Ministry of Tourism will organize its first Tourism Working Group meeting from 7-9 February 2023 in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Secretary of Tourism, Arvind Singh said that in G20, there are 5 interrelated priority areas for tourism. Accordingly, the thrust will be on these five priority areas i.e. greening of the tourism sector, harnessing the power of digitisation, empowering youth with skills, nurturing tourism MSMEs/ startups, and rethinking the strategic management of destinations. 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, has informed that they are doing an Adventure Tourism summit during G20 as a side event. “The idea behind this summit will be to bring the focus of all international operators to India and show them the products in adventure. We are planning to bring 100 overseas operators for the same and ATOAI is working on the details for the same,” he said. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath launched a new global gateway for the state with the inauguration of the first VFS Global Joint Visa Application Centre (JVAC) and the VFS Global Academy in Lucknow. This spacious and comfortable facility equipped with modern amenities and services will have the capacity of processing approximately 1.2 lakh applications a year and will be of immense benefit to the citizens of Uttar Pradesh, who till now had to travel to other cities like New Delhi to submit their visa applications. 

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, has said that the TCS being increased to 20% will hamper our business and at the same time there is going to be a huge deficiency in government revenue as people would prefer to either book through foreign tour operators or foreign OTAs to save GST and TCS both. “At present as well, outbound tour operators and government of India is losing revenue on the same grounds,” he added. 

The Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) in collaboration with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) organized a six-day Disaster Management Course from 30th January 2022 to 4th February 2023 at 8 Battalion, NDRF, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh for adventure guides. The adventure guides from across the country successfully completed the 6-day course on Disaster Management, Search & Rescue, First Aid & CPR, Fire Safety, Water Emergencies, Snake & Animal Bites, Group Exercises / Leadership, communication skills and related topics. The adventure guides were awarded certificates on completion of the course by Commandant Praveen Kumar Tiwary, Commandant 8th Battalion NDRF. The adventure guides were also made honorary wardens for keeping ‘the great outdoors’ pristine and to ensure that ATOAI safety guidelines are followed in letter and spirit. Commandant Praveen Kumar Tiwary says “NDRF is known for its professional acumen in the field of disaster response and rescue operations. This course is going to be a force multiplier for the participants. The people associated with adventure sports are passionate and having tremendous set of skills. This course is certainly going to help them in their future endeavours. The training imparted in this course will enable them to respond effectively in trying times”. Speaking to the adventure guides at NDRF Mr. Ajeet Bajaj, President, ATOAI said “ATOAI has always endeavoured to be a ‘Force for Good’ for our country and tried to pitch in during natural disasters. This is the value system ATOAI stands for and these training sessions will enable adventure guides who are trained professionals and spread across the country, to be force multipliers for rescue and support during natural disasters. This will also up-skill adventure professionals/ guides in providing …

The Philippines is a country full of beautiful scenery, abundant natural resources, and welcoming people. Here, everybody is welcome to be part of the fun from the captivating coastlines to the creative native crafts, to the unique gastronomic experience, you will find the kind of fun that is uniquely yours. There is always something fun to discover. Festivals in the Philippines are an integral aspect of the local culture, known for their grand, vibrant celebrations. There are plenty of festivals which are celebrated in the beautiful country Major festivals include the Ati-atihan, Dinagyang and Sinulog festivals in Akian, Iloilo and Cebu respectively. They are one/two day events primarily for the domestic market – have international appeal. Here’s a list of festivals to keep a lookout for while planning your trip to the Philippines.   Buyogan Festival – Buyog (bees) dancers depict the origin of the town’s name in a well-choreographed dance/ festival. It has environmental preservation dimension importance of bees in nature preservation and man’s health. Dinagyang Festival – Dinagyang Festival is one of the biggest and world-class festivals in the Philippines. It traces the history of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus popularly known to Filipino devotees as Sr. Sto. Nino. The festival also commemorates the arrival of the Malay settlers and the legendary barter of Panay Island from the natives called called Ati. Karatong Festival – Karatong is the Waray (a native of and language in Leyte) word for bamboo. During the olden times, way before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the people in Dulag used bamboos to warn the town if there were enemies, such as pirates and tribes, who wanted to invade their lands. They …

In regard to the recent developments for travel to Thailand and to update the Indian travel media on current protocols for foreign tourists looking to visit Thailand, H.E. Ms. Pattarat Hongtong, Ambassador of Thailand to India met with the media on 31st January 2023 at the Ambassador’s Residence, New Delhi.  Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in New Delhi also joined the session. In a meeting, H.E. Ambassador gave a briefing about bilateral relations between Thailand and India in particular the tourism sector and followed by tourism updates in Thailand by Director of TAT New Delhi. • Tourism industry is a major contributor to the country’s economy, roughly 18% of total GDP of Thailand. Related businesses and employment such as hotel and accommodation, transportation service, restaurants and etc. benefit from this sector. • The bilateral relations between Thailand and India have steadily grown, with increasing numbers of exchanges of high-level visits and meetings, as well as bilateral trade reaching a new record at 17.7 billion USD in 2022. • In 2022, international tourists reached over 11 million. Among these numbers, Indian tourists have become the 2nd largest group of tourists arriving by air last year with the number of almost 1 million, while Malaysian ranks No. 1 and Singapore No. 3. We hope that the number of Indian tourists could return to 1.4 million this year. • Covid-19 situation in Thailand since October 2022 is stable with less cases. People continue to practice good hygiene. Travel and hospitality businesses in Thailand continue to follow the guidelines and standard of “Safety and Health Administration” or SHA certification. • The Thai government together with TAT and related private sectors …

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) launched its “Season’s Greetings from Germany” online campaign a few days ago. In addition to Christmas markets in smaller and larger cities, the focus is on typical German traditions and winter activities in the countryside. Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO): “For many years, German cities and regions have been in high demand. This is underlined by the latest results of the Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2022: “Historic Buildings”, “Vibrant Cities”, “Contemporary Culture” and “Cultural Heritage” are particularly influential in shaping our image among potential travelers to Germany. Season’s Greetings from Germany’ promotes itself to International travelers and our neighboring countries with authentic experiences, also in rural areas. In line with our strategic orientation, we have presented the various Christmas offers on the campaign website, above all from a sustainability perspective.” The “Season’s Greetings from Germany” campaign is now being rolled out internationally via social media, programmatic advertising, audio streaming, e-mail marketing and search engines. The heart of the campaign is the landing page www.germany.travel/en/christmas with selected Christmas markets, sustainable offers, outdoor activities, and as well as traditional customs for which Germany is known worldwide. Christmas recipes to bake and various Christmas playlists, as well as a a winter tour of Germany as a podcast provide additional inspiration for potential guests for additional inspiration. Mentioning of the Christmas, Mr. Romit Theophilus, Director, Sales & Marketing, India said, ‘‘Christmas Markets in Germany are an incredible and celebrated tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Every year, different German towns and cities hold these events that tourists from India also attend. The delectable aromas of hot chestnuts, grilled sausages, and glühwein, coupled with the …

Turkiye has emerged as the 3rd biggest tourism market in the world, as it welcomed 51.4 Million international visitors in the year 2022. According to the latest data, Turkiye’s tourism revenues reached USD 46.3 billion, which is an excellent comeback after the pandemic as the revenue increased by 19% compared to 2019. According to sources, Turkiye has become one of the world’s most popular MICE and FIT tourism destinations. In 2022, the country hosted the highest number of visitors from the Russian Federation, Germany, and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, India was not far behind in their contribution to Turkiye’s tourism sector as the country welcomed over 2,32,000 visitors from India, surpassing all the previous records. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, said, ” By the end of 2022, the global tourism visitor data recovered by 65% compared to the pre-pandemic period, but Türkiye has almost reached its pre-pandemic numbers. Our growth in tourism revenues is even more impressive; in 2022, Türkiye’s tourism revenues reached a record-breaking $46.3 billion, with an increase of 19% compared to 2019. These results certify that Türkiye had a great comeback after the pandemic, and we are confident to bring 90 million tourists and achieve $100 billion in tourism revenues by the end of 2028.” After the pandemic, Turkiye made a strong recovery and ranks as the sixth most popular destination for tourists worldwide. The country aims to surpass all previous records in 2023 by hosting a significantly higher number of Indian tourists this year. About Turkiye Located in the Mediterranean and connecting Asia and European continents that are separated by the famous Bosporus, Turkiye is a destination that welcomes …

With an aim to maintain strong visibility in India, Saudi has announced an exciting lineup of trade engagements, including roadshows in major Indian cities and participation in prominent trade events. The strategy follows Saudi Tourism Authority’s (STA) ongoing efforts to increase awareness about Saudi as a unique, diverse, authentic tourism destination and ultimately, drive visits, as one of the key priority source markets for the country. Saudi is gearing up to take part in One World Travel Market (OTM) from 2nd -4th February 2023 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. This will be followed by two roadshows in Mumbai and Ahmedabad on 6th and 7th February, respectively. Saudi will also mark its presence at the 30th edition of South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), which will be held from 9th -11th February 2023 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. “India is a key source market for Saudi and over the past 18 months, we have both established and deepened relationships with key trade partners, to inspire them about the breadth and depth of the country’s offering and to reinforce our commitment to helping them grow their businesses,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, President – APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority. “The Saudi destination offering is unparalleled. Authentic Arabian culture, rich heritage, unique landscapes and a rapidly expanding entertainment and lifestyle scene is at the heart of what Saudi offers the Indian traveler and our role is to support our partners, to showcase the new, undiscovered experiences and unlock the wealth of opportunity the destination presents.” “These engagements are critical in helping us achieve our ambitious goals, to drive volume and growth. The roadshow and trade events will provide a platform to travel …