Vikram Madhok, Managing Director, Abercrombie & Kent India, and Honorary Treasurer, PATA India Chapter, has been elected as the next Chairman of the PATA Industry Council, for the term of May 2016-May 2017. The PATA India Chapter, established in 1974, has grown to include 236 members and is one of the most dynamic Chapters in the Asia Pacific region today. With major support from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India which is the main and largest PATA India member organization, the Chapter includes State Tourism Boards, Carriers, Hotels, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Service Providers and other travel-related companies.

National carrier, Air India has become the first airline to launch self check-in kiosks for its domestic fliers that aims to make the check-in process expeditious. The exclusive service presently covers 26 domestic centers at Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Coimbatore, Cochin, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Nagpur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Mangalore, Raipur, Rajkot, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi. Under this initiative, started on May 1, 2016, customers can procure the boarding pass by using the self-check-in kiosks also known as CUSS (Common Use Self Service) near the check-in area at the airport.

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has been busy with its ongoing chapter elections and will soon be conducting its national team election along with its Annual General Meeting (AGM) by June end. Revealing this information is Pradip Lulla, National General Secretary, TAFI, who said, “A lot of our chapters like Tamil Nadu have completed their elections. We will now be sending out notification for our AGM to all our members that will be combined with our national committee elections around June end. We are still deciding on the city and venue. By July, we will be able to finally roll out our Joint Bank Guarantee Scheme.” TAFI had earlier deferred the joint bank guarantee scheme last June citing unsuitable legal terms for its members.

With the objective of promoting Cruise Tourism in India, a Task Force on Cruise Tourism has been constituted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Task Force comprises members from the central ministries, state governments, various port trusts and private sector. As per the decisions taken by the Task Force on Cruise Tourism, Port Level Facilitation Committees have been set up by port authorities under the chairmanship of respective port trust chairman for coordinating logistic issues with all concerned agencies prior to the landing of cruise vessels. This information was given by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Civil Aviation in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The maiden Maritime India Summit, 2016 (MIS-2016) was organised by the Ministry of Shipping in Mumbai from April 14 to 16, 2016. The objective of the Summit was to create awareness of the untapped potential of Indian maritime sector and showcase investment opportunities. The focus was on presenting India as an attractive investment destination and encourage potential investors for investing in the Indian Maritime Sector.

IndiGo launches 10 new flights within India and Oman, including first flights connecting Kochi to Muscat, and Hyderabad to Coimbatore and Nagpur. Effective May 16, 2016, IndiGo will commence an additional flight connecting Delhi to Ranchi. With effect from June 21, 2016, the airline will introduce its first flight on the Kochi-Muscat route, while also launching its second flight connecting Hyderabad to Kochi. Furthermore, effective June 22, 2016, IndiGo will begin operations with its first flight between Hyderabad and Coimbatore & Hyderabad and Nagpur. Both corporate and leisure travellers will now have the opportunity to experience the matchless on-time performance that IndiGo is synonymous with. Fares for flights: Delhi-Ranchi (2nd non-stop daily) is Rs 3834, Kochi-Muscat (first non-stop daily) flight is Rs 5999, Muscat-Kochi is Rs 6782, Hyderabad-Kochi (2nd non-stop daily) flight is Rs 3103, Hyderabad-Coimbatore (1st non-stop daily) flight is Rs 2890, Hyderabad-Nagpur (1st non-stop daily) flight is Rs 2784

Chototel, a London-based technology start-up has chosen India to set up its pilot ‘super-budget’ hotel where tariffs will start at Rs 100 per day. The hotel will offer uninterrupted electricity, water, gas and social infrastructure including daycare, infirmaries and community kitchen and gardens. The first project has already broken ground and construction is underway in Nagothane, an industrial town, 70 kilometres south of Mumbai and situated on the new Mumbai-Goa expressway. Chototel is currently in the process of acquiring land in Chakan, Goa and Gujarat for its next round of projects in India. The company aims to build 100,000 rooms in the next five years in the Mumbai-Pune-Goa corridor. The 240-room development will cater to 1,000 guests and is spread across 1.5 acres and 75,000 square feet of constructed area. The project cost is Rs 175 million, translating to a price of approximately GBP 7000 (or Rs 700,000) for a room size of 290 sq ft. The project has a wide frontage on the National Highway 17 (Mumbai – Goa). The first Chototel location will target its accommodations at the large bank of industrial workers, working within a 15-kilometre radius, and also those travelling on the Mumbai-Goa expressway. Through a diverse array of IOT, closed loop, real-time cash transfer, digital health and Big Data technologies, the project will be able to deliver efficiencies from construction through to hotel operations and maintenance. Says Chris Phillips, Chototel’s Chairman, “India’s diversified economy and robust growth prospects make it the most attractive location globally to set up our first project. We believe that policy-makers will take effective action to enhance the country’s economic strength and, in turn, the financial strength over coming years. With …

A total of 70,045 tourists arrived in April 2016 on e-Tourist Visa (eTV) as compared to 19,139 during the month of April 2015 registering a growth of 266 per cent. January- April 2016 recorded a total of 3,91,094 tourists who availed the eTV services as compared to 94,998 during January-April 2015, registering a growth of 311.7 per cent. The UK (18.82%) continued to occupy top share in source countries followed by Russian Federation (8.16%), France (7.12%), China (6.31%) and Australia (4.67%). New Delhi Airport (46.48%) received the highest number of tourists arriving on eTV along with Mumbai Airport (19.09%), Goa Airport (9.96%), Bengaluru Airport (6.48%) and Chennai Airport (5.55%).

As per the report of the ‘Working Group on Tourism’ for the 12th Five year Plan (2012-17) set up by the Planning Commission, for a projected annual growth of 12% in Foreign Tourist Arrivals, the requirement of additional hotel rooms under classified category in 2016 over 2010 is estimated to be 1,90,108. This information was given by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Civil Aviation in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. Construction of hotel is primarily a private sector activity. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India only classifies operational hotels under its voluntary scheme of classification/approval of hotels. In order to give stimulus for construction of new hotels, the Government of India extends the following incentives to hotel industry: 1. Five Year Tax Holiday for 2, 3 and 4 Star category hotels located in all UNESCO declared World Heritage sites (Except Mumbai and Delhi) for hotels operating w.e.f. 01.04.2004 to 31.03.2013. 2. Extension of Investment Linked tax incentives under Section 35AD of the Income Tax Act to new hotels of 2-Star category and above anywhere in India, which will facilitate growth of accommodation in the country. 3. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has de-linked credit for hotel projects from Commercial Real Estate (CRE), thereby enabling hotel projects to avail credit at relaxed norms and reduced interest rates. 4. Hotel and Tourism related industry has been declared a high priority industry and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is allowed upto 100% under the automatic route. The Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India has also included the following in the ‘Harmonized list of Infrastructure sub Sector’ to boost supply …

Preferred Hotels & Resorts expands its partnership with Fortune Hotels (a member of ITC’s hotel group) by announcing the addition of seven new properties to its portfolio within the first quarter of 2016, bringing its partnership with the group to 9 total properties across key destinations in India, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon, Navi Mumbai and Noida. The association between Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Fortune Hotels began in 2014 when My Fortune Bangalore and My Fortune Chennai joined the brand. Since January 2016, the seven Fortune Hotels additions to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts portfolio include Fortune Select Trinity, Bengaluru; Fortune Park, Ahmedabad; Fortune Select Global, Gurgaon; Fortune Inn Grazia, Noida; Fortune Select Exotica, Navi Mumbai; Fortune Select Grand, Chennai; and Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon. Fortune Hotels, a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, was set up in 1995 to cater to the mid-market to upscale market segment in business and leisure destinations. With this association, Preferred Hotels & Resorts enhances its presence in India with a total of 32 member hotels across the country. These member properties are located in key leisure and business cities and constitute some of the finest luxury hotels in India. The alliance is pivotal to Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ growth campaign in the Indian market and further cements the brand’s ties with Fortune Hotels. “Throughout its history, ITC’s hotel group has successfully established itself as one of the foremost hospitality brands in India. We are pleased to further strengthen our partnership with Fortune Hotels under the umbrella of the ITC’s hotel group. The fusion of traditional Indian hospitality and contemporary international standards, along with the brand support from ITC’s hotel group, makes Fortune …

Air India has launched its services on two new routes — Bhopal-Jabalpur-Hyderabad and Bhopal-Raipur-Pune sectors from May 23, 2016, on its wholly owned subsidiary Alliance. The fares for Bhopal-Jabalpur-Hyderabad, as well as Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight start from Rs 2601 one way. The new flights come as part of its Connect India programme. These services will fulfill a long standing demand of the students’ community, IT, Industrial and defence sectors. Alliance Air will operate a 72-seater ATR aircraft on these routes thus giving connectivity to smaller destinations within the country under the Government’s scheme of connecting all cities in India. Flight AI 9863 on Bhopal-Jabalpur-Hyderabad shall operate four days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight will take-off from Bhopal at 0845 hrs. and reach Jabalpur at 0950 hrs. The flight will take-off from Jabalpur at 1020 hrs. for its onward journey and will reach Hyderabad at 1220 hrs. The return flight AI 9864 will take-off from Hyderabad at 1250 hrs. and will reach Jabalpur at 1450 hrs. The flight will leave Jabalpur at 1450 hrs. and will touch down at Bhopal at 1625 hrs. Alliance Air will commence another direct flight AI 9867/9868 between Bhopal and Jabalpur from June 16, 2016. The flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays thereby making the operation on this route. A daily one. The flight AI 9865 on the second route – Bhopal-Raipur-Pune – will take off from Bhopal at 0845 hrs. and reach Raipur at 1015 hrs. The flight will leave Raipur at 1045 hrs. and will reach Pune at 1300 hrs. The return flight AI 9866 will leave Pune at 1330 hrs. and reach Raipur at 1545 hrs., depart …