The new Air India Express (merged entity of two of its LCCs – Air India Express and AirAsia India – rebranded AIX Connect) will focus on leisure-oriented and price-sensitive markets while improving connectivity between key domestic cities and Air India’s fast-expanding international network. While a complete merger is still months away, both airlines have now integrated their reservation systems along with other customer-facing processes. Integrating Air India Express and Air India with other airlines in the Tata Group is expected to bring revenue, cost, and operational benefits through broader adoption of each airline’s best practices, systems, and routes, and conferring greater economies of scale.

Disney Cruise Line and Singapore Tourism Board today announced magical cruise vacations to Southeast Asia for the first time, revealed by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, S. Iswaran. Under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, Disney Cruise Line and Singapore Tourism Board agreed to collaborate to homeport a brand-new Disney cruise ship exclusively in Singapore for at least five years beginning in 2025. More details about the maiden voyage, itineraries and onboard experiences will be announced later. “This is a very exciting year for The Walt Disney Company — 2023 marks our 100th anniversary,” D’Amaro said. “As part of this, Disney Cruise Line is currently undergoing an ambitious expansion with new ships and new destinations around the world. We are incredibly excited to make Singapore the home port to our seventh-launched ship, which will sail from here year-round starting in 2025.” “We look forward to welcoming the magic of Disney Cruise Line to Singapore in 2025,” said Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board (STB). “This is an important milestone for STB and reflects Disney Cruise Line’s strong confidence in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The new Disney cruise ship will be an attraction itself and is expected to boost the tourism sector in Singapore for many years to come.” Singapore’s strategic location, world-class air connectivity and port infrastructure make it a thriving cruise hub in Southeast Asia, a diverse region that is home to over 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The addition of a Disney Cruise Line ship in Singapore has the potential to add millions of local and foreign cruise passengers across the five-year period, including fly-cruise passengers who …

Virgin Atlantic has expanded its codeshare with IndiGo, opening up an array of new destinations throughout India and increased opportunities for frequent flyers to earn more points than ever before. Customers will now be able to book one ticket which allows them to connect seamlessly to London and beyond from destinations such as Varanasi, Srinagar, Goa Mopa and Lucknow through Delhi and Mumbai. In total, the partnership is adding 18 destinations to its existing portfolio making it a total of 34 destinations. The beautiful beaches of Goa have proved particularly popular with Virgin Atlantic customers. The expanded partnership will incorporate Goa’s second airport, Goa Mopa, providing travellers with even more access to one of their favourite destinations. The expanded codeshare allows Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club members to reach their rewards faster, with opportunities to earn both Virgin Points and Tier Points available on every codeshare flight with IndiGo. Alex McEwan, Country Manager – South Asia, Virgin Atlantic said: “We are excited to more than double the number of destinations available in our codeshare partnership with IndiGo. This offers our customers even more choice when travelling to and from India. By combining IndiGo’s vast network with Virgin Atlantic’s three daily services between India and UK, we offer a range of connections to and from India’s most popular destinations.”

Switzerland Tourism has unveiled its new film for its ongoing ‘I need Switzerland’ campaign to promote rail travel and the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. After having collaborated on screen with Robert De Niro in 2021 and Anne Hathaway in 2022, tennis legend and the global brand ambassador of Switzerland Tourism- Roger Federer will now partner with Trevor Noah, international comedian, for the film. Titled ‘The Ride of a Lifetime’, it showcases the ease and efficiency of the Swiss Travel System and highlights the famous panoramic rail routes that combine to make the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. The film, directed by Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper, features the iconic duo getting ready to take a train as part of a shoot to promote the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. They soon realize, they’ve gotten onto the wrong train on a different route to Interlaken, leaving the crew behind. Left on their own, Federer and Noah travel through Switzerland’s striking landscapes and find they’re having a great time even befriending a kind local lady for company who pays for their tickets. Once they hop off, the crew finds them just in time to take them back on the train they’re meant to be on, but they’ve had such a blast, they give the team the slip and run to catch another panoramic train ride on the route! The route they take in the film is a part of the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland, the 1,280 kilometres train tour that leads from the most charming Swiss cities like Lucerne to Alpine villages like Zermatt, and through UNESCO World Heritage sites, impressive natural wonders such as the Rhine Falls and majestic mountains …

An IATO delegation led by Chairman Rajiv Mehra, Ravi Gosain, ATDF head Jaswant Singh and Civil Aviation Committee head Sunit Kothari met CM Eknath Shinde for a detailed discussion regarding its convention. An MoU was signed between IATO and the Ministry of Tourism at Mantralay towards this. Sambhajinagar will host the association’s national convention this September and is expected to boost tourism in Sambhajinagar.  

Speaking at the CAPA India Aviation Summit in New Delhi, Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that the construction of the Jewar and Navi Mumbai airports is on track and the two are likely to be inaugurated by next year. “We are looking at a 500 mn capacity at 6 metro airports,” he said.  

A new YouGov research reveals that the pandemic has fuelled the appetite for travel across the globe, and nearly three in five urban Indians state that travel has become more important to them since the pandemic (57%) compared to one in eight who disagree with the statement (12%). Agreement is higher among affluents* in India, with three-quarters of them saying so. YouGov’s Global travel & tourism whitepaper 2023 covering 18 international markets, gets under the skin of high-end travel, to understand what luxury travel looks like post-pandemic. It focuses on the attitudes and behaviours of affluent consumers, particularly the affluent under 35s – the audience that will shape the luxury travel industry of the future. Looking specifically among the affluent travellers in India, we see that travelling with a wider group of family or friends continues to be the top travel activity year on year. Almost two in five (37%) have travelled with a wider group in the past twelve months, and the same proportion intend to do so in the forthcoming 12 months. Even though this is the top activity, taking a luxury rail trip sees the largest increase (of +8% points) from the previous year. Another travel activity that affluent Indians are planning on undertaking to a greater extent in the next 12 months is taking a longer holiday than usual or taking a cruise (+5%pts each).

The Western Australian (WA) Government has reaffirmed its commitment to India after the state’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, the Hon Roger Cook attended the CAPA India Aviation Summit in New Delhi to discuss establishing a direct flight from India to Perth. The two-day visit continues the momentum gained during the Western Australia Government’s India Mission in July 2022, with the state’s tourism body meeting with key officials of top airlines at as Western Australia looks to develop direct aviation connections between the two destinations to boost visitation. Minister Cook said he was hopeful a direct flight would be established between India and Perth. He said, “India is a priority market for Western Australia, and we continue to work with our valued airline partners to further build and grow our aviation capacity between our two regions. With the growing diaspora of Indians in Western Australia, the key focus is to tap into the ‘Visiting Friends and Relatives’ market and encourage travelers from India to stay longer and explore more of Western Australia.”

Singapore has emerged as a favored destination for Indian travelers interested in nightlife and cruises, according to a survey conducted by Tripoto, a leading trip and travel portal in India. More than two-fifths (41%) responded stating that the range of activities was pivotal to them choosing their next destination for a holiday.    

Vietnam Airlines is pleased to announce 3 additional  flights to their existing flight schedule of 4 flights a week, making it a Daily flight service between Delhi-Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City effective March 26, 2023. The new flight schedule provide non-stop flight services with 4 non-stop flights a week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday between Delhi & Hanoi and 3 non-stop flights every week on every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday between Delhi & Ho Chi Minh City, to meet the demand and facilitate travel between the two countries. With night departures from Delhi and early morning arrivals in Hanoi &/or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Airlines is fast becoming preferred Full Service Carrier for the discerning traveler to Vietnam. The daily departures from Delhi will further enhance seamless connectivity to Japan, Korea, China, Australia and other international destinations on the airlines network.