Singapore is all set to have three new tourist attractions in a few months, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director-India, Middle East & South Africa. “Three new attractions are going to come up in Singapore, which travellers coming from India can experience soon. First is Museum of Ice Cream, for which Singapore will be the first-ever international location after US. It will open later this year. The second is Asia’s tallest Slingshot, which will be a new thrill-ride concept, and will be opening later this year in Clarke Quay area. Finally, the Sky Helix Sentosa, which will be Singapore’s first open air panoramic attraction, offering visitors scenic views of Sentosa and our southern island waterfront area. This is due to open in 2022,” he revealed.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism, has said that after the reopening of monuments, they will be promoting domestic tourism. “Just like last year, considering that domestic tourism will open first, the Dekho Apna Desh webinars, which have been temporarily put on hold, will also be restarted. As we get better inputs from local administrations as well as the central health ministry, we will be taking up more campaigns in the domestic markets.”

As part of Tourism New Zealand’s virtual road trip series, the region to be covered this month is Southland. The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 11am. Southland is a region of contrasts – from mountain peaks, the deepest of lakes, meandering rivers, fertile farmlands, lush primordial forests, and captivating coastlines, to the wild Southern Ocean and its islands. It is a land of world-renowned Bluff oysters and the launching place for a visit to Stewart Island. To experience this road trip, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 or directly register here https://event.webinarjam.com/register/253/gw35lbnv

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), through its education wing AIH&TM organized a session on ‘Yoga For Health & Wellness’ for its employees. The session conducted on the occasion of International Yoga Day was led by Shri Yoga Acharaya, who taught ‘Vedic Aashtanga Yog’ and shed light on simple yet powerful tools to manifest health & vitality in life. Further, the session also discussed the protocols of Yoga & Pranayam by the Ministry Of Aayush, Government of India.

In order to ensure safety for its employees, Tripjack recently conducted a vaccination drive for its Mumbai office. Sharing this development is Hussain Patel, Director, Tripjack, says, “We at Tripjack took this important step towards the health and safety of our employees and managed to vaccinate more than 250 staff members. With the completion of our vaccination drive, we urge each and everyone to take this necessary step towards ending this pandemic. As travel begins, vaccination will become an important criterion.”

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism & Culture, revealed that the International Yoga Day was organised at 75 cultural heritage locations across the country to commemorate 75 years of Independence. Considering the current pandemic situation, the number of participants for Yoga was restricted to 20 at each site.

Tourism New Zealand has unveiled the winners of its inaugural Kaihāpai Awards which celebrate the achievements and commitment of Indian travel agents towards destination New Zealand. Tourism New Zealand’s objective over the past 14 months has been growing brand love for New Zealand with its trade partners by focusing on engagement and education. This has been achieved via webinars, wherein 10 Virtual Road Trips were conducted with overall attendance of 9000 travel agents across India, paid campaigns (New Zealand Specialist programme) and the launch of a members only/private Facebook group (Tourism New Zealand Travel Agents Facebook group). The awards were a community celebration for members of Tourism New Zealand’s Indian Travel Agents group on Facebook. The group has drawn significant interest and membership since its launch in June 2020 and recently achieved a milestone of 1000 Indian travel agent members. The first Kaihāpai Awards were a spectacular success and saw participation from 232 travel agents and 3 Tourism New Zealand representatives. The awards are imbued with New Zealand’s culture and values – Kaihāpai translates into being an advocate and the award’s logo represents Whānau (family). Whānau is one of the core Maori beliefs instilled in New Zealanders as they care for their guests as if they were their very own family, a concept which bears a striking similarity to Indian culture. New Zealand is a place where everyone is welcomed and accepted, a tradition passed down by ancestors who taught them to value love, friendship and camaraderie. When visitors (manuhiri) travel to New Zealand, they are sure to leave the country as family (whānau).  The agents are an important part of the extended Whānau (family), working together to make the …

KD Singh, Founder & President, TravelBullz in a message to travel trade partners has said that the success of the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ initiative, which allows vaccinated foreign tourists to enter Phuket from 1 July, is part of a bigger effort to reopen Thailand for international tourists. However, India & other high-risk countries are unlikely to be open soon for tourists. Sharing details, he said, “Phuket Sandbox – 1st July 2021 is a go however, the Indian subcontinent and several other countries that have been classified as high-risk by the authorities are unlikely to be open soon.” “We wish to emphasise that this is a constantly changing environment, and everyone we know in the Thailand tourism industry is doing everything they can to ensure that Phuket Sandbox is a success, paving the way for the Thailand reopening plan to continue on track. The good news is that properly vaccinated tourists will not need to go through quarantine and there would be no minimum night’s stay restrictions if they do not plan to visit other cities in Thailand. Guests who wish to travel to other cities will be mandatorily required to first stay in Phuket for 14 to 15 days, after which they are free to travel any place in Thailand as long as their RTPCR test remains negative before departing Phuket. The success of Phuket’s Sandbox is thought to be part of a bigger effort by the government to reopen Thailand as a tourist destination,” Singh further added. According to sources, the following is the reopening strategy by the Thailand government: 1st July to 30th Sept.  – Phuket Sandbox – No Quarantine Required plan 1stOct – 31st Dec – 8 more provinces- No Quarantine Required,  including …

IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) National Committee & Kerala State Committee, in their online meetings held on 15th June 2021, expressed gratitude to Chief Minister and Tourism Minister of Kerala for taking a step to form Welfare Board for the employees working in tourism industry. The formation of a Welfare Board for Travel and Tourism Industry employees was one of the essential demands submitted by IAAI to CM & Tourism Minister on 31st May 2021.

The 1st virtual ‘Korea Travel Expo’ is all set to begin soon. The 3-day event will see a host of exhibitors including top Regional Tourism Boards, attractions and DMCs of Korea. Get ready to meet representatives from Seoul & Busan tourism boards, Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau and Lotte World. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.