Air India Express has commenced its direct services from Delhi to Dubai and Delhi-Abu Dhabi. Air India Express will operate the two direct flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi daily. New Boeing 737-800 aircraft with capacity to carry 189 passengers are being deployed. “The inaugural flight to Dubai, IX 141, took off with 166 passengers from New Delhi at 9.05 am on Sunday. The daily flight to Abu Dhabi will be effective Monday,” Air India Express said in a release. The entry of Air India’s international budget arm into Delhi is likely to intensify competition in the lucrative Gulf routes from the national capital since other Indian carriers have recently increased their frequencies. SpiceJet, IndiGo and Jet Airways have flights on Gulf routes, a PTI report stated. Headquartered in Kochi, Air India Express flies from 13 places across the country to as many destinations in the Middle-East and South-East Asia.

The Department of Tourism,  Govt. of NCT of Delhi has appointed JPS Associates as a consultancy firm for development of tourism policy and master plan for promotion of tourism and tourism infrastructure development in Delhi. The company has sought feedback from the industry stakeholders to take the matter forward. The consulting assignment is mandated to improve tourism in Delhi and to support the GNCT of Delhi in preparing the Tourism Policy and Master Plan for Promotion of Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development in Delhi. The master plan shall provide a comprehensive strategic plan for 20 years based on which the infrastructure could be planned for the Tourism Infrastructure Development in Delhi. The Master Plan shall also provide a Capital Investment Plan (CIP), based on which the concerned departments would be able to access funds from GoI/GNCTD based on priority actions and projects identified. This work will be carried out in 3 phases spreading over 9 months. The company has proposed a first phase workshop to discuss provisional aspects/points to be covered in Phase one with all industry stakeholders. The discussion in workshop will be focused on objectives of study for Phase-I. The first focal point of discussion would be the Tourism Policy for Delhi and second discussion point will be views of participants on provisional aspects/points and identified Tourism Themes/areas of Delhi.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group have announced that it has acquired full ownership of Country Development & Management Services (CDMS), the joint venture between Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, Inc. and Chanakya Hotels that was set up to pioneer the Country Inns & Suites By Carlson brand in India. The Country Inns & Suites By Carlson brand in India will now be managed by Carlson Hotels (South Asia), the Indian affiliate of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. This acquisition also includes four Radisson Blu hotels managed in India by CDMS. “Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has been committed to India for 25 years, with our initial growth accelerated due to the quality of our partners and strength of our brands. Our joint venture with Chanakya Hotels Private Limited, under the leadership of Ranjan Bhattacharya, positioned Country Inns & Suites By Carlson as a leading midscale hotel brand in India. This acquisition, resulting in the full ownership of CDMS, is a strategic move to further strengthen our position as the leading international hotel operator in India. We aim to have 170 hotels in operation and under development by 2020 in the country,” said Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

The Central Jail in Aguada, Goa’s largest prison dating back to the Portuguese rule, is being converted into a jail museum. The project with a budget of Rs 25.8 crore aims at restoring its heritage. Since May 30, 2015, this prison no longer houses inmates who have now been shifted to the new jail at Colvale. Work for Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s mega project to convert the old Central Jail into a museum is already underway and the Corporation has involved both the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) and Goa’s freedom fighters. A joint meeting and site inspection has been carried out where project plans were placed across the table and GTDC solicited views and suggestions from GHAG and the freedom fighters. Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation said, “The old Central Jail is well known not only as a prison but for its history and heritage. Now a vacant structure, GTDC has requested the government to make it a tourist spot and the Corporation has started working on a project that will preserve the heritage structure and showcase Goa’s freedom struggle.”

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 …