The Skal Club of Hyderabad conducted its 2020 AGM at the ITC Kakatiya Hotel on 25 September, 2020, which included the elections for the board of officers that would lead the 57-member club into the new decade. NSN Mohan, CEO, Kennedy Holidays has been elected the new president for the term 2020-2022. He said, “This is not the moment to be a defeatist, but to be a champion of innovation and positivity. We will plan a robust set of strategies and activities that will help our members engage amongst themselves to develop business synergies.” Other Board of Hyderabad include SK Ravichandran, CEO, Purple Hospitality, as its Vice President; Monik Dharamshi, MD of Dream Designer Holidays as Secretary; and Patti Narasimham, CEO of Uniglobe Sri Sai Travel as Treasurer.

AirAsia is set to launch a new agent-friendly website which will allow ease of booking, easy payment options, self-managing booking allowing date change, instant refunds and other tools. The website is still under construction and might be launched within the next two months. This was announced at AirAsia India’s High Flyer Townhall conducted virtually, where the top-performing agent partners were recognised by the airline and were updated about AirAsia India’s latest initiatives, launches and future plans. Sunil Bhaskaran, CEO & MD, AirAsia India gave his keynote address and thanked the agents for their support. A recent survey conducted by Air Asia India has revealed that the daily industry passenger count for the airline is rising every day. So far in September, Air Asia India has witnessed 1.3 lakh passenger, which is 35 per cent of the capacity compared to same period last year. June-July was about returning home to small towns; Aug-Sept is about return back to metros. Travel sentiment among youth returning; business and leisure travel still to pick up. The AirAsia India Market Research on Festive Travel Intent indicates positive trends for flights, especially on safety.

Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director of Thomas Cook (India), in an exclusive interview with TravTalk said that the government could have been a lot more sensitive to the needs of the industry. “Wish it had looked at things on a broader perspective such as moratorium on loans, easing indirect taxes and waiving off TCS. TCS adds 5% to the cost of the traveller which they have to claim a refund but it takes a year.”    

Meenakshi Sharma, DG, Tourism, has said that a lot of people in the tourism sector suffer from very low margins. “This raises the question whether we are selling ourselves too cheap or the services are not as promised. This makes it difficult to survive because there is not much scope left amidst too much competition. How do we assure travellers that India is not a destination of extremes — that we have the best luxury products but at the same time have something that can be sold much cheaper.”

Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP Operations, Accor India & South Asia, has revealed that Accor will be launching a new campaign ‘For the love of travel, for the love of now’ aimed at the domestic market. “It focuses on whether someone wants to work from a hotel, a vacation package, or weekend stay. We need to understand the demands and requirements of our guests. Some of them are looking for all-inclusive packages even in city hotels, where they can just stay in the hotel, enjoy all their meals and services in the property,” he shares.

The Rajasthan government has brought the tourism industry under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme-2019 extending the benefits offered under the scheme. Tourism projects having an investment of Rs  5 crore or above will be granted benefits like capital subsidy equivalent to 20% of the investment made, subject to maximum Rs 25 lakh or 5% interest subsidy on term loan taken by enterprise from financial institutions for a period of 5 years subject to Rs 25 lakh annually.        

Expanding its portfolio in Rajasthan, Leela Hotels has announced its first hotel in Jaipur after signing a management agreement with Tulsi Palace Resorts Group for operating the property which used to be a JW Marriot. The existing hotel will undergo product and service enhancements and will be rebranded upon completion of the renovation by early 2021.  

Vrushali Desai, Key Account Manager – Hotelbeds, says, “We have been associated with Tripjack since many years now and they have always proved themselves to be a class apart. Other than being one of our valued partners in India, they have shown amazing professionalism be it in operational, finance or sales methodology. This IPL Fantasy League is yet another example of their innovativeness.” Top winners every week also get Jalesh Cruise Holiday, AirAsia Tickets, & Hotels Stays. Visit tripjack.com now!

Pune-based Trips Academy has launched a certification feature in their mobile learning app for travel professionals, starting with Destination Antarctica as the first programme. These programmes are free for learners and offer interactive, engaging content that allows professional to learn at their convenience. Kiran Bhandari, Founder, Trips Academy, shares, “Each interactive learning module takes around five to seven minutes allowing users to integrate it into their busy work schedule. This is perfect for destinations, cruise lines, hotels, and suppliers looking to upskill and educate the travel trade on their offerings, using bite-sized subscription plans. This app is available for download in both Android and iOS versions. More programmes are in the pipeline.”

United Federation of Travel Agents Associations (UFTAA), in its recently concluded mid-year forum, concluded that there was a need to persuade IATA to come up with a policy that safeguards financial interests of travel agents as well as the passengers during disasters or market situations in future that are similar to COVID-19. Delegates at the forum also presented plans on restructuring business approaches post-COVID.