Mugdha Sinha, a 1999 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new Director General, Ministry of Tourism. Before this, she was the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture and has replaced Manisha Saxena, IAS (AGMUT:96), who is now the Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Sinha was the first woman officer to be posted as ADM-1 (Additional District Magistrate) in Jaipur, second-in-command to the Collector. She also served in the CM’s office for two years.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the new Union Minister for Tourism & Culture. Suresh Gopi, first BJP MP from Kerala, is the new Minister of State of Tourism. Hailing from Rajasthan, Shekhawat was earlier serving as Union Cabinet Minister in Ministry of Jal Shakti. He is a member of parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party representing Jodhpur in the Lok Sabha

Suman Billa returns to Ministry of Tourism as Additional Secretary in place of Rakesh Verma, who has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development u& Ganga Rejuvenation. Billa was the Joint Secretary, Tourism, from 2014 to 2019, after which he joined UNWTO as Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road. After this, he was appointed as Principal Secretary, Industries and NORKA, Government of Kerala until the recent move.

Hotel Association of India has elected its new Executive Committee, and KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group is the new President of the prestigious association for a two-year term. Vice President is Rohit Khosla, Executive Vice President, IHCL; JK Mohanty, MD Swosti Group is the Hony. Secretary and Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEO, Chalet Hotels, is the new Hony. Treasurer for the association. Two new EC members include Shashank Bhagat, MD, Radisson Blu Marina Hotel and Sonali Chauhan, General Manager, IHCL.

As Sun Princess prepares for its February 28 maiden voyage, the newest ship from Princess Cruises is poised to raise the big ship culinary landscape by offering an unrivaled collection of culinary options from celebrated chefs and celebrity collaborators, as well as ingredients sourced from high-end purveyors, and a lineup of exciting and new experiences. Today the line revealed additional dining experiences exclusively available to guests sailing on the next level Love Boat. Spellbound by Magic Castle – the Next “Extraordinary Experience” from Princess The cruise line has announced that Spellbound by Magic Castle will be the latest in Princess Cruises’ new category of “Extraordinary Experiences,” following the wildly successful 360: An Extraordinary Experience, the remarkable, multi-sensory culinary journey that debuted last year aboard Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess. Spellbound by Magic Castle blends the captivating world of magic with the art of culinary and mixology to create an extraordinary innovative immersive dining experience, steeped in magic and adventure. Just unveiled, the evening begins in an exclusive area of the Horizons Dining Room for a delectable, shared dinner before being escorted to the secluded Spellbound Bar, nestled behind a non-descript door where magic and mixology awaits. Talented, Magic Castle-sponsored magicians perform incredible feats of illusion in themed rooms and theatrical cocktails are delivered by sleight-of-hand servers. With three nightly offerings at 5 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm at limited capacity, advanced bookings are required with a $149 per person cover charge. Sushi Master Makoto Okuwa Comes Aboard for Kai Sushi Sun Princess guests eager to try something new will savor Kai Sushi by Makoto Okuwa – reshaping traditional sushi with a creative approach. Through this exclusive partnership, the Master …

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that aviation sector has been galvanized in the past ten years. Number of airports have doubled to 149. “Roll out of air connectivity to tier-two and tier-three cities under UDAN scheme has been widespread. Five hundred and seventeen new routes are carrying 1.3 crore passengers. Indian carriers have pro-actively placed orders for over 1000 new aircrafts. Expansion of existing airports and development of new airports will continue expeditiously,” she added. This development will result into better connectivity, and more flight routes, which will eventually escalate the aviation industry and will significantly increase the number of tourist arrivals.

While unveiling the Interim Budget 2024,  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government aims to fortify the Electric Vehicle (EV) ecosystem by investing in the manufacturing and charging infrastructure. Additionally, she introduced that govt is going to launch new bio-manufacturing scheme to foster green growth. Consequently, the aviation sector will get a boost in green initiatives as they plan to introduce more strategies for responsible travelling.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced in the Interim Budget 2024-25 that 40,000 rail bogies will be converted to Vande Bharat standard. The budget also includes the extension of key rail infrastructure projects, such as Metro Rail and Namo Bharat, to additional cities. This will strengthen the connectivity between various tourist destinations resulting in the escalation of the tourism industry.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister, in her budget speech has said, “To address the emerging fervor for domestic tourism, projects for Port connectivity, tourism infrastructure and amenities will be taken up on our islands including Lakshadweep. This will help in generating employment.”

Announcing the Interim Budget 2024-25, Nrmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister of India, said, ” There will be comprehensive development of tourist centers. The success of organizing G20 meetings in 60 places presented diversity of India to Global audience. Our economic strength has made the country and attractive destination for business and Conference tourism. Our middle class also now aspires to travel and explore tourism including spiritual tourism has tremendous opportunities for local people. States will be encouraged to take up comprehensive development of iconic tourist centers branding and marketing them at global scale. A framework for rating of the centers based on quality of facilities and services will be established long-term interest free loans will be provided to States for financing such development.”