Addressing ‘Dakshin Bharat Utsav,’ DK Shivakumar, Deputy CM, Karnataka, said that the southern states should come together and have a common policy to promote tourism. He raised concerns about the Centre’s role in promoting tourism in South India. He stated, “The 18 per cent GST and other revenue cuts are killing the sector.”

Aquaventure World – home to Aquaventure Waterpark, The Lost Chambers Aquarium, watersports, the Dubai Balloon, Dolphin Bay and so much more – is kicking off the summer season with a brand-new campaign starring none other than David Hasselhoff as Head Lifeguard. Globally known as “The Hoff” the beloved Hollywood star brings back his iconic lifeguard character, inviting guests to embark on their own legendary experiences with new Adventure, Super, and Annual Passes. Stepping into the role as Head Lifeguard, or more formally on LinkedIn as the Head of Aquatic Safety at Aquaventure World, David Hasselhoff was papped around the aquatic theme park as he performed his daily duties – from donning his famous red jacket to testing waterslides to teaching the team to run in slow motion on the beach. The world’s most famous lifeguard also makes a cameo in Aquaventure World’s new campaign video as he takes the helm at Aquaventure’s scariest ride, Poseidon’s Revenge. Joining him are international content creators, adventurer Jay Alvarrez, acrobat Jacob Grégoire, professional globe trotter Paula Díez, extreme surfer girl Maria Riera, and waterpark enthusiast Alex Ojeda, who spent multiple days at Aquaventure World and showcased their adventure across all aspects of the experience. David Hasselhoff introduces Aquaventure World as one destination encompassing a host of incredible experiences. More than just the world’s largest waterpark as verified by Guinness World Records™, guests can choose their own legendary adventure from taking on record-breaking slides to adrenaline-filled watersports to encountering 65,000 animals in The Lost Chambers Aquarium. They can also relax on more than 1km of private beach, swim with dolphins at Dolphin Bay or soar above the Palm in the Dubai Balloon – every visit is unique …

PATA has announced its new Executive Board. Peter Semone will be the Chair for a second term. Suman Pandey as the Vice Chair, and Luzi Matzig as the treasurer. Noor Ahmad Hamid, PATA, CEO remains on the board as an ex-officio member. Executive Board members are Ben Montgomery, Henry Oh, Noredah Othman, Mayur Patel, Gerald Perez, and SanJeet.

Recently, McKinsey report revealed that India’s growing GDP is expected to result in annual growth in travel spending of nine per cent between now and 2030. It has also become a significant emerging market that is witnessing fast-growing pools of first-time tourists attributed to a better aviation network and an increase in the availability of accommodation.

Bobby KS Sawhney, General Secretary,  ITTA revealed that  ITTA Convention 2024 will be held in December 2024 in Delhi. The convention aims at educating tourist transport operators to build a conducive environment for tourists. He advised industry members to work only with government recognised tourist transport operators for the safety of customers.

Suresh Gopi took charge as Minister of State for Tourism in New Delhi. He spoke about his vision for the development of the tourism sector in the country. He said that he will work for the enhancement of the status quo of the department, and take cognisance about the capacity of his chair, and will do a series of meetings to understand the expectations.

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer, Bengaluru Airport said, “Bengaluru airport has been successful in attracting long-haul traffic in the last five to seven years and connected seven and eight important long-haul markets in last 5 years.” He suggested that airlines should try to connect more long-haul and ultra-long-haul points from the Bengaluru airport.

Mckinsey report revealed, home-sharing continues to position itself as better than traditional hotels, segment has grown from 10-14% of booking value between 2017 and 2023. Home-sharing companies have also become a key distribution channel for smaller hotels, as they can offer more control over inventory and lower fees than other channels.

Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary of Civil Aviation, Government of India said, “While we have 157 airstrips already, which are functional, which we are proud of, we have already started looking at the 453 full list of airstrips that exist in our country. We are considering to develop these as brownfield projects. We also look at the defense airfields to expand joint user concept.”

Focusing on benefits of attending PATA Travel Mart 2024, Noor Ahmad, CEO, PATA, revealed that the event is expected to witness 57% participation from the leisure segment buyers and 31% from buyers with M!CE & leisure (both), while 8% from MICE segment. The PATA Travel Mart 2024 is scheduled from August 27-29, in Bangkok, Thailand.