Malaysia Airlines has announced that it will operate limited service with 85% reduction across its network during the Movement Control Order (MCO) from 1 to 14 June 2021. However, it will continue to facilitate essential domestic and international travels as well as cargo movement. Also, the carrier extended its rebooking travel flexibility, offering customers longer ticket validity until 31 December 2022 with a one-time fare difference and service fee waiver. Eligible customers can now rebook their travels on or before 30 June 2022 for travel to be completed by 31 December 2022. Malaysia Airlines previously offered customers the flexibility to rebook their travels on or before 30 June 2021 for travel to be completed by 31 December 2021. Customers may refer to the airline’ travel advisory available on its official website for more information. Captain Izham Ismail, Group Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Aviation Group, said: “The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Malaysia has moved us to prioritise further the safety and health of our passengers and employees. With customers being the centre of gravity, we hope the extended travel rebooking flexibility regardless of the class fare will provide the certainty and peace of mind that their tickets remain eligible for future travel with us. As national carrier, we continue to play our role in ensuring accessibility for Malaysia together with Firefly and MASwings, via limited commercial and charter services even since MCO 1.0. From April 2020, we have successfully deployed over 350 rescue and repatriation flights utilising Malaysia Airlines’ A380, A350, A330 and B737 aircraft whilst MABkargo operated more than 1,600 passenger-to-cargo (P2C) flights since March 2020, carrying over 30,000 tonnes of relief items on its global freighter network …

Uzbeksitan Airways has appointed Aeroprime as its PSA (Passenger Sales Agent) for India. Aeroprime will be responsible for the airlines’ sales, reservations, customer service and ticketing. Abhishek Goyal, Executive Director, Aeroprime stated, “We are honoured to be working with Uzbekistan Airways in India. Our appointment is a perfect reflection of Aeroprime’s specialised offering of localised expertise and networks, which gels perfectly with the airlines’ philosophy and vision. The airline will be supported by international best practices of Aeroprime, to expand their market share and sales in India.”

EbixCash Private Limited is progressing towards its prospective IPO, reveals Robin Raina, Chairman, President & CEO Ebix Inc. The company has appointed S Ravi, as a new independent director to the EbixCash Board. Ravi is presently serving as the Chairman and Director of Tourism Finance Corporation of India. “As the Chairman of Tourism Finance Corporation of India, he also has a thorough understanding of the travel industry. All of these attributes are extremely valuable to his role on the EbixCash Board as we chart our next cycle of growth and progress towards the prospective IPO,” said Raina.

Sunjae Sharma, Vice President & Country Head – India, Hyatt, confirms, “As a result of no funds forthcoming from Asian Hotels (West) Ltd, the owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai, to sustain the operations of the hotel, a decision has been taken to temporarily suspend all operations for Hyatt Regency Mumbai. The hotel will remain closed until further notice. Future reservations through Hyatt booking channels will remain temporarily unavailable. We are working closely with the hotel’s owner to resolve this situation.”

Korea Travel Expo, to be held from 22-24 June 2021, will mimic a real-life exhibition, says Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office. “It is a 3-day event, and the 1st day we have reserved for ‘by invite only’ buyers who we would be inviting personally. The next 2 days are open for all Indian travel agents who want to meet our Korean exhibitors. The platform offers the option of both pre-scheduled meeting as well as on-spot meetings by visiting the exhibitor booth as you would do in a physical exhibition. While people wait for their meetings, we will also have an interactive fun page where people can get interesting Korea related information, watch videos and participate in quiz/activities to win exciting prizes. We have kept everything very practical and business focused and avoided having any preloaded or live presentations or too many interactive features, which at times slows down the interface.” points out Choi. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Jatinder Taneja, Vice Chairman, PATA India Chapter, has said that they will wait for some time before planning any activities for the association, and said that the Government should do the same. “They need to plan a roadmap for inbound tourism and probably they need more time for the same. Unless covid numbers are controlled and vaccination drive is fast we can’t expect international arrivals,” he added.

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its webinar series exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade with one-hour webinars in June-July. The next one will be held on Thursday, 10 June at 3pm IST and will focus on Valencia. 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.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has signed Ramada Encore by Wyndham in Indore. Nikhil Sharma, Regional Director Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts EMEA said: “This upcoming opening adds to our existing portfolio of Wyndham-branded hotels in Madhya Pradesh and reaffirms our commitment to continued growth in this important market. We look forward to our partnership and to adding an internationally-recognised hotel brand to the city of Indore.” The new property, scheduled to open in 2022, will have a modern design and will feature 100 contemporary rooms, a lobby lounge, an all-day dining restaurant and bar, meetings and event spaces, a business centre, refreshing wellness areas and an outdoor rooftop swimming pool. Once operational, Ramada Encore by Wyndham Indore will provide more than 100 jobs to the Indore city.

TBO Group, which acquired Island Hopper in 2019, has now also acquired Gemini Tours & Travels. Headquartered out of Bangalore India, Gemini Tours & Travels, will be merging with Island Hopper, which already has over 21% share of Indian Travel Market to Maldives. Mr. Ankush Nijhawan, Co-Founder, TBO Group, said “Gemini merger will help Island Hopper further expand its presence in South India Market and consolidate its numero uno position as an Island Specialist even further. This acquisition would also help in providing our customers more hotel options especially in the luxury segment in Maldives.”

Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), with probability of hotels not being able to reopen for two to three months more in the state, have asked for Rs. 5,000 to 6,000 as subsistence allowance for 1.4 lakh people directly employed in hotels and tour companies. “It won’t suffice to meet their needs, but at least it will be of some help,” said Nilesh Shah, President, TTAG.