Union Minister of State for Tourism, Suresh Gopi said that Tripura should come forward with a competitive mindset and advised to utilise time properly from September to March as it has been identified as peak tourism hour in the state. The government is focusing and working on different schemes for spiritual and adventure tourism and asked Tripura to work in this direction. “Tripura can be marked as a model in the entire country if the state approaches in this direction”, he said.  

WTTC projects that Travel & Tourism will contribute almost INR 21.15 trillion to the Indian economy in 2024, an increase of 21% from 2019. Jobs are predicted to increase by 2.45 million this year, equivalent to one in 11 jobs in India. International visitor spending is expected to grow more than 17%, to reach INR 2.85 trillion, while domestic visitor spending is projected to continue growing this year, with a 9.6% increase to reach more than INR 16 trillion. 

Volare, ITA Airways’ loyalty program, is proud to announce the launch of its Status Match campaign, dedicated to frequent flyers outside Italy. This initiative allows members in foreign markets with loyalty program status from 19 airlines to directly access one of the higher Clubs of the Volare program and its exclusive benefits, depending on their current status. Additionally, frequent flyers who request and receive approval for a Status Match will be awarded 10,000 qualifying Volare points. The Volare Status Match campaign runs from today to August 19, 2024, and is open to all Volare members who registered with a residence address outside of Italy. To participate, members must: • Be member of the Volare program or Volare AVVENTURA. • Hold a frequent flyer card from one of the 19 airlines in the list at a level higher than the entry level of Volare. • Not have participated in previous Volare Status Match campaigns. Volare is designed for maximum simplicity and flexibility in earning and spending points. The program features four Exclusive Clubs: Club Smart (entry-level), Club Plus, Club Premium, and Club Executive, each offering various benefits such as extra baggage allowance, priority boarding and check-in, and dedicated customer service. Through commercial partnerships, Volare offers a wide range of services and products from ITA Airways and its partners. Members can earn points with every purchase on ITA Airways flights and through airlines partners or commercial partners services, allowing them to upgrade to higher Clubs and enjoy even more premium services. The advantages increase with status, both in terms of multipliers and services. Launched in March 2022, Volare now features over 2,1 million members worldwide. The program is built on the values …

 JrnyOn, which is a first-of-its-kind multi-day experiential travel company in India, has announced seven experiential journeys led by domain experts to be conducted from September to December 2024. These journeys have been curated in partnership with carefully hand-picked Maestros who are passionate subject matter experts. JrnyOn has worked with these influencers to curate travel itineraries around their expertise so as to transform the travelers’ journey with the Maestros into an insightful adventure. The upcoming journeys will be led by Chef Thomas Zacharias aka Chef TZac, Masterchef Nambie Marak, Chef Sapna Anand, MasterChef Aruna Vijay,ace travel photographer Hari Menon, Callisthenics coach & surfer Anupama Shivacharya and biking influencer Atul Warrier. Regarding the upcoming Maestro Jrnys, JrnyOn’s Founder Sanjith Mukund said, “JrnyOn’s experiences are curated for travellers passionate about their interests and Maestro Jrnys are a way to dive into their chosen worlds with well-known experts by their side. These influencers or Maestros are the soul of the experiences; we are here to help transform their vision into their dream journey and bring them together with their audience. Our Maestro Jrnys are built keeping in mind that many of our audiences are solo travellers or couples and are looking to join like-minded strangers and build lasting friendships while traveling. Everyone is invited!” ‘MasterChef Aruna’s Madurai and Chettinad: A Culinary Trail’ will be a treat for foodies who want to unravel the secrets of the vegetarian cuisine of Madurai and Chettinad regions of Tamil Nadu beyond dosas and idlis. MasterChef Aruna Vijay is well-known for her expertise in vegetarian cuisine, especially South Indian dishes. She will accompany the group of travellers on this culinary and cultural exploration from October 17 – 20, 2024. Chef Thomas Zacharias, popularly known as Chef TZac, …

KB Kachru, President, HAI, said, “There is a long queue of hotels to be classified. Unless they are classified and approved by the MOT, they cannot reap the benefits. Hence, we should look at the possibilities of creating a much better system for classification, so that whatever benefits are sanctioned by the government, investors and developers can get those promptly.”

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, DIAL, said, “We need to increase that capacity of the Delhi airport because we expect that the passenger growth will be at least 8-10 per cent. We have to be ahead of the curve. Last year, the airport handled close to 20 million international passengers. We have a capacity of 22 million and that is only a headroom of 10 per cent.” 

Highlighting the future prospects, Union Civil Aviation Minister, Kinjrapu Rammohan Naidu stated, “Our vision is to transform India into a leading aviation hub. The Indian MRO industry is projected to become a $4 billion industry by 2030. This policy change is a crucial step towards building a strong ecosystem for MRO services, driving innovation, and ensuring sustainable growth.” 

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said, “India’s Travel & Tourism sector is bouncing back with remarkable vigour, driven by a surge in domestic tourism. The Indian government’s ambition to facilitate 100 million inbound tourists at the anniversary of India’s independence in 2047, as part of the @2047 ambition, will supercharge the Indian economy and make India one of the world’s most popular travel destinations.” 

Tamil Nadu Travel Expo will be held in Madurai from 20 to 22 September this year at Grand Madurai by GRT Hotels. One of the important aspects and focus of the expo will be to turn Tamil Nadu into a favoured destination for weddings. Nearly 250 people from across the country and abroad will take part in the expo. 

Rajesh Magow, Co-founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip said, “Online travel agents (OTAs) in India are struggling with the challenging requirement of obtaining state-wise GST registrations. Allowing OTAs to register in State(s) through their central head office would significantly alleviate these burdens, streamline operations, and enhance efficiency. This requirement puts national OTAs at a disadvantage compared to international competitors who are not subjected to similar regulations.”