A large delegation from Oman, headed by His Excellency Salim Al Mahrouqi, the Minister of Heritage and Tourism, participated at the ITB Berlin 2023 in the German capital from 7–9 March 2023. A total of 38 exhibitors from local tour operators to tourism projects to hotels and Oman’s national carrier represented the Sultanate at ITB Berlin, meeting key industry partners from all over the world at the 378 square meters-Oman stand in hall 2.2b. “The show is a potent platform for showcasing a variety of offerings that Oman can provide in the growing tourism industry,” said His Excellency Salim Al Mahrouqi. The ITB Berlin 2023 saw a total of 5,500 exhibitors from 161 countries and more than 90,000 participants, confirming the strong demand for tourism around the globe. The Sultanate of Oman offers 5,000 years of history and rich culture, allowing guests to have trulyauthentic experiences and deep insights into the way of life of the Omanis. The country boasts diverse nature and landscapes with sceneries that will leave travellers speechless. From outdoor trips to secluded mountain areas to a family holiday on the beach to a city trip to the capital Muscat—the destination allows for varied experiences and activities and is suitable for a variety of holiday types. Oman’s strong image as a destination ‘sprung from the tales of 1001 Nights’ gives it a magical touch, while at the same time being a safe destination.

In anticipation of the surge of foreign tourists coming into the Philippines this summer season following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive for implementation of electronic visa systems, Department of Tourism (DOT), led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, initiated a high-level convergence meeting with the heads and representatives of agencies such as Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration to discuss visa reforms to ease entry to the country’s tourist source markets. The event is in continuation of the talks initiated by DOT since September 2022 with the concerned agencies to take up visa concerns for key tourism markets in the hope of finding solutions affecting the flow of entry of international tourists. Addressing tourism bottlenecks While the Secretary has recognized tourism achievements made last year as the Philippines ended 2022 with 2.65 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the targeted 1.7 million figures, she emphasized there are still bottlenecks, which prevent the Philippines from fully unlocking the global tourism potential. “For this reason, our President has issued the directive to various government agencies to explore how the bottlenecks to travel into the Philippines may be addressed. He indicated one of the ways by which travel into the Philippines may be fully opened, especially to important markets. We must also explore the provision of electronic visas (e-Visa),” she said, citing the President’s directive that government agencies must explore the provision of e-visas to Chinese and Indian nationals. Indian tourist market’s potential Emphasizing the importance of the Indian tourist market, the DOT stated 58 per cent of the total Indian visitors are repeat travellers. Thus, the need to continue the efforts to sustain …

EL AL is set to resume non-stop flight services from Delhi and Mumbai to Israel from late October 2023, after a three-year break. The overfly agreement with Saudi Arabia and Oman for Israeli airlines was recently finalized, allowing for a shorter flight duration of 5.5 hours for Mumbai and 6.5 hours for Delhi. The flight ticket sales starting in April 2023, starting at $399 for Lite tickets. EL AL will operate four non-stop weekly flights from Mumbai to Israel on the Boeing 737 with Economy and Business service classes, and two non-stop weekly flights to Delhi on either the Boeing 787 or 777, both wide-bodied aircraft. EL AL VP of Commerce and International Affairs, Shlomi Zafrani said:” We are excited to launch these new flight routes from India to Israel, which were made possible thanks to the overfly agreement with Oman. We anticipate there will be high demand for these flights due to vast business activity between the two countries, as well as constant growth in Indian tourism to Israel. Israel is a beloved vacation destination to the Indian people, whether it is a family-oriented trip or an organized group vacation”. Air India is scheduled to increase their frequencies from existing 3 daily flights per week to 5 daily flights per week from 26th March 2023. In addition, they will be starting to operate direct flights on the sectors from Mumbai and Bengaluru by June and Oct respectively with competitive prices. According to Sammy Yahia, “The new announcements from El Al and Air India will boost tourism from and to Israel. The new air corridor over Saudi Arabia and Oman is likely to stimulate growth in the aviation sector. The …

Vivek Shukla has been elevated to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group (A Bharat Hotels Ltd. Enterprise). A key member of the organisation’s senior leadership team, Shukla is responsible for product enhancement, driving key initiatives along with leading the overall business performance for the brand. He has been one of the core members of the Strategic Management Committee, a key management core group of the company to formulate strategies, oversee the operations, business and corporate affairs. Shukla has over 31 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry out of which 18 years have been with The Lalit Group. He joined The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group on April 2005 as a Resident Manager of InterContinental The Grand New Delhi (now The LaLiT New Delhi) and later took over as the General Manager in 2007. In his previous role as the Vice President – Operations of the company, he strategically led the Group’s Operations, Corporate Affairs and Governance. Shukla has successfully driven the company’s culture, vision and values by energising teams towards service and operational excellence. He has fostered Diversity, Equity and Inclusion culture by embracing, mainstreaming and skilling diverse teams. He also led the teams during the COVID by opening the hotel doors for Doctors and providing meals and provisions to the marginalised and underprivileged. Under his dynamic leadership, The LaLiT New Delhi has won over 60 awards including the prestigious Hall of Fame – National Tourism Award from the Ministry of Tourism, Conde Nast Traveller and Travel & Leisure awards, to name a few. An Alumni of Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition, Mumbai, he …

Japan is receiving global recognition for its sustainability and conservation efforts. The land of the rising sun is the top pick of respondents in Agoda’s Sustainable Impact Survey 2023 when asked to name markets that do well in terms of sustainability and conservation efforts. Japan is followed by Singapore and South Korea, with India appearing on the 9th position. Over thirteen thousand respondents from more than ten countries took part in the Sustainable Impact Survey 2023. When ranking countries based on their sustainability efforts, respondents were appreciative of their home countries’ conservation measures: participants from all markets placed theirs within the top three.  Seven out of eleven markets even gave their home country the highest rating, namely India, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, and Japan. The publication of the survey findings marks the start of Agoda’s Eco Deals campaign, which aims to raise USD 250,000 for WWF’s marine and forest conservation initiatives across India and Southeast Asia. ‘Sustainability on peoples’ minds’ “Sustainability is clearly on peoples’ minds, with many aware of the environmental measures being taken in their home markets as well abroad,” said Enric Casals, Regional Vice-President Southeast Asia and Oceania at Agoda. “In addition, travelers are looking for ways to minimize their ecological footprints while making a positive impact on the places they visit. Agoda’s Eco Deals program aims to facilitate this movement by giving travelers the opportunity to support conservation initiatives simply by booking an Eco Deal accommodation.” Eco Deals campaign aims to donate USD 250,000 to WWF’s marine and forest conservation initiatives This year, accommodation partners from Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and India join Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines from the 2022 Eco Deals campaign to participate. …

Vietnam Airlines is pleased to announce 3 additional  flights to their existing flight schedule of 4 flights a week, making it a Daily flight service between Delhi-Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City effective March 26, 2023. The new flight schedule provide non-stop flight services with 4 non-stop flights a week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday between Delhi & Hanoi and 3 non-stop flights every week on every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday between Delhi & Ho Chi Minh City, to meet the demand and facilitate travel between the two countries. With night departures from Delhi and early morning arrivals in Hanoi &/or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Airlines is fast becoming preferred Full Service Carrier for the discerning traveler to Vietnam.  The daily departures from Delhi will further enhance seamless connectivity to Japan, Korea, China, Australia and other international destinations on the airlines network. From To Flight# Days/Ops ETD ETA Delhi Hanoi VN 970 1,3,5,7 2335 0540+1 HAN DEL VN 971 1,3,5,7 1905 2205 Delhi Ho Chi Minh City VN 976 2,4,6 2335 0625+1 Ho Chi Minh City Delhi VN 977 2,4,6 1825 2205

Visiting the North Eastern states of India have always been a mesmerising experience. Sharing the travelogue, am glad indeed to see the Indian Railways historical decision to run Bharat Gaurav Train in North East starting from March 21st is a cherry on the cake for travellers & readers. And, anothercommendable decision of appointment of Principal Secretary Tourism, Mizoram as the Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is a welcome move.   To begin with, the North-eastern States are known for its evergreen hills and dense bamboo jungles; and, Mizoram is a beautiful commercially unexplored destination for tourists to visit. Called as the Land of Blue Mountains, the hills are accompanied by gushing rivers and high sparkling waterfalls. Mizoram offers travellers a calm, serene environment with exciting outdoor activities in its lush green surroundings which offer breath-taking landscapes. Although every place is picturesque in its own way, however, am pleased to share places which one must visit in Mizoram, be it an Indian travellers or from abroad: • The capital city of Aizawl lies at a height of 1132 m above sea level. It is a quaint city with a lush green vibrant landscape of the rolling hills. Among one of the oldest cities in the north eastern region of India, Aizawl is a perfect place to relax while enjoying the local delicacies and culture. Home to the Mizoram State Museum and few other tourist complexes, tourists can do a bit of sightseeing and shopping in the capital. Tourists may also enjoy a tour to the nearby hilly areas of Hmuifang, Tamdil Lake and Chanmari, which offer mesmerizing scenic landscapes. • Moving forward, a small town, located around 170 km …

Ujjain, the temple city, has been witnessing a massive influx of tourists since the opening of Mahakal Lok in November 2022. The Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee has reported a threefold increase in daily footfall, with over one lakh devotees visiting the temple on an ordinary day, and more than 1.5-2 lakh on weekends and holidays. Ujjain is also home to several historic monuments, including the Ujjain Fort, the Kaliadeh Palace, and the Ved Shala Observatory, which was one of the oldest observatories in India. The city is also known for its vibrant street markets, where visitors can shop for local handicrafts, textiles, and other souvenirs. This surge in tourists has prompted locals to convert their houses into homestay facilities to accommodate the influx of visitors. According to officials, the number of homestays in Ujjain is estimated to be more than 100, with more homeowners registering with the tourism department to offer homestay services. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation officials said, “Occupancy of our hotels has gone up to over 95 percent on most days of the month in Ujjain at all three properties due to the high rush of tourists. We expect a sharp jump in revenues in Ujjain due to high occupancy of tourists.” Manoj Singh, Director of Rural Tourism at Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, said, “Homestays have become a common choice of travelers, and seeing the opportunity, locals are opting for this business. We are pleased to see the rise in homestay facilities in Ujjain due to the sudden spike in tourist arrivals from across the country.” The surge in tourists and the rise in homestay facilities present an excellent opportunity for media coverage to highlight the cultural …

Standing tall as a landmark in the ‘millennium city’, Taj City Centre Gurugram hosted a soirée to commemorate its 10th year anniversary. This was the beginning of the year-round celebrations marking the milestone that will witness special events, curated epicurean offers and destination experiences for guests. The bespoke evening presented by Taj City Centre Gurugram was illuminated in the hues of revelry with themed décor, a masterfully crafted culinary sojourn and enlivening entertainment.  The celebrations were marked by a soul-stirring performance by renowned singer, entertainer and Padma Shri awardee Mr. Adnan Sami followed by a gastronomic gala of global delicacies and spirited beverages curated by Chef Abhijeet Thakre, Executive Chef and Chef Nisa Yimthong. The exclusive menu featured exotic seafood grills with Sri Lankan crabs, Norwegian salmon, colossal squids, and lobster as well as signature dishes from Thai Pavilion and Culina 44. An array of delightful desserts including 10 innovatively flavoured chocolates, and a cognac and cigar lounge enhanced the spirit of celebration. An exquisite 10-storey cake crafted by our culinary maestros, weighing a whopping 110 kgs was cut to mark the occasion. With bubbly being poured from a stunning golden champagne tower made up of 100 glasses, guests also raised a toast to honour the milestone. Commenting on the 10th anniversary, Mr. Surinder Singh, Area Director Haryana & Dwarka and General Manager Taj City Centre Gurugram said, “As Taj City Centre Gurugram completes ten years, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our patrons, partners and associates for their support through our incredible journey. Over the last decade, we have endeavored to deliver memorable experiences to our patrons, and we are grateful for the trust they have placed in us. …

Ajay Bakaya Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts said, “Our expansion will follow a two-pronged approach, and our expansion plans are not limited to India but extend globally which includes the opening of two hotels in 2023, one in Kampala, Uganda, and the other in Hargeisa, Somaliland.”