The tourism industry has lost another stalwart in Dr. Ankur Bhatia. He was the Executive Director at Bird Group. Bhatia passed away of a cardiac arrest. He was 48. A prolific and outstanding leader, Ankur Bhatia led the group’s strategic thrust to create multiple drivers of growth that made a significant and growing contribution to the company and industry at large. He also shaped and implemented blue ocean strategies that strengthened the overall brand proposition and accelerated a leap in core business value by exploring new growth avenues for building uncontested market leadership. Dr. Bhatia brought in the Amadeus brand to the Indian sub-continent in 1994.      

ANA Holdings has partnered with leading game studio JP Games to launch ANA Neo which is an interactive virtual platform that will bring the joy of travel and unique online shopping opportunities to audiences worldwide. Key to the platform is the ‘Sky Whale’ where users will be able to travel and access interactive activities and other environments within ANA Neo. The service is scheduled to launch in 2022, and it will be a welcome sight in an age when COVID-19 has accelerated digitization while curtailing travel opportunities. ANA Neo harnesses the latest breakthroughs to forge new bonds between people and cultures. “ANA Neo will open up the joy of travel to a much broader audience and provide users with an unrivaled experience,” said Mitsuo Tomita, president and CEO of ANA Neo. “Complete with realistic recreations of famous tourist sites and unprecedented shopping options, ANA Neo will help people explore the world from the comfort of a connected smart device. As the first global airline to launch this type of platform, we are excited to open up new possibilities and new experiences for people.” “Much like travel, virtual platforms are an excellent way to connect with people and experience new things,” said Hajime Tabata, chief producer of ANA NEO and Chief Executive Officer of JP GAMES. “ANA Neo is a bold new reimagining of a virtual platform, leveraging the latest breakthroughs to create an immersive digital world that captures the wonder of travel and lets families and friends tour them together.

For the first time in India, an agency representative chaired the Airline Passenger Joint Council of IATA (APJC) which was held virtually on May 25 and attended by the airline representatives and agency representatives of TAAI and TAFI. In a historic move, TAAI President Jyoti Mayal was unanimously selected to the chair the meeting. TAAI was represented by Vice President – Jay Bhatia, Hon. Secretary General – Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon. Treasurer – Shreeram Patel and UFTAA President and Past President – TAAI, Sunil Kumar Rumalla. The agency representatives took up all the important points of concern and have made recommendations through APJC to PAPGJC / PSG which shall be taken up at PAconf also.

The crisis in the Indian aviation sector owing to the second COVID-19 wave has reached a ‘point of no return’ said aviation consultancy firm CAPA India. If the Ministry of Civil Aviation fails to adopt immediate measures to contain the crisis, the sector would end up suffering an irreparable loss, it said. The situation can ‘no longer be ignored’ by the government, CAPA India tweeted.

Private sector investments in sustainable or green tourism in the region are still slow-coming, observed Nicolas Mayer, global tourism leader, PWC. “There is a niche of eco-lodges and so on where sustainability is in their DNA, but I have not seen large moves that would lead me to believe there is something that is gaining traction beyond a niche. I believe sustainable tourism will eventually come but the question is who will pay for it.”

A breath test designed to detect Covid-19 and give accurate results within a minute has been approved for use in Singapore. The test, developed by National University of Singapore spin-off startup Breathonix, works like a standard breathalyzer test. A person blows into a one-way valve mouthpiece, and compounds in the person’s breath are compared by machine learning software against the sort of breath signature that would be expected from someone who is Covid-positive.

Urging the government for relief measures in a letter, TAAI has stated, ‘We do not seek grants as alms, but seek support in terms of repayable loans. This shall be repaid back to the Government post the 5-year period after the crisis ends. This shall only be an interim working capital for survival and revival along with ease of doing business. Contribution from this ministry and the trade especially in the last five years, deserves a Cabinet berth in your Government. TAAI’s letter said.

The WHO is yet to reach a consensus on the vaccine passport issue for allowing international travel to those fully vaccinated against the coronavirus infection. Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “We will take necessary steps when we are able to reach a consensus at the world and WHO level on vaccine passport issue,” while responding to reports claiming people who took Covaxin may not be allowed to travel internationally as WHO hasn’t included it in its list of vaccines.

Tourism department started a special vaccination drive for the people associated with travel and hospitality sector in the age group of 18 to 45 years at TRC Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg. Dedicated vaccination centres have been established for centralised and fast-tracked coverage of all identified beneficiaries after proper verification. It has also allocated nodal officers and help desks at each centre.

Speaking at the International Conference on Agri-Tourism 2021, Aditya Thackeray, Minister for Tourism & Environment, Government of Maharashtra, said, “More than 60% of the country’s population engage in agriculture and it therefore crucial to link agriculture to tourism. Agri-tourism is instrumental for employment generation and economic improvement especially in these pandemic times when people have lost jobs.”