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 …

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has requested Arun Singhal, CEO, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to extend the timeline to implement the mentioning of FSSAI License number on bills for FBOs on the backdrop of the pandemic’s impact to Hospitality businesses. The association says that it is in favour of the FSSAI’s latest order, which will help set up a robust customer grievance system in the country. “FHRAI appreciates the FSSAI’s endeavour to set up a robust customer grievance system in the country. This will also improve the overall awareness of FSSAI and its underlying objectives of creating a safe and hygienic ecosystem for FBOs. While this is a great initiative, it has to be taken into account that at present, the tourism and hospitality is the most impacted sector by the COVID19 pandemic. In all probabilities, it will be the last one to recover as well. During such times of deep crisis, the implementation of this order would entail a lot of additional expenses on businesses. Printing new receipts, invoices, bills, cash memos as well as updating software and PMS, among other ancillary activities will only burden the cash-strapped industry even more. Hence, we request the FSSAI to extend the timeline for implementation of the order until such time that some normalcy returns to the sector,” says Mr Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI.

The Federal Council of Switzerland has lifted entry restrictions for persons from third countries. This including persons who have been vaccinated or have recovered and do not have to produce negative test even when travelling from countries where the Delta variant is widespread such as India and do not have to quarantine on entry. Meanwhile, The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi is currently accepting all visa categories for persons arriving from third countries like India, who can prove they have been fully vaccinated.

Thanking the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Tourism Minister for announcement of relief measures for the tourism sector and taking up issues concerning the industry, Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism, said, “We welcome the financial help for tourist guides and tour operators. It is also good that the recognised entities are being supported. The support that has come in terms of visa being announced free for the first 500,000 e-Tourist visas that will be applied for, will be a gamechanger. It sends a positive signal to the whole word that India is getting ready to open, the vaccination drive has picked up, number of cases are going down. Through this, we also want to send a message to the industry that please get recognised, so that you can be benefitted by any of the schemes of the government.”