All UK Visa applicants would now be required to complete the application form on the website www.gov.uk in order to schedule an appointment to visit the UK Visa Application Center. It will be mandatory for every applicant to fill the Visa Application Form, pay the visa fee and then book the appointment. All applicants who have initiated the request through VFS website prior to June 15 would be able to track their application by using the valid email id and application reference number. This has been done to simplify the customer journey while completing the online process.

The Government of India has made e-visas available for Saudi nationals to make travel easier and boost the number of Saudi visitors to the country. Once the visa has been applied and payment has been made, the registration confirmation will be sent to the registered email within 24 hours. The applicant can just show print of this confirmation email and visa will be given by the emigration officials. Earlier, Saudi Arabian citizens had been giving their biometric details at the embassy and consulate. From now on, these details will be collected at airports in India.

Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) has appointed InterGlobe Air Transport (IGAT) as its General Sales Agent (GSA) for the territory of India, revealed Sunil Talreja, Vice President- International Passenger Sales, InterGlobe Air Transport. IGAT will be supporting MAB at their town office to facilitate customer flight bookings and other reservation matters. MAB operates 60 weekly flights from India with online operations from Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

The Jammu & Kashmir government has said that the Kargil Airport will be developed into a full-fledged airport for commercial flight operations. According to an official spokesperson, BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir government held a meeting in New Delhi with Union Secretary, Civil Aviation and other Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials including Member Planning, AAI for development of existing Kargil Airport for full operation of commercial flights including Boeing, Airbus, etc. The MoU with AAI is expected to be signed by July, 15. The foundation stone for the extension of the runway is expected to be laid by the end of August, which will kick start commencement of other works. Governor’s Administration is keen to develop Kargil Airport into a full-fledged Commercial Airport for transforming Kargil into a tourist hub on the analogy of Leh, thereby, expanding opportunities for gainful employment of the youth of Ladakh region. It will also ensure assured air connectivity to the region during the winter months when passes to Ladakh region remain cut off from the rest of the State/country due to heavy snowfall and inclement weather. (Source: UNI)

After the success of its inaugural Tourism MasterClass last month, PATA India Chapter is now all set to organise its next educational workshop, an exclusive Business Management MasterClass titled, ‘Entrepreneurial Leadership-The Buck Stops Here’ on July 3 in Delhi. This MasterClass is targeted to attract owners/business leaders and aims to add to their knowledge and business management skills. The session will be conducted by Ashutosh Garg, mentoring expert from the corporate world, who has been a Corporate Leader at ITC on the one hand and a very successful and Professional Entrepreneur on the other, having established the 2nd largest pharmaceutical retail chain in India, Guardian Pharmacy. He has also worked in leadership positions at Lockheed Martin and Hughes. Recognised as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and as an active member of Young Presidents Organisation, he brings rich experience both in running businesses in India and overseas. Registration are open now and the last date of enrolling is June 25, 2019. Limited seats on first come, first serve basis.

In a bid to tap the domestic source markets, Kerala Tourism will organise 20 partnership meets in different cities across the country, and will also take part in 10 major trade fairs in two phases starting July. The first quarter of 2019 had seen a dip of 4.14 per cent in tourist arrivals in Kerala, as compared to the same period last year. However, the domestic visitor arrivals recorded an 8.07 per cent. The tourism board of Kerala did roadshows in 2017 across all metros and Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which led to around 18.57% domestic growth in 1st quarter of 2018.

Air France, the French flag carrier, will welcome the revamped travel cabins on board Airbus A330 on the Bengaluru – Paris route effective June 18 and effective June 28, on the Delhi–Paris route. The aircraft is equipped with 36 seats in Business, 21 seats in Premium Economy and 167 seats in the Economy cabin. Customers will be able to experience the comfort of these cabins on flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle from Bengaluru and Delhi until end of October 2019. Speaking about this enhancement, Mr. Jean – Noel Rault, General Manager, Air France – KLM, Indian Sub-Continent said, “This latest revamped offering from Air France is a testament of our commitment to provide best in class products and services to our customers in India. The new long-haul travel cabins are refreshing and will provide our valued customers with improved amenities making their travel experience more comfortable and satisfying.”

With an aim to provide world-class facilities to the passengers keeping in mind their needs, MIAL has launched an additional relax and dining facility – Oasis Lounge at its domestic terminal, T1-B, Departures. Managed and operated by Lite Bite Foods (LBF), the lounge is specially designed for stopover fliers waiting for their connecting or delayed flights, and is available for passengers travelling throughout the day. The airport reaches out to 52 domestic destinations in India, thus, realizing the needs of the passengers, the decision to launch the lounge was after an internal study conducted by the airport officials after witnessing a CAGR 7.1% domestic passenger growth in the 2018-19. Understanding that travel can be overwhelming for many, the lounge provides a perfect getaway for passengers looking to relax, unwind and yet experience luxurious dining at a reasonable price. In alignment with the detailing at the international airport, the lounge at Terminal 1-B is designed in a beautifully soft, yet rich multihued interior, with spacious couches, and intricate design. The lounge has a capacity to accommodate 45 patrons at one given point, but it is also efficient to accommodate 200 travellers during peak hours.

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI), along with the Govt. of Gujarat is set to organise its next convention in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from August 16-18, 2019, announced PP Khanna, President, ADTOI at their General House Meeting and GST session held at Hotel Samrat in New Delhi. PP khanna will be the Convention Chairman, while Anil Rajput and Sanjay Saxena will be the Co-Chairman. The venue of the convention has not been decided. Right now, committees are being made for the convention.

IndiGo will introduce 12 ATR flights on the Buddhist circuit, which would include daily non-stop ATR flights between Kolkata, Gaya and Varanasi. Starting August 8, 2019, IndiGo will commence flight operations on Kolkata – Gaya, Kolkata – Patna, Kolkata – Varanasi and Gaya – Varanasi routes along with additional frequency on Kolkata – Varanasi route. Bookings are already open for these routes, with fares starting at INR 1499. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “As a part of our endeavour to enhance domestic connectivity, our ATR fleet helps us serve regional operations efficiently. We are delighted to have launched these flights on the Buddhist circuit, which not only provide more travel options to customers, but also enable people to come closer to Indian history and spirituality. These flights will also help attract new tourist arrivals from around South East Asia, where IndiGo is adding a number of new routes into Kolkata over the next few months, including services from Vietnam, Hong Kong and China. With the introduction of these flights, we will continue to provide flexibility of choice to our customers with a consistent on-time, affordable, courteous and hassle-free flying experience.”