The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, The Sultanate of Oman organized its first MICE FAM trip for the year for important MICE trade partners from all over India. The participants included representatives from travel agencies in Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, and Hyderabad. Several places in and around Muscat, including Wahiba Sands and Jebel Akhdar, were visited by a delegation of six key MICE partners. The objective of the trip was to showcase the top attractions and the hotel properties to the MICE agents, and therefore, the agenda was to do multiple inspections of hotels and the sites suitable for the Indian MICE movement. The site inspections were done in the top properties, including Al Falaj Hotel, Al Bustan Palace, Sheraton, Jumeirah Muscat Bay, W Muscat, Kempinski, Hotel Sur Plaza, DusitD2, Alila, Anantara and many more. The diversity of options for MICE in Oman which included the beaches, mountains, wadis, desert among others were discussed during the visit. The team was very happy to visit various sites of Omanؙ—Dolphin watching tour, Museums, Nizwa Fort, the famous souqs and a visit to the Mall of Oman. The trade partners were impressed with the options available in Oman for the MICE groups with a combination of luxury and budgeted properties. The agents found Oman to be a delightful place as they enjoyed the Sultanate’s hospitality, landscape, and culture. The trade partners were thrilled to see the culinary options available and its similarity with the Indian cuisine. A big thank you to our DMC partner Zahara Tours for flawlessly planning everything and hosting at the magnificent Arabian Nights Resort & Spa! On 4 February 2023, the FAM trip came to an end, leaving the guests …

Research by the World Travel & Tourism Council has revealed that within the next decade, Beijing will overtake Paris to become the world’s largest Travel & Tourism city destination.    

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EbixCash said, We have launched an entire cruise division. Cruises are going to be a big focus area for us this year and we are working with the government on various projects on this.” 

Confusion arises over TCS collection on OTP sales in India, the potential for double taxation. Harmandeep Singh, MD, GPS said, “ There is no clarity on TCS collection by the law. There could be any number of agents in between, but the process should be that the main agent who is doing the remittance collects the TCS on behalf of the end consumer with the commission and pays it out to the intermediary agent.”

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, said, “We have seen significant investment in the past. However, there was no investment in the last two years. GTIS is to rekindle interests of the investors in that sector and to show them the new areas or new products where there are possibilities of investment. 

The Sultanate of Oman abounds with various underwater/submerged cultural heritage, which is witness to its role as an axis of the human civilizations since the early prehistoric periods. Since several ships, coastal human settlements and aircrafts containing collectibles with cultural and economic significance sunk in the Omani territorial waters, it prompted the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) to establish a directorate for the underwater antiquities, the first unit of its kind in the GCC region. Ayyoub Nagmoush Al-Busaidi, Director, Directorate of the Underwater Submerged Antiquities, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT), said, “The underwater archaeological sites and ships are a source of precious historical information as they contain antiquities of human existence. The archaeology aims to analyze the antiquities, identify the origins and the development of civilizations.” “Underwater archaeology is a scientific discipline that deals with the studying sites, man-made objects, human remains, and submerged landscapes. This science should be placed within its broader framework of marine archaeology, which studies human relationships with oceans, lakes, and rivers, while complementing it with navigation,” he added. In 2012, the MHT has launched a program aiming to identify the resources and components of these antiquities, enumerating them, and determining their nature, and protecting them from illegal trade/natural factors, he added. The department is now working on formulating rules for protection, management, employment, conducting surveys, excavations, restoration, preserving, documenting archaeological sites, analyzing the results, and presenting them to the local and international community. It may be noted that Oman’s maritime history dated back to the 3 BC, when commercial activity flourished in Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley. After Omanis gained good expertise in navigation in the 18th century, Muscat emerged as one of …

The Tourism Working Group under India’s G20 presidency held its first meeting from February 7-10, 2023 in the picturesque city of Ran of Kutch, Gujarat. The meeting brought together over 100 delegates from participating and guest countries, as well as speakers and industry representatives, to discuss and exchange ideas on the future of tourism. The event opened with a side event focused on the connection between rural tourism and poverty alleviation and had discussions on five priority areas, including green tourism, digitalization, skills, MSMEs, and destination management. The meeting was a success, with broad consensus and productive discussions on the future of the tourism industry. The meeting opened with a side event focused on rural tourism and alleviating poverty and had discussions on five priority areas, including green tourism, digitalization, skills, MSMEs, and destination management. Stalls showcasing local arts and crafts, virtual reality, and the International Year of Millets 2023 were set up, followed by a cultural program and gala dinner.  Delegates also went on an excursion to Dholavira and participated in a yoga session and cultural activities. The Tourism Working Group will hold three more meetings, including a ministerial meeting in Goa, and three major events to promote tourism during India’s G20 presidency. Arvind Singh, the secretary of tourism, stated that the main objective of the meeting was to set the agenda for the G20 working group meetings and share India’s five priorities with the Troika, the past and future presidents of the G20. He added that all the countries broadly supported India’s priorities, although each country prioritized the five areas differently.  Singh also noted that the meeting was successful in promoting information sharing and the exchange of best …

Maitri Visa and Travel Service (MVTS) is one of India’s premier travel agencies based in Delhi that offers a range of services to its clients. On Friday, February 10th, 2023, MVTS hosted a Dinner & Cocktail Party with celebrity live performances at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Greater Noida. Parvesh Dhull, Managing Director of Maitri Visa and Travel Service and Holidays by Maitri, established the visa operation in 2006 with a focus on Dubai. Holidays by Maitri, a relatively new company founded in 2022, specializes in MICE. According to Dhull, Maitri is a leading visa company. The purpose of the gala dinner was to bring together leading Indian travel agents and to showcase performances by major Haryanvi stars. MVTS expressed gratitude towards the media partners and travel agents for their support in 2022, which was a remarkable year for the company. The travel industry saw significant growth in 2022, increasing by approximately 60%, and it is expected to continue its upward trend in 2023.  

TravelBullz and the Tourism Authority of Thailand launched “Chalo Thailand” with an online promotion on February 1st, 2023, and on February 9th, at SATTE 23, the exclusively curated Chalo Thailand Brochure was unveiled by dignitaries H.E. Khun. Pattarat Hongtong, Khun. Yuthasak Supasorn, Khun Tanes Petsuwan, Khun Siriges -A-Nong, Khun Vachirachai Sirisumpan. This campaign features escorted itineraries to Thailand at unbeatable prices, as well as exclusive offers for lifestyle packages in luxury villas and one-of-a-kind deals for long stay workations.

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to attend this exclusive webinar in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland Visa Section. This webinar will highlight the latest information and guidelines regarding the Swiss Schengen visa and the application process. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland in 2024! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.