Vietnam Airlines started its maiden flight from New Delhi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh on 15 May. Nguyen Trung Hieu, Country Manager India, Vietnam Airlines, said, “The move symbolises our commitment to providing passengers with world-class travel experiences.” They have also opened an informative centre for travellers’ convenience.

Air India has partnered with Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment, for Air India’s Flying Returns (FR) loyalty programme, effective from 8 May 2024. Now, Flying Returns members will earn reward points when they buy tickets to Merlin’s ‘Madame Tussauds’ across nine locations around the world.

European Commission in recent data revealed an increase in Schengen visa applications in 2023. India has emerged as the key contributor in this, securing the third spot in the rankings for the number of short-stay visa applications. The country has lodged 9.66 lakh visa applications in 2023, an uptick from 6.7 lakh applications in 2022.

While suggesting to reimagine tourism at PATA’s Annual Summit in Peter Semone, Chair, PATA, stated, “To improve existing models of tourism, we have to incorporate principles of ecotourism, promote cultural exchange, leverage technology for more immersive experiences, and prioritise the well-being of local communities.”

And the Story Continues is pleased to announce that it will be handling sales & marketing activities in India for the Italian hotel Group Starhotels. Starhotels, the n.1 private hotel company in Italy by revenue, is a market leader in the hospitality industry within 4 and 5-star hotels. Originally founded in 1980 in Florence by engineer Ferruccio Fabri, a visionary enthusiast, today Starhotels is led by Elisabetta Fabri, the Group’s President and CEO, who embodies her father’s ambitions and creativity. The group vaunts 30 hotels and luxury apartments with more than 4,200 rooms and luxury residences located in the heart of the top Italian destinations, in addition to London, Paris and New York. Founded by Tekla Maira, And the Story Continues – a well known hospitality name in India – will support Starhotels increasing awareness and growing business within the Indian market. And The Story Continues will integrate its expertise and knowledge of the Indian market with Starhotels’ chic style and dedication to authentic Italian hospitality to create success stories and business opportunities for the hotels many of which are steeped in history, heritage & design excellence.

Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest adventure tourism experience provider company’s India office has launched its adventure packages tailored for the North Eastern States and Central India with an aim to provide vibrant experience of the rich culture heritage and wildlife and scenic beauty of India. The packages named as ‘Premium India Safari’ and ‘India Expedition: Sikkim, Assam, and Nagaland’, introduced with the aim of bringing around 12,000 inbound adventure travellers from across the word to India in 2024. Each package is led by seasoned experts and tour leaders dedicated to the group of 12-15 people. Premium India Safari is a 13 days long trip that offer sights, sounds and smells of India on a unique wildlife-focused adventure. The activities includes a hop on a rickshaw safari through the bird sanctuaries of Keoladeo, to take an evening boat and night time safari in Satpura National Park and cruise on jeep safaris through Bandhavgarh and Panna National Parks. The travellers will get a chance to see the birdlife, deer, flying foxes, leopards, sloth bears, monkeys and tigers and more. Whereas ‘India Expedition – Sikkim, Assam & Nagaland’ tour package tour is an expedition of 16 days to the unspoiled wildlife reserves, spectacular wetlands and rambling mountain villages in the northeastern India. There will be opportunities to learn about the cultures of Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland. Travellers will explore Kaziranga National Park for the iconic one-horned rhinoceros and will take a winding journey on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. From the floating villages of Majuli Island to the living root bridge- the handiwork of the Khasi people, this trip will offer a side of country few visitors see. Speaking about the new packages, Rama …

Indian casino tourism industry is going to witness a surge with a CAGR of 14% until 2034. The sector is estimated to be valued at around US$ 7,292 million in 2024. Future Market Insights projected that India’s casino tourism sector would be valued US$ 27,512 million by 2034, attributed to adoption of legalized gambling by certain regions of the country.  

As per Policybazaar.com, there has been a 3-4% increase in booking travel insurance policies for trips exceeding 45 days in April 2024. Manas Kapoor, Business Head of Travel Insurance, Policybazaar.com, said, “Coverage for loss of baggage, trip cancellation, adventure sports, and pre-existing illness are high in demand add-ons for travel insurance.”  

Cambodia Angkor Air will start its first direct route between Phnom Penh and New Delhi from 16 June with 4  flights per week, heralding a new era of seamless air travel between India and Cambodia. David Yuhong Zhan, CEO, Cambodia Angkor Air, said, “We plan to open new routes connecting Siem Reap to Delhi and Phnom Penh to other cities in India soon.”

Jerroo Bharrucha, President, TOGA Mumbai, says, referring to the negotiations over tourist guide fees for cruise passengers between TOGA and four operators, says, “We have been asking them to negotiate for a year for season starting September 2024. They have offered us 5% increment for each season, in total 10%. But this is unacceptable to us.”