Royal Orchid Hotels Regenta & Royal Orchid Hotels recently opened three new hotels- Regenta Central Cassia in Zirakpur (Chandigarh), Regenta Central RS OMR in Chennai and Regenta Inn Blossoms, Kullu-Manali. Chander K. Baljee, Managing Director, Regenta & Royal Orchid Hotels said, “We’re extremely elated to announce that we now operate 50+ hotels in India. Our Vision for 2022 is to operate 100+ profitable and responsible hotels where guests love to stay, dine and celebrate. We wish to create hotels which have a soul, a reflection of our distinctly warm Indian hospitality.” The Regenta Central Cassia is strategically located near the international airport, offering a convenient location for those travelling for business or for leisure. The newest hotel in Zirakpur, the Regenta Central Cassia is a business hotel with 50 well-appointed rooms, a resto-bar and well-equipped banquets cum board room facilities. Expert chefs at the hotel specialize in authentic local as well as international cuisine.   The Regenta Central RS is strategically located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and is the first ‘in-mall’ hotel project on OMR, providing ‘within-the-complex’ access to the Marina Mall for its guests. The Regenta Central RS is a luxurious business hotel with 120 rooms including 24 impeccably designed suites, a lively multi-cuisine restaurant, Sky Lounge which is a roof-top pan Asian restaurant, well-equipped banquet and board room facilities, a full-service bar, and an infinity pool.   The Regenta Inn Blossoms, Kullu-Manali is strategically located on NH21, leading to Manali. An ideal starting point for exploring the charming hilly destination, the hotel features comfortable rooms with a view of the Beas river, an in-house multi-cuisine restaurant, and offers several adventure activities to its guests.  

Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, IATA, said that the rising ATF prices and weakening rupee is pulling down the aviation sector, impacting the profitability of airlines. Noting that cost environment is not very favourable for airlines in India, de Juniac said prospects for the airlines’ industry are less positive than six months ago. Global airline industry is expected to rake in a profit of $28 billion this year, much lower than the earlier forecast of $35.5 billion as rising fuel prices and weakening world trade are adversely impacting the business environment, IATA said earlier this month. (Source: PTI)

After successful trial runs of the new turnstile gates at the Taj Mahal, the three-hour ticket validity rule for visiting the monument has been enforced from 9 June. The move has been confirmed by the superintending Archeologist, ASI (Agra circle), Vasant Swarankar. Visitors will now get three hours to finish their sightseeing, from the time of entry to exit. Now, Taj Mahal has 14 entry gates, seven each on its eastern and western sides, as well as 10 gates, five each for exit, have been installed. Furthermore, if tourists exceed their time limit of three hours, they will have to pay an extra amount, equivalent to the value of the ticket, at the exit gate. Entry time will also be enforced, and visitors not arriving on time, will have to buy a new ticket to visit the monument.  

Singapore-based The Residence by Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts has announced that its new 173 only-villa resort – The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah – is now open. The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll is connected to its other property – The Residence Maldives at Falhumaafushi – via a bridge and is at a walking distance. Wendy Mok, Director, Marketing for Asia Pacific, The Residence Maldives & The Residence Bintan, says, “The new property has 173 villas with a private pool in every villa. It is a very exclusive property. We always tell our agent partners to suggest their clients to come for three or four or five nights. And we even see the market going beyond five nights sometimes from India. We are looking at attracting honeymooners, families, and corporates of small groups like 10-20 people. We aren’t equipped for big weddings but it will be a perfect destination for family events like anniversaries, birthdays, etc.”   The Residence is promoted by Outbound Konnections in India. The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah is an all-inclusive resort meaning guests have access to all six restaurants and six bars across both Dhigurah and Falhumaafushi, creating a two-island inclusive experience. Paddle boarding, Kayaking, windsurfing and other non-motorised sports are also included, as well as access to the spa, fitness centre and Turtle Kids Club.  

Aiming to foster closer ties between Thailand and India, ‘Namaste Thailand Online Quiz’ asked questions about Thailand covering various aspects from cuisine, culture, way of life, history, geography, to modern politics. The quiz is the longest running and most successful social media campaign by an embassy in India. After its success, seven other embassies in New Delhi have followed suit and organized similar projects. This year’s quiz was held under the theme ‘Thailand and the World’ which highlighted Thailand’s role at the international stage, today and in the past. The Award Ceremony was attended by esteemed dignitaries including H.E Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, Thirapath Mongkolnavin, Minister, Royal Thai Embassy, Thamanoon Kuprasert, General Manager, Thai Airways International, India, Aso Lori, Marketing Officer, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi Office, Embassy Diplomats, Quizcraft team and the contest’s Grand Prize Winner and amazing participants along with their families. The award ceremony commenced with a presentation of report of the Namaste Thailand Online Quiz 2019, then H.E. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, congratulated the winners and conveyed his appreciation for the interest Indians have in knowing Thailand and ASEAN. He talked about how social media, being a powerful medium, helps promote closer ties between the peoples. He hoped that from the Quiz, the participants have learned more about Thailand and realize the similarities and linkages between Thailand and India, and hoped that the students will continue to be active supporters of Thai-Indian friendship, as the people-to-people relation is an important foundation of the bilateral relations. The winners and participants were felicitated with certificates along with gifts from the Royal Thai Embassy, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Thai Airways. Sai …

The New Zealand parliament has approved a new tourist tax, which will be effective from July 1. Most international visitors entering New Zealand for 12 months or less will be charged an additional fee of $35 NZD or about $23 USD. The new tax will be collected through the immigration system, the government said. Travellers will pay the IVL alongside visa or ETA fees. The new legislation enables the collection of the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) as well as digital processing of the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). The NZeTA—which is designed to “improve the way travellers are assessed before they arrive in New Zealand” to strengthen border security, according to the country’s immigration website—will be mandatory starting October 1. Australian citizens, permanent residents and people from many Pacific Island countries will be exempted from the IVL. In a statement, Kevin Davis, Tourism Minister, New Zealand said, “The IVL is an investment in New Zealand. It is expected to raise over $450 million over five years, funding projects to ensure our country and our people get the best from tourism growth. Our international visitors will be contributing directly to the infrastructure they use and helping to protect the natural places they enjoy.” New Zealand experienced a nearly 4 per cent jump in international arrivals last year, according to data from Tourism New Zealand.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has expanded its presence in Delhi-NCR with the signing of a new hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad. This will be Sarovar’s third hotel in Haryana after Gurugram and Faridabad. Sarovar Portico, a mid-scale hotel located in Surajkund-Faridabad, is scheduled to open by the end of this year. The hotel has 60 well-appointed rooms including suites, multi cuisine dining, bar and a wellness centre. It has a multiple banqueting and conferencing facilities with a capacity to accommodate 600 guests. The hotel offers a wide range of venues to host trainings, workshops, product launches, exhibitions, weddings and other social events. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels says, “We are delighted to expand our business and boundaries further in Delhi-NCR. This is our third hotel in the state of Haryana. With our focus on providing quality accommodation and services, priced attractively, the hotel will ensure a pleasant stay for all our guests travelling to this region.”  

The Ministry of Tourism has so far issued Letters of Intent to 37 agencies under its ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project done in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), State/UTs Governments. Revealing this was Aashima Mehrotra, Director, Ministry of Tourism, who was in Mumbai for a cultural event organised by the Ministry of Tourism for creating awareness about this project. She said, “We have come up with a unique concept called Vision Bidding for which you will not find any parallel anywhere in the world. This does not involve any financial bidding but it is given to the best vision instead. It depends on how best you can develop a site. So far we have issued Letters of Intent to 37 agencies for 106 monuments and we have signed 11 MoUs which are in various stages of implementation. We are going slow because this project is very sensitive in nature and we want to see what the agencies can offer. So we are not in a hurry to award heritage sites to them.” The scheme ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ was launched on September 27, 2017 to preserve the rich cultural and natural heritage and to promote tourism across the length and breadth of our country. The Project began with selected ASI ticketed monuments and the scope has now been expanded to include other natural and cultural sites across the country. It was strongly emphasised that tourist experience is the prime parameter to evaluate our performance in the sector.  

Air travel will become a bit costlier as the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has decided to increase the aviation security fee (ASF) from Rs 130 to Rs 150 for each Indian passenger from July 1 onwards. For international passengers, the ASF will be increased from 3.25 USD to 4.85 USD from next month. “The ASF for domestic passengers will be levied at the rate of Rs 150 per embarking passenger,” said an Ministry of Civil Aviation order. “The ASF for international passengers will be levied at the rate of USD 4.85 or equivalent Indian rupees per embarking passenger,” the order added. The ASF will be replacing the PSF (SC), which stands of passenger service fee (security component). “The above rates of the ASF will be applicable with effect from 00.01 hrs of 01.07.2019 and will replace the PSF (SC) which was being charged so far at the rate of Rs 130 per embarking passenger for tickets issued against Indian Rupees and USD 3.25 per embarking passenger for tickets issued against foreign currency,” the order stated.

Chamari Rodrigo, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, has said that the visa-on-arrival scheme for visitors of Indian nationality continues undisturbed. Sri Lanka had suspended its plans to grant visas on arrival for citizens of 39 countries after the devastating Easter suicide bombings. But it was unclear whether India was one of them. The country had started offering free visa on arrival to Indian travellers as part of the its efforts to promote tourism starting May 1, 2019 for six months in its initial run. This scheme was aimed at a total of 36 countries that include India as well as Pakistan. The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India along with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) have started taking measures to ensure that tourists return to the island nation soon. They have already met two travel trade associations – Travel Agents Association Of India (TAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) – and will soon be meeting the travel trade as well. Rodrigo said, “The country’s security situation now is normal, stability reigns across the country and children are back to school. However, it has had a direct impact to tourism and we have taken some measures to help revive the industry.” In 2017, Sri Lanka saw 3,83,000 Indian nations visiting the country. In 2018, this number jumped to 426,000 but still falling short of their targeted 450,000. Sri Lanka is looking to promote the destination for weddings and film shoots as well apart from FIT leisure.