World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in its annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), shows how big a part travel and tourism played in driving the economy in the region last year, based on which the findings reveal how vital the sector will be for the region’s economic recovery from COVID-19. It shows the sector supporting one in 10 (330 million) jobs, making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, says, “WTTC’s 2019 Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows how intrinsic Travel & Tourism was last year to the economy in Asia-Pacific, making it the fastest growing region in the world in terms of its contribution to GDP, supporting more than 182 million jobs or 9.6% of the total number of people employed.”

After the resounding success of its maiden Digital Conclave in early April, TravTalk is all geared up to host the conclave’s second edition tomorrow, April 21, from 10 am to 1:30 pm. Divided into three one-hour sessions, the virtual summit will have eminent speakers from state tourism boards, Indian tour operators’ associations, airlines, hotels, as well as visa and technology service providers among others, who will deliberate on the next steps in domestic tourism and India as a global source market. For more details, you can contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 and jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com. Speakers will include Ashwani Lohani (APTDC), PP Khanna (ADTOI), Kerrie Hannaford (Accor), Arjun Sharma (Select Group), Ankur Bhatia (Bird Group), Sanjay Kumar (IndiGo), Vinay Malhotra (VFS Global), Sandeep Dwivedi (ITQ) and KD Singh (TravelBullz).

People in Turkey are turning to a traditional fragrance that has taken on a new relevance amid the coronavirus pandemic: kolonya. Meaning ‘cologne’, it is a symbol of Turkish hospitality. But unlike other natural scents, this ethanol-based concoction’s high alcohol content can kill more than 80% of germs.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed a solo Easter concert from an empty Milan Cathedral streamed live to millions around the world in lockdown. The ‘Music for Hope’ performance, streamed on YouTube has been watched more than 22 million times so far. Accompanied by an organist, Bocelli sang four songs.

Lions in South Africa’s Kruger National Park have been taking advantage of the lockdown. A pride was seen sleeping on a road which would normally be busy with tourists. Kruger, like other wildlife parks, has been shut since 25 March.

Singapore has recently announced massive financial support for specific sectors that have been badly hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, including the aviation, tourism, land transport and arts and culture industries under its Resilience Budget. This was revealed by GB Srithar, Regional Director (India, Middle East and South Asia), Singapore Tourism Board, during the first-ever TravTalk Digital Conclave. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced more than SG$ 48 billion (approx. US$ 33.7 billion) in different areas related to tourism. The aviation sector alone will get SG$ 350 million of additional support. Sridhar was part of the second session that focussed on present circumstances and possible future for tourism. About SG$ 90 million has been set aside to help the tourism industry rebound. A separate SG$ 55 million support package has been allocated to sustain and revive the arts and culture sector. The fund will also include Point-to-Point Support Package for taxi and private hire car drivers, who will receive the Special Relief Fund payments of SG$ 300 per vehicle per month until the end of September 2020. The government will also offer one-year road tax rebate and six-month waiver of parking charges at government-managed parking facilities for private bus owners.  

Continuing its legacy to take knowledge sharing to a new level, TravTalk India has announced the second edition of its Digital Conclave which is scheduled to take place on, Tuesday, 21st April from 10 am to 1:30 pm. The first-of-its-kind virtual tourism conclave will have eminent speakers from the industry. This time, three different sessions will cover topic such as Domestic Tourism: The way forward, Where is the money: Selling domestic luxury and India: The new global source market? For more details, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 and jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com. The speakers include Ashwini Lohani, APTDC; PP Khanna, ADTOI; Kerrie Hannaford, Accor; Arjun Sharma, Select Group; Ankur Bhatia, Bird Group; Sanjay Kumar, IndiGo; Vinay Malhotra, VFS Global; Sandeep Dwivedi, ITQ and KD Singh, TravelBullz.  

Promoting tourism awareness and social history, the Ministry of Tourism has launched its ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ webinar series to provide information on the many destinations of the country and share the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of our Incredible India. The first webinar, which was part of a series that shall unfold, touched upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded as 8 cities, each unique in its character and leaving behind traces which makes Delhi the magnificent city that it is today. The seminar was titled ” City of Cities- Delhi’s Personal Diary’. The next webinar is on the 16th of April from 11 am to 12 noon and based on the amazing city of Kolkata. The core of the session-based itself on tourism awareness and social history. Laced with interesting anecdotes the session which was conducted by the India city walks for Ministry of Tourism, had enthusiastic participation with 5546 persons registering and many interesting questions were raised which depict the interest of the participants. The webinar shall be available in public domain soon and so if you missed it then do see it on the official links of the Ministry’s social media handles- IncredibleIndia on Instagram and Facebook. Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT mentioned that the series of webinars shall be an on-going feature and the Ministry would work towards showcasing Incredible India. She requested that stakeholders should work with MOT to build positive messaging for the promotion of domestic tourism so that people are encouraged to travel as soon as the country has COVID 19 behind it.

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to participate in its webinar titled ‘From the James Bond Mountain to the shores of Lake Geneva Region’ to be hosted today at 3:00 pm. One of the best 360-degree views of the Swiss skyline can be witnessed on top of the James Bon Mountain, Schilthorn. From the central Swiss Alps, travellers can then make their way to the French-speaking Lake Geneva Region on board the famous GoldenPass Panorama Train. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, the region is surrounded by mountains and vineyards and provides numerous activities and excursion possibilities. This webinar will provide the trade with the latest information and updates about Schilthorn Cableway and the Lake Geneva Region. Travel partners who attend all the webinars stand a chance of winning a trip to Switzerland. For more information, please contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) recently held its individual meeting with its all 11 chapter over zoom, where they discussed on relief packages and members expectation from government and way forward, it was revealed in a statement by the association. “ADTOI held its LEO exclusive meet over zoom headed by chairperson Ekta Watts. Also, ADTOI is now on TWITTER and can be tagged @ADTOIconnect,” the statement read. In addition, they will also launch their webinar series. “We will start with West Bengal & Madhya Pradesh as its first two destinations. Details for the same will follow. We strongly believe in developing business within ADTOI family and to support each other in these difficult times,” it said.