Atout France organised the first virtual edition of its B2B alpine showcase Grand Ski in its new avatar ‘Destination Montagnes – Grand Ski’ in the last week of March for buyers worldwide. A total of 150 French suppliers met 465 tour operators from 59 source markets including 15 agents from India. Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India says, “Over the years, we have proactively tried to develop winter tourism through various initiatives and we are pleased to see that the concept of travelling to France in the winter has found favour with the discerning Indian traveller. The event was perfectly in sync with our strategy to showcase France as a year-round destination to Indian travellers.”

Essar Bulk Terminal Ltd (EBTL), part of ports business of Essar, today said that it a new cruise route from Hazira to Diu was launched from its passenger ferry terminal at Hazira Port, thus revolutionizing coastal transportation across the western coast of India and giving a boost to coastal tourism for the people of Gujarat. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India flagged off the Ferry service at passenger terminal in Hazira through virtual presence. Under the Maritime Vision 2030, we are aiming for more than 350 cruise ships, 3000 plus cruise calls per annum, more than 3 cruise training academies and 5 million cruise passengers by 2030.  We are taking all-round steps to create perfect ecosystem for cruise industry.  The passenger ferry service has seen a giant leap with the development Hazira as a cruise tourism hub. This will also open up many opportunities for the tourism sector of Gujarat.” Jai Sofia, a cruise cum passenger ferry vessel with a capacity of 300 passengers will now sail in the inaugural route from Hazira to Diu. The vessel has all the facilities on board and provides a bouquet of services on board. The ferry services are being operated by SSR Marine Services Private Ltd Rajiv Agarwal, Managing Director – Essar Ports said, “This is a big milestone for us.  The Ferry Terminal was commissioned in record time and the ferry services through it are a significant addition to air, road, and rail-based connectivity along Indian coastline. It is part of our strategic plan to reduce congestion on roads, cut fuel consumption and limit air pollution. …

Wildlife conservationist Julian Matthews, Chairman of TOFTigers, underlines the need for sustainable tribal community based tourism and says, “We encourage tour operators to work with local people on the ground who really know what they are doing. They must do some research, make sure what they are offering is good and fair to village communities. The reality is that there are very few people who are doing this tribal format well. If we can do that, we will have an immersive and more sustainable travel itineraries, with local communities being the direct beneficiaries. Tribal cultures is a very underrated part of India’s present travel offerings. It is not done very well, and we need to get much better at it as a travel trade community.”

After a year-long hiatus, the Indian travel industry which was one of the hardest-hit sectors due to the pandemic is preparing for a big comeback as it takes the ‘Blue Route’. Cordelia Cruises by Waterways Leisure Tourism, a Dream Hotel Group venture will begin its cruise operations in India from May 2021. Cordelia Cruises will be India’s premium cruise liner cruising along the west and east coast of India to domestic destinations like Goa, Diu, and Lakshadweep and international destinations like Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee, Jaffna, and the Maldives. The group plans to invest approx. USD 300 million in the next 3 to 5 years for the development of the cruise sector in India. Waterways Leisure Tourism has forayed into the Indian cruise industry under the maiden brand, Cordelia Cruises, and is affiliated with the Dream Hotel Group which is a hotel and brand management company with more than 30 years of experience in managing properties around the world.  Asserting his belief in the potential of the Indian cruise market, Founder and Chairman of the Dream Hotel Group, Padma Bhushan Shri Sant Singh Chatwal, says, “Success through innovation has been the foundation for all our brands over the last three decades. We have seen the growth and evolution of cruise tourism around the world. With 7500 km of coastline and recent initiatives by the Indian government for coastal development, India is ready for cruising. There’s tremendous potential in the cruise market and we are confident that Cordelia Cruises will lead this new era of travel through experience and innovation. Incredible India will soon be an Incredible cruise destination as well for travellers around the world.”  

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) will offer 15% commission to Andhra Pradesh-based travel agents and agencies for promoting the ‘Statue of Unity’ at Kevadia in Gujarat. TCGL Tourism Officer (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu) Ajit Kumar Sharma, said, “Our state government is welcoming travel agents from Andhra Pradesh to be registered with the TCGL to give a fillip to the tourism at the Statue of Unity. Post COVID-19, we will offer a maximum of 15% commission to the agents from Andhra Pradesh.”

As per the February 2021 assessment made by Safe Travel Barometer – a travel technology company – three Indian airports figured in the Safe Travel Score for Asia Pacific airports. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport came in at fourth with a score of 4.3, while Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport came sixth with 4.2 score. Kempegowda International Airport was in the seventh position with 4.1 score. Number one was taken by China’s Beijing Capital International Airport with 4.4 out of 5.

The association’s national elections that had been in limbo since January 2021 will now be held soon, said Pradip Lulla, Acting President and Vice President, TAFI. “The court case that had been filed in Indore has now been officially withdrawn and we are awaiting documents from court. We can now start planning our national elections, which will be announced soon,” he revealed.

The sixth edition of the Bengal Travel Mart (BTM) will be held from 10th April, 2021 to 12th April 2021 at Mayfair Tea Resort, Siliguri – the gateway to the North Eastern part of India. Bengal Travel Mart is an initiative of the Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), West Bengal Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to showcase tourism in Siliguri, West Bengal.

Kamala Vardhan Rao, IAS, CMD of ITDC, has stressed on the need to encourage responsible tourism and how the state of Kerala can referred as a case study for the same. He said this while addressing government officials and tourism experts at an event recently. Rao also spoke about the success that can be achieved via expansion of hotels, better connectivity and availability of skilled human resources while keeping sustainability as a focus. He also shared insights on the strategy and work required to develop India as a tourism destination.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism has said that MOT will further strengthen and revamp its schemes for providing support to the Indian MICE industry. “We have amended the two components of the Champion Sector Service Scheme to give impetus to MICE industry during the pandemic. The number of minimum participants required for conference has been reduced to 250 from 500 for availing incentive and also increased the GST refund benefits on rooms to 2 nights,” he said.