Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor, along with Alan Faena and Len Blavatnik of Faena Group, have entered a global strategic partnership aimed at expanding the Faena brand to strategic destinations worldwide. The two entities would work towards developing Faena Districts in select global destinations. The new venture will strengthen Faena’s personal and distinctive approach and will become a catalyst for exponential growth. Dubai is slated to be the first international destination. “Accor is building an experience-based hospitality platform and in doing so, we greatly value the energy and ideas that entrepreneurs, creators and visionaries bring. Alan Faena is a clear leader in the luxury lifestyle sector with his transformative concepts. Faena Districts are shifting the gravitational centers of the cities where they reside, making a true difference in their communities. These will serve as our model as we work hand-in-hand with the Faena team to help achieve their vision and global expansion ambitions. We look forward to a long and rewarding future working with Alan, Len and the entire Faena group,” said Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, Accor. “We have found in Accor a perfect partner; we have a shared vision and passion. As Faena expands, we plan to continue rethinking hospitality lifestyle and shaping the path for groundbreaking concepts, setting new industry standards in the creation of inimitable environments rooted in culture, positively transforming cities, shifting old paradigms and becoming new international cultural epicenters. It has always been our dream to share the Faena ethos and artistic This partnership will result in pioneering businesses which specialises in the development of one-of-a-kind, socially responsible, holistic environments, anchored in cultural experiences ranging from residences and hotels, art and cultural …

SingapoReimagine MICE Virtual Show will be held from 3 – 4 March 2021. The 2-day virtual tradeshow will connect you with up to 40 leading suppliers including convention centres, hotels, unique meeting venues, destination management companies and tour operators in Singapore. Also get updated on Singapore’s progress towards the safe resumption of business events. Register now on https://events.miceneurol.com/singapore-reimagine/buyer-registration—stb

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State, Tourism & Culture, in his address at the launch of Bharat Parv, said that tourism was the most affected industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but positive attitude and effective planning of the government is helping this industry to rebound in a magnificent way. “The diverse culture of India is our great strength and we can introduce it to the world through tourism,” he said.

In a tweet, Maharashtra Tourism revealed that on the occasion of National Tourism Day on 25th January, MOUs were signed with 11 companies for the development of Maharashtra Tourism. These initiatives undertaken by the government will create about 6,754 new jobs with a total investment of Rs. 2905 Crores.

IATO and TravTalk will be organising the second edition of the webinar on ‘Redesigning Itineraries: Ayurveda, Meditation and Spirituality’ today at 11:30am. The speakers will be Guru Yogi Shivan from Indimasi and Dr. Shiney Linu, Ayurveda Specialist at Kairali Ayurvedic Group. To register email: jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Malaysia Airlines has received seven stars – full marks – from Airline Ratings in an independent review of its COVID-19 health and safety measures. The rating is based on seven criteria— COVID-19 guidance on the airline’s website, social distancing during boarding, flight attendants’ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the compulsory wearing of face masks onboard, modifications to the meal service, passenger hygiene kits, and the deep cleaning of the aircraft. Malaysia Airlines was deemed to have excelled in all categories, resulting in it being awarded all seven stars.. Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail said, “COVID-19 has presented a challenge unlike any the aviation industry has faced previously, and Malaysia Airlines has needed to adapt our services and protocols quickly to ensure that our passengers and staff are kept safe and comfortable. In July 2020 we introduced the “Fly Confidently” campaign, to educate passengers on the enhanced measures implemented across touchpoints at airports as well as on board. We are very proud that the range of measures we have put in place from check-in through to arrivals have been recognised by Airline Ratings and hope that this seven-star rating provides further reassurance to our customers that every flight with Malaysia Airlines will be safe and enjoyable for all onboard.”

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) plans to open two new resorts at Sinhagad Fort and Akkalkot. “There was a resort at Sinhagad fort that we had given on lease. After the lease expired, it was shut for a year. Now, we have renovated that place and we are opening our own resort. Almost 95% of the work has been completed. Once all the finishing touches are done, we will open within a month,” said Deepak Harne, Regional Manager (Pune), MTDC.

Venkatesan D, Regional Director of Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India recently visited Indore to interact with more than 50 members of TAAI’s MP & CG Chapter led by Hemendra Singh Jadon, Chapter Chairman. The discussion was around the importance of promoting India, new products in MP, and new strategies for selling including using more and more social media to showcase experiences and destinations, as well as involving social influencers.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism, recently informed the tourism stakeholders recently that MOT, in partnership with the Public Health Foundation of India would be organising a series of workshops and seminars for various segments of the travel and hospitality industry on health and safety during and post COVID times. She urged all Associations to ensure that their members participate in these workshops. Further, if there was any segment for which they would like these workshops to be arranged, they may inform MOT.

In a meeting held between industry stakeholders and Ministry of Tourism, chaired by Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, it was shared that SOPs are required for the segment of transport operators as well, since these are not included in the present SOPs. The meeting was held to discuss preparedness of stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries to received international tourists once the e-Tourist Visa is restored, with required protocols in place.