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.

Global warming and its resultant impact on the environment and mankind have forced countries globally to take concrete measures to curb the damage and preserve for the future – and India is at the forefront of this movement. SEBI has mandated the top 1,000 listed companies in India by market capitalization to make filings as per the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) from FY23. Coming against this backdrop, Thomas Cook India and its Group Company SOTC Travel, announced their partnership with global technology consulting and digital solutions company LTIMindtree, to launch “Green Carpet” – a global platform to monitor and manage business travel emissions. Green Carpet is built on the combined prowess of Thomas Cook & SOTC’s deep expertise in the travel industry, LTIMindtree’s ESG consulting and digital solutions capabilities and also leverages the global expertise of Fairfax Digital Services (a Fairfax company). A SaaS-based platform, “Green Carpet” is designed to address specific concerns faced by organizations, helping them capture, monitor, analyze and reduce their carbon emissions from business travel. It offers real-time insights related to Scope 3 emissions and helps organizations to significantly reduce their ESG reporting costs. “Green Carpet” enables: Simplified data capture & analysis of travel emissions with real time dashboards Adherence to BRSR and aligned to global audit requirements Swift and easy integration with current business travel platforms of corporates Advanced AI & ML to provide analytics & recommendations Decision making to drive enterprise net zero goals Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) said, “Under its G20 Presidency, India has set ambitious ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) goals, & India Inc. has been called on to implement SEBI’s BRSR mandate starting FY23. …

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has appointed Salil Nath as General Manager of the Indian Subcontinent. Based in New Delhi, he will be responsible for all commercial activities across a key cluster for the Etihad network within the central region – India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Seychelles. Since joining Etihad in 2012, Nath has served as the Regional Sales Manager of key sectors starting with Bangalore-Hyderabad, followed by the North and East India. During the COVID-19 restructuring, he took on the additional responsibility of managing Central India as well as Bangladesh & Seychelles. Prior to joining Etihad, Nath has worked with Kingfisher Airlines, part of the United Breweries Group, and a brief stint at renowned multinational travel management company Amex GBT, overlooking corporate sales and client servicing respectively. Amer Khan, Vice President Middle East, Africa, & The Sub-Continent, Etihad Airways, said: “India plays a crucial role in Etihad Airways’ growth strategy, contributing significantly to the airline’s global operations, and we are honoured to support demand in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. As we look to expand our operations, we are delighted to have Salil take up the new role, leading Etihad’s commercial activities in the region.” Nath holds a degree in Hotel Management from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, specializing in Sales and Marketing. “With a strong and growing network, Etihad is one of the world’s most recognised and trusted airlines, operating for almost 20 years. As I step into this new role, I look forward to working together, enabling growth, and delivering value as we take our positioning to new and greater heights,” said Nath. He will succeed Neerja …