The tourism ministry has sanctioned two projects in Bihar and Kerala at a cost of Rs 125 crore under the Rural Circuit as part of its endeavour to take tourism to villages of the country. The ministry has identified Rural Circuit as one of the 15 thematic circuits for development under ‘Swadesh Darshan’ Scheme.

India’s airlines could still have 250-300 surplus aircraft by March 2021, and could therefore be headed for an unprecedented consolidated loss of USD 4-4.5 billion in FY2021. Approximately 400-450 aircraft were grounded by end of Q2 2020. This figure is expected to improve slightly with 250-300 aircraft being grounded by end of Q4.

UNITE 2020 by Saleint is a collaborative endeavor to bring MICE and Leisure buyers to connect and meet the suppliers on a virtual trade show platform. Enabled with secure video, voice and text chat capabilities, these face-to-face virtual meetings can be held at mutually acceptable times. This global virtual trade show is scheduled to start at 0000 hrs Toronto time (EDT) on September 16, 2020 and will be live till 23:59 hrs on September 17, 2020. One can expect to connect with 34 exhibitors who are representing more than 39 countries and 45 brands. It is expected that 1,700+ meetings will take place over the two days. The show also features 10+ business sessions with speakers from around the world. Funds collected for donation will be matched by UNITE by Saleint between USD 1 to USD 6 per login ID. Are you ready to UNITE?

Indian travel technology company, Qtech Software and AI-based SaaS start-up Vervotech have entered in a strategic partnership to provide Vervotech’s UNICA – hotel mapping and room mapping platform – as an integrated solution within Qtech’s travel ERP platform. Customers of Qtech Software will now have the option to choose a mapping solution of their choice.

PATA India will conduct a webinar on September 17, 2020 at 3pm IST titled ‘Europe: The New Order’ to bring a European perspective on tourism. It will have key international as well as Indian thought leaders sharing their perspectives. Market expectations and opportunities from countries like Austria, Benelux, Germany, Spain and Switzerland will also be tabled.

During a webinar hosted by FHRAI, Suman Billa, Director, UNWTO, said, “UNWTO estimates a drop of 50-60% in the international tourist arrival this year. It will take 2-3 years to bounce back. To survive, we will have to create a domestic market. We also need harmonisation of protocols in each state.”

Announcing a new movement started by a few in the wedding industry, Rajeev Jain, Director, Rashi Entertainment, said, “If there is no auspicious date for birth, or death, then why should there be an auspicious day for weddings? To revive our industry, we have started a campaign called ‘Har Din Shub Hai’ to tell clients to fix weddings on any day so they get cost benefits and hotels and planners get business throughout the year. This will be virtually launched on 29 September.”

The Tour Operators and Travel Agents Association of Gujarat (TAG) has initiated a campaign to promote domestic tourism. A five-member team from TAG will embark on a historical 36-day road trip across India, starting off from Surat on September 18. The team will cover around 18,000 kms visiting 34 states and UT capitals (except Andaman & NicoBar and Lakshadweep) while showcasing their landmark monuments and Covid-ready hotels. Pankaj Gupta, President, TAG, shared that the team will be led by Rajiv Shah of Surat-based agency Network Tours & Travels. They will essentially cover around 500kms per day. The entire trip is largely self-sponsored.

Hasan Patel, Director, Tripjack, announces an exciting competition for the travel trade based on the IPL matches. “This is a fantasy league for agents and will run for the entire duration of the games. All agents can sign up for this and win prizes every day – free hotel stays, air tickets, gifts, loyalty points redeemable on any future bookings. We encourage everyone to sign up and participate!” he says. To participate, agents can visit https://tripjack.com/cms/ipl-static-page to sign up for the competition.

Sharing her experience in Thailand, Sonal Swamy, Managing Director, Syrisa Travels, says, “Our unforgettable trip to Thailand in the summer of 2019 was filled with memories and wonderful experiences. Can’t wait to travel again and enjoy late night walks, foot massages, green Thai curry lunches, long shopping tours and being in the wild with nature again in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.”