Tourism Australia has launched a Virtual Travel Fair, Discover a Great Deal More, that provides Indian travellers with the opportunity to explore attractive deals on holidays to Australia, for a limited period. In addition to airfares, travellers can also view competitive prices on holiday packages and other tourism products and experiences. The campaign aims to facilitate aviation recovery and help Australian tourism return to pre-COVID levels. As part of the campaign, Tourism Australia has partnered with six major airlines including Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Sri Lankan Airlines, Scoot and Thai Airways to offer all-inclusive, return economy-class airfares to Australia starting from just Rs. 48,300*. The sale is valid until 12 May 2022 with a travel validity of up to 31 March 2023 and will be further amplified by Tourism Australia’s key distribution partners and Aussie Specialist agents. Promoted across targeted digital and social media platforms this initiative will help to drive the recovery of tourism, with increased arrivals to Australia, as well as increased bookings on partner airlines and on tourism products, while travellers gain access to great deals. The previous versions have recorded over 100,000 bookings for partner airlines. Commenting on the sale, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India and Gulf, Tourism Australia said, “Australia remains an incredibly desirable destination for visitors from India and we are always exploring avenues to keep offering great value on Australian holiday experiences to our Indian travellers. There is a huge pent-up demand for travel to Australia amongst Indian High Value Travellers, and we are confident that this campaign will offer a compelling reason for travellers to book their next holiday to Australia.” Pre-Covid, India was Australia’s fastest growing inbound tourism market for …

Directorate of Tourism (DoT), Govt. of Maharashtra,   has issued letters to all the 6 Regional Officers (ROs) and 33 Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officers (CEO) instructing maximum participation from villages in Maharashtra in UNWTO Best Tourism Village Awards. As per the letters issued, applications for participating in the contest have to be submitted before 15th May, 2022, in English. To be eligible , a village must: Have a low population density and a maximum of 15,000 inhabitants Be located in a landscape with an important presence of traditional activities such as agriculture, forestry, livestock or fishing Share community values and lifestyle Villages can apply in any of the three categories mentioned by UNWTO: Best Tourism Villages Upgrade Programme Best Tourism Villages Network The online applications received will be evaluated on basis of the following areas: Cultural and Natural Resources Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration Governance and Prioritization of Tourism Infrastructure and Connectivity Health, Safety and Security Milind Borikar, Director, Directorate of Tourism (DoT) informed, “We have given instructions to appoint officers/staff at Panchayat Samiti level to help villages in filling the online applications. Last year when UNWTO had launched this award, Pochampally village of Telangana had bagged it. This year we are trying for maximum number of participants from Maharashtra.” For more information, please visit www.unwto.org/tourism-villages/en/

Sharing details of this session, Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI, says, “The focus is to explain the nuances of TCS, FEMA and a few other laws and regulations which perhaps not all our members are familiar with. So sometimes they make an error which can have grievance consequences. So we are getting very senior experts from Jayantilal Thakkar & Co in the field to come and talk to our members and educate them and make them aware of what they need to be careful about when conducting business.”

Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have been appointed Preferred Sales Agents (PSA) for the Indian market by Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates Airlines. With a strong focus on India, the partnership intends to target India’s Leisure, Business and B-Leisure segments with a portfolio of both ready-to-book and personalised air-inclusive holidays across Emirates’ global network of more than 120 destinations. Thomas Cook & SOTC’s strategic omnichannel model offers extensive touchpoints to customers:  India’s largest retail holiday network and B2B distribution (across its owned stores, Partner franchise outlets and Preferred Sales Agents) coupled with the companies’ website and call centres. Customers and Agent Partners booking an Emirates Holidays with Thomas Cook India and SOTC can enjoy Emirates’ flight services with all Emirates Holidays bookings. Further, customers can avail complimentary meet and greet service at Dubai International Airport (for Dubai destination) as well as 20% bonus Emirates Skywards miles for their bookings. Customers can also enjoy additional benefits such as complimentary upgrades on meal and room plans during their journey. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) said, “Being appointed the Preferred Sales Agents (PSA) for Emirates Holidays in India is a special win for us. This partnership reflects the confidence of Emirates Holidays in our leadership brands, the strength of our consumer base and our extensive reach across B2C and B2B segments, pan India. With India positioned as one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets, the announcement of our partnership is perfectly timed: the reopening of India’s skies ushering in revival and growth of tourism. Thomas Cook India offers customers and trade partners, the convenience and ease of …

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia expects more domestic and international flights in a month and said the new UDAN scheme will provide last mile connectivity using helicopters and small aircraft is in the making. He said that regional connectivity is the focus of the government, with provision of last mile connectivity, adding that UDAN is a mission to connect every single citizen, and make flights accessible to common man.

For the first quarter of 2022, international flight bookings to Southeast Asia overall have increased and have showed upward trajectory with the Philippines taking the lead by achieving 42% of its international bookings in the first quarter of 2019 prior COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines and Thailand were among the earliest countries in Southeast Asia to reopen their borders, and travellers are already clamouring to visit. In the first quarter of 2022, these two countries alone represent over half (51%) of all international flight bookings to the region.

A rise in dark tourism—where travelers visit historical sites of death and disaster—is creating ethical challenges for authorities, according to GlobalData. The data and analytics company notes that site managers should tread carefully to avoid trivializing the event being memorialised. The report reveals that the ethical implications is one of four main challenges for dark tourism, alongside keeping experiences authentic, over tourism, and questions over integrating technology. Steps should be taken to ensure that the tours are responsible and educational. For instance, the 9/11 Ground Zero Museum Workshop hosts student and educational tours on a regular basis.

This summer, World Architecture Travel (WAT) will take guests on an exuberant self-driven tour through the landlocked country in the heart of Balkans. This less-explored beauty of a place reveals many untold stories, cultures and ethnicities as you pass by. It’s chaotic past and the hustling present is just a flight away. From Belgrade’s world-class nightlife to the diverse cultures of Kladovo, Nis, Novisad, explore Serbia in all its glory. Watch the landscapes unfurl as you drive by the Danube River. The food and the exotic cuisines adds to the magic of this trip. Drive on your own and start your adventure with an experienced team of travelers.  Explore the country like never before, in the comfort of premium cars and excellent hotels. Embark on an unforgettable 7-day trip road trip and drive at your own pace with a route map guide, a fully equipped luxury cars with all mechanical support and necessary backup across Serbia. This drive is over 1500 Km in about 7 days through the natural sceneries. An experienced team shall brief you at the beginning of each day and will be present on route for any assistance throughout the travel.

On 11th April 2022, Spree opened a new resort Yantra Resort by Spree. Located in the prime location of the city just 3.5 Km away from Ooty Bus Stand. Spree Hospitality lists more than a million customers, 30 operating properties, 974 keys including hotels, resorts, clubhouses, and guest houses across India. The properties focus on modern decor, a full-service, cutting-edge technology, and a deep respect for the environment into the experience that it carefully crafts for its customers. Spree Hospitality remains profitable even during the pandemic, as it boasts a debt-free, cash surplus and an asset-light portfolio- a rarity in the hospitality sector. The new property Yantra Resort by Spree at Ooty provides an open lawn , bonfire, badminton court, restaurants, indoor game room, banquet hall and rose garden. This resort has 31 rooms with heater facilities. Their premium rooms provide fireplace along with jacuzzi.

Malaysia has finally lifted sanctions on its border on 1st April 2022, marking the end of travelling restrictions into the country. Leveraging this new development, Tourism Malaysia has decided to embark on its first roadshow to six major cities in India from 18th until 30th April 2022, after more than two years of hiatus. The roadshow kicked off in Delhi, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The mission is headed by Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of the International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) together with Malaysia’s tourism fraternity which consists of three Malaysia-based airlines, 22 travel agents, four hoteliers, and four product owners. India remains and has been one of the top market sources for Malaysia and has contributed 735,309 arrivals (+22%) in 2019. Apart from its objective to instil confidence among Indians to feel safe to visit Malaysia once again, the roadshow aims to provide a platform for the industry community to bounce back and steer the tourism sector back to its former glory, if not better. “This is the right time to be back in India, and planning for this roadshow is very opportune. The resumption of scheduled international flights from India coincides with the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders,” said Manoharan. “We are thrilled and enthusiastic to welcome Indian travellers back on exciting, new value-driven and action-packed itineraries to witness the best and latest of what Malaysia has to offer. There is so much to explore after two years, especially with the newly opened outdoor theme park, Genting SkyWorlds, the wedding venues such as refurbished Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, Desaru Coast situated on Eastern Coast of Johor, Lexis Hotels and Resorts at Port Dickson …