G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, on his recent visit to Goa, said that the MOT is working in synergy with the Rail Ministry, Civil Aviation and Shipping Ministry to encourage cruise tourism under Sagar Mala. “Cruise tourism will be developed on a mission mode which will greatly benefit Goa,” he said. He also informed that there are plans to connect Chennai, Vizag and Andaman with Goa through cruise tourism.

Deepak Narula, MD, GRNconnect, has said that they are planning to launch DMC for Egypt and a DMC for India. “During COVID time – we focused a lot on technology and product upgradation by adding some Key Suppliers in our portfolio. Now we have ambitious plans on distribution front. We have made some major tie ups and we will go live on these platforms as early as Jan’22. We also plan to launch DMC for Egypt and a DMC for India.”

Government of Goa has constituted a 19-member tourism board and has dissolved three panels called the state-level promotion and marketing committee, the high-powered monitoring committee, and the state-level permission committee. Hence, all decisions pertaining to tourism in the state will be taken by this committee. Confirming the news, Nikhil Desai, MD, GTDC, has said that they have already been taking care of infrastructure, development and hotels under GTDC. The marketing had been taken care of by Goa Tourism, and will now be under the purview of the committee.

The Ministry of Culture & Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan & Kazakh Tourism Board has appointed Rohit Shorey, Founder, Kazin DMC as their M!CE Tourism Ambassador For Kazakhstan in India. Kairat Sadvakassov, Deputy Chairman of Kazakh tourism board said that Shorey, has made a significant contribution to the overall development of tourism to the country from India region, especially M!CE. In a reception held at the Marriot hotel in Nur Sultan on the 27th November 2021, the board presented Shorey with a certificate of Ambassadorship. The reception was attended by Vishal Jain, Director, Kazin International, who signed the MoU and collected the award. Rohit & Vishal remains very bullish on Kazakhstan as a destination with vast potential in the field of tourism. owning to its wide diversity of offerings for all verticals of tourism. They feel that India & middle east will become a major source market for tourism to Kazakhstan and this is one the reasons why Kazin Dmc has maintained 100% focus on this destination since 2016. Kazakh Tourism, being the country’s brand manager for tourism and a subsidiary of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, serves the government’s goal of achieving an 8% contribution to GDP from tourism. The government is significantly developing the tourism infrastructure of the country by opening numerous branded hotels to cater the increasing demand of tourists. Almaty airport is going through a multi-million-dollar expansion to accommodate more airlines to serve the country. Air Astana has announced that they will resume direct flights between Almaty & Delhi effective 16 December after a 20-month hiatus. As the world is gearing towards normalcy, this announcement could not have a come at a better time.

DGCA in its latest order has shared that in view of the emergence of new COVID variants, they will be reviewing the resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger airline services to or from India. They will currently watch the situation and would notify its decision on the same in due time. Hence, international flight services, which were earlier touted to restart from 15th December, might face a delay now.

Ministry of Home Affairs has said that they will review the decision on the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international flight service amid the fear of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19. MHA, in a high-level review meeting chaired by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Union Home secretary, has also decided to review the SOPs on testing and surveillance of the arriving international passengers, especially those coming from countries listed in the ‘at risk’ category.

9th International Tourism Mart for the North East Region was held at Kohima, Nagaland recently, where Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Tourism & Defence inaugurated the event on Day 1 and addressed at the opening session of Day 2. The event was attended by over 300 delegates including government officials, industry stakeholders and local participants. H Khehovi Yeputhomi, MLA & Advisor Tourism, Government of Nagaland; Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism; Rupinder Brar, ADG Tourism, and other dignitaries of Central government and North Eastern States were also present on the occasion.

Accor has renewed its ongoing partnership with IndiGo to offer accelerated 6E Rewards, enhanced benefits and discounts on spends on stays and dining experiences across properties in India, Sri Lanka and selected hotels in Maldives. Through this partnership, IndiGo’s 6E Rewards members can now avail an exhilarating 15% discount, when they book directly with Accor and  earn up to 6% 6E Rewards as feature partner on any spends across Accor properties in India, Sri Lanka & participating hotels in Maldives with brands such as Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, Pullman, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure ibis and ibis Styles. These offers are also valid at the newly launched Accor properties – Raffles Udaipur, Novotel Chandigarh Tribune Chowk and most recently launched ibis Mumbai Vikhroli. Special Welcome benefit vouchers for 6E Rewards members at Accor hotels in India & Srilanka hotels only: Flat 30% discount on room nights when booked through Accor and IndiGo booking page INR 1000 discount voucher for spends on Food & Beverages across Accor Hotels, Restaurants & Bar Through this partnership, Accor and 6E Rewards will be putting forward exclusive offers to members in addition to the other benefits across hotel stays, dining and events. 6E Rewards members can also earn additional Reward points on hotel stays and dining by signing up on to Accor’s ALL – Accor Live Limitless – loyalty program. Jad Doumet, VP Partnerships, India, Middle East & Africa and Turkey adds, “We are thrilled to renew Accor’s partnership with IndiGo as it relays our intentions of providing the best hospitality service to guests across the nation. Accor operates an extensive portfolio of properties across the country- ranging from the economy to midscale, further to the …

Poona Hoteliers Association, a body representing 60+ Star Hotels of Pune, 11 Hotel Management Institutes, and 10 Hospitality Vendor Members, elects Mr Sharan Shetty as President for 2021-22 at the Annual General Meeting held on 30th September, 2021 at Amanora The Fern Hotel. He continues his 3rd Year as President.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Nashik, has opened the doors to guests. Nestled at the foothills of the two-millennia old Pandav Caves, just off Nashik Mumbai highway, this idyllic hotel is conveniently accessible through air, rail and road from Mumbai and Pune and is the apt choice for business and leisure travellers alike. The hotel is spread over 42,000 sqm and boasts over 5,000 sqm of event space to host large-scale meetings and events. “We are delighted to introduce our flagship brand to Nashik. Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Nashik’s unparalleled location and state-of-the-art MICE facilities make it a key asset in our portfolio. The opening further strengthens the Group’s presence in high-visibility leisure destinations that complements our overarching strategic growth plans for West India,” said Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group.