AirAsia India has announced that it will start daily flight on Delhi-Jaipur route from October 20. The flight will depart from Delhi airport at 10.35 am and will arrive in Jaipur at 11.45 am. The return flight will depart at 12.15 pm from Jaipur and will arrive at 1.25 pm at Delhi airport.

India slipped to the fourth position in domestic air passenger traffic in August with passenger volume growing 3.7% in the month over the period year-ago, IATA data show. The average global demand for domestic travel, however, climbed 4.7 per cent in the month under review compared to August last year. China witnessed the highest air travel demand at 10.1 per cent in August followed by Russia, which logged 6 per cent growth during the month.

In a communique sent to all airlines, DGCA has stated, “Domestic carriers should make all efforts to send SMS in case there is a delay in flight beyond 30 minutes or a boarding gate change has taken place at the airport.” The regulator has asked the travel agents to share the mobile number of passengers with the airlines for ease in sending flight information updates.

In a recent update by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, Chinese nationals can apply for an e-Tourist visa (e-TV) of 5-year validity with multiple entries. The visa fee for 5-year multiple entry e-TV will be USD 80. Furthermore, it has been decided that the tourists can avail single-entry 30-day validity e-TV at a reduced visa fee of USD 25, while for a 30-day e-TV during the months of April to June, the visa fee will cost USD 10.

Nearly half of all travellers (48 per cent) now believe augmented or virtual reality experiences would help them better plan their trips, reveals Travelport’s Global Digital Traveller Research 2019. Demand is greatest among Gen Y (61 per cent) travellers, though still significant among all other age categories. 77 per cent of travellers have reviewed videos and photos posted by travel brands on social media.

According to the ICCA rankings, India has improved its position substantially in the recent times. New Delhi grew by CAGR of 13.9 per cent for a 5-year period followed by Mumbai (3.7 per cent), Bengaluru (14.5 per cent for a 4-year period), Hyderabad (8 per cent for a 3-year period), Chennai (9.3 per cent for a 5-year period) and Goa (4.7 per cent for a 5-year period). The country is identifying and adding cities wherein MICE can be a top draw to boost tourism and pep up economy of the location. The report on ‘Mice market in India’ has been commissioned by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

More than half of Indian tourists take trips with family or friends, typically in groups of three and four. However, a third of Indians travel solo, indicating growth in the backpacker’s sub-segment, discloses NiYO travel report. Indian globetrotters are also not afraid to explore far-off destinations across Europe, the Americas and other continents. At least 1 in 5 will visit multiple countries on a single trip, with countries in Europe and South-East Asia being the preferred destinations. Within Europe, France, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark and the UK are the top destinations.

The domestic passenger traffic is forecasted to grow six to eight per cent this fiscal. According to the CRISIL Research, Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), on their part, are expected to post strong double-digit growth of 25-30 per cent in passenger traffic for fiscal 2020. The traffic forecast assumes capacity, in terms of available seat kilometres (ASKM), increase of more than 45 per cent and 30 per cent by SpiceJet and Indigo, and 15-20 per cent by the rest of the players, including Go Air, AirAsia (India) and Vistara. The capacity addition of players is supported by deregistration of aircraft of Jet Airways, which were under operating lease (accounting for about 85 per cent of the airline’s fleet) and re-leasing them to players such as SpiceJet and Vistara.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved Alliance Air plan to launch foreign operations by starting flights to Sri Lanka even as the airline’s parent Air India remains on top of the government’s disinvestment agenda. Alliance Air has been allowed to operate 7 flights a week from Chennai to Palaly and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka. The move has triggered speculation among Air India employees that government may not sell Alliance Air

Welcomhotel will launch its new property in Amritsar property November 1. The hotel is located close to the airport and just a short-drive away from the Golden Temple. The hotel is centered around a colonnaded mansion, the erstwhile Sandanwalia Haveli which traces its origin to the early 1900s and has been restored with all the modern amenities.