Citing the unprecedented rise in inflation, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has requested the GST Council to evaluate the present GST structure for the hospitality sector and appealed for it to be rationalized. FHRAI has suggested that all F & B revenue of hotels be delinked from their hotel room tariff slabs and allowed to charge GST at 5 per cent without ITC under the composite scheme and 12 per cent GST with ITC.   

In its ambitious plans for expansion in Asia-Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group plans to add 100 hotels to India by the end of 2025, according to CEO Federico Gonzalez. “In India, we should surpass 100 hotels this year. If I look at India, I don’t know why we should not have 200 hotels there by 2025. We are looking at India’s development and the speed of change in India. If India is growing at 7 per cent, that means more GDP than many European countries,” he said.  

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai, along with Ibiza Tourism, will conduct an exclusive webinar titled ‘Know Ibiza’ for the travel trade on Thursday, May 5 at 3 pm IST. Sign up today for the Spain Specialist Program (SSP) and register now to attend the webinar. The webinar will conclude with an exciting quiz on the destination and the winner will leave with a free trip to Ibiza. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Cappadocia hosted an extraordinary number of visitors in the first quarter of 2022. The museums and archaeological sites in the region were visited by 305,275 people in the first three months of the year, increasing by 54% compared to the first quarter of 2021. See Cappadocia from the sky, stay in caves The best way to see Cappadocia’s magical landscape is a hot air balloon ride in its incomparable skies. The colourful balloons launch around five ‘o clock in the morning, usually from the village of Göreme, and visitors can enjoy sweeping views of Pigeon Valley, Zemi Valley, Love Valley and Pasabağ Monks Valley, along with the famous fairy chimneys and other fantastic rock formations during the ride. Bring a camera! For guests seeking an authentic Cappadocian experience, the area’s cave hotels are the perfect accommodation. Rock-carved rooms in cave hotels bring history and modern amenities together in a luxurious blend. After a full day of sightseeing, the best way to spend the evening is to relax in the lounge of a boutique cave hotel with a glass of fine local wine. From Göreme to Ürgüp on horseback As the ‘land of beautiful horses, it is fitting to go horseback riding in Cappadocia. The area’s ranches offer guided horse-riding tours on beautiful, sure-footed ponies. Watching the sunset over the Red Valley while astride a horse is an unforgettable experience. While horses can cover more ground, travellers can also see many sights on foot. The peaceful Ihlara Valley is a perfect place to walk or hike. In the valley, there are gazebos along the Melendiz stream where trekkers can enjoy tea or a coffee. Jeep and ATV safaris are also available, …

Lily Hotels Pvt. Ltd. in association with LINKIN Reps. Pvt. Ltd., recently hosted an exclusive lunch for the travel trade partners in Chandigarh.  The resorts operated by Lily Hotels in the Maldives are the pioneering leading All-Inclusive Resort, located in central Maldives – Lily Beach Resort & Spa at Huvahendhoo, a large island hideaway resort located in northern Maldives with privacy at its core – Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, and its collection of elevated and curated luxury beach villas with dedicated butler service as a ‘resort in a resort concept’ – The Signature Collection by Hideaway. The networking event was followed by the product presentation, by Ms. Komal Seth, Founder & Director, LINKIN Reps. Pvt. Ltd. The presentation highlighted the key features of luxurious properties. The response to the session was extremely encouraging, and it was heart-warming to witness the enthusiasm for Lily Hotels’ products among the Chandigarh trade partners. Highlighting the importance of north India’s travel market to Maldives, Mr. Desislav Gospodinov, Group Director of Sales & Marketing said, “I would like to thank all our travel trade partners in Chandigarh for their continuous support towards promoting the luxurious resorts under Lily Hotels. Chandigarh is one of our most important markets and we eagerly look forward to welcoming travellers from the region.  

New Delhi based 25 years old experiential and adventure tour operating company Holiday Moods Adventures Pvt Ltd has been appointed distributor in India by the Havila Kystruten Operations AS (Norway) for its Havila Cruise bookings. Managing Director, Tejbir Singh Anand of Holiday Moods Adventures Pvt Ltd says- “It’s a great honour and a proud privilege to be associated with the Havila group and the journeys ahead seems very exciting to distribute Havila cruises inventory in India.”

Qatar Airways and IndiGo announced the reactivation of their strategic cooperation following the lifting of the suspension on international scheduled flights by the Indian government. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The reactivation of our strategic partnership with IndiGo is another milestone in the development of aviation between the State of Qatar and India. Together, both Qatar Airways and IndiGo will offer over 340 flights per week to 13 destinations in India. Never before has our partnership with IndiGo been stronger and the resumption of our strategic cooperation demonstrates the resilience, agility and commitment both partners have shown in overcoming the challenges of the pandemic.” 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had earlier imposed a fare cap for 15 days due to the pandemic, in order for the government to control any fare hike on the sale of air tickets. As the ministry announced operations at 100% capacity after a gap of two years, airline companies have called for the removal of the fare limit. “If we talk about the fare caps, then it is my responsibility to the passengers as well as to the airlines,” Scindia said. 

“Welcome Back to Thailand is an initiative of TravelBullz in association with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and over 40 Hotels in Thailand to enhance the number of Travellers to choose Thailand as a destination this summer of 2022” said, KD Singh, Founder & President, TravelBullz. This pan India campaign is to engage with the B2B as well as Thailand partners to focus on new segments.

Reviewing the airline’s fleet of aircraft in terms of leasing costs and operating efficiency is a key pillar within a broader cost restructuring plan embarked upon by the airline since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.  Other restructuring initiatives have thus far resulted in the airline ceasing to rely on government funding since the second quarter of 2021, and returning a profit since December 2021 – the most profitable month on record.   The initiation of the re-fleeting RFP is primarily prompted by the impending expiry of aircraft leases for over 50% of the current fleet. The airline recognizes that the current global market for aircraft leasing presents an attractive pricing environment which would maximise the cost savings which can be achieved via the timely execution of a re-fleeting strategy. The combination into a single RFP of replacement aircraft (expiring leases) with growth needs over the ensuing period, captures benefits of scale. A single procurement exercise also avails optionality in terms of selecting the optimum fleet structure in terms of operating efficiency, aircraft type and aircraft age.  All aircraft leases will be funded through the airline’s current existing cashflows, and the re-fleeting is expected to significantly reduce the airline’s cost structure going forward. The re-fleeting exercise will alongside other strategic initiatives help the airline increase its operating margins and further elevate its operating cash flows which will support the timely paying down of long-term debt to the Government of Sri Lanka and other lenders.  The promising turnaround in the airline’s financials have accrued both from cost restructuring as well as from selective growth initiatives in terms of expansion of the route network to include new destinations, and exploitation of growth …