Bali has recorded a growth of almost 87.69 per cent in Indian arrivals in January 2016 as compared to the same period last year. This was revealed by Vineet Gopal, who heads New Delhi-based Representation World LLP – the India representative of Bali Tourism Promotion Board, on the sidelines of the OTOAI Convention that concluded in Bali recently. “We expect the same growth rate to continue after this convention, which gave the Indian travel trade a chance to get familiar with the destination. We welcomed more than 150 active members at the convention of the total 240,” he said.

Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC), in association with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Jet Airways branded 200 cabs in Delhi. The inauguration of the taxi branding campaign was done by H.E. Alphonsus Stielinga, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India; Jos Vranken, Managing Director, NBTC; Wilco Sweijen, Director Aviation Marketing, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol; and Gaurang Shetty, Senior VP, Commercial Wholetime Director, Jet Airways, at the Amabassador’s residence in New Delhi on March 21, 2016. The taxis will be running on Delhi roads for one and a half month. The campaign is part of showcasing Holland’s tourism products, and will be followed by strategic activities, which will focus on trade, press and consumers.

Bengaluru International Airport greeted its 100 millionth passenger at the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB) reaching a historic milestone in less than eight years of operations. The 100 millionth passenger, Vinay Kulkarni arriving from Mumbai on Jet Airways 9w394 was greeted by the airport’s management. G.V. Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, Bengaluru International Airport, says, “This is a very special moment for all of us. The achievement comes within eight years of operations and is a testimony of our ability to meet the rapid demand and growth of the domestic and international air traffic. This recognition would not have been possible without the collective showcase of passion and perseverance of the KIAB workforce to create an unparalleled experiences for our passengers.” Bengaluru International Airport determined the 100 millionth passenger after it created an algorithm that was based on actual passenger numbers from the start of airport operations in May 2008 to March 2016. KIAB, is India’s third busiest airport with the highest passenger traffic in South India. Surpassing the 100 millionth passenger milestone is a validation of the airport’s reputation as being the region’s largest hub. In March 2015 KIAB was classified as a mid-sized airport when it clocked 15 million passengers. The airport further experienced a positive growth in 2015 with 18.1 million passengers transiting through the airport at the end of the calendar year. On an average approximately 52,000 passengers transit through KIAB every day

Amsterdam is the new European hub for Jet Airways with the airline launching daily non-stop flights from India to the Netherlands capital. Starting March 27, Jet Airways will operate two daily non-stop flights from Mumbai and Delhi, to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Jet Airways will also operate a daily flight connecting Amsterdam to Toronto. The move would in turn offer seamless connections between India and Toronto via Amsterdam. The airline has also entered a code share agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Airlines. Gaurang Shetty, Wholetime Director, Jet Airways, said, “The main agenda behind this move was to offer greater choice and better connections for our guests. The partnership with KLM and Delta would enable us to offer seamless connections from India to key destinations in Europe and North America.” Jos Vranken, Managing Director, NBTC, Holland Marketing, said, “India has been a very promising source market in our portfolio of international guests, and we are confident that with the increase in connectivity through Jet Airways and its partners- KLM and Delta, there will be acceleration of growth from the Indian market to the Netherlands.”

Ethiopian Airlines has announced an additional daily flight from Delhi–Addis Ababa. The new flight coincides with the Africa-based airline’s 70th anniversary celebration as well as the completion of their 30 years of operations from Delhi. Ethiopian made its maiden flight to New Delhi on July 6, 2016. Tadesse Tilahun, Regional Director, India Subcontinent, Ethiopian Airlines, said, “With the addition of the new flight, the number of flights ex-India has increased from 14 to 28, which means double expansion for us.” Ethiopian is offering a 15 per cent discount as well as a ‘buy one get one free’ offer on the new flight to select destinations, which is valid for travel between March 27, 2016 to May 31, 2016. The tickets are priced at Rs 22,953 for economy class.

OTOAI has signed an MoU with Turkish Indian Tourism Council (TITC) for bilateral tourism promotion between India and Turkey on the sidelines of the 2nd OTOAI Convention in Bali. The MoU was signed between OTOAI President Guldeep Singh Sahni and TITC Chairman Emin Cakmak. Through this MoU, OTOAI will form an Indo-Turkish Tourism Council with its members who can coordinate with members of TITC to promote tourism between the two countries. Both sides will meet regularly to discuss ways in which this an be done.

The second edition of OTOAI Convention opened in Bali at the Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort, Indonesia with outbound travel agents and OTOAI national committee in full attendance. Riaz Munshi opened the Convention and spoke about the theme ‘India Outbound: the game changer’ and why they chose Bali as the venue for the convention. OTOAI President Guldeep Singh Sahni spoke about what was in store for the delegates and the topics that will be touched upon the following day, including the tax issues. With 240 delegates, including overseas participants, the three-day convention will witness dedicated meetings and business sessions, and two days will be spent on post-convention fam trips.

AirAsia India has announced that Amar Abrol will be taking over the reins from Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of AirAsia India. Effective April 1, Abrol, who has over 20 years of experience, will be in charge of the low cost airline. Abrol was most recently the CEO of Tune Money, a start-up that aims to deliver low-cost financial products in South East Asia. Before joining Tune Money in 2013, he spent 19 years with American Express, leading diverse teams across multiple markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, UK, India and Malaysia. Born and raised in India, Abrol graduated from Delhi University and is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Abrol said, “AirAsia India is poised for strong growth. I look forward to leading the team and together, giving many more Indians the opportunity to access the exciting promise of Indian civil aviation.” Chandilya’s contract ends March 31, 2016 but he will continue with the company until the end of April to ensure a smooth transition of the CEO role. Chandilya has led AirAsia India from June 1, 2013 and under his leadership, the airline has established a fleet of six aircraft, covering 12 routes and carrying over 1.8 million passengers. In the most recent quarter of operation, October-December 2015, AirAsia India clocked a 134% growth in passenger traffic as it flew over half-a-million customers, and operated 3,376 flights as compared to 1,444 flights in the same period of 2014. Chandilya said, “The past three years has been a rewarding and enriching journey for me and AirAsia India. I am delighted that AirAsia India is today a customer-preferred airline in the sectors that it operates. I …

The International Healthcare Tourism Congress 2016 is going to be launched on March 18, at The Lalit Ashok Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka. U.T Khader, Hon. Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka will give the inaugural address while Dr. C. N. Manjunath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science & Research will give the keynote address. The two day long event will conclude on March 19. On Day 1, there will be seminars on telemedicine, infrastructure and economics of healthcare tourism, oncology followed by buyers and sellers meetings. Day 2 will witness seminars on dentistry & opthalmology, Ayush & wellness, organ transplant, destination marketing, and geriatric medicine.

A total of 11 nominations have been filed for active Executive Committee (EC) Members of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). Also, for the allied EC members, a total of five nominations have been filed. There is also an incomplete nomination. While the IATO elections are scheduled for April 23, 2016, the last date for withdrawal for anybody filing multiple nominations is March 22, 2016 by 3 pm. In case the multiple nominations are not withdrawn before that, the nominations stand invalid.