Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation has said that India government plans to develop/operationalise 220 airports in the next five years. “Seventy-four airports were functional in the country till 2014. At present there are 141 operational airports including 8 heliports and 2 water aerodromes,” he informed.

Goa tourism department has reduced the number of clearances or permissions that trades are required to attach at the time of registration. For a new hotel, an entity can get registration done by submitting three documents such as ownership document, CST registration, if applicable, and an identity proof; while no document needs to be submitted for renewal.

Ministry of Tourism in its recent statistics revealed that the percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during January-May 2022 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (35.50%) followed by Mumbai Airport (14.58%), Haridaspur Land Check Post (12.27%), Chennai Airport (10.30%) ,Bengaluru Airport (7.55%), Hyderabad Airport (6.09%), Cochin Airport (4.96%), Kolkata Airport (4.22%), Ahmedabad Airport (2.43%), Agartala Airport (1.92%), Trivandrum Airport (1.61%), Ghojadanga Airport (1.46%), Tiruchirappalli Airport (1.16%), Changrabandha LandCheckpost (1.15%) and Amritsar Airport (0.92%).

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced plans for the debut of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand in India with the signing of a management agreement for Bhopal’s Noor-Us-Sabah Palace. One of Bhopal’s oldest and most sought-after hotels, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace will undergo extensive refurbishment to join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand as a 60-room heritage hotel and is expected to open in 2025. “At Hyatt, we are focused on thoughtful growth based on locations that matter most to our guests, World of Hyatt members, and customers, and introducing Hyatt’s brands across India has been a priority for us,” said Dhruva Rathore, Vice President of Development, India & Southwest Asia, Hyatt. “Bhopal’s history and the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace’s rich Nawabi heritage make it a perfect addition to The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio. This collection of independent hotels has seen great momentum across the globe, as each property invites guests to experience distinct culture and history, and we look forward to expanding The Unbound Collection by Hyatt footprint throughout the sub-continent.” Noor-Us-Sabah Palace will offer cultural moments for guests seeking a sophisticated yet unscripted experience. Spread across 18 acres, the hotel was originally built as a royal residence in the 1920s by Bhopal’s last ruling Nawab Hamidullah Khan for his eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, and it was subsequently converted into a hotel in 1998. The hotel will be completely renovated to bring alive the history and legacy of the Nawab’s royal residence through its interior design, and its storied past will be harnessed to deliver unique and authentic experiences. The hotel will also provide a distinctive and unique location for weddings and events, in addition to catering to premium business …

Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned financial assistance of around Rs. 631 Crore to States/UTs for infrastructure development under Coastal Circuit theme of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, announced G Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism, Culture & DoNER, in a written reply in Lok Sabha

Arun Kumar, Director General, DGCA, has said technical snags faced by domestic carriers in recent weeks did not have the potential to cause havoc and that even foreign airlines that came to India reported 15 technical snags in the last 16 days. “The country’s civil aviation space is absolutely safe and all the protocols laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are followed,” he said.

Rupinder Brar, former ADG, Tourism, has said that MOT and other line ministries should work towards making sure that UNESCO Heritage sites in India, at least, should become truly global in terms of every offering that they have, whether it is in terms of just reaching there, or in very basic needs.

Rohan Khaunte, Tourism Minister, Goa, has said that Goa’s tourism depends largely on UK and Russia, along with some parts of Europe. It is believed that British and Russian tourists pay more than other foreign tourists when they arrive in the state. Khaunte added that the government is taking all measures to get a “good footfall with good spending”.

NIMA held M!CE Forum 2022 in Jaipur from 29-31 July. Anand K Tripathi, Addl. Director, Rajasthan Tourism said that M!CE has huge potential. Jagdeep Bhagat, National Coordinator, NIMA, said, “The event offered a good networking opportunity to the members from across India. The idea behind this forum is to update the members about the opportunities in the industry and what’s going on in the world.”

Directorate of Tourism (DoT) along with MOT, organised a training workshop to officially kick-off the Annual Tourism Survey in Maharashtra. This exhaustive Annual Tourism survey will be carried out for 13 months and will help the tourism department understand the travel behaviour, the triggers and barriers when it comes to visiting Maharashtra.