Arvind Singh, Secretary, MOT, in his address at the Buddhist Circuit conference in Varanasi, shared that in a ministerial meeting, the Prime Minister has said that at the launch of Kushinagar airport, he would like to invite some Buddhist Circuit tour operators as well, so that they can get information about the circuit. Also, there will be 13 Buddhist countries’ ambassadors, as well as airline operators, since the idea is to promote the Buddhist religious tourism in the region.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to begin granting fresh tourist visas for foreigners coming to India through chartered flights with effect from October 15, 2021.  Foreign tourists entering into India by flights other than chartered aircraft would be able to do so only with effect from November 15, 2021 on fresh Tourist Visas.  All due protocols and norms relating to COVID-19 as notified by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare from time to time, shall be adhered to by the foreign tourists, carriers bringing them into India and all other stakeholders at landing stations.

EQT Private Equity is set to sell a majority stake in VFS Global to Blackstone and retain a minority position. According to sources, the acquisition is estimated at over $2 billion valuation. Zubin Karkaria, CEO of VFS Global, further commented, “On behalf of the entire VFS Global team, I want to thank EQT for the very collaborative and value enhancing partnership over the past five years. With EQT’s trust and support – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic – we are in a much stronger position today and look forward to the next phase of growth together with Blackstone.”

As part of the Union government’s ”Dekho Apna Desh” initiative Ministry of Tourism in association with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has organised the Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour. Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Tourism & Defence flagged off the Buddhist Circuit special Train from Safdarjung Railway Station, Delhi on Monday. The focus is to bring out the potential of Buddhist tourism through ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign.

Inviting the trade to participate in the upcoming virtual roadshow, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, SAT, says, “We look forward to engaging the travel trade at our show from October 20th to 22nd. We are excited about the opportunities that a diverse South African delegation of about 100 suppliers will bring to the table. In addition to experiences, representatives from accommodation establishments, DMCs, Provinces, VFS, airlines, and SMMEs will showcase their products.”

Switzerland Tourism will conduct a webinar today at 3pm, focusing on the vibrant city of Zurich. The cosmopolitan city located in the heart of Europe, is a melting pot of culture, and is a buzz with activities and experiences, day and night. This captivating webinar will take viewers live to Zurich and give them a glimpse of its popular highlights and attractions. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532, or click on https://event.webinarjam.com/register/312/oywq3by2.

OTOAI invited their members for a gathering at Shangri-La on 3rd evening. OTOAI President Riaz Munshi greeted the members and said to gear up and get prepared. In his speech he talked about creating innovative products and to be step ahead of the requirement of the clients to deliver a better experience for them. The market is going to grow, there is a huge potential and opportunity for us and 2022 will definitely going to cross 2019 mark” said Munshi.

FICCI organized the 6th National Tourism Investors Meet recently, where Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation & Silk Road at UNWTO talked about creative destruction; He said “We all know that the world post pandemic is going to be very different from the world as we knew before. If we were a destination, it would be very surprising if post pandemic we start with the same products and same businesses that we had before the beginning of the pandemic because the world has changed tremendously since then. Every business and every product that is out there has been questioned, investigated and they have come to new forms”.

The tourism department of Goa issued notice to several hotels against putting up in rented villas and bed and breakfast facilities that were not registered with the state tourism department. Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that booking a non-registered hotel will soon be considered illegal and strict actions will be taken on bookings going ahead. Due to non-registration of such facilities, it was difficult to track the exact number of tourists who visit Goa every year, he added.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa, is pleased to announce that it has been honored with four awards at the SKYTRAX 2021 World Airline Awards. Ethiopian has taken the crown for: Best Airline in Africa 2021 for 4th consecutive years, Best Business Class in Africa 2021 for 3rd consecutive years, Best Economy Class in Africa 2021 for 3rd consecutive years and Best Cabin Crew in Africa 2021. Moving 7 ranks up, Ethiopian has also been placed 37th in the World’s Top 100 Airlines for 2021 as voted by airline customers around the world Regarding the award Ethiopian group CEO, Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam remarked, “Keeping up with the same phase as before Covid had been a challenging task. However, here at Ethiopian we never gave up, keeping our loyalty of serving at all times to our customers, we never stopped flying. The awards we received today are proof of our consistent effort to provide our passengers with a world class service at ups and downs at all geographies across the globe. As a customer focused and market driven airline, a SKYTRAX award where winners are determined based on the votes of travelers manifests the airlines’ journey on the right direction thus it is with deep pleasure that we accept these awards.” Commenting on the Award as the Best Airline in Africa, Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said: “Ethiopian Airlines have firmly established themselves as the Best Airline in Africa by winning this award for the fourth consecutive year. It is a strong recognition for both the management and all of their front-line staff who contribute to the success of the Ethiopian Airlines customer experience.” The World Airline Awards are independent …