selected by Air France HOP! and KLM to access a private channel via Travelport through which they will receive content without the additional distribution surcharge levied by Air France-KLM starting April 1, 2018. Derek Sharp, Senior Vice President and Managing Director – Air Commerce, Travelport, says, “This agreement is an extension of a long-term relationship which has delivered greater choice to Air France KLM’s customers. We look forward to a continuing productive partnership as we deploy new technology with the airline.” Emmanuelle Gailland, Vice President – Distribution, Air France-KLM, says, “Travelport has been a great partner throughout our private channel engagement as a transition towards NDC. Both Air France KLM and Travelport will work together to bring NDC content of new fares, products, services and rich media in the marketplace.”

Continuing its focus on growing its domestic presence, Jet Airways will introduce 144 weekly flights in the first phase of its forthcoming summer schedule. Jet Airways will strengthen connectivity between the country’s capital and the North Eastern region via a bouquet of non-stop services including thrice-a-week flights to Aizawl and Jorhat and four times-a-week flights to Silchar from New Delhi. The airline also commences four times-a-week non-stop service to Imphal from Delhi. The airline is also commencing direct, one-stop services between Mumbai and the North Eastern cities of Jorhat and Imphal, marking its return to the capital of Manipur. Imphal will also be connected with Pune with direct flights via Guwahati and Kolkata, enhancing access and connectivity between the North-East and its hubs in Mumbai and Delhi. Raj Sivakumar, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management, Jet Airways, said, “The burgeoning demand for air travel pan-India is increasingly witnessing guests travelling to more than one destination. Our summer schedule has therefore been designed to facilitate the above developments via a mix of new services – non-stop as well as direct flights, between emerging cities, key metros and our hubs in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, in an endeavour to promote faster, easier and more efficient movement of guests throughout our network, both pan India and worldwide.”

Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced its foray into Bhopal with the signing of a new hotel – Vivanta Bhopal, through a management contract with Genex Hotels. This will be IHCL’s first hotel in Bhopal, expanding its presence across key state capitals and having a network of hotels in all the key commercial centres of India. Suma Venkatesh, Senior Vice President, Real Estate & Development, IHCL said, “We are delighted to partner with Genex Hotels for Vivanta Hotel in Bhopal. Consolidating presence in key capital cities is an important pillar of our domestic expansion strategy. With rapid urbanisation and growth, Bhopal offers immense potential for both leisure and business travellers.” Vivanta Bhopal will be located near Van Vihar National Park, a 25-minute drive from the Bhopal International Airport. Spread over four acres, the hotel will comprise 150 guest rooms and other features including multi-cuisine restaurants, recreation facilities, meeting spaces, conference rooms and large banqueting facilities. Commenting on the partnership, the spokesperson for Genex Hotels said, “We are proud to partner with IHCL and introduce the Vivanta brand to Bhopal. Through this association with the pioneers of the Indian hospitality industry, we aim to enhance the guest experience in line with the highest international standards.”

The first ever Adventure Sports Expo Asia is going to be held in New Delhi from January 27-29 at Four Points by Sheraton. As many as 15000 visitors and sports enthusiasts are expected to attend the show. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, informed that the government has declared 2018 as the Year of Adventure and the ministry is going all out to promote the country as an important hub for adventure tourism. Ajeet Bajaj, Senior Vice President, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and the Managing Director of Snow Leopard Adventures, said, “The mission behind the Expo is bringing together all stakeholders to make India an adventure powerhouse while keeping risk management, sustainability and responsible tourism at the forefront. ATOAI is the backbone as far this industry is concerned in India and our aim is to make India a global hub for adventure tourism. Internationally, the adventure sports industry is a $400 billion industry. According to industry estimates, the Indian inbound industry for adventure tourism in growing by 5-7 per cent annually and domestic tourism for this segment is on an upswing, growing by 20-25 per cent annually.” The expo will host many sessions addressing the various issues of the adventure sports industry with luminaries from across the globe. Commenting on the Expo, Rishi Narain, Founder and Managing Director, RN Sports Marketing, said, “India already has huge potential as an adventure sports destination with so much diversity from mountains to rivers and desserts. ASEA 2018 will market India as an iconic destination for adventure to the world with the support of ATOAI. The event will also recognise individuals/groups and companies in the field of adventure on the …

Cox & Kings announced the ‘Free Fly to Kashmir’ packages in its bid to promote Kashmir Tourism under its domestic brand ‘Bharat Deko’. The initiative offers free airfare ex New Delhi, thus making the package attractive. ‘Glorious Kashmir’ and ‘Kashmir Delight’ are the two packages announced for travellers. The special packages were formally launched by Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director Tourism, Kashmir along with Yusuf Poonawala, Senior Vice President, Cox & Kings at the Nigeen Club, Srinagar. The packages that span for a week have been specially crafted to offer a holistic Kashmir experience with price starting from only Rs 22,099. The Free Fly tours will allow the tourists to explore Kashmir’s nature, local culture and history. Sonamarg, Thajwas Glacier, Pahalgam, Awantisvamin and Betaab Valley are a few of the many sites that have been included in the tour. Poonawala said,”Kashmir is on the priority list of travellers. This offer will further boost tourist influx into Kashmir.” Bharat Deko has also created theme-based videos besides other marketing materials to promote the snow-state of India. The package offer is valid for travel period January 1 to June 30, 2018.

Air Canada’s inaugural flight AC 72 from Vancouver to Delhi arrived in the national capital on October 22 morning. The seasonal, three-times weekly flight features 787-9 Dreamliner service and offers the shortest elapsed flying time from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles to the Indian subcontinent. Kevin Howlett, Senior Vice President, Regional Markets and Government Relations, Air Canada, says, “This flight is part of our three-pronged strategy into India, where the Delhi-Toronto flight launched last year was the first step, which would go daily on November 6, 2016. The new Delhi-Vancouver flight is the second major connection addressing a huge VFR and business market between both the countries. Finally, the Mumbai-Toronto flight starting from July 1, 2017, will be a major step in our expansion in India, as Mumbai is the business capital of India.”