Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Sagarika International Cruise Terminal at Cochin and said that Government of India is taking many efforts to improve tourism related infrastructure in Kerala. “The inauguration of this International Cruise Terminal is one example of this. It brings both comfort and convenience for tourists,” he said.

Virtually Yours Travel Show (VYTS)—a marketplace for consumers, travel agents and travel industry professionals, designed for simplicity and effectiveness— is all set to begin on 15th March, 2021. The show will have DMO and travel suppliers disseminate travel information, engage, sell, acquire consumer bookings and travel agent clients. There will be new shows every week throughout the year, while exhibits remain live for 30 days. One can have advance appoints with travel resellers.

Subhash Goyal, Hony. Secretary General, FAITH, has said that the knowledge conclave at Virtual ITM 2021, will have various sessions, and each of them will be chaired by the head of one of the 10 member associations of FAITH. “There is a session on adventure tourism, a session on MICE, as well as a session on medical tourism, where Dr. Naresh Trehan from Medanta will give a keynote address and it will also have Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, along with the chiefs of Max and Dr. Lal Pathlabs. There will be many other similar sessions on various topics, which will be open to everyone,” he added.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, in his address at the 10th ADTOI Convention has said that Kevadia is the most powerful example of how tourism can improve the standard of living of all. He also added that things are returning to normal in the last quarter of this financial year, adding that 2020 was unprecedented in many ways. Singh also informed that constant discussions are going on with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Health Ministry to relax the ban on tourist visas and the right decision will be taken in this matter when the appropriate time comes.

At a recent press conference, addressing the issue of travel agent commission and the reason it was discontinued post lockdown, Rajiv Bansal, CMD, Air India, said, “We are trying to move to a more web-sale oriented approach, instead of an agent-based sales model. Initially, during the Vande Bharat Mission, all tickets were sold on the website, owing to imbalance in demand and supply. Now, demand and supply are largely matched, and all forms of sale are open, including agents, on-counter and web sale. Our objective is to increase the web sales.”

‘VisitBritain Cricket Carnival – Season 1’, powered by TravTalk is all set to be launched with an aim to capture the ongoing England-India bilateral cricket series in India. Trade partners are encouraged to participate and form their Dream 11 teams for the Fantasy League and win prizes after every match. The official launch will happen soon.

PATA India Chapter team had a meeting with Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, who would also be the Chairman, PATA India Chapter. There were discussions on important matters in inbound travel, and some of the points included that there is a need to promote summer markets as soon as possible, which shall be supported with virtual roadshows. The team also suggested free visa for tourists for a year; and reduced entrance fee to monuments that will attract tourists.

AirAsia India Credit Card Policy has been changed with immediate effect. The credit card upload policy of the airline, which was in effect since 1st Feb 2021, will no longer be valid. The airline has sent a new circular which details the new policy in detail. Ajay Wadhawan, Chief of Sales, AirAsia India shared this on social media. In the previous circular

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EBIXCASH Travel Services has been appointed as the Co-Chairman for the domestic tourism committee of FICCI. In the new role, Naveen will be involved with various government agencies & tourism committees to strengthen the footprints of domestic tourism in India. This committee will be working as a sub-committee under the aegis of FICCI Tourism Committee to address the various issues and roadblocks in terms of domestic travel and technology, which act as a hindrance for sustaining the rapid growth of this sector. “My vision has always been to enhance the domestic tourism demand of what is called the untouched India for which I already havew a couoke of national awards by the Government of India , build a core team at FICCI team who can help promote & push the fulfilment of the domestic tourism products across India such as hoteliers , Ground operators of various states , transport suppliers , individuals and companies from the artisan in-dustry  and local bodies .Domestic & Regional tourism is the key indicator for inclusive economic development & job creation,” said Naveen Kundu.

ADTOI, with support from MOT, is all set to kick-off its 10th Annual Convention today with support from Ministry of Tourism at Kevadia, Gujarat. The inauguration ceremony will start at 5pm today, and will be graced by the presence of Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State, Tourism & Culture. The business sessions will begin tomorrow, which will see Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism addressing a session on ‘Role of Aviation in Promotion of Tourism’. Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism will moderate a session on ‘Technology is Future-Travel Real from Virtual’.