Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), has revealed that in order to promote tourism and to augment tourist arrivals to the Buddhist sites in India, the MOT is proposing to organise the 7th International Buddhist Conclave in November 2021. “The exact dates will be revealed when we are proposing it at Delhi, Bodhgaya and Rajgir,” he shared.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, G Kishan Reddy, Cabinet Minister for Tourism & Culture, has shared that three monuments of Andhra Pradesh – monuments at Nagarjunakonda, District Guntur; Buddhist remains at Salihundam, District Srikakulam; and Veerabhadra Temple at Lepakshi – have been identified as Adarsh Smarak for providing additional facilities like Wi-Fi, cafeteria, interpretation centre, illumination, etc.

Steve Borgia, Founder and Chairman of INDeco Leisure Hotels, has signed an agreement with Sanjay Sharma, Founder and CEO of BluSalz Hospitality, for the management of the former’s properties. The agreement was signed on July 20 at Yercaud in Tamil Nadu. INDeco hotels are rural-centric and work to rebuild the neighbourhood and local communities.

HRAWI has offered waiver of annual membership fees for 2021-22. The offer is a one-time relief measure for members who can choose to opt for a part, i.e. 50% or full waiver of the annual fees. Members who have already paid their fees for the current year 2021-22 but would like to receive the waiver can request their fees to be carried forward for the next year.

Eco-tourism has been identified as one of the niche tourism areas by Ministry of Tourism for development in the country. Recognising the potential for the development of eco-tourism in the country, the Ministry of Tourism has identified ‘Eco Circuit’ as one of the 15 thematic circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. MOT has been laying stress on maintenance of environmental integrity, considering the importance of developing tourism in an ecologically sustainable manner.

While taking stock of ongoing airport development projects during his Review Meeting with officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, cabinet minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that stress must be laid on the use of AirSewa for grievance redressal. He also added that new airport terminals must embody local art and culture so they become the face of the region they represent.

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a representation to the CEO of NITI Aayog – Amitabh Kant – highlighting hospitality industry’s plight with reference to Oyo’s business model. The Association has specifically pointed out that certain recent activities conducted by Oyo to earn goodwill have actually come at the expense of partner hotels.

Aimed at reducing waste and pollution across the sector, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) is welcoming 32 new signatories, with every global region represented behind the shared goal. Organisations such as TUI Group and Palladium Hotel Group are among them. These new additions bring the total number of signatories up to 93 companies and organisations.

A new Collinson and Centre for Aviation (CAPA) survey of C-Suite travel industry insiders says a return to ‘normal’ is unlikely before 2023. Over half of travel experts surveyed (51%) expect that robust testing protocols will remain key to reopening global borders until end of 2022. They also believe that a widespread fear of fraudulent tests and vaccine passports may undermine use.

To maximise on the opportunity of available space at attractive commercial considerations, Team SOTC moved into its new owned premises at Marathon Futurex building (13th floor) in Lower Parel. A special puja arranged on June 14th marked an auspicious beginning for Team SOTC. Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC, said, “We have seamlessly shifted to our spacious new office premises and have hit the ground running as we leverage on India’s pent-up travel demand. The location is property owned by our Group and comes with significant advantages: a valuable cost savings for us and with easy access – to collaborate and interact with our common resource pool of product-contracting-operations at Thomas Cook India – in the same building!”