Medical tourism in India by international travellers is expected to grow to USD13.3 bn by 2022, according to a report jointly published by KPMG India and Google. About 1.5 million medical tourists are expected to visit the country in 2022. The medical tourism market in India has grown rapidly over the past decade with India becoming one of the largest global medical tourism hubs. Growth has been driven by a rise in international awareness of India’s affordable healthcare, qualified healthcare professional base, coupled with investment into healthcare infrastructure and privately funded healthcare. Foreign tourist arrivals on medical visas are increasing at a CAGR of 51 per cent. Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries are the leading source geographies accounting for more than one-third of visitors. Africa and GCC countries are expected to drive larger inbound volumes in the coming five years. The key growth drivers are alternative medicine (AYUSH), cost competiveness driving medical tourism inflow and quality healthcare and travel options at affordable price points. Indian ayurveda market is growing at approximately 16 per cent CAGR, backed by approximately 1 million traditional medicine doctor base and proactive government promotion. Medical procedures in India cost 70-80 per cent lower compared to average treatment costs in the US. A robust private healthcare sector and budget friendly travel destinations ensure lucrative India travel options for the international tourists.

Thomas Cook India has announced the added benefit of contactless payments on its prepaid cards (the Borderless Prepaid Card and One Currency Card). With this feature, the company’s prepaid card users can now shop with merely a tap. Contactless payment is a secure method that enables consumers purchase products and services by using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology or near-field communication (NFC). To make a contactless payment, the user merely needs to tap his or her card near a point-of-sale terminal. Contactless payment has steadily become a popular payment method for smaller purchases, with the prime advantage of enhancing the speed of transactions. It also help shorten the queue. Speaking at the launch, Kailash Gupta, Senior Vice President and Head of Payment Solutions, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., said, “Throughout its pioneering journey, Thomas Cook India has always focussed on innovation and technology to maximise customer experience, and hence, the ‘contactless’ feature on our Borderless Prepaid Card and One Currency Card serves to reiterate our customer centric philosophy. The tap-and-go solution has been made possible by leveraging smart technology, driven by our aim of enhancing convenience and speed of transactions, an essential ask of today’s new age global traveller.”

Rapid urbanisation in India is increasingly making Tier-III markets more relevant in the eyes of the hotel brands, according to a ‘India Hospitality Industry Review’ report by HVS Anarock. Nearly a third of new hotel signings emerge from these markets despite hotels being much smaller than those located in Tier-I markets. This is also happening on account of newer hotel management companies setting shop as also the smaller ones looking to grow rapidly through franchise or management agreement of smaller stand-alone hotels in Tier II, III cities.  

A two-day Korea festival showcasing Korea’s rich art, culture and heritage will take place on April 13-14, 2019 at High Street Phoenix, Mumbai. Organised by Korea Tourism Organisation, the two-day extravaganza aims to popularise South Korea as an emerging destination among Indian travellers by giving a glimpse into the Korean culture. The aim is to acquaint Indian tourists with famous South Korean tourist destinations, delicacies, local culture and the country’s modern legacy. The festival will have food sampling sessions to give a taste of the local Korean snacks to serve Indian taste buds, managed by AT Centre and the traditional Bibimbap rice dish, Sujeonggwa drink tasting session organized by KTO. With an aim to meet the rapidly increasing Indian travel passenger demands, the Indian Travel agents will offer special discounted packages to the visitors. Speaking on the Korea Festival, Park, Jeong ha, Vice President KTO, said, “Indian outbound travel to South Korea is on the rise. In 2018, approximately 100,000 Indian travellers visited South Korea and the numbers are growing with an average rate of 10-15% year on year. While the number of Indians travelling abroad has increased three-fold in the last one decade, there are a lot of offerings from South Korea which are still unexplored and unexperienced. Such festivals help in a great way to fortify and deepen the understanding.” The experiences like Traditional Hanbok wearing, face and mask painting, VR experiences, Korean calligraphy name writing, display of Famous Korean TV Drama, Movies and K- Pop music and traditional games like Tuho (Pitch-pot), Ddakji (Slap Match), Jegichagi (Shuttlecock) have been specially arranged for Indian audiences. The highlights at the event include live stage performances at the festival by …

Bahrain International Airport welcomed the arrival of the inaugural Air India Express flight from Kunnur, India to Bahrain, following the commencement of a new service. As the first direct route from Kunnur to Bahrain, it opens up many new opportunities for tourism and trade between the two countries. A BAC delegation led by Chief Commercial Officer, Ayman Zainal received the inaugural flight alongside Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, His Excellency Alok Kumar Sinha, Air India Express Country Manager, Saket Saran, and other officials. The airline, a subsidiary of Air India, will operate a service between Kunnur International Airport and BIA twice a week. The route from BIA includes one stopover in Kuwait. The flight from Kunnur International Airport is the fourth direct route to BIA after Kochi, Kozhikode, and Mangalore. In total, there are seven routes from BIA to India, all of which are direct. Mr Zainal said: “We hope that the introduction of this new route will further strengthen bilateral relations and serve the needs of the large expat community in the Kingdom. We look forward to working with Air India Express to offer its customers a seamless and smooth passenger experience.” He added: “With the launch of the new Passenger Terminal Building later this year, BAC expects to attract further interest from leading airlines wishing to explore the potential of adding new routes linking Bahrain to the rest of the world. In addition to giving passengers more destinations to choose from, route development enables flows of trade, investment, and tourism that will support wider economic growth in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

Destination DC, the official destination marketing organisation for Washington DC, organised three-city sales mission in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Connecting with over 300 travel partners in the three cities, the organisation shared plans to promote the new tourism developments and unique offerings of the District.  “With a 32 percent increase in visitation, India has proven to be one of our most successful growth markets, ranking fourth globally. We see immense potential among Indian travellers. Through this roadshow, we aim to establish strong partnerships and continue to market not only the key attractions in the city, but also its dynamic neighborhoods that reflect the ‘DC Cool’ brand,” said Mr. Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. In 2017, Washington DC welcomed 135,000 visitors making India as the 4th largest overseas market for the destination. From 2015 to 2017, visitation to DC increased by 67 per cent.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival (held from March 20 – April 14) was the theme of the sales mission. More than 1.5 million visitors descend upon Washington, DC every year to admire the 3,000 cherry blossom trees in full bloom. With $11.2 billion in development underway. There are 18 hotels in the pipeline adding 3,987 rooms to the city, including recently opened Conrad Washington, DC and Hilton Washington DC National Mall, anticipated to open in April 2019.  The International Spy Museum moves to L’Enfant Plaza on May 12 and the Washington Monument reopens this spring. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s “Fossil Hall” reopens in June.

In view of the spike in demand for air travel in the upcoming peak summer season, Vistara has announced the addition of 14 flights, for the period April 16 – July 15, 2019. Three new routes have been added for the specified duration— Mumbai – Bengaluru, Mumbai – Hyderabad, and Mumbai – Kolkata. In addition, the airline will be flying the Pune – Hyderabad route for the period April 7 – April 30, 2019. Vistara also recently added Raipur (with double daily flights to/from Delhi) and Dibrugarh (with daily flights to/from Delhi via Bagdogra) to its steadily expanding network.    

Hahn Air has closed a successful first quarter of 2019, and has already integrated ten new carriers into its global network of more than 350 air, rail and shuttle partners by the end of March of this year. The new partnerships include two new interline agreements. The flights of the Thai low-cost airline Nok Air (DD) and of Precision Air (PW) from Tanzania can now be issued on the insolvency-safe HR-169 ticket. Travel agents can find and book their flights under the airlines’ own two-letter-codes in selected GDSs even in markets where the carriers are not members of the local payment systems (BSPs). In addition, eight new carriers joined the network of H1-Air partners of the global consolidation service Hahn Air Systems. On behalf of the tour operator President Travel and Tours, four Nepalese carriers are now using the H1-Air product: Buddha Air (U4), Himalaya Airlines (H9), Shree Airlines (N9), and Yeti Airlines (YT). Moreover, AB Aviation (Y6) from the Comoros Islands, Flair Airlines (F8) from Canada, Skyway CR (LC) from Costa Rica and Germania Flug (GM) from Switzerland opted for the H1-Air solution. As a result, all eight carriers are now available under the designator H1 in all major GDSs. Over 100,000 travel agents in 190 markets can book their flights and issue them on the HR-169 ticket. Finally, four existing partners extended their cooperation with Hahn Air by entering into a Dual Partnership with the leading provider of distribution services. The two Kenyan carriers Five Forty Aviation (5H) and Fly-SAX (B5), as well as JC Cambodia Airlines (QD) from Cambodia and Air KBZ (K7) from Myanmar complemented their interline agreements with the H1-Air product. Travel agents can find …

Marriott is expected to reach more than 30,000 rooms in India by end 2023. Right now the brand has an inventory of 25,000 rooms. Given India’s robust economy and rising middle class, the country continues to present exciting growth opportunities, leveraging strong demand for Marriott’s select-service brands and growing demand for its upper upscale and luxury portfolios. The company expects to debut the Tribute Portfolio brand in India, with the opening of Port Muziris, Kochi, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel slated for the second quarter of 2019. “As important as our size is our commitment to deliver seamless and quality experiences for our guests at on-brand properties. Today’s traveller demands authentic, personalized and transformative experiences, whether for work or for pleasure, as a way of broadening their individual horizons and achieving a deeper understanding of the world. As the world’s leading hospitality company, it is in our DNA to strive to be part of our guests’ favorite moments and memories. We are dedicated to Marriott International remaining Asia Pacific’s favorite travel company,” says, Craig S. Smith, President and Managing Director, Marriott International Asia Pacific.

As the Radisson Hotel Group enters the second year of Destination 2022, its five-year strategic road map, extensive expansion is underway across South Asia. The Group has signed 15 hotels in India in 2018 and it has already signed four more properties in 2019: Park Plaza Amritsar, Radisson Greater Noida, Radisson Gurugram Sohna Road City Center, and Park Inn by Radisson Kashipur. Seven new hotels were opened in India in 2018, and the group is on track to reach the landmark of opening its 100th hotel in India this year. Leveraging its first-mover advantage in the country, Radisson Hotel Group intends to introduce international hospitality to a series of fast-growing Tier II and III cities, as well as emerging areas such as North East and Central India.