CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said that international flight operations from Kushinagar airport will commence in next two months. The government had given Kushinagar, an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, the status of the international airport in June 2020. Once this airport begins operating international flights, it will become fourth international facility in the state.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) becomes India’s first airport to introduce a QR-code based contactless check-in facility for passengers. It has added a touch-less feature to its self-check-in kiosks whereby passengers can use their phones to scan the QR code in order to remotely self-check-in, thus minimizing surface contact in the course of their journey

In order to build the Utah brand in India, Utah Office of Tourism has appointed IndiJo Consulting as its official representative in India. Led by Joseph Fernandes, IndiJo will carry out sales, marketing, and PR activities on behalf of the tourism board. These include webinars, B2B training, co-op promotions, social media initiatives, support product development, trade and media relations.  

The Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) led by EM Najeeb has called on the government to take immediate steps to reopen the tourism sector in Kerala without further delays. Najeeb added that if the crisis continues, the vast majority of enterprises in the region will face serious repercussions in the near future. The tourism sector, which has been in crisis since travel restrictions were imposed globally in last February, has been completely shut down with the lockdown imposed in India by March 24. More than 15 lakh people directly and 20 lakh people indirectly working in the tourism sector of the state and being the highest-earning industrial service sector in the state. Tourism is the highest income-earning sector with more than 45000 Crores and contributing around 12% to the state GDP in 2019. Excluding expatriate investment, it is one of the most lucrative foreign exchange earning sectors in the country and more than 20000 local investors and entrepreneurs are working in this sector with the support of bank loans and other financial institutions support. Central and State Governments should be prepared to take wartime measures to rescue the sector from the more damaging situation and intervene to restart the regular business with adequate safety and health control measure for the return of the tourism sector and lives of lakhs of people is, directly and indirectly, working travel, tourism and hospitality sector. At a time when the tourism industry is on the verge of literally collapsing as one of the state’s highest income earning industrial sectors and excluding NRI investment, the country is literally on the verge of collapse. CKTI President EM Najeeb requested. Based on unlock 4 declared by …

Leading B2B travel portal, TBO Group has launched “TBO Marine”, a hybrid e-commerce platform to cater to the niche market segment of the marine industry. Via this platform, TBO, is offering its audience quick and easy access to global seaman fares, providing an immaculate travel management service. TBO aims to extend its expertise in marine travel management; providing value and expertise to B2B segment in the following industries: Offshore oil and energy sectors, dry dock, specialized marine contracting, crew management companies, travel agents servicing the marine, and port agents. The portal will offer real-time seaman fares, which will assist with travel agents to explore an untapped industry in India. Ankush Nijhawan, Co-Founder, TBO Group and MD Nijhawan Group says “The key objective of TBO marine is to offer a seamless service to the B2B partners with the assistance of exclusively curated software, equipped to bestow a flawless experience.  Through this integration on our platform, TBO is empowering its partners to tap into a new segment. Our team of highly skilled professionals will be available 24/7/365, to offer specialized rates, state of the art technology and years of experience of airways schedules, visa assistance, and cost-effective ways to add value to our clients” The Marine industry in India is a standout amid the most dawning and breathtaking sectors. Identified as a lucrative and niche market segment, the Marine is yet to be discovered to its core potential. Worldwide, this potential sector is being explored at a high pace with technological development.  

Covid-19 has diverted the whole world to habituate into the new normal. The travel fraternity is under immense scrutiny. Three months after cutting pay for most employees, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, one of India’s largest representation companies; Nijhawan Group has announced the reversal of salary cuts of their employees amid the pandemic- repaying them for what they gave up. The sentiment has a silver lining of new hope for the future of the travel and tourism sector. The representation giant announced it is ending those salary reductions in part because the plausibility of a worst-case scenario has “significantly reduced” since the pay cuts were implemented. Priyanka Nijhawan, Director, Nijhawan Group said, “During these difficult and unprecedented times, our employees have been through immense pressure & challenges. This pandemic has made us emerge stronger with courage and hope for a better future.  The travel industry as you are aware is one of the worst-hit by the pandemic and while others have struggled, Nijhawan Group as a team has shown courage, commitment and leadership in tackling the innumerable challenges in these crises times through commitment and hard work, we have tackled all hardships along the way. It is the faithfulness and loyalty of our employees that has made this possible.” In reviving employee salaries, Priyanka Nijhawan reiterated a pledge that “no one at Nijhawan Group is going to lose their job” because of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, she also urged everyone to continue to focus and participate in working together to bring back the business, as it was pre-COVID.  

According to TravTalk CEO Survey, economic activities are expected to return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic level by Q1 2022. 48.1% of respondents feel recovery will happen by Q1 2022, while 34.6% feel the pre-pandemic level will be achieved by Q1 2021.

Sharing his experience in Thailand, Sanjay Mehta, CEO, Trans Globe Travels, “Two years ago, I went on a Mega fam trip to Thailand. It was a refreshing and amazing experience visiting Thailand. The weather was really good and I loved spending time on the pristine beaches. I visited Koh Chang and Pattaya and it is truly a hidden gem of Thailand.  Enjoyed Kayaking, snorkelling and spending time at pristine beaches during the trip. Overall, the country is the best place for a holiday.”

Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB) will host its biggest virtual travel trade event “Travel Business Azerbaijan Online” (TBA 2020) on October 14. The online event will bring together local and international tourism professionals in hopes to forge partnerships and profitable business deals. The event aims to bring together 300 buyers from around the world.

Malaysia will block citizens of India, Indonesia and the Philippines from entering the country starting September 7. The restrictions will affect those with long-term passes, students, expatriates, permanent residents as well as family members of Malaysians. All foreign tourists have already been banned from entry since March and the same restriction has also been extended till 31st December 2020.