Voicing concern at the increase of 5 per cent in VAT on liquor, HRAWI has urged the govt. to reconsider the decision in light of the concerns including the impact on tourism and the State’s revenues, loss of business to hospitality establishments and the possibility of bootlegging, among others.

The MTF Cricket League returns for a 2nd season bringing with it some new players from the trade. The player auction will be held on Oct 29 in Mumbai and the matches will be held on January 14, 2024. The organisers believe that this event is not just a cricketing extravaganza but a celebration of sportsmanship, camaraderie and excellence in the travel industry.

Hotel investments in Asia-Pacific will total up to US$ 10.1 billion for 2023 for a variety of external factors, representing a year-on-year decline of 14 per cent. According to JLL’s recent report, a decline in both transactions and investment volumes versus 2022 is largely attributable to the combined headwinds of interest rate increases, cost inflation, and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Mamaka by Ovolo is hosting an exclusive webinar for its Indian travel trade to give highlight their key offerings. The webinar is scheduled for October 31, from 3-4 pm (IST). Additionally, Mamaka is introducing special promotional offers for their trade partners. For more details, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

VisitBritain launches their new website visitbritain.org for related news, insights, and resources for tourism and business events professionals. The website is a re-branding to help promote Britain’s tourist destinations and various attractions for the travel trade industry.

Air Astana, Kazakhstan national carrier, Kazakhstan Tourism Board & Kazin Dmc, join hands to launch a highly subsidised FAM trip to Almaty. The initiative is targeted towards agents from India who have not visited Kazakhstan in the past, providing them with tools to promote the destination to Indian clients. The fam trip is scheduled from 6-9 December 2023 and is priced at 29999/- per person, encompassing the award winning hospitality of Air Astana and the mesmerizing sights of Almaty.

The 5th OTOAI Convention 2023 is set to take place from 24-27 November in Nairobi, Kenya. Speaking about the significance of this convention, Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, emphasised that members will gain experience and valuable opportunities during and after their visit. This will help promote it in an improved way and be able to generate better revenue.

Ministry of Tourism facilitated the efforts of industry stakeholders and conferred the National Tourism Awards 2018-19 to winners in different categories on the occasion of World Tourism Day at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The Chief Guest of the prestigious event was Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President of India, who honoured the excellence of members in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, including State Governments. G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER, along with Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Tourism, also graced the ceremony. Ministers, representatives of states, travel trade and tourism organisations were in attendance to receive the awards. MOT also commenced its Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) iconic week to celebrate 75 years of independence with the National Tourism Awards.   List of Award Winners 2018-19 States Best State / Union Territory : Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) First Prize (Hall of Fame) Uttarakhand Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) 2nd Prize Maharashtra Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) Third Prize Telangana Best State/ Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) Hall of Fame Andhra Pradesh Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) Hall of Fame Kerala Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) Hall of Fame Goa Best District Tourism Promotional Council Kozhikode Best Maintained and Differently Abled Friendly Monument Shiv Temple, Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh Best Tourist Friendly Airport in Class X Cities Kolkata Best Tourist-friendly Railway Station Secunderabad Best Tourist-friendly Airport in other cities Indore Best Heritage City Ahmedabad Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India (Category …

Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Development, UNWTO, has said that India should open unhindered travel for those who are vaccinated. “This means that for domestic travel, if I have been vaccinated and I have a certificate to prove it, I should be allowed to travel wherever I can.” Billa also suggests that India needs an entirely new set of guidelines that can reassure inbound tourists of India’s safety.

FHRAI has submitted a representation to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting her intervention for notifying the Rs60,000 crore sanctioned under the Loan Guarantee Scheme for COVID-affected sectors that was announced on June 28. The Association has stated that neither the operational guidelines nor any other details of the scheme have been announced by the Ministry so far.