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.

Two nominations have been filed for the post of Sr. Vice President  of Indian Association of Tour Operators, while three nominations have been received for the post of Vice President. Two nominations each have been filed for both Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer’s positions and a total of four nominations have been filed for the position of Honorary Joint Secretary. IATO elections are scheduled for April 23, 2016. Some candidates have filed nominations for multiple positions and will have to retain only one position for which they want to contest. Hence they need to withdraw their names by 3 pm, March 22, 2016.

The nominees for the post of IATO President are: E.M. Najeeb, Maharaj I.S. Wahi, Pronab Sarkar, Sarab Jit Singh, and Vijay Thakur. The nominations were opened on March 17, 2016 by Akshay Kumar, Returning Officer, IATO Elections 2016 in front of the Executive Committee. The last date for withdrawal for nominations is March 22, 2016 and the elections are scheduled to be held on April 23, 2016.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during February 2016 were 8.47 lakh as compared to FTAs of 7.61 lakh during February 2015 and 7.56 lakh in February 2014. There has been a growth of 11.3% in February 2016 over February 2015. FTAs during the period January-February 2016 were 16.91 lakh with a growth of 9.0% as compared to the FTAs of 15.52 lakh with a growth of 2.5% in January-February 2015 over January-February 2014.The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during February, 2016 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (12.96%) followed by USA (12.94%), UK (12.45%), Canada (4.71%), Sri Lanka (3.86%), Germany (3.51%), France (3.46%), Malaysia (3.34%), China (3.08%), Russian Federation (3.07%), Australia (2.69%), Japan (2.37%), Thailand (2.28%), Nepal (1.69%) and Afghanistan (1.65%). The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during February 2016 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (32.33%) followed by Mumbai Airport (17.24%), Chennai Airport (7.33%), Haridaspur Land check post (6.98%), Bangalore Airport (5.66%), Goa Airport (4.52%), Kolkata Airport (4.21%), Hyderabad Airport (2.69%), Cochin Airport (2.65%), Ahmedabad Airport (2.18%), Gede Rail (2.00%), Sonauli Land check post (1.58%), Trivendrum Airport (1.48%), Amritsar Airport (1.44%) and Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.27%). Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) during February 2016 were Rs 13,627 crore as compared to Rs. 11,642 crore in February 2015 and Rs. 11,510 crore in February 2014. The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms during February 2016 over February 2015 was 17.1% as compared to the growth of 1.1% in February 2015 over February 2014. FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during January-February 2016 were Rs. 27,296 crore with a growth of 15.0% as compared to the FEE …

Mid-market travel, which is a key growth segment for the region’s hospitality and tourism sector, has been selected as the official show theme for Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2016, which will take place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from April 25-28, 2016. “Data released by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) revealed that up to 50% of the 3,600 new hotel rooms to enter the Dubai market in the final months of 2015 have a 3-star or lower rating, while competitive room rates are set to rival the luxury market, as 69% to have four stars or less according to research,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, Exhibition Manager, Arabian Travel Market. “This will add much-needed midscale room stock to the emirate’s hotel landscape, where three-star or below room supply only accounted for 29% of total availability in the first quarter of 2015,” she added. Destinations like Dubai are already putting in place programs to encourage investment into midmarket hotels such as the release of government land plots for three and four-star hotel projects, speeding up of the construction permit approval process to just two months, and the waiver of the 10% municipality room tax for four years upon completion. Dubai currently has a total hotel key count of approximately 94,000. This figure is set to rise to between 140,000 and 160,000 keys by 2020 with around 20% set to target the mid-market hotel sector. A host of global hotel brands and local UAE-based operators are targeting the aggressive brand expansion in this area, especially after the latest Knight Frank report. The study revealed that the Dubai segment showed a year-on-year RevPAR increase of 0.5% during the first quarter of the year, …

The inaugural day of the India Aviation 2016 saw Air India sign an agreement with ALAFCO, a Kuwait based leasing company for leasing 14 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The delivery of aircraft is likely to start from early next year. The historic agreement was signed between Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani and the Vice Chairman and CEO of ALAFCO Ahmad Al Zabin in the presence of CEO of CFM Paul Abanga and Philippe Combet Vice President Sales and his team from Airbus. This induction will augment Air India’s capacity in domestic market. Air India already has strong infrastructure maintenance facilities for the Airbus A320 family. The partnership between Air India and Airbus dates back to 1989 when the erstwhile Indian Airlines became the launch customer to induct the Airbus A320. Speaking on the momentous occasion Ashwani Lohani CMD Air India said, “This is a very important partnership for Air India. The A320 aircraft will add strength to our existing fleet and enhance our role as a major player in the domestic market.” These A320neo aircraft will come fitted with the new generation CFM leap engines which will reduce noise and emissions, enhance the operational efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by at least 15% while offering the passengers the best in class comfort. Air India and CFM enjoy a long standing partnership as CFM engines are fitted on the existing A320 family aircraft.”

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced that on March 10, 2016 it received a non-binding proposal from a consortium of companies to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Starwood for $76.00 per share in cash. Pursuant to separate agreements entered into by Starwood, stockholders would additionally receive consideration in the form of Interval Leisure Group (“ILG”) common stock from the previously announced spin-off of its vacation ownership business, Vistana Signature Experiences, and subsequent merger with ILG, currently valued at approximately $5.50 per Starwood share, based on the 20-day VWAP (volume weighted average price) of ILG common stock ending March 11, 2016. As announced on November 16, 2015, Starwood entered into a definitive merger agreement with Marriott International, Inc. under which Marriott would acquire Starwood in a stock and cash transaction. Starwood has received a waiver from Marriott enabling it to engage in discussions with, and provide diligence information to, the Consortium in connection with its proposal. Starwood commenced discussions with the Consortium on March 11, 2016. The Marriott waiver expires at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on March 17, 2016. Starwood’s Board of Directors has not changed its recommendation in support of Starwood’s merger with Marriott. The Board, in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, will carefully consider the outcome of its discussions with the Consortium in order to determine the course of action that is in the best interest of Starwood and its stockholders. The Consortium has not completed diligence and there are a number of matters to be resolved in the Consortium’s proposal. There can be no assurance that discussions will result in a binding proposal from the Consortium or that a transaction …