The newly appointed, Prahalad Singh Patel, assumed charge as the Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism at his office in Transport Bhawan, New Delhi. The minister holds the portfolio of Minister of State (I/C) for Culture as well. Post assuming office, the minister said, “The tourism and culture ministry have a huge potential. If you look at the different means of earnings and revenue across the world, tourism remains a major source of employment generation. India is a big nation and its cultural identity is expansive. Therefore, preserving our cultural identity, we will take tourism ahead and with full determination we will try and achieve our Prime Ministers objectives. From 2014-2019, progressive work has taken place, we will try to increase the pace of progress and with time we will try and achieve our targets. I believe all the department officials are carrying on their work and the media also play a vital role in tourism and their cooperation is required.”

Located in the heart of the city, Mövenpick Hotel Colombo has been in operation for two years. It’s also the first international five-star property to open in the city in 25 years, a milestone that reflects the country’s new-found energy and optimism. With 219 stunning rooms and suites offering panoramic views of the city or Indian ocean, this cool urban hotel offers unparalleled charm and beautiful spaces. The rooms are spacious, ranging from 33 sqm to a whopping 254 sqm. Furnished in contemporary style, the rooms allow guests to rejuvenate and unwind. All guests enjoy complimentary access to the infinity pool and Jacuzzi located on the roof top to soak up the sunshine or just laze around with a good book and watch the sun go down. The Presidential Suite of the Mövenpick Hotel Colombo is one of a kind with two elegant bedrooms, 1 King and 1 Twin, a comfortable living room, large bathroom with a Jacuzzi and a fully equipped pantry. The large 254 sqm offer the perfect space for up to 4 adults.

As a part of the expansion of its luxury portfolio, Accor will open its second Fairmont hotel in India. Though the timeline has not been disclosed by the group, the hotel is said to be under construction. The property will have 646 luxury rooms. Earlier this year, Accor has also announced the entrant of its new luxury brand- Raffles in the Indian market which will make its debut in 2020 in Udaipur. India’s first Fairmont in Jaipur is an ode to the pink city through awe inspiring architecture and decor, inspired by the Mughal dynasty and Royal Rajputs of yore.

The Globus family of brands has announced its plans to increase sustainability efforts and reduce waste while also contributing to The Ocean Cleanup: A non-profit organisation focused on ridding the world’s oceans of plastics. As part of its increased sustainability efforts, the Globus family of brands – comprised of Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways – is asking travellers to choose e-documents over printed travel itineraries, prior to their vacations. When they choose the eco-friendly option–eliminating paper and plastic use and waste – the Globus family will donate funds to The Ocean Cleanup to aid in their unprecedented efforts to clean-up the world’s oceans. Over five trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health and economies. The Ocean Cleanup has developed advanced technologies to eliminate plastics in our oceans. The non-profit organization has plans to cleanup 50 percent (50%) of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five (5) years. “It’s never been more important for companies to take a role in cleaning up our planet while also reducing and recycling waste,” said Scott Nisbet, chief executive officer and president of the Globus family of brands. “Now, we’re asking our travelers to join us by favoring electronic travel documents over paper ones. When they do, our planet benefits.” In addition to encouraging travelers to get involved with the Globus family’s efforts to support The Ocean Cleanup, Avalon Waterways – the company’s award-winning river cruise operator – is increasing efforts to offer cruisers sustainable, responsible river cruising. As part of these efforts, Avalon Waterways’ fleet of Suite Ships: – Use LED light bulbs, consuming 90 percent (90%) less energy than incandescent …

With effect from 8 June 2019, Delhi will have 22 flights to Bangkok and beyond weekly. THAI offers four flights option from Delhi to Bangkok on Saturdays and four flights option from Bangkok to Delhi on Fridays. Triple daily service continues for remaining days of the week from Delhi. Additional early morning flight is open for booking on websites and GDS. At present the airline has 21 flights operational from New Delhi to Bangkok. Schedule for New Flight: FLIGHT NO. ORIGIN ETD DESTINATION ETA DAY TG335 BKK 2125 DEL 0025+1 5 TG336 DEL 0155 BKK 0750 6

In order to make asset documentation a robust and real time process, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed an agreement with NTrust Infotech – Anarock Consortium for asset rationalisation, lease administration and related services on pan-India basis through cutting edge Lease Administration Technology. S. Suresh, Member (Finance), AAI says that this pact will help AAI in rationalising its assets thus by making use of best potential of land and properties and making asset documentation a robust and real time process. The agreement is signed for a period of 3 years. Anil Gupta, Executive Director (Land Management & Business Development), Airports Authority of India informed that by engaging NTrust Infotech – Anarock Consortium who are the global industry leaders, specializing in delivery of technology enabled services, will help AAI who is managing 129 airports all across the country in identifying best potential of land asset which in turn will improve revenue stream for AAI. This will also result in bringing transparency, better management control and monitoring of costs for AAI. AAI is committed towards upgrading itself continuously with best in class system technology and knowledge for streamlining day to day operations bringing higher efficiency and transparency.

Arun Kumar, a member of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) cadre, has been given the additional charge of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Kumar, currently holds the position of an additional secretary at the aviation ministry and will succeed B S Bhullar. Kumar will hold his new position that comes into effect from 31 May’for three months’ or ’till an incumbent is selected’, the aviation ministry said in a statement. Source: Livemint

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, has been elected to the Board of International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its annual general meeting held on June 2 in Seoul, South Korea. The new Board will be chaired by Carsten Spohr, Chief Executive Officer, Lufthansa Group, for a one-year term. Other Board members include Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO, Air Canada; Alan Joyce, CEO, Qantas; and Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways. In March this year, SpiceJet made headlines when it became the first Indian low-cost carrier to take membership of IATA, which represents close to 290 airlines comprising 82 per cent of global air traffic and plays a key role in the formulation of global aviation policies.

IATA had projected a net profit for the industry of $35.5 billion in its first outlook for 2019, made in December last year. A revised profit of $28 billion for this year would mark a $2 billion reduction on the 2018 industry net profit, which has itself also been revised downwards to $30 billion. In reducing industry profit expectations, IATA says it sees costs rising by 7.4% in 2019 – outpacing a 6.5% increase in revenues. “The business environment for airlines has deteriorated with rising fuel prices and a substantial weakening in world trade” IATA says. On the cost side IATA has increased its expectations for fuel costs – it now expects to average around $70 per barrel Brent crude oil during 2019. That compares with the $65 barrel price it projected in its last forecast. It also see increased non-fuel costs from labour and infrastructure. IATA has also trimmed its revenue expectations for 2019 by $20 billion. It now sees industry turnover growing 6.5% at $865 billion. Source: Flight Global

Tourist arrivals in Kerala shot up by 6.82 per cent in the first quarter of 2019, as compared to the statistics recorded last year. The total number of tourist arrivals (both domestic and foreign) during January-March 2019, was 46,12,937 as compared to 43,18,406 during the same period in 2018. The number of domestic tourists arriving in the state was 41,90,468 as against the figures of 38,77,712 during the corresponding period in 2018, registering an increase of 8.07 per cent. However, the arrival of foreign tourists suffered a dip of 4.14 per cent. “Last year’s floods were unprecedented in fury and devastation and it battered large swathes of the state, affecting its infrastructure that had a bearing on the tourism sector. There was rampant apprehension that Kerala’s tourism would take a long time to recover. But we were able to allay these apprehensions by swiftly putting in place an effective action plan to win back the confidence of tourists,” said Tourism Minister Shri Kadakampally Surendran. “The uptick in domestic tourist arrivals is a strong testimony to it.” Ernakulam, with an increase of 108,169 domestic tourists, registered the highest growth among the 14 districts of the state. The total number of domestic tourist arrivals in this district was pegged at 9,96,091 during January-March this year as against 8,87,922 in the corresponding period of 2018. The districts of Idukki, Alappuzha, Kannur and Kozhikode also registered decent growth during the period. The number of domestic tourists was 3,43,938 (2,48,052 in 2018) in Idukki, 1,80,562 (1,32,442) in Alappuzha, 2,10,247 (1,84,389) in Kannur and 3,20,795 (2,76,188) in Kozhikode. Kollam, Kottayam, Malappuram, Wayanad and Palakkad were among the other districts that registered an uptick in domestic tourist …