With the view to reinforce its presence in the India market, visit.brussels has successfully concluded roadshows in Delhi and Mumbai on 5th September and 8th September respectively with the attendance of over 150 key partners, luxury agentsand media. In the midst of beers, waffles, fries and delicious chocolates, the partners from Belgium and representatives from Visit Brussels opened their pandora boxes to reveal the latest offerings of the country. The program in Mumbai also focused on the student program for Belgium, which was attended by guests from schools and universities in India. The roadshow in Delhi was organized at the residence of H.E. Mr. Didier Vanderhasselt, the Belgium Ambassador to India. Whereas, the workshop in Mumbai was held at a leading prominent hotel in Lower Parel and was graced by our Chief Guest H.E. Frank Geerkens, Consul General of Belgium in Mumbai accompanied by Trade Commissioner, Emmanuelle Timmermans (AWEX) and Mr. Fatih Karakoc, the General Manager Turkish Airlines for Western and Southern India. The delegation was led by Pieter Callebaut, International Business Developer, visit.brussels, in both the cities. The key delegates present were the spokesperson for visit.brussels, Pieter Callebaut, Philippe Steenbergen (Mini-Europe), Peggy Van Lierde (Choco Story Brussels), Tania Ter-Ossepiantz & Maarten Evenepoel (Brussels Airport), Eric Bruyninckx (Atomium), Jean-Marcel Thomas& Xhandros Molho (Euro Space Centre) and Ratna Rai (Amigo Hotel). While presenting the City of Brussels’ reimagined offerings, Pieter Callebaut, said, “India is a very important market for us because of the potential it holds. Though the tourism from India to Brussels is still in the recovery phase, we are actively implementing strategies to increase the city’s appeal amongst Indian travellers. The roadshows were great opportunities for visit.brussels to reconnect …

Atlys has raised USD 12 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India) and Elevation Capital. The round also saw participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Musical Duo Chainsmokers, South Park Commons, Pinterest Founders and other investors. The funds raised will be used to expand the platform’s product offerings for travellers, attract customers, and further strengthen the team through talent acquisition. Atlys had previously raised a USD 5 million seed round in 2021. The world is rapidly moving towards e-visas. Over 60% of countries have already adopted e-visas, and more have announced their plans to move to e-visas in the near future. Atlys is at the forefront of this shift and offers a world-class experience for travellers across the globe. With Atlys, travellers can easily apply for visas through the digital platform from anywhere in the world and get their visas on time. As an avid traveller himself, Mohak Nahta, founder of Atlys, found the visa process to be tedious, uncertain and not at all traveller-friendly. He realised that the solution had to be digital and set out to build an app, which led to the launch of Atlys. “Our USP is to transform a process riddled with anxiety into one with certainty. By leveraging over a million data points, we’re able to predict when you’re going to get a visa, reduce visa rejection rates, and we have built the tech to make that happen.” Mohak Nahta, founder, Atlys He added, “We believe every Indian should have the opportunity to travel anywhere without the burden of complex visa processes. Atlys can help Indians get visas on time to over 100 countries and …

Rajnish Kaistha, Senior Vice President and Chairman of the convention said that we have overwhelming response from the members and we  expect about 900-1000 delegates from all over the country to participate which will include senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and States, industry leaders, tourism and hospitality professionals, travel trade media. 

Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas informed that Kerala attracted 1,06,83,643 visitors from within the country in the first six months of this calendar year as compared to 88,95,593 in the corresponding period last year, clocking a robust 20.1 per cent increase, setting a record in domestic tourist footfall.

The Ministry of Tourism is launching a national competition on ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ to identify best practices and case studies aligned with the five priorities of the G20 Goa roadmap, which have successfully been implemented by states, destinations and industry stakeholders, and can be replicated and scaled up across the country. The competition will be launched on World Tourism Day on September 27. 

Manisha Saxena, DG, Tourism, has said that India just hosted the G20 summit, and offered a plethora of experiences to foreign delegates and ministers. “It is the right time to make use of that infrastructure and experiences, to attract tourists and organise MICE conferences in many cities of the country,” she added. 

More than 315,000 Indian travellers visited the Sultanate of Oman from January till June 2023. The Indian tourists were the second highest travellers to visit Oman. Apart from India, the top four nationalities, which visited the Sultanate of Oman during the period included 698,000 from the GCC countries, 91,000 from Germany, 66,000 from China and 52,000 from Yemen. The total number of travellers arriving in the Sultanate numbered 1.9 million, while more than four million travellers departed the Sultanate until the end of June. While the percentage of increase of Omani visitors from the total number of outbound visitors was over 66 per cent till June 2023, more than 126,000 Omanis departed the Sultanate till the same month as compared to the same month last year. Oman’s domestic tourists departed for various destinations after staying put at one place following the pandemic. Inbound visitors from the GCC countries numbered 147,819 till June 2023, while they were 153,422 in the corresponding month of last year. Other Arabs numbered 32,276 till June 2023, while they were less in number due to COVID restrictions at 21,858 in June 2022. Until the end of June 2023, 3-5-star hotels earned a revenue of 11 million Omani Rials from as many as 943,000 hotel guests.

Housed in a modern glass and steel structure, Oxygen Dining Room at Cross Chiang Mai Riverside is flanked on one side by several towering 120-year-old tamarind trees and by the Ping river on the other. The award-winning restaurant provides an elegant escape for discerning diners who crave Thai fusion cuisine with a twist of French technic style. Here we catch up with Executive Chef Wathit “Khem” Rungrojwattana to find out more about his cooking philosophy, inspirations and thoughts on experimental dining experiences. Chef Khem’s first understanding of how a kitchen works goes back to his childhood when, as an 8-year-old, he would assist his father in the family’s small Chinese restaurant in Nakhon Ratchasima. “You could say I didn’t decide to be a chef because I was actually raised as one. I basically grew up in the kitchen helping my father. While other kids had text books in their backpacks, a hot wok, knives and a cutting board were my school supplies. I am grateful for my upbringing as I love what I am doing and I am what I am today thanks to my first teacher – my dad.” Having navigated his way through school and university, finishing with a Bachelor’s Degree of Management from Rajabhat University, Chef Khem trained at the One-Michelin Star Het Gabar Restaurant, Antwerp, Belgium with one of his inspirations, Chef Roger Van Damme. He then went on to increasingly challenging roles as Commis Chef and Demi Chef at Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, then as Sous Chef at Anantara Chiang Mai followed by Sous Chef at U Nimman Chiangmai before taking over the kitchen at Cross Hotels & Resorts’ Cross Chiang Mai Riverside. …

According to consumer travel spend priorities research by Outpayce, travellers expect to spend significantly more on international travel during the coming year with average expected spend of US$3,422, an increase of US$753 per consumer, or 28%, compared to last year.   

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) will hold its national AGM as well as elections for the new term on September 2, 2023 in Mumbai. This will take place after all regional and chapter elections are over and new teams have been appointed.