The Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India has finally recognised Swosti Premium Hotel as a 5-Star Hotel. Swosti Premium, Bhubaneswar is located close to the Biju Pattanaik International Airport and close to many 5 star attractions or ancient temples of Odisha. The different categories of luxury accommodation are- business suite, executive suite, premium, and deluxe and one will find comfortable amenities well-appointed rooms.

As part of its tour around the region, Embraer’s E190-E2 commercial jet has recently made a stop in New Delhi. Sporting a shark livery to represent the aircraft’s ‘profit hunter’ status, the aircraft offers Embraer’s guests a closer look at the world’s quietest, cleanest and most efficient new-generation single-aisle aircraft. “We are proud to bring this aircraft to the region for the second time to show the amazing capabilities of the E190-E2,” said Cesar Pereira, Asia Pacific Vice President, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The E190-E2 offers airlines the benefit of lower operating costs and is capable of achieving similar costs per seat of larger re-engined narrowbody aircraft, with significantly lower costs per trip. We have also received a lot of positive feedback about the aircraft performance, low fuel consumption, sleek and modern interior and low cabin noise and we are excited to show it to a wider audience.”

Trafalgar has announced 100% Definite Departures on its Europe and Britain trips for the 2019 summer season. “We know it’s been a challenging sales year for our agent partners with high consumer interest yet a later booking window, so we are going 100% definite to help our valued partners close the sale and reassure their clients that now is the best time to book.” says Gavin Tollman, Trafalgar’s CEO. To celebrate 100 per cent definite departures and a decade of connecting guests with the locals through its ‘Be My Guest’, Trafalgar is offering US$200 savings per couple for bookings made before 31 March 2019. “Travellers globally are craving reassurance, which they will always get with Trafalgar. With our existing deposit guarantees, our extensive range of 100+ award-winning European trips and our 4.7/5 independent Feefo rating, now combined with our 100% definite departure status, agent partners can sell us with 100 per cent confidence. Cultural experiences like cooking lessons, after-hours dining at the Vatican are other experiences Trafalgar’s guests can buy. “We are always AgentsFirst, and by making our trips 100% Definite Departure status, alongside our great offers right now with up to 15 per cent off all May departures for our Europe and Britain departures, Trafalgar is the only choice to truly deliver on fulfilling one’s travel dreams,” Tollman concluded.

The Indian Hotels Company has opened door for its Taj brand in Rishikesh with the opening of Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, Uttarakhand. This will be the company’s third hotel in the state. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said “We are honoured to partner with Mr. Mehra for Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, an exciting new addition to IHCL’s expanding resort portfolio. With its idyllic setting and unrestricted views of the Himalayas, the resort is well positioned to tap into the growing potential of the wellness and spiritual tourism market. This is consistent with our commitment to offer global travellers new and unique experiences in hospitality.” The resort, 30 kilometres from Rishikesh, is spread over 12.5 acres of terraced gardens on the banks of the river Ganges in the shadow of the mighty Himalayas. Each of the spacious 79 rooms have panoramic views of the Ganges with its white sandy beach, and the majestic mountains. Taj Rishikesh is a unique blend of contemporary and rustic in communion with nature. It is an architectural tribute to the Garhwal region in the Himalayas where it is located. “Rishikesh is an extremely popular destination across the world. We are delighted to partner with The Indian Hotels Company Limited. We look forward to working with them to bring the legendary Taj brand to this unique location.” said Mr Arjun Mehra, Managing Director, Darrameks Hotels & Developers. Guests have a choice of distinctive culinary options which include an all-day diner; a specialty restaurant offering cuisine inspired from the entire Himalayan belt, and an open-air pizza bar. The resort is an ideal destination for intimate weddings and conferences with indoor and outdoor …

Lords Hotels and Resorts has announced the opening of its 60-room property, Diyalo’ Lords Plaza Birgunj- Nepal. The hotel features contemporary rooms and suites, business center, four conference rooms, three F&B outlets – bar, multi-cuisine restaurant and roof-top dining, spa, gym, pool and casino. The inauguration ceremony was followed by lighting of lamp by Ex Prime Minister of Nepal, Sherbahadur Deuba and the felicitation was done by Pushpendra Bansal – Chief Operating Officer, and Rishi Puri – Vice President, Lords Hotels and Resorts.

A Home Ministry official told PTI that the civil work has been completed at Diglipur airport on the northern tip of Andamans, air operations by Andaman Airways are set to commence from June 2019. Additional airfields are being explored at Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay and in Port Blair, for a second airstrip. Port Blair has already been declared as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers. Paving the way for “Ease of Tourism”, as many as 30 islands have been exempted from the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime, the official said. Four tourism-based projects have been developed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Requests for Qualification (RfQ) have been floated for projects in Long Islands, Smith Islands and Aves Islands while Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance has also been obtained for these four projects including at Neil Island. Key sectors identified for the holistic development of Andaman and Nicobar islands include infrastructure, tourism, green energy and skill development. To begin with, five Islands — Avis, Long, Little Andaman, Smith and Ross — have been identified for the project and another 12 islands will be added later. Improvement of connectivity has been given the top priority to promote tourism. (Source: PTI)

Moving up four places from the 16th spot in 2017, The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi is now ranked the 12th busiest airport in the world, according to the preliminary world airport traffic rankings for 2018 released by Airports Council International (ACI). Overtaking major transit hubs like Frankfurt, Dallas Forth Worth, Guangzhou and Istanbul Ataturk airport in the ranking, IGIA was also ranked among the fastest growing among the top 20 airports. Witnessing a growth of 10.2 per cent in number of combined passengers carried in comparison to 2018, The Delhi airport served 6.9 crore domestic and international flyers in 2018. ACI, the global representative of the world’s airports said  “India became the world’s third-largest aviation market in terms of passenger throughput, behind the US and China, in 2018. India’s move towards a more liberalised aviation market and the nation’s strengthening economic fundamentals have helped it become one of the fastest-growing markets with its traffic growing rapidly in a relatively short time.”

India is set to generate an incremental increase of 5.4 million visitor arrivals between 2018 and 2023, according to a latest report by PATA’s Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2019-2023. Of the 210 million additional foreign arrivals into Asia Pacific generated between 2018 and 2023, 73.7 per cent will come from Asian origin markets. The strongest Asian generators of additional visitor arrivals between 2018 and 2023 will be led by China and Hong Kong SAR with respective increases of 49.2 million and 30.8 million. These markets will be supported by Korea (ROK), Malaysia and India. The Asian Average Annual Growth Rate for tourism receipts between 2018 and 2023 is expected to be around 9.1 per cent, with Northeast and Southeast Asia showing even stronger average growth. “The growth momentum of Asia Pacific as both a receiver and a generator of international visitors – not just into Asia Pacific but globally – and the receipts that they both receive and generate, is set to continue to at least 2023,” said Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA. “As is always the case, growth in international arrivals across Asia Pacific and indeed globally, is often unequal, with subtle changes and shifts occurring as travellers tune into new experiences and the destinations that offer them,” he said.

 Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-February 2019 were 238.56 lakhs as against 222.09 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year, according to a latest report by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The passenger load factor in February 2019 has shown increasing trend primarily due to airlines offering promotional fares resulting in increased demand. Domestic air traffic has grown by 7.42 per cent from January-February YoY.

OYO currently has close to 176,000 rooms in India and another 322,000 rooms in China, according to a latest analysis by Hotelivate. It has grown considerably in China in just 12 months since January 2018, apart from its home market, India, and other new international markets. Additionally, OYO has a presence in Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UK, the UAE, and more recently, the Philippines. Totally, OYO has over 515,000 rooms across above 17,000 hotels worldwide, with a goal to be the largest and most preferred hotel chain for the budget mid-scale segment by 2023, globally. For the first time, an Indian hospitality company is growing at an indisputable scorching pace. Skeptics from the ‘traditional’ hotel industry have scoffed at the OYO model, pushing it aside with arguments such as, it is simply an aggregator of budget hotels; it has a poor quality of service; or its deliverables are not comparable with the mainstream hotel industry, as stated by the report. OYO started off as an aggregator back in 2013, but in the past five years, it has evolved into a full-scale hospitality company that operates exclusively franchised and leased assets, growing each day through its innovative model.