AirAsia will start its inaugural Ahmedabad route – starting May 31, 2019, with special all-in promotional fares exclusively for AirAsia BIG members from Rs 4,999 one way. Guests can take advantage of the convenient flight schedule with early morning arrival and evening departure, which gives them more time to spend in Bangkok.  Ahmedabad is the ninth Indian destination for AirAsia Thailand (carrier code FD), after Kochi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Gaya (seasonal). Book from 9-21 April 2019 for travel between 31 May 2019 and 4 February 2020 on airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app. AirAsia Thailand CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said, “India is a strategic market for AirAsia and our focus is on further growing our international connectivity to the country. This new route will expand the travel opportunities for the people of western India, and we are confident that our unique combination of low fares and award-winning service will stimulate traffic on this underserved route and fuel tourism and economic growth.” AirAsia Thailand has recorded a positive load factor of up to 87 percent on its India routes, with guests travelling between Bangkok and existing destinations in India increasing 7% on-year, translating into economic benefits for both countries. Guests who wish to explore AirAsia’s network beyond Bangkok can make use of the convenient Fly-Thru service, which allows them to transit via Bangkok with baggage checked through from Ahmedabad to domestic destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi, as well as other Asian cities like Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh and Tokyo.

HVS ANAROCK recently released its industry review for 2018. According to the report,  the supply of rooms is anticipated to grow by 4.0% and demand by 7.0% in 2019. Over the last 2 years, hotel supply grew by 3.7% in 2017 and 3.5% in 2018, whilst demand grew by 7% and 6.8% in the respective years. While both the past years have paved the way for strong growth in demand for 2019 driven by strong economic growth in the country, some headwinds in 2019 are expected to dampen the performance turnout for the year. The first major reason is the country’s general election, during which the commercial market, the main stay for hotels in the country, puts on hold all decision making in anticipation of the election results that could potentially have a material impact on several policy initiatives of the government. Thankfully though, elections will be held in the summer months when demand in the country is comparatively low, limiting its negative impact on hotel performances.The second major reason is the impact of new hotel supply that is expected to commence operations in the current year. As per our estimates, 8,574 keys will enter the market in 2019, a nearly 19% rise over the last two years.

A three-city workshop organised for Reunion Island and its tourism suppliers took place in the key cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in the first week of April. Organised with Atout France, this initiative formed part of Reunion Island’s strategy of developing close synergies with the Indian market and augmenting Indian visitor arrivals to the Island. A delegation of seven suppliers helmed by the President of the Reunion Island Tourism Board, Stéphane Fouassin and Lydie Sangarin, Market Manage, showcased the island’s tourism offers to members of the trade in the three cities. The delegation comprised the national air carrier Air Austral, destination management companies, hotels and a helicopter ride attraction. A presentation on the island made by the Reunion Island Tourism Board followed by meetings with the suppliers led to an in-depth understanding of the island, its experiences and how to best showcase their products in India. Stéphane Fouassin, President, Reunion Island Tourism Board, said, “India is an important source market for us and we believe that Reunion Island is a perfect fit for visitors wanting to enjoy a holiday by the sea coupled with adventure experiences. An array of diverse activities ensures that the island perfectly caters to the needs and requirements of its visiting families, couples, friends on a holiday and adventure enthusiasts”. Sharing her thoughts, Sheetal Munshaw, Director Atout France in India, said, “We are extremely pleased to showcase Reunion Island – a French overseas department and its array of experiences to the Indian travel trade. We are confident that this workshop will pave the way for more Indian arrivals to the island. In addition, the visa access policy for stays less than 15 days certainly increases …

Trafalgar has launched a brand new offer called Real Travel Deals – ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’ up to 15 per cent in line with customer demand for better deals. Like the tagline suggests, these deals won’t last. This is over and above an additional five per cent VIT (Very Important Traveller) discount that is offered to travellers on select trips. Gavin Tollman, CEO, Trafalgar, says, “We are and will always be the AgentsFirst brand, and aligning our offering to the needs and demands of our agents and customers is our first priority. We know customers have been waiting to book their 2019 travels and are now craving enticing on the spot offers, so they can book and secure the trip of their dreams, and let the excitement of their upcoming travels begin.” Trafalgar has 302 trips that visit all seven continents around the world. With 58.3 per cent repeat booking rate for India,  a 4.7/5 independent satisfaction rating on Feefo, and a recently announced 100% Definite Departures on all Europe and Britain 2019 trips, guests planning to travel this Summer can take advantage of these savings.

IHG started its journey with SAMHI with the signing of 14 hotels within their India hotel portfolio to renovate and rebrand Holiday Inn Express on par with the global brand standards in November 2017. To achieve this target, SAMHI recently has announced an investment of Rs 100 crore. Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, IMEA, IHG shared, “Our partnership with SAMHI and launch of the new Holiday Inn Express portfolio has given us a solid foothold in the mid-scale hotel segment in India. With the recent openings, we now have 27 operating hotels under the Holiday Inn brand family in the country, and a robust pipeline of 33 hotels due to open in next 2-3 years. Through this venture, we have realised that in a market like India, it is imperative to forge partnerships with partners such as SAMHI. Together we will continue to contribute by building a robust hospitality market in the country.”

Effective June 05, IndiGo will fly daily non-stop from Mumbai to both Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. Effective July 05, the airline will connect Mumbai with Dammam through daily direct flights (Subject to regulatory approvals). Additionally, IndiGo is temporarily adding approximately 20 new departures each from Mumbai and Delhi in a phased manner from April 15, 2019. This is an effort to make it easier for customers to find affordable fares during the busy season. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are strengthening Mumbai as a key travel hub for domestic and international connectivity from India. We are pleased to announce Jeddah and Dammam as our 17th and 18th international destinations effective June 05, 2019 and July 05, 2019 respectively. Jeddah being the commercial capital and the gateway for Haj, Dammam being the growth centre in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi being a major cultural and commercial centre in UAE, are critical markets for strengthening our presence in the Middle-East. Mumbai is the commercial hub of India and we see great potential connecting the Middle-East with this city, further bolstering the extensive cultural, business and tourism links between India and the Middle East. With the addition of these new international flights and enhanced domestic frequency, we are committed to expanding our network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers. It is our constant endeavour to provide flexibility of choice to our customers as IndiGo continues to offer on-time, affordable, courteous and hassle-free flying experience consistently.”

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has opened two hotels- The Fern Residency, Manali (Himachal Pradesh) and The Fern Sattva Resort, Polo Forest (Gujarat), thereby taking the tally to 58 hotels managed by the company. Commenting on the opening of both the hotels, the COO of the hotel, Suhail Kannampilly said, “The people visiting Manali and Polo Forest can now enjoy our eco friendly hospitality. Manali hotel is the second hotel which we are managing in HP. In Gujarat we are now at 15 locations”. The Fern Residency, Manali is a 37 room property situated in the picturesque hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Nestled far away from the hustle and bustle of the cityscape, the hotel is enveloped by a panoramic view of the magnificent Kullu Valley dotted with spectacular streams, apple orchards and rugged snow peaked mountains. The Fern Sattva Resort, Polo Forest (Gujarat) is a 30 room resort located in Abhapur Village, Taluka Vijaynagar of Gujarat and is two and half hours drive from Ahmedabad. Surrounded by the lush green forests at one side and the gentle flowing Harnav River on the other, the resort is a perfect place to unwind and chill. The hotel has three different room categories Winter Green Cottage, Fern Club Villa and Hazel Suite.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu is of the view that Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) should be brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to ensure a level playing field for the domestic airline industry. He says, “Each state has a different tax. Due to this, the refuelling (for airlines) cost completely changes. We feel that it should be done. I hope the GST Council takes a call on that and we are pursuing this with the council continuously. “He said input costs should be competitive for any sector and the ministry has been of the strong view that the fuel should be brought under the GST regime.” (Source: PTI)

Ark Travels has set its target of touching the 100,000-passenger mark by 2020 end. Ark Travels concluded 2018 with 58,000 pax on Dream Cruises. This was announced by Kishan Biyani, Managing Director, Ark Travels at the recently-concluded fourth edition of ‘Big Bang Nautical Fiesta’. It is the biggest cruising event organised by Ark Travels which was held this year from March 3-6, 2019 on-board Genting Dream for the first time ex-Singapore. Organised in alliance with Genting Cruise Lines’ Dream Cruises, Ark Travels promoted the three-night sailing from Singapore (Marina Bay Cruise Centre) to destinations line Penang and Langkawi and hosted 400 travel agents from across India. Biyani adds, “The Big Bang Nautical Fiesta cruising event was planned to educate our travel agents by giving them the first-hand experience while on the cruise ship. The event was to highlight how different experiences like Neon Party, Live Band Performance, Gala Nights can be created to attract different segments of travellers like FITs, MICE and Weddings groups. With all the education program and guided ship tour conducted on board the vessel we are more than sure that this FAM trip will help our travel community to further understand the nitty-gritties of selling cruise vacations to the Indian travellers. Cruise tourism in India is undergoing a phenomenal change with minimum of 15 per cent growth year-on-year. Going forward we aim to reach the golden mark of 100,000 passengers by 2020 end. New cruise ships and itineraries coming in Asia Pacific sectors like Explorer Dream by Genting Cruise Lines will create further opportunities for the trade. Our aim is to host 500+ travel agents on Explorer Dream in 2021 with Alaskan itineraries.” Naresh Rawal, Vice-President, …

Expensive air fares as a result of capacity constraint and high fuel prices are expected to further decelerate India’s passenger growth numbers, experts opined. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data, on a YoY basis, growth rate in February stood at 5.62 per cent to 1.13 crore, while it was 9.10 per cent in January and 11.03 per cent in December 2018. Even though, there has been a growth in passenger numbers on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the traffic on a sequential level has shown a negative trend. Even data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed a similar trend. The growth rate of India’s domestic air passenger volume — measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) — slowed in February to 10 per cent from a rise of 12.4 per cent in January. Industry observers blamed the downward sequential growth trend on high air fares. According to experts, since March 14, passengers had to shell out high fares as several airlines cancelled operations for a number of reasons, including grounding of Boeing 737-MAX aircraft. During this period, some sectors continued to see a rise of more than 100 per cent in case of last minute bookings. “Indian aviation has seen a capacity constraint due to multiple reasons over last couple of months. The immediate impact of this reduction noted on fares was an average of 15-20 per cent hike in price,” said Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C) of Yatra.com. “While that acted as a deterrent for people who were looking to book air tickets in short notice, however, the traffic was not seen to be affected as the fares did moderate for people booking in advance,” he …