According to Arabian Travel Mart (ATM) has shared that the number of annual outbound journeys at more than 27 million, with a total value of over $42 billion by the year 2024. ATM calls India well-positioned to become one of the world’s most important outbound tourism markets.

Nok Air has unveiled its maiden flight service to Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok. Hyderabad is the first and only Indian destination from where Nok Air has started direct flights to Bangkok. The new route will be operated by Nok Air’s Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that they have awarded as 61 routes under the tourism UDAN scheme, of which 43 routes are operational as of today.

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 …

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 …

According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Between April and December 2022, Indians spent US$9,947 million, surpassing the previous record of US$7 billion before the pandemic. In fact, Indians splurged US$1,137 million on travel in December 2022 alone.

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, Ebixcash Travel Services, has said that they are currently in the process of building our global MICE platform, following on from our achievements last year.

Christina Garcia Frasco, Secretary, Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines, said that the goal of the Department is to increase cruise ship calls to various ports and islands. “Phillippines aims to be cruise hub in Asia,” she said.

The ver.di trade union has announced that employees at seven airports in Germany will go on strike for higher wages on February 17. Severe disruptions to all planned flights are expected. Airports in Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart will all be affected.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, has launched best tourism village competition for the promotion of rural homestays and rural tourism and a dedicated portal showcasing the rural tourism potential of India. In addition, he also launched the website and portal for the first global investor summit