Aviation firms offering helicopter services at places identified under the UDAN scheme will get additional subsidy from the Uttarakhand government, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said recently. Rawat also said that the state has great potential for expansion of heli services. He says, “Companies which offer heli services in areas identified under the UDAN Yojana will get subsidy from the state government in addition to the subsidy given by the Centre.” The first-of-its-kind summit based on the theme of expanding connectivity through helicopters was organised here jointly by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the state government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

NIMA has recently launched its Southern Region office in Vizag. K Vijay Mohan was nominated as the co-ordinator for the Southern Region. The Commissioner of Police, Vizag, Rajeev Kumar Meena graced the occasion. Former MLA Malla Vijay Prasad, Entrepreneur Pyda Krishan Prasad, Raja Babu of Sunray Resorts and Naresh Kumar were other dignitaries present during the launch.  NIMA’s National Coordinator Gajesh Girdhar, Rakesh Arora and Jagdeep Bhagat were present too. The State Chapters for Telangana with Siraj Ansari as it’s State Coordinator and Andhra Pradesh with Dheeraj Praharaju as it’s State Coordinator were also installed during the recent visit of NIMA’s National team to the region.

The Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has started a three-month trial of bio-metric facial recognition entry system for domestic Vistara flyers out of Terminal 3. The participation in the trials is purely voluntary and at the discretion of the passengers, said the spokesperson of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). With the facial recognition technology, passengers’ entry would be automatically processed based on facial recognition system at all checkpoints, including airport entry, entry into security checks, and aircraft boarding. “A suitable consent form will be signed by passengers. This trial will run for three months. Subsequent roll-out plans will be made. The enrolment process for passengers with valid flight tickets and government ID proofs will start at the registration kiosk. After this, their facial details will be captured by a camera.” he added. After successful completion of the trial, the facial recognition facility would be officially launched at Terminal 3, and subsequently at other terminals at the Delhi airport.

MAYFAIR Hotels and Resorts has opened its 11th Resort- MAYFAIR Lake Resort in Raipur. The Group now runs 11 properties across 9 destinations- Bhubaneswar, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Goa, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Puri, Rourkela, Kalimpong & Raipur. The resort is a 124-room property offering Executive Rooms, Deluxe Suites and a Presidential Suite. MAYFAIR Group widely acknowledged and admired for its architectural concept of low rise properties that highlights plush greenery, was founded by Dilip Ray in 1982, with its first property at Rourkela.  Over these years, the Group has earned a unique niche for itself in the Hospitality industry for its personalised services, luxurious accommodation, designer properties and eco-friendly environment that welcomes guests to a truly unforgettable experience. The property is designed to cater to the requirements of the growing MICE Segment and will be a key player in the development of a new Central Indian Travel Circuit. It has a number of indoor and open air venues with capacities of hosting 15 to 2000 guests. The hall with elegant decors and exotic wedding venues, that exude regal charm, makes it an ultimate address for Destination-wedding and MICE events, promising a flawless picture-perfect event experience. Conveniently located the property is just a 15 minutes’ drive   from Swami Vivekananda airport and is well connected by Road and Railways also.  

Lords Hotels and Resorts has opened SK Lords Eco Inn on Ahmedabad marking its 23rd property in Gujarat. The 30-key hotel offers a multi-cuisine restaurant and pillar-less banquet hall of 5000 sqft. It is located near Navrangpura, the commercial district of the city. Pushpendra Bansal, Managing Director, Lords Hotels and Resorts, says, “Gujarat is India’s most exciting destination and an ideal stage for our continued expansion. We are expecting SK Lords Eco Inn to capture significant part of business tourist visiting Gujarat.”

Luxury Gold, that offers luxury guided journeys, has announced the launch of its brand new e-learning program called the Luxury Gold Masterclass, offered through The Travel Corporation’s Travel Agent Academy. Created with travel advisors in mind to help increase their earning potential, the new Luxury Gold Masterclass will allow them to become a brand expert. The program has been designed with an interactive suite of user-friendly modules, providing advisors the knowledge and tools to better sell its luxury guided journeys in an efficient manner, while thanking them for their dedication with exciting rewards. Anthony Lim, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold Managing Director, Asia, says, “Our new Luxury Gold Masterclass offers Travel Advisors to become a Luxury Gold Expert and increase their sales through up-to-date information on our offerings and in-depth knowledge to delight their clients with. Ultimately, we created the Masterclass with our loyal Advisors in mind to help them sell journeys beyond the ordinary and we’re rewarding them for their commitment by offering eligibility for FAM trips and opportunities to earn discounts on our journeys.” The eLearning platform is divided into three levels and Travel Advisors can access the first level, Sapphire, which is available now. The modules cover an introduction to the brand, the Luxury Gold difference, tools for selling the journeys and information on the brand’s one-of-a-kind Chairman’s Collection consisting of exceptional VIP experiences, personally curated by The Travel Corporation (TTC)’s Chairman, Stanley Tollman. Travel advisors can register for the eLearning program by following the link, offering three simple steps after registering through the TTC Academy and receiving an email to sign up and begin the Luxury Gold Masterclass.

The latest Travelport research shows Indian travellers are leading the way in voice search, with 69% using the technology. With a population of 400 million that speak over 20 languages, there is a large section of people from Tier II and III cities who are becoming more comfortable with lingual voice commands over typing—they are literally finding it easier to use their ‘voice’ to search, reveals the Mobile Travel Trends 2019 report by Travelport. Google is predicting that India will soon become the world’s first voice-driven internet market, with voice being both the primary input and output.

The Indian domestic Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) market recorded an 8.9% annual growth rate, up from 8.2% in June, reveals IATA Air Passenger Market Analysis. The market has not yet returned to the double-digit growth rates that were the norm in the past 4-5 years. Yet it seems to be adjusting well to the disruption caused by the demise of Jet Airways; capacity is also back on track (7.1% yoy in July vs 3.4% in June).

India ranks at 13th spot in terms of Price Competitiveness, with a score of 6.1, according to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) by World Economic Forum. The better price competitiveness is due to the improved ticket taxes and airport charges, where India ranks at 8th position, while in hotel price index it ranks 15 across the world. Iran and Islamic Republic topped the list in terms of Price Competitiveness. The TTCI benchmarks the T&T competitiveness of 140 economies and measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable development of the Travel & Tourism (T&T) sector, which in turn, contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country.

By 2020, medical tourism industry of India is expected to touch US$ 9 billion, reveals the Tourism and Hospitality report by India Brand Equity Foundation. The report claimed that travel & tourism’s contribution to capital investment in India is projected to grow 6.7 percent per annum during 2018–28. In India, the sector’s direct contribution to GDP is expected to grow by 7.1 per cent per annum during 2018-28.