Poised for exponential growth after a pause, these two segments of travel are evolving like never before, with new expectations from ever-discerning customers. Listen to industry leaders from across the travel and tourism industry in both India and Singapore about what the industry needs to be equipped with in pursuit of travellers of tomorrow, at this exciting conclave organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), to be held in Mumbai on March 10, 2023.   WTTC President Julia Simpson famously announced last year that “the recovery of global tourism is going to be so stellar that it’s going to recover really powerfully”. According to forum, the global travel and tourism sectors are projected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. It is expected to post an annual average growth rate of 5.8% from 2022 to 2032 versus the 2.7% increase in global GDP.  Focus on cruise and MICE segments Businesses in the MICE travel sector have also pinned their hopes on 2023 as the year it truly bounces back. According to a GBTA survey, over three-fourths of global travel managers expect the number of business trips taken by employees to be higher, with 85% of travel suppliers expecting their corporate client bookings to be higher this year. Some travel industry experts from India say that it could account for well over a third of the total outbound travel from India. Singapore has been one of the earliest beneficiaries of the outbound revival in the region; India has been a very important MICE source market for Singapore, especially in the M&I space. Requirements of MICE travellers are also evolving, and they are looking for new ways to conduct their meetings, and …

The recent decision by Saudi Arabia and Oman to allow Israeli civilian overflights is a significant regional development that is already having a positive impact on the Israeli airline industry. Flights from Israel to the Far East will be much shorter as a result of the new air corridor, allowing airlines to offer more direct and efficient routes. El Al’s decision to fly over Saudi Arabia and Oman en route to Thailand is a historic moment for the Israeli national carrier, cutting the flight time from Tel Aviv to Bangkok from about ten and a half hours to just eight. This is expected to open up new opportunities for the airline in the region. El Al is expected to re-launch its route to India, which was closed during the pandemic. Arkia also announced plans to re-launch its routes to Goa and Cochin, which were closed in 2019, and is considering expanding its service to India and Sri Lanka. Israir has also announced its interest in opening a route of just five hours flight time to India. Overall, the new air corridor over Saudi Arabia and Oman is a boon to the Israeli airline industry, and it is expected to spur growth and innovation in the region’s aviation sector. The two-and-a-half-hour reduction in flight times from Israel to the Far East will also shorten flights on Israeli carriers to India, Sri Lanka, and Australia, among other destinations. This will almost certainly increase tourism and business travel to and from Israel. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israel has, in effect, become the main transit point between Asia and Europe. Israel is opening up to the East on an unprecedented scale.” Commenting …

Inspiring Vacations is organizing an exclusive webinar with destination experts on 3 March at 11am. The online event would allow travel trade to learn more about Europe Summer offers 2023. To register contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com, +919650196532 or go to https://event.webinarjam.com/register/511/3v7k1i17

The two-day upcoming Global Investors Summit beginning in Visakhapatnam on March 3 will witness the signing of MoUs worth ₹20,000 crore and more in tourism sector alone. Top brands in hotels, resorts, temple tourism, adventure sports, water sports, cruises and ropeways are expected to come up in different parts of the state to make Andhra Pradesh a major destination in south India. Several US brands too are looking at Andhra Pradesh for big investments in hotels and resorts.

Jitul Mehta, Chairman, Western India Chapter, TAFI, says, “TAFI is focusing a lot on domestic and Inbound tourist, as it is a good way to generate revenue for our members. There are lot of new domestic destinations and products training sessions in the pipeline. We recently showcased the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai to our members where they took a tour and learnt about the history of cinema.”  

Europamundo Vacaciones, the Spanish tour operator, is again at the forefront of the market by launching its new tour brochure full of new features and with thousands of travel options to choose from. Among these features, it is worth highlighting its duration in order to continue with the company’s commitment to the environment but also to guarantee the departures of the tours on the same days of the week throughout the season. Another great change that the company incorporates is the “From…” rates, a very positive and innovative point in this new reality that we live of dynamic prices. The rates can always be verified updated on the Europamundo Vacaciones website or, as always, by the travel agent. In addition, you can check the Offers and Super Offers that the company launches through the web and app. Lastly, we need to mention two considerable characteristics that make this brochure unique: Modernity and Interactivity. On each page of the brochure, you will find a QR code that you can scan to access a new interactive PDF for each brochure trip, and thus, have extensive information about each of the tours: itineraries, travel tips, photo and video gallery, quotation… New destinations include: New routes through Morocco never seen in the market that allow you to visit beautiful and rarely visited areas. Follow with Europamundo the unique Atlantic coast from Tangier to Agadir. Our great destination of 2023: exciting routes through Saudi Arabia. A destination that has been closed to tourism, opens now to offer us incredible contrasts that unite modernity and tradition. Visit it now with Europamundo: a unique, more authentic, less crowded destination. In addition, with Europamundo, there’s the opportunity to …

SOTC Travel inaugurated its new retail store in Anand. The new store will serve as a hub for nearby areas of Nadiad, Dakor and Khambhat as well, thus reiterating the Company’s strategic focus to expand its footprint in the state. Gujarat features as an important source market for SOTC Travel and offers the company a range of valuable segments like Gen Z/new age travellers, millennials/young professionals, families, couples and business owners/traders. The Company’s internal survey highlights insightful travel trends from Gujarat. A significant 70% of Gujaratis are keen to take a holiday and to cater this high potential market, SOTC Travel has introduced an array of offers like special Gujarati tours Gurjar Vishwadarshan, Early Bird discounts, complimentary cruise experience on Europe Holidays, ready to book and customized holidays. Customers are also displaying growing interest for experiential holidays, adventure holidays, domestic tours and cruises.  Daniel D’souza President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “Gujarat has been a strong source market for us at SOTC, and we continue to witness high uptick in demand. We are delighted to open our new franchise store in Anand that also caters to nearby locations of Nadiad, Dakor and Khambhat. The store is centrally located thus allowing us to target valuable segments like Gen Z/new age travellers, millennials/young professionals, families, couples and business owners/traders. Our expanded portfolio of holidays have something for everyone – from customized holidays to luxury and premium holidays, also group escorted tours.”

Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection, two highly respected destination management companies in the travel industry and a leading hospitality brand in Sri Lanka, are delighted to announce their collaboration with Ark Travels Group and the appointment of Ms.Anjum Lokhandwala as their representative in India. The signing of the agreement took place at the recently concluded SATTE event in Delhi, India. This strategic partnership aims to increase the visibility and appeal of Sri Lanka as a preferred tourist destination in India. Anjum Lokhandwala, Director of Ark Travels Group, has been tasked with marketing the products and services of Connaissance De Ceylan , Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection in India. She brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise in the travel and tourism industry and is excited about the new partnership. “Ark Travels Group is extremely elated with their association with such a prestigious brand and looks forward to servicing them and making it a success story for both companies” , said Ms.Anjum, Director of Ark Reps. “We are confident that this collaboration will help us to promote and better serve the booming Indian market and further strengthen our position as leading destination management companies/hospitality brand in Sri Lanka,” said Mr. Wickramasinghe, Chairman of Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection The partnership with Ark Travel Group and the appointment of Anjum Lokhandwala is a significant step for Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection in expanding their reach and tapping into the growing Indian tourism market. The companies are optimistic that this collaboration will bring mutual benefits and look forward to a successful partnership.

Continuing its ambitious and dynamic strategy of fleet and network expansion, Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has unveiled its summer schedule for 2023. The schedule specifies significant frequency increases on existing routes, and the addition of four destinations—representing a 60% increase in the number of flights from its hub in Muscat compared to the previous year. This will provide the market with approximately 60,000 more seats weekly across its network and provide greater convenience and connectivity for Oman Air guests. The four additional destinations being introduced for the summer schedule are: four-weekly flights from Muscat to Chittagong (from March end); four-weekly flights from Muscat to Maldives (from June end); twelve-weekly flights from Muscat to Lucknow and five-weekly flights between Muscat and Thiruvananthapuram (from August). Due to popular demand, the new summer schedule will see frequency increases to the following regions:   Far East Indian Sub-Continent Europe GCC Daily flights to Phuket (from March end, wide- body) Double-daily flights to Mumbai (from March end, wide-body) Daily flights to Moscow (from March end, wide- body) Double-daily flights to Kuwait (from June) Ten-weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur (from June) Double-daily flights to Chennai (from March end) Six-weekly flights to Paris (from March end) Five-daily flights to Salalah (from July)   Double-daily flights to Cochin (from March end) Daily flights to Trabzon (from March end)     Double-daily flights to Kozhikode (from March end) Double-daily flights to Istanbul (from June)     Double-daily flights to Hyderabad (from March end)       Daily flights to Dhaka (from March end, wide- body)     The expanded network and schedule for 2023 demonstrates Oman Air’s ongoing efforts to contribute to the …

Sapneal Rao has announced that he will bring his former company, Destination Masters LLP  Maldives and Mauritius portfolio under his existing company SSR Travel Solutions (SSRTS) which is present in the expanding DMC segment. Rao says, “On the successful completion of 13 robust years in the travel industry, it gives me immense pleasure to announce that the Destination Masters, LLP portfolio of Maldives and Mauritius, has now been amalgamated into his existing entity’s DMC vertical, renowned as SSR Travel Solutions (SSRTS).” Rao, a partner in a former company called Destination Masters LLP, conceptualized and started this partnership company pre-Covid and was instrumental in setting up the business and the B2B agency network for Maldives and Mauritius. Going forward, the dedicated team of SSR will now cater to three most sought-after island destinations under this vertical – Bali, Maldives and Mauritius. Rao says, “We will direct our efforts to deliver timely responses to queries and amplify our client servicing experience through maximum support and continue to retain the name of SSR’s legacy.” The company operates 3 B2B verticals which are representation, PSA and DMC/wholesaling. In a short span. the company has grown and is currently working with a large network of travel agents pan India and are continuously working towards adding more every month. They look forward to being your trusted source for booking B2B  Hotels and Packaged tours. Current wholesale and B2B business is currently focused under the below verticals:   BALI BALI  INBOUND  – SSRTS DMC   MALDIVES MALDIVES INBOUND – SSRTS DMC    MAURITIUS MAURITIUS INBOUND  – SSRTS DMC   REPRESENTATION VERTICAL  OMAN EIHAB TRAVELS LLC OMAN    KENYA WILDTREK SAFARI KENYA & TANZANIA    CRUISE PSA VERTICAL  CORDELIA CRUISES  CARNIVAL CRUISES