The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) partnered with Zomato for Zomaland Season 2, a multicity food and entertainment carnival across ten cities in two formats – Zomaland in Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai; and Zomaland Picnics in Jaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad. This association is an integral part of STB’s efforts to engage with foodies in India through the showcasing of Singapore food and experiences through a designated “Singapore Experience Zone” at Zomaland. Over three days (13th to 15th December), attendees to Zomaland Delhi enjoyed food from the world’s first Michelin Star hawker, Liao Fan Hawker Chan’s famous Soya Sauce Chicken Rice at the “Singapore Experience Zone”. In addition to this, they will also got to savour signature dishes like Kaya toast, Char Kway Teow (Stir-fried Rice Noodles), Chicken Satay and Ice Milo by Nasi and Mee, a popular restaurant chain in India serving Singaporean dishes. Speaking about this association with Zomato, Lim Si Ting, Area Director, India & South Asia (Mumbai), Singapore Tourism Board said, “We are happy to partner with Zomato for the first time, and believe Zomaland brings us closer to the Indian audiences through a common love and passion for food. By highlighting authentic Singaporean cuisine and the varied dining options, we hope to entice more Foodies in India to visit Singapore for even more culinary delights. We are also excited to have Hawker Chan from Liao Fan Chicken Rice – the world’s first Michelin-star Hawker from Singapore, to share both his Soya Sauce Chicken Rice dish and stories about his passion as a chef with the Indian audience. We look forward to sharing more of such immersive experiences at Zomaland Delhi and the other …

Indian residents can now apply for a Polish visa through VFS Global with the inauguration of Visa Application Centres in New Delhi and Mumbai. VFS Global will soon offer Polish visa services in 8 other cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kolkata. The centre in New Delhi was officially inaugurated by H.E. Adam Burakowski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan.

AirAsia India has appointed Ankur Garg as its Chief Commercial Officer in place of Sanjay Kumar, who stepped down from the position last month. Garg was the Vice-president for revenue management, ancillary revenue and distribution for IndiGo. In his new role, Garg will be managing day-to-day commercial operations of AirAsia India, including network and revenue management, marketing & sales and cargo.

In its latest report, CAPA has forecast that Indian airlines will post a combined loss of $600 million and induct fewer aircraft in the current financial year. In June, CAPA reported that Indian carriers will post $500-700 million in profit. However, owing to weak results by IndiGo and SpiceJet, CAPA’s latest forecast reports losses by Indian carriers. IndiGo and SpiceJet posted losses of Rs 1,062 crore and Rs 462 crore, respectively, in the quarter ending September. According to CAPA, IndiGo will post an annual profit of $70-90 million, which is much lower that the $400-500 million forecast in June.  AirAsia India, Vistara, and Air India are also likely to post losses, while GoAir is expected to register a $25-30 million profit. CAPA estimates Air India to post a loss of $500 million this year.

Association of Buddhist Tour Operators (ABTO) has opened its Asian office in Pattaya, Thailand. ABTO also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) for co-operation in the field of travel and tourism, with an aim to promote Buddhist pilgrimage tourism between the two countries. The MoU was signed by Kaulesh Kumar, Secy. General, ABTO and Bang-on Janasanthia, Committee Member, ATTA.

Australian low-cost carrier, Jetstar cancelled 120 domestic flights on Friday and over the weekend as the airline’s pilots, ground crew and baggage handlers take industrial action to demand a pay rise and better working condition. 44 flights on Saturday and 46 flights on Sunday are set to be cancelled. All the passengers flying between December 13 and December 20 will be able to request a full refund. Other passengers will have their flights rescheduled, be moved to different planes or transferred to Qantas flights.    

After a huge win the UK general elections, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has assured Britain’s exit from EU by January 31, 2020. “We will get Brexit done on time by the 31st of January, no ifs, no buts, no maybes,” he told cheering supporters. The Conservatives are set for a resounding victory in an election in which Brexit was widely seen as the decisive factor, with his “Get Brexit done” mantra winning over former Labour voters in the opposition party’s traditional heartlands.

The Air Quality Index compiled by the state environment department in Sydney, Australia reached as high as 2,552 in some eastern suburbs – soaring past the “hazardous” threshold of 200. The pollution has been so bad it has set off smoke alarms in office buildings across the CBD, while ash has been washing up on the city’s usually pristine beaches. Flight arrivals at Sydney Airport has been delayed by up to 30 minutes due to poor visibility. Authorities warned people with respiratory conditions, or heart and lung problems, to stay indoors. Office workers were seen wearing face masks in the street, an unusual sight in a city more used to clear blue skies and clean air. Temperatures are forecasted to soar to 42 degrees Celsius in the city’s west.

All Schengen visa applicants lodging an application file from February 2020 and on will be subject to the new Schengen Visa Code, which among other foresee an increase in visa fee by 33.3 per cent. The updated Visa Code was adopted by the EU Council in June 2019 and it applies to all European Union Member States and associate countries that participate in the Schengen Agreement. From February 2, 2020, Schengen visa applicants will need to pay a fee of 80 Euro instead of 60 Euro per application.

According to the recent data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation, passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Nov 2019 were 1311.54 lakhs as against 1262.83 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 3.86% and monthly growth of 11.18%. In the month of October, MoM growth was 3.98% which shows November has performed phenomenally well.