A trial flight operated by Flybig Airlines safely landed at the Pasighat Airport in Arunachal Pradesh on May 23, and the carrier has now started scheduled civil operations from Monday, according to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry. The ministry expects that the direct flights under the central government’s UDAN scheme will boost the economic opportunities in the region, it was revealed in a Tweet.

South India Hotels & Restaurants Association (SIHRA) organised a vaccination camp for hoteliers, which was inaugurated at GRT Convention Centre, Chennai by Shri Venkatesan, Regional Director (South), Indiatourism. The camp received good response from all Chennai hoteliers. In a tweet, Ministry of Tourism gave special thanks to Chennai Corporation Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and all the Health Department officials for their support.

Willie Walsh, Director General, International Air Transport Association (IATA), speaking at the ATM 2021, said that the aviation industry will take time to repair their balance sheets. “Airlines are not going to be able to take the risk of operating unprofitable routes in the short term,” he said. He also warned that while those airlines that survive would fill the gaps left by those that fail, they would have to be careful how quickly they rebuild.

Shangri-La Group launched Fam.ily™ – its family experience brand, which is aimed to create best-loved experiences for multi-generational families as well as provide support for customers on their parenting journeys. “Family has always been at the heart of the Shangri-La brand culture and treating our guests like family remains a hallmark of the Shangri-La identity,” said Hui Kuok, Chairman of Shangri-La Group. “With the launch of our new Fam.ily™ brand, and as we continue to introduce thoughtfully-designed family offerings, we hope to deliver the best-loved experiences that will bring families closer together, and create precious and lasting memories for our family guests,” she added.

Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Group, has said that low-cost carriers would benefit when the aviation sector resumes in a post-COVID world, thanks to strong domestic demand in the US, China, and Europe. Speaking at ATM 2021, he also added that a number of elements of costs like PCR tests and inequitable distribution of vaccination are going to hamper the demand for the aviation sector.

PA Muhammad Riyas is the new Tourism Minister of Kerala, who will also be handling portfolios of Public Works Department (PWD) and Youth Welfare. Riyas is a first time MP and is the national president of DYFI. At 45, he is one of the youngest ministers in the new Kerala cabinet, and has taken charge after the swearing-in ceremony held in presence of a limited gathering.

SpiceJet recorded a Passenger Load Factor (PLF) of 70.8% in April, which was highest amongst all domestic scheduled operators, revealed Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). GoAir was second in line with 65.7% PLF, while Air Asia recorded 64%. IndiGo’s PLF in the month was 58.7% and Star Air registered its PLF at 55.5%. Vistara and Air India recorded 54.6% and 52% PLF respectively.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) through the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) has decided to promote the Lighthouses across India as tourism destinations & means of promoting Lighthouse Tourism in India. Hence, they have invited agencies either individually or in consortium to submit nonbinding expressions of interest (EOI) about the development at the selected 65 Lighthouse locations across the country. The purpose of this invitation is to obtain response from interested parties pertaining to the range of indicative project components, capital investment that can be proposed, suggestions for making this initiative & PPP development a success and to obtain feedback on any other concerns / issues, if any are being anticipated.

Goa recorded highest RevPAR in absolute terms, despite the single digit decline of RevPAR by 1.1% in Q1 2021 as compared to Q1 2020, revealed JLL’s Hotel Momentum India (HMI) Q1 2021. The report highlighted that Bengaluru saw the sharpest decline of 60.6% in RevPAR compared to the same period of the previous year. High demand from domestic leisure travelers make Goa the fastest recovering market in absolute RevPAR terms

In his farewell message, Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA, said that he encourages everyone to pause and reflect on the lessons learned over the past year and be there for one another. “Now more than ever, partnering for a better tomorrow is critical. I truly wish the travel and tourism industry will experience a speedy and effective recovery so that we can all travel again soon, see our family, our friends and enjoy discovering new places and cultures.” He will be succeeded by Liz Ortiguera.