Hilton appointed actor Deepika Padukone as the global ambassador of Hilton’s new platform ‘Hilton. For The Stay.’ Highlighting her partnership with Hilton, Padukone said, “I am proud to be partnering with an international brand like Hilton to share the importance of The Stay for Indians worldwide.”

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) introduces K-incentive Scheme 2.0, rewarding  Indian travel agents, who promote tourism in South Korea. The initiative offers prizes and expedites tour visas to boost Indian arrivals in the country. South Korea expects Indian arrivals to rise to 2 lakh in 2024 after the introduction of this initiative.

To boost domestic tourism and inbound arrivals, India needs to frame policies that could introduce uniformity in the sector. Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, believes that it is high time that India should come up with a National Tourism Policy, which will escalate investments and augment tourism’s share in the economy.

CRISIL Ratings estimate a rise of more than 20 per cent in the profit of the domestic airline industry in the next fiscal year. The subsequent increase in profit is being accredited to the surge in passenger traffic, the ability to pass on volatile fuel prices to flyers, and reduced fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.

Bihar’s Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary revealed in the state budget for financial year 2024-25 that the state will provide subsidies on investments for the development of tourism in the state. A subsidy of up to 30 per cent on investments up to ₹10 crore, and the like, according to a press release.

MOT recently released the number of total number of jobs, direct and indirect, in the tourism sector. For 2021-22, it recorded 70.04 million jobs, an uptick in comparison to 68.07 million in 2020-21. Industry leaders believe more jobs could help in unlocking the full potential of India’s tourism sector.

Speaking at South African Tourism’s India Roadshow 2024, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, Middle East, India and Southeast Asia, South African Tourism said the country witnessed a growth of 43 per cent in Indian visitors in 2023. There was a rise of 26% in outbound travel to South Africa from Jaipur, and 36 per cent from Delhi.

Morocco Tourism will organise an exciting webinar to showcase the destination to the travel trade on Monday, February 19 at 11:30am. Attendees will learn about Morocco’s rich tourism assets and its experiential offerings for the Indian traveller. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 to register.

VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions appoints GB Srithar as the Head of Tourism Services effective 01 February 2024. Srithar joins VFS Global from Singapore Tourism Board (STB), where he spent over 27 years in a career that spanned multiple functions, including Human Resources, Organizational Development, and International Marketing. He notably served as the Area Director for South India & Sri Lanka and was instrumental in leading the International Marketing and Brand Campaigns teams at STB’s headquarters. His last role as the Regional Director saw him responsible for STB’s regional marketing, tourism development, and trade partnership work across India, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Srithar will support our Client Governments by offering specialised services in Travel, Trade, and Tourism Services. This support will add value and enable these governments to achieve their strategic goals of boosting tourism and trade in their respective countries. According to Zubin Karkaria, Founder and CEO, VFS Global, “GB Srithar is a valuable addition to our team, bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a proven track record. His expertise positions him to lead our efforts with our Client Governments to promote travel, trade, and tourism from key source markets.” GB Srithar, Head, Tourism Services, speaking about his new role said, “I am very pleased to join VFS Global – a very prestigious brand and global leader in its field. VFS Global gives me an incredible opportunity to leverage my experience on a global scale working with our Client Governments to promote and add value to Travel, Trade and Tourism Services in both established and emerging markets.’’ This appointment is very much in line with …

FHRAI is set to host the Tourism Sustainability Summit 2024 in March. It will propose a framework for sustainable tourism stating that Goa Roadmap could be a beacon for sustainable global tourism with 5 key priorities: Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs, and Destination Management to achieve SDGs.