The tourism arm of Indian Railways, IRCTC Tourism is offering a 9 nights, 10 days tour package to Puri, Konark, Kolkata, Gaya, Varanasi and Allahabad. A statement said that the tour will commence on May 1 from Madurai. The tariff of the package starts at Rs 9,450 per person, inclusive of GST. Tour named, Aastha Tirth Kasi Yatra aims at travellers to rejoice religious tourism to prominent sacred destinations in the country. IRCTC Tourism has also offered to provide accomodation and road transfers along with the package. Booking of the package is available online on IRCTC’s website and it can be done through IRCTC’s tourist facilitation centre, zonal offices and regional offices. The boarding and deboarding points of IRCTC’s package include Madurai, Dindigul, Karur, Erode, Salem, Whitefield, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Perambur.

Accor recently disclosed its aggressive expansion plans for the Indian market. Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Accor, says, “India is a very important market for Accor. In order to ensure our consistent commitment for the market, we will be getting Raffles brand to India. We will open the first property in Udaipur by mid 2020 which will have 101 rooms and suites and then we will venture into the Jaipur market by 2022 which will open with 55 suites.

WelcomHeritage has added one more property to its existing portfolio – WelcomHeritage Kalyan Bhawan in Jaisalmer. WelcomHeritage Kalyan Bhawan was the former home of the Ruler of Jaisalmer – Maharawal Jawahir Singh ji and was called as ‘Kanwar Pada’, meaning Princes’ Residence in local parlance. It is a centrally located property amidst the walled city of Jaisalmer. The property features 22 exquisite rooms and has been refurbished in the original art deco style to meet the requirements of the modern traveller and caters to both leisure and business travellers who want to enjoy the local flavors of town. The former haveli was an old mansion which is now recreated so as to make the property contemporary to the present day times. Along with many recreational services like Roof-Top Dining, traditional Massage Services and Swimming Pool available at the nearby WelcomHeritage Mandir Palace, the hotel offers three unique categories of rooms to choose from. Sanjeev K Nayar, GM, WelcomHeritage shared, “This is the 34th operational property of WelcomHeritage and we are extremely happy with the new addition. Out of 34 operational properties, we have now 12 in Rajasthan. This property has its own unique charm and caters to both leisure and business travellers who want to stay within the walled city of Jaisalmer and enjoy the local flavours of the town. Very soon we will be adding few more properties in Rajasthan, South and North-east region. We are looking at adding around 3-4 more properties by the end of this financial year”. For a sumptuous culinary experience, guests can choose to dine at nearby WelcomHeritage Mandir Palace’s Roof-Top Restaurant (which offers a panoramic view of the Jaisalmer Fort). The cuisine includes …

Parag Thakker, Director, Shri Mahalakshmi Vacations, along with his wife Shilpa Thakker, Director, Shri Mahalakshmi Vacations, have announced that they have now acquired a stake in online consolidator Multilink for an undisclosed amount. This is the third company that they have invested in, the most recent one being JustClickKaro.com. in Jan 2019, they had acquired arzoo.com. Mumbai-based Multilink is headed by Nikhil Shah who recently forayed into utilities as well, thereby offering a wide range of products in the online segment.

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) has finalised the dates for the 2nd edition of the India Tourism Mart (ITM). Subhash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH, said that the 2019 edition of trade show will be held from September 23-25, 2019 at The Ashoka, New Delhi. He also said that the association is expecting to shortlist around 500 international buyers in this year’s ITM. In 2018, around 250 buyers attended the show. “The process of selection is very transparent, everything detail is available online. For this year’s show, we will also have representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, who will be present in the selection process. This year, we will not allow buyers who came for the show last year,” he informed. “We have had meetings of the board members, where all the arrangements are being done in a transparent manner. We are also in the process of choosing an advertising and marketing promotion agency. We have already called for tenders and we will be soon finalising it,” he further added. Goyal reiterated that the objective of India Tourism Mart is to promote inbound tourism to India.

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) is all set to open its Northeast Chapter in Guwahati on April 6, 2019 at Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati and will coincide with Rongali Festival. PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, shared the news saying that it will be the Association’s 10th chapter. “The inauguration ceremony of the chapter will be graced by the presence of the Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Assam, tour operators and hoteliers. The Chairman of the Northeast chapter of ADTOI will be Arijit Purkayastha, MD, Koyeli Tours. The launch event will be followed by B2B meetings between ADTOI members and the local agents in Guwahati.” Arijit Purkayastha, MD, Koyeli Tours, who will be the Chairman for Northeast Chapter, ADTOI, said that his main aim would be to connect the tour operators based in various parts of India to those in the Northeast. “We would want everyone in India to know about the Northeast region, since many tour operators from Meghalaya and Assam are not participating in travel shows in other parts of India. Also, people and even tour operators living in other parts of India are sceptical about the safety and connectivity in the region. Our main agenda is to make people aware of the safety in the Northeast region.”  

Lords Hotels & Resorts has announced its latest property in Lucknow which will be named as Lords Eco Inn. The hotel will be operational by mid 2019 and will have 30 rooms along with an F&B outlet and a banquet hall. It is Located in the heart of Lucknow in Hazratganj and the nearest airport is Lucknow Airport which is at a distance of 14 kms and the nearest railway station is Lucknow Railway Station which is just 4 kms from the hotel.

DGCA has approved the summer flights schedule of Jet Airways for March 31 to April 25 only, according to an official document, accessed by PTI. The summer schedule of flights of all other domestic airlines such as Vistara, IndiGo, Air India and GoAir have been approved till October 26, according to the document. As per the international practice, DGCA approves two flight schedules in a year, namely, ‘summer schedule’ effective from Sunday of the last week of March and ‘winter schedule’ effective from Sunday of the last week of October. The summer schedule begins on 31 March, 2019 for all the airlines.

Amidst turbulent times of the domestic airlines industry. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Civil Avation has said that government cannot interfere in their-day-to-day operations. He further said that efficient operations and financial performance are individual responsibilities of the carriers. “In view of intense competition, rising costs, shortage of pilots and grounding of planes is hurting many domestic carriers. The government has been constantly responding to industry conditions and cited measures taken, including reduction in central excise duty on jet fuel to 11 per cent from 14 per cent,” the minister said to PTI. Prabhu further said the airline industry is a dynamic industry which requires continuous adjustment according to global and domestic needs. “It is our endeavor to support the industry, however, as stated we cannot interfere in day to-day operations of the airlines,” he noted.

Furaveri Island Resort & Spa enters India market through a market representation agreement with India Sales Associates. “Regarded as a Truly Maldivian resort with modern facilities, Furaveri Island Resort & Spa is the perfect getaway in Maldives. Expansive green landscape in 23 hectors, overlooking a white sandy beach and panoramic ocean views are the setting for a relaxing holiday in the most beautiful surroundings. Furaveri Island Resort & Spa is located 151 kilometers (95 miles) north from Malé International Airport, is accessible by direct scenic seaplane flight or domestic flight followed by a 45-minute speedboat journey, offers an unmatched experience for individuals, couples and families. Whether you are an adventurer seeking the underwater experience, an explorer looking for a remote exotic island or a fishing enthusiast ready for the big catch” – said Manas Sinha, Director, INDIA SALES ASSOCIATES. Led by one of the Maldives most celebrated chef, resort is geared to serve the authentic Indian cuisine and Jain meals, aside the wide variety of International and specialty Fusion Asian and Casual Mexican cuisine.