Raffles Udaipur has announced the appointment of Rajan Malhotra as Director of Sales and Marketing. A postgraduate diploma holder in business administration, Malhotra brings along with him 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. His rich body of work includes long, successful stints at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Services India Pvt. Ltd., The Zuri Group of Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Jaipur Resort & Spa, Taj Palace, New Delhi and The Grand New Delhi. In his role, Rajan Malhotra will take charge of introducing the world-renowned Raffles brand experience in the country as well as planning and implementing strategies to support the hotel’s unrivalled positioning. He will be leading the sales and marketing team, exploring business opportunities and will be responsible for the budgeting, forecasting and achieving the hotel’s commercial objectives. He will be a part of the pre-opening leadership team of the property. Commenting on the appointment, Abhishek Sharma, General Manager, Raffles Udaipur said, “We are delighted with the joining of Rajan Malhotra as a part of the pre-opening leadership team for this important launch. With his extensive experience of working for some of the leading luxury hotels and knowledge of the diverse market segments, we are confident that Rajan will best support the positioning of India’s first Raffles as a market leader.”

Raffles Udaipur has announced Abhishek Sharma as General Manager, who joins the property with over 9 years of leading teams in the role of General Manager, throughout luxury hotels and resorts, including The Oberoi Group in India and Soneva Fushi Resort in The Maldives. Sharma is a well-recognized leader with over two decades of outstanding experience in luxury hospitality and has an exceptional network across the industry. In his new role, Sharma will be leading the task of introducing the legendary Raffles brand to the country and taking charge of operations for Raffles Udaipur. On the appointment, he says, “I am filled with an incredible sense of excitement and responsibility as I lead the team at our first Raffles in the country. The Raffles brand is a global phenomenon that has set the benchmark for unparalleled excellence in guest experience and personalized services. Ethos of the brand are depicted across many noteworthy elements of the hotel, and I am particularly inspired by the  signature Writers Bar for its sophistication and innovation, where we hope India’s renowned writers, present and future, will pen their stories.  I feel honored to be working alongside a dynamic team to bring the legendary service of Raffles to our guests.” Commenting on the announcement, Puneet Dhawan, ‎Senior Vice President of Operations – India & South Asia, Accor says, “I am delighted to welcome Abhishek for this key launch of Raffles’ first outpost in India. Abhishek has wealth of experience that has enhanced his project management skills and strengthened his abilities in elevating guest engagement. He has aced the curation of bespoke and immersive guest experiences and I am confident that his knowledge and the ability to …

Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism and Manohar Lal Khattar, CM, Haryana held a meeting for the development of tourism related projects in the state and to speed up the ongoing projects in the state. The way forward was discussed with special focus on Development of Rakhigarhi and Kurukshetra and science museums apart from other cultural and tourism hubs development.   Secretary, GoI, Tourism Shri Arvind Singh , joint secretaries of Union Ministries of Tourism and Culture and  other senior officers of Central and State government were also present during the meeting. During the meeting, the state government gave details of the proposed Krishna Circuit Project-II. Development of tourist infrastructure at important tourist/pilgrim places related to SrimadBhagwad Geeta & Mahabharata at Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Karnal, Panipat and Mewat under the Krishna circuit phase-II of Swadesh Darshan Scheme is planned under this project. Apart from this, the two sides discussed Heritage Circuit Rewari, virtual museum at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra and development of Pinjore Gardens, MorniHills , science city among others.The progress of ongoing PRASHAD projects at Nada Sahib Gurudwara and Mata Mansa Devi were also reviewed by ShPrahald Singh Patel and the state government was asked to speed up the completion.

ITB Asia 2021 will be an all-virtual event, and the physical show has been postponed to 2022. Messe Berlin (Singapore) has announced the complete digitalisation of ITB Asia, which will be held from 25 – 29 October 2021. The virtual event includes five full days of business appointments and three exclusive days of conference programme. All conference sessions are available on-demand for a month. Exhibitors will get many virtual benefits and some new perks. The event is being held in conjunction with MICE Show Asia as well as Travel Tech Asia. “Our team is committed in bringing a hybrid concept of ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia for the travel trade industry coming October. However, global health and travel uncertainties accompanied by the rapid emergence of new COVID-19 variants had halted our efforts. The hybrid concept garnered an excellent response with over 600 confirmed exhibitors, but it has become apparent that international delegates are unable to reasonably plan their participation and travel arrangements. Therefore, with a good lead time this year we will conduct the show virtually, offering international delegates a stronger digital platform for B2B networking, learning and knowledge sharing,” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

In a major development for the hospitality segment following the COVID-19 outbreak, Click Hotels by Suba has acquired leisure budget hospitality chain 1589 Hotels, owned and run by Clarks Group of Hotels. With this deal, Suba added 35 new properties to its portfolio across 22 prime destinations in India which marks the milestone of total 2,000 rooms. This expansion drive is a part of Click Hotels’ acquisition of 1589 Hotels including GenX, RNB, and RNB Select. With this, Click Hotels by Suba has marked its transition to an asset-light business model and has expanded its footprint across key destinations like Ranthambore National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, and Dalhousie.

In order to widen its scope to promote India, IndiaTourism has taken the first step to reach out to outbound agents. Venkatesan Dhattareyan, Regional Director, Indiatourism Mumbai, says, “Indiatourism has conducted a session with the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) which is quite historic. They traditionally promote destinations outside of India but they have now come forward to learn about India. This is another avenue that we are trying to explore and gives them a chance to learn something new.”

In India, trust directly influences traveler purchasing behavior, claims a research by Travelport. Due to COVID-19, for example, half (50%, versus a global average of 46%) of travellers in the country said they prioritize trust over all other factors when choosing a travel supplier (such as an airline). Many travellers in India also stated, when trust is in place, they will consider purchasing multiple travel-related items (47%), upgrading their package (47%) and buying non-travel-related items such as credit cards (42%) – putting India amongst the countries with the strongest link between trust and purchasing propensity.  “The Indian travel industry has a golden opportunity to come out of COVID-19 strongly”, said Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Operating Officer of InterGlobe Technology Quotient, Travelport’s official partner in India. “It’s clear that building consumer trust can lead to commercial success. By focusing on the most important issues for consumers in India, we can accelerate industry recovery.”

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its hour-long webinar series in July that has been exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade. The next one will be held today at 3pm IST and will focus on the Xacobeo Holy Year. Those who attend all three webinars and participate in the educational quiz stand a chance to win Amazon gift vouchers. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. The Xacobeo Holy Year is an incredible experience that will delight you, a date that is eagerly awaited by pilgrims from all over the world. The well-known Jacobean pilgrimage routes of The Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) are full of events throughout the year: concerts, art exhibitions, conferences, talks, films, educational and academic activities, tourism, volunteering, cuisine, etc. It is for the first time, the celebration of the Xacobeo Holy Year will be extended over two consecutive years (2021 and 2022) because of the pandemic. Attend all three webinars in July, participate in the educational quiz and stand a chance to win Amazon gift voucher.

The Royal Thai Government has officially endorsed measures for Phuket to reopen for fully vaccinated international travellers without quarantine requirements from 1st July, 2021.  Leading the reopening is Thailand’s largest island and popular holiday destination Phuket with the “Phuket Sandbox” model from 1 July 2021. This will be followed by “Samui Plus” which is the reopening of the luxury holiday destination Koh Samui and nearby islands of Koh Phangan & Koh Tao from 15th July 2021. If Phuket or Samui is the visitor’s first point of stay in Thailand, he or she must remain in Phuket or Koh Samui for 14 nights before travelling to other destinations in Thailand or depart to their home country or another country if intending to stay there for fewer than 14 nights. Travellers will need to be fully vaccinated, get an RTPCR negative report prior departure; stay in a SHA Plus approved accommodation (where at least 70% of staff are inoculated) and would have to strictly follow the formulated SOPs with taking utmost precautions of hygiene and safety. These terms will also be applicable for children of 6-18 years of age travelling with fully vaccinated parents or guardians who are required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival at their own expense. For more information please log on: https://www.tatnews.org Phuket, one of Thailand’s most loved destinations, located in Southern Thailand is often referred as the Pearl of the Andaman, It is Thailand’s largest Island located at 867 kilometers South of Bangkok. Being a big island, Phuket is surrounded by many magnificent Beaches such as Rawai, Patong, Karon, Kamala, Kata Yai, Kata Noi, and Mai Khao. Blessed by nature and smiling hospitality of its people, …

After operations being paused for the last few months, Fairmont Jaipur is back and ready to welcome guests with its signature engaging service, from 27th June 2021. Along with the re-launch of the property, the team has also announced several attractive stay deals, especially for the joy of the monsoons, to make every holiday an unforgettable Fairmont experience. On the auspicious occasion of the re-opening of the palace, General Manager, Rajiv Kapoor said, “The Heartists of Fairmont Jaipur are proud to re-open the gates of this breathtaking palace. We have missed our treasured guests and now look forward to creating unforgettable memories for every guest through handcrafted stays and curated experiences, all with the necessary ALLSAFE safety and hygiene protocols. As they say in Rajasthan, Padhaaro Mhare Des…!” Gleaming under the watchful eyes of the verdant Aravalli hills, glittering with history and culture of Rajasthan, the hotel is a sophisticated chateau that gracefully combines the glories of the past with modern day comforts. The story of Fairmont Jaipur inspires a vision of timeless hospitality, inviting guests to join them in imagining a place that is steeped in a rich and privileged heritage, yet is effortlessly modern. Every aspect of the hotel – the architecture, the layout, the décor and the hospitality has been inspired by the legends of two of India’s most celebrated rulers – the Mughals and the Rajputs. The magnificent façade stands tall as the ancient gates of the hotel open to welcome guests to this royal abode. Every unparalleled stay at Fairmont Jaipur is certified to be safe and hygienic, with Accor’s ALLSAFE Guidelines for the highest standards, including and going beyond local and international recommendations for …