In a bid to attract tourists back to the state after lifting all travel restrictions, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) has introduced ‘Intezar Aapka’ campaign with includes a series of communication on MP Tourism’s social media pages. The campaign highlights the prime factors of all historic destinations in the state. The campaign further highlights all the key attractions of various destinations. MPTB is promoting places of tourist interest such as Ujjain, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Mandu, among others.

Various travel & tourism associations of Gujarat have met the tourism minister of the state to discuss revival and tourism development plan in the state. Demand seeking industry status was also made along with waiver or relief from the current pandemic. Minister Jawaharbhai Chavda listened to the associations calmly and assured to the needful. A white paper on behalf of all associations was also presented.  

India’s first aviation terminal for private jets and charter flights is expected to open up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport of New Delhi by end of July. According to officials familiar to the matter, the new facility will provide faster turn-around to business jets & charters, shielding them from the clutter of general passenger terminals.  

A customer survey conducted by Vistara has revealed preference and perceptions of about air travel in the near future. On the topic of top international destinations flyers would prefer to travel in the next one year, the survey revealed that respondents prefer Singapore followed by the United Kingdom and Dubai.

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) might have to postpone their election due to COVID-19, which was scheduled for August 2020, revealed PP Khanna, President, ADTOI. “We cannot have electronic elections or get ballots through post of members in Delhi, only the members outside Delhi can post the ballots. With restrictions, it would be best to postpone the election. The final date of election will be announced soon,” he said.

VFS Global will host a webinar for the trade and its travel partners today at 11 am. The session titled ‘A Safe Restart- Your Safety, Our Priority’ will offer a glimpse into VFS Global’s plan as it resumes visa services in India. To attend the webinar, register at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/141/pyr19b51 or email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call 9650196532.

Rare India has unveiled three new initiatives for sustainable living- RARE Travel Agency Network (RATAN), RARE Influencers Network (RAIN) and Beautiful Planet. The company is also open to partnership with travel agencies to promote a sustainable way of living.  

President & Vice President of IATO along with Presidents of ATOAI and ADTOI met Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog today to seek government’s support for the survival and revival of tour operators and other stakeholders of the industry. During the meeting financial support was sought along with long term loans and a hike in SEIS incentive from 7% to 10%. The NITI Aayog CEO gave a patient hearing and has assured full support. During the meeting, Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO emphasised that Inbound Tour Operators who bring in foreign tourists and earn valuable foreign exchange for the country are on the verge of collapsing due to Covid-19 pandemic and need urgent help to survive as there is zero billing and consequently zero cash flow.  Apart from Sarkar, Rajiv Mehra, Vice President was representing IATO. Capt. Swadesh Kumar, President, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and PP Khanna, President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI) were also present. The delegation sought financial support to tour operators so that tour operators do not close down and continue their business with their experienced staff after the COVID – 19 is controlled and tourism is back to business, under MSME Special Non-collateral and interest-free long term loans (5-10 years) to be provided to the tour operators for the survival of the business and aggressive marketing once tourism is back to business.  In addition, IATO sought an increase in incentive offered in Service Export from India Scheme (SEIS) from 7% to 10 % which will allow them to offer competitive packages vis a vis neighbouring countries. Kant gave a very patient hearing and assured the delegation full support to the tourism …

Tourism & Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel has announced that all monuments and world heritage sites across the country can reopen from July 6 after adhering to complete safety measures and relevant SOPs in place. It also means that monuments like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Sanchi, Khajuraho and others can also reopen. Earlier the government had decided to reopen only 820 ASI-protected monuments where place of worship is available. Making the announcement on Twitter, the minister said he took the decision after consultation with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Pramod Bhasin, Aditya Ghosh and Deep Kalra spoke on disruptions in organizations at a day-long national conference hosted by Ashoka University with industry experts to track the current changes in organisations due to COVID-19 and solutions to shape the future of organisations Industry leaders came together at an Ashoka University- hosted virtual conference on June 27 on shaping organizations of the future. The conference was addressed by business, finance and industry leaders including like Pramod Bhasin, Founder, Genpact; Amitabh Chaudhry, MD and CEO, Axis Bank; Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, MakeMyTrip and Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairman, Ashoka University. The conference, was held under the Ashoka University – Future of Work banner, on June 27 on Zoom and broadcasted live on YouTube. The conference was attended by over 2000 corporate leaders, HR professionals, students and a variety of audiences from 26 countries. Sharing his thoughts on the topic ‘Shaping Organizations of the Future’, Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank said “Most successful organizations will be those that are able to implement the benefits of technology while retaining the creativity and energy of a traditional office. We need clear definitions of work in order to drive a sense of ownership and accountability. Trust between the manager and employee will need nourishment in a remote working environment and new review structures will emerge between manager and the employee. Values and culture would be more important to unite employees in a remote environment. Job definitions, hierarchy and expectations from a manager will change. Crisis gives us an opportunity to create diversity in a meaningful manner, an inclusive environment for differently abled can be created.” Speaking on the topic ‘Working Anytime, Anywhere and …