Golden Tulip Hotels South Asia announces the launch of its first property in the eastern region of India. Golden Tulip Salt Lake Hotel Kolkata, a four star contemporary luxury hotel will offer 55 rooms along with a multi cuisine restaurant and a coffee shop for both in house guests and outside patrons. A variety of different styled meeting rooms make it an ideal choice for social and corporate events in the region. The hotel is located just 20 kms from the airport and 5 minutes walking distance from the City Centre shopping mall and activity hub hence attracting a number of travellers looking out for leisure stay or corporate get together.

For the first time in India, tourists can get a ringside view of military life thanks to extreme tourism initiative titled ‘Veer Yatra’ organised by Maharashtra Ex-servicemen Corporation (MESCO) – a Government of Maharashtra undertaking. It is a unique concept that encourages civilians to explore various facets of India’s defense forces and its evolution and aims to give citizens a glimpse into military way of life. The tours will be conducted by the brave men who once worked for the military. The first-of-its-kind ‘military tourism’ initiative in India aims at strengthening the emotional bond that exists between the military establishment and the civilian population. Commenting on the launch, Col (Retd.) Suhas S. Jatkar, MD, MESCO, said, “While Military Tourism is a well-established concept worldwide, it has not been explored in a structured way in India so far. Military, its intricacies, heroism, security, wars and its intrigues are such a big part of worldwide history that they generate considerable interest in military sites. A military association is looked up to very proudly by every Indian and a thought of being part of the military establishment comes in the mind of every individual at some point in their life. Through Veer Yatra, MESCO aims to give the real-life experience to these aspirations – there is so much history, so much to see and so much to experience. As ex-servicemen, we strongly feel the need to promote Military Tourism with a view to inculcate sense of patriotism among the children and youth of the country. Indian Military establishment has rich physical and emotional heritage that is worth exploring by all patriotic citizens.” Established in 2002, MESCO works towards the welfare and resettlement of …

AirAsia Berhad will be suspending its three times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Goa effective June 7, 2016, as part of its route rationalisation initiative. Guests that are affected by this will be offered options to alleviate any inconvenience that might occur. They will be notified directly via their registered member email account, as well as via an SMS notification. AirAsia strongly urges all guests to keep their email addresses and mobile numbers with their country code prefix updated in their AirAsia member profiles to ensure that the airline can reach them to assist them. Spencer Lee, Head of Commercial, AirAsia Berhad, said, “We take very careful considerations for every new route that we introduce. However, this suspension is due to our route rationalisation exercise. Despite this route adjustment, we remain committed to the Indian market and look forward to return to Goa in the future.” Affected guests for this route suspension will be able to choose from three options: move flight to an earlier date before the suspension, subject to availability, full credit shell with 180 days validity or full refund.

Air India recorded a growth of 25 per cent in passenger traffic to Singapore in 2015 making it one of the top contributors in terms of absolute growth in passenger carriage between Singapore and South Asia. The growth in Air India’s passenger traffic far exceeded the overall increase in passenger traffic at Changi Airport last year, which increased to 55.4 million passengers corresponding to an increase of 2.6 per cent. Indian nationals accounted for over six per cent of Changi’s total traffic with 3.4 million Indian travellers passing through the airport in 2015. According to Changi Airport’s statement, Air India’s growth in passenger carriage on its Singapore routes in 2015, is largely spurred by an increased passenger capacity due to aircraft upgrade, as well as an expansion of routes in the last two years. Air India increased capacity on its Singapore routes last year, and now operates 42 weekly flights to the Singapore, including daily services from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Singapore is now connected to 13 Indian cities with 404 weekly flights. The statement further added that the passenger traffic between India and Singapore is set to grow, with Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Silk Air’s (SIA’S subsidiary) recently increased frequencies to Cochin, Colombo, Hyderabad and Trivandrum and low-cost carrier Scoot’s entry to the Indian market from May 2016. Source: PTI

Malaysia Airlines has revamped its Business Class seats on its A330 aircraft which flies to destinations in New Zealand, Japan, Korea, China, and India. The Business Class seat comes with a 43-inch seat pitch that converts into a fully flat 76-inch bed. It comes with 90 per cent more working space, extra stowage for personal items and the majority of seats have direct aisle access due to the 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 seat layout. Each seat is equipped with a 16-inch touch screen in-flight entertainment system. Paul Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer, Malaysia Airlines, said, “The introduction of the A330 Business Class seat will make us more competitive against other full-service carriers and is part of our push to make Malaysia Airlines the preferred carrier to, from and around Malaysia. This is the start of an exciting roll-out of new, innovative and personalised products and services that we can’t wait to share with our guests.” Business Class passengers can also take advantage of Malaysia Airlines’ award winning satay stick appetizers served with delicious peanut sauce in flight or the ‘Chef-on-Call’ dining service, providing advance meal selection from 25 options consisting of Malaysian specialities, chef specials and healthy choice dishes, with advance booking.

James Hogan, who has served as Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2006, has been elevated to the post of Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the key Etihad Aviation Group functions will be led by James Rigney as Group Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Knight as Group Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, Ray Gammell as Group Chief People and Performance Officer, and Robert Webb as Group Chief Information and Technology Officer. These areas will provide leadership, governance and strategic direction in their expert areas across all companies in the Etihad Aviation Group. Peter Baumgartner, who was Etihad’s chief commercial officer, is now Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, will report to James Hogan, and will oversee the day-to-day running of Etihad Airways. Baumgartner will have overall responsibility for Flight Operations, Safety and Quality, Guest Services, Aviation Security, Sales, Network Operations, Etihad Airways Marketing, Etihad Airport Services – Ground, and Etihad Airport Services – Catering. He brings with him a wealth of experience in various aspects of the aviation business. He joined Etihad Airways in April 2005 from Swiss International Air Lines and has managed the airline’s intense global commercial efforts during a period of rapid growth, both in terms of commercial expansion and the introduction of new product and service innovations.

TIRUN, the exclusive India representative of Royal Caribbean Cruises, has signed a marketing partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board as the first recipient of the enhanced Cruise Development Fund that supports travel partners for cruise charters from Singapore. The association allows TIRUN to reach out to a larger consumer base looking to experience cruising in Southeast Asia. As a result it has introduced itineraries onboard its Voyager of the Seas sailing from Singapore that have been especially curated keeping Indian families in mind and range from three-night to eight-night sailings. Guests can cruise from Singapore to popular destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Nha Trang in Vietnam, and more. They can enjoy iconic features onboard the cruise ship like the innovative ‘Flow Rider’ surf simulator, the onboard ice skating, rock climbing as well many other such activities, as they sail from one exotic South East Asian destination to another and take in the best of the resplendent culture of each port. Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN, said, “The semi- charter of the Voyager of the Seas is an endeavor on our part to offer Indian cruisers an opportunity to embark on a cruise with extreme facility. Sailing from Singapore is not only very easy but it’s also the most cost-effective alternative. The itineraries onboard the cruise ship have been designed to give cruisers a glimpse into the diversity and splendour of South East Asian culture while also offering them the added attraction of Indian food onboard. The sailing dates have also been strategically planned to coincide with summer vacations in India. It has been a fruitful collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board thanks to which we have managed to …

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair have announced additional baggage allowance for students travelling from India to Hong Kong, USA or Canada. This offer is valid for travel from May 1 till September 30, 2016, and from December 1, 2016, to January 31, 2017. Students booking a one-way or return ticket on the airlines’ websites or Mobile App before June 30, 2016, in the eligible economy and premium economy class, can avail of additional baggage allowance. They can avail of additional 10 kgs baggage allowance while travelling to Hong Kong and can carry one additional piece of 23 kgs while travelling to USA or Canada. In order to avail this offer, students will need to share a copy of their university admission letter / identity card from the university, student visa copy, passport copy and ticket copy.

Lords Hotels & Resorts, a premier mid hotel chain, has announced the launch of its second property in Bengaluru in Jayanagar – Lords Eco Inn. Centrally located in the heart of the city in Jayanagar,the property is just 500 meters from Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. In addition to strategic location, the 28 keys hotel provides a lavish setting with plush suites and in room amenities. The room rates start from Rs 3000. The features include mini kitchen for extended stay , business centre with round the clock high speed Wi-Fi facility, in-house laundry and host of others facilities to make your stay comfortable. The hotel also offers exclusive fine dining restaurant Blue Coriander which serves Indian, Chinese, Continental and local cuisine. Besides, to meet the requirement of MICE segment, the hotel has a fully furnished banquet designed to accommodate 250 pax. It is also close to major commercial centres and entertainment zone of the city. The hotel, owned by Lords Varam Hotels, offers rooms designed to suit the needs of both domestic and international travelers alike. According to P.R. Bansal, Managing Director, Lords Hotels and Resorts, “Apart from being a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, Bengaluru is the IT capital of the country and demand for quality Hotel rooms at economical tariffs just keeps going north. With the opening of this property, we hope to be able to tap this demand. Besides, since the property is strategically located in major commercial hub of the city,the opening shall also help in enhancing the brand equity of the group.” With the opening of this property, Lords Hotels & Resorts now owns and manages 25 hotels in various cities across India covering business, leisure and …

Hyderabad may be the next city on Nepal Airlines’ radar, making it the fourth in India to be connected to Kathmandu after Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. CA Janak Raj Kalakheti, Director, Commercial Department, Nepal Airlines, who led a big delegation from Nepal, revealed, “In India, we are looking at adding another city to our India network, possibly Hyderabad by September-October but it is yet to be confirmed and we are still working on it.” He added that even Kolkata shows a lot of traffic movement to Nepal and Nepal Airlines is conducting a feasibility report on it. The airline is also keen on increasing current frequencies. “We are looking to up the current 10 flights per week from New Delhi to 14 flights per week probably by July end. We are also planning to increase Mumbai and Bengaluru frequencies during the upcoming summer holidays,” Kalakheti added. The delegation visited the three cities to organise a thanksgiving ceremony for its travel agent partners which was the first such event since it started these flights in India six months ago.