Sharing an update on where the India market stands in terms of arrivals, VisitBritain CEO, Sally Balcombe says, “At the moment India is 16th in volume and the eleventh-biggest market in terms of spend for us. But the really important thing is that you are growing fast. We know we are the second-most popular destination in Europe for the India market. Indians spend a lot of money here and stay a longer time – 56% more time than others on an average. Your growth trajectory will take you into our top 10 international markets very soon!”

The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia is the world’s most ambitious luxury tourism development, offering an exclusive experience of unparalleled diversity for discerning global travellers. The Red Sea will welcome its first guests by the end of 2022 and will attract 1 million overnight visits per year by 2030. It will be an exquisite sanctuary offering luxury experiences, customised to the needs of each visitor. Smart technology will deliver innovative, tailored services from the moment visitors begin to research their trips to the time they return home.

Speaking at The Art of Travel roadshow in Delhi, Jatin Khanna, Market VP – North India, Bhutan & Nepal, Marriott International, said that recovery has already begun. “Recovery has already started happening for the industry, and I personally feel by the time we hit Q3 and should international travel resume by then, it would support a good V-shaped recovery for us,” he shared.

Switzerland Tourism has launched a special ‘100% Women’ campaign is aimed at attracting women travellers to holiday in Switzerland, especially for outdoor activities and mountain sports. Along with a six-month 100% Women Peak Challenge, the NTO will present around 230 offers and events that are geared towards women where all experiences are led by women and include mountaineering tours, different city and cultural tours, majority of which have been newly conceived, especially for this campaign.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will resume its T1 for domestic flight operations with effect from midnight, March 10. Catering to 5 domestic carriers, the terminal will witness 102 flight movements across 27 destinations on day one of its opening. The terminal was closed in March 2020. The terminal will cater to all domestic flight operations of Go Air, Star Air, Air Asia and Trujet, plus select flights of IndiGo. The airport will have 38 check-in counters operational across the 5 domestic carriers to avoid crowding.

Sanjay Arya, CEO, KFT Holidays, started watching cricket in England in 1983, the year India won the World Cup. “However, I came back before the final since we weren’t too hopeful about the Indian team. But whenever I visit England and India is playing, I go watch a few matches. The last match I saw there was India v/s Pakistan in Manchester in 2019 World Cup, courtesy VisitBritain. It was electrifying! I even made my team in the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival and played the last game. Although I didn’t win, I will change my strategy for the next game.” Register on http://bit.ly/VisitBritainCricketCarnival or contact Vartik Sethi on vartik.sethi@ddppl.com or +91 83684 28139.  

Harish Chandra Gurnani, Owner of Hollywood (India) Travels, passed away today. A champion of the travel trade in Lucknow, Harish Gurnani started the first-ever travel agency in Lucknow in 1965. Well-known to the airlines, travel and hotel industry, Gurnani, popularly known as Hari bhai, was regarded with a lot of love and respected by the tourism industry in Uttar Pradesh.

Founded by Jerrin Jos and Satheesh Satchit, Verteil Technologies is a travel technology company that is transforming the 40-year old legacy airline distribution space with its retailing and distribution platform using the new distribution capability (NDC) standards promulgated by IATA. Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Chairman Emeritus of V-Guard Industries, has made an investment in this Kerala-based travel technology start-up Verteil Technologies as part of its Pre-Series A funding round. Verteil has on-boarded more than 26 airlines from around the globe, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Verteil operates from Kochi, Kerala and has an operating unit in Tokyo, Japan. A beneficiary of the vibrant start-up ecosystem in Kerala, Verteil has been backed by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). The amount of the Pre-Series A Round was undisclosed. Verteil will use the money raised for onboarding more airlines into the platform and will invest further in technology to augment additional features to the current product.

VisitBritain is gearing up to host virtually its flagship global travel trade event ExploreGB from 1 to 5 March. It will bring together more than 350 global buyers to connect online with 350 tourism industry suppliers and destinations from across the UK to do business. Delegates can manage their own diaries across the five-day event with the virtual platform open daily from 06.00-23.00 GMT. Travel industry buyers from 20 countries are joining the event. More than 1000 pre-scheduled one-to-one virtual business meetings will take place during the event.

The Kushinagar Airport in Uttar Pradesh has received all the necessary clearances from the DGCA to become the state’s third licensed international airport and the latest operational airport in the country. The DGCA issued the airport the aerodrome license for public use. This will boost tourism in the region and facilitate travel on Buddhist circuit by providing direct aviation connectivity to the city where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. Spread over 590 acres, AAI’s Kushinagar International Airport is ready to welcome commercial flights after receiving a 4C VFR license for day operations from DGCA. The airport is licensed for operating B737-900 type or equivalent aircraft.