In a recent announcement, Puneet Chhatwal, CEO, IHCL, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to enhancing the tourism industry. He stated, “We will increase the commissions from 10% by 25%, which means they will go to 12.5% for all of you.” This exclusive incentive is available to IATO members only.

Bird Group is set to make significant strides in the Quick Service and Casual Dining sectors. With an ambitious plan to launch 20 outlets by the end of 2024, 35 by the end of 2025 and 50 by the end of 2026, Bird Foods, a dedicated business vertical of Bird Group, is poised to redefine the dining experience across India. These outlets will be strategically located in popular locations across tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Dehradun, and Bhubaneswar. At present, Bird Foods boasts a promising retail presence with four QSR brands: Spice Nama at Omaxe Mall, Chandni Chowk; The Indian Stories at Pebble Downtown Mall, Faridabad and the Mall of Dehradun, Uttarakhand; KaChing at Mega Mall, Gurugram; and Eat.co at various locations, including Lucknow Airport Metro Station, Tughlakabad Metro Station and Old Delhi Railway Station (IRCTC Food Plaza). All these and future outlets will boast of proprietary technological initiatives redefining customer experience. “We are diligently executing strategic initiatives across all our business verticals, ensuring we not only meet but potentially exceed these targets. By staying true to our core values of quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, we are confident in our ability to achieve these significant milestones and continue driving growth for our company,” said Rahul Sehgal, Business Head, Bird Foods. Bird Group has always been at the forefront of innovation in the Indian business landscape. Their foray into the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector is a natural progression, rooted in their belief that good food, good value and excellent service have the power to bring people together, create memories, and elevate everyday moments. This new venture has quickly grown into a dedicated business vertical, offering a diverse range of …

Viacation Tourism announces the opening of its first retail store in Rajasthan, strategically located in City Pearl, Jaipur. This new addition marks Viacation’s entry into the Pink City, a place celebrated as the cultural heartbeat of India. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand further in the coming months to key cities like Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Siliguri, and Guwahati, bringing the Viacation experience to an even wider audience across India. Spanning 355 square feet, the Jaipur store was officially inaugurated on 2nd September. The store offers a wide array of travel services, including air ticketing, escorted group tours to Europe and other international destinations, domestic holiday packages, and MICE services. “We are excited to open our first retail outlet in Jaipur, a city that perfectly captures vibrancy and rich cultural heritage. This store is a significant milestone for Viacation as we continue to make our top-notch travel services more accessible to our customers. Our goal is to simplify and enhance the travel planning experience,” said Jatinder Paul Singh, CEO & Co-Founder of Viacation Tourism. Positioned on a bustling high street, this B2C-focused store emphasizes Viacation’s dedication to offering a premium shopping experience with personalized service for a diverse clientele. As part of its strategic growth plan, Viacation is set to expand to 25 locations by December 2025, further establishing itself as a trusted travel partner across India. The Jaipur store is designed to be a comprehensive travel hub, providing everything from flight and hotel bookings to organizing group tours and corporate travel. This new outlet reinforces Viacation’s reputation as a reliable travel partner in India, catering to the increasing demand for personalized travel solutions. Since April 2023, Viacation’s corporate headquarters have been based in …

In a strategic move to tap into the expansive Indian market, Bintan Resorts has partnered with VFS Global, world’s leading outsourcing and technology service specialist, to promote Bintan Resorts in Bintan Island of the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia as a premier travel destination. This partnership was officially cemented with the signing of an agreement on 29 August 2024 at the Grand Lagoi Hotel in Bintan Resorts. The collaboration aims to enhance the visibility and appeal of Bintan Island, positioning it as a top choice for Indian travellers and welcome them to enjoy the island’s plethora of offerings. Leveraging VFS Global’s extensive network across India in all major and secondary cities, along with its strong connections with businesses, media, and corporate entities, the partnership is expected to boost tourism from India to Bintan Island. Bintan Resorts is committed to showcasing the island’s rich tourism potential, from its captivating culinary offerings to its high-quality services and warm hospitality focused on comfort. These elements are anticipated to make Bintan Island an irresistible destination for Indian travellers. “We are excited to partner with VFS Global to introduce the beauty and charm of Bintan Island to the Indian market,” said Abdul Wahab, Chief Operating Officer of Bintan Resorts. “This collaboration will elevate Bintan’s status as a must-visit destination for Indian tourists. We eagerly look forward to welcoming more visitors from India and offering them the exceptional experiences that only Bintan Island can provide,” added Wahab. The partnership will launch a targeted marketing campaign in major Indian cities, aiming to position Bintan as a prime travel destination, alongside Singapore. It will feature an innovative dual-destination strategy, with a captivating tagline highlighting Bintan’s unique attractions from …

Underlining the challenges in attracting more FTAs, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, MOT, says, “We need to understand how we can ramp up air connectivity and ease the visa process for foreign tourists. We also need to work on the cost of reaching India as it is also one of the entry barriers for inbound tourists.”

On a visit to India to promote the destination, H.E. Azzan Qassim Mohamed Al Busaidi, Under Secretary, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, revealed, “Last year we saw an increase of 70% in visitors from India and we are expecting this growth to continue. In fact, the first five months have already seen a healthy growth with 260,000 visitors from India. Our campaign is targeting different cities in India.”

According to the global authority on the economic and social contribution of travel and tourism – WTTC, taxes provide an opportunity to help fund necessary changes in travel and tourism infrastructure. However, any taxes levied should be used to stimulate and promote economic growth and job creation in the sector. It says that well-designed tourism taxes can be both practical and meaningful tools in the sustainable management of a destination’s resources and the development of tourism infrastructure.

Building momentum on its digital-first strategy, Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have launched a Customer Self-Service (CSS) holiday app. Available for both iOS and Android users, the app offers customers a seamless end-to-end post-booking experience. Traditionally, the post booking process was time-consuming and stressful for customers – involving coordinating for various elements including visas (getting details on documents required, visa forms, processing time and tracking), flights, hotel vouchers, itinerary, attractions, invoices and receipts. Hence, Thomas Cook and SOTC’s innovative CSS app will now serve to empower customers with a convenient, easy-to-access interface – making their post-booking experience simple and intuitive. Having piloted the CSS app in April 2024, the app has seen significant enhancements and currently enjoys a strong customer adoption of 50%.

Disney Cruise Line is unveiling all-new details about one of the seven themed areas aboard the Disney Adventure, which will set sail from Singapore in 2025. Disney Imagination Garden, the central hub of the ship, will be an immersive, enchanted valley inspired by 100 years of heroic and heartwarming Disney adventures. The colorful landscapes of Disney Imagination Garden will transport guests into the pages of well-loved Disney stories alongside their favorite characters. The vibrant, open-air garden will be set against a three-deck-tall, stunning storybook castle art piece, a first-of-its-kind onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship. The space will also include a state-of-the art theatrical stage that will bring beloved Disney stories to life, two quick-service eateries, an alluring bar and a selection of garden-view staterooms.   “Disney Imagination Garden is the heart and soul of the Disney Adventure, where our guests will interact with our Disney, Pixar and Marvel stories in a whole new way,” said Laura Cabo, portfolio executive creative director, Walt Disney Imagineering. “The size and scale of this space provided us with so many opportunities to dream big and try new things with our experiential design, creating first-of-a-kind experiences for our guests, from all-new entertainment to delicious dining and lots of magical surprises sprinkled throughout. Rooted in the rich legacy of Disney storytelling, we’re creating an area that will open doors to new adventures and encourage guests to create magic of their own.”   Disney Imagination Garden is one of seven uniquely themed areas on the Disney Adventure, each teeming with incredible characters and unique experiences. The other areas include Disney Discovery Reef, San Fransokyo Street, Wayfinder Bay, Town Square, Marvel Landing and Toy Story Place. More details about …

A total of 415 deals (comprising mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and venture financing deals) were announced in the travel and tourism sector during January to July 2024, which was a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 10.4% compared to the 463 deals announced during the same period in 2023, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Deal activity remained a mixed bag across different regions and countries, with some of them experiencing a fall in deal volume, while others showcasing improvement. And the same was the case with the deal types under coverage as well.” A significant part of the decline was driven by North America, which saw its deal volume fall by 30.9% during January-July 2024 compared to January-July 2023. Asia-Pacific and South and Central American regions also showcased YoY decline of 16.3% and 42.9% in deal volume during January-July 2024, respectively. However, Europe saw YoY improvement in deal volume by 16.8% during the review period as some of the key markets in the region witnessed growth in the number of deals, whereas deal volume for the Middle East and Africa mostly remained at the same level. Meanwhile, key markets including the US, South Korea, China, Australia, and France witnessed a 30.4%, 5.6%, 50%, 27.8% and 45% decline in deal volume during January-July 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year. However, markets such as the UK, India, Japan, Spain, and Germany experienced improvement in deal volume during the review period. An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database also revealed that the volume of M&A deals declined by 6.6% during January-July 2024 compared to January-July 2023, whereas the number of venture financing deals fell by 25.4% YoY. …