Travel agents in Kashmir are requesting the Central Government to include Kashmir as a destination in the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN). This comes as a result of the increasing fares to the destination and the negative perception about the state after the Pulwama attacks. Zahoor Qari, Chairman, TAAI – J&K Chapter, says, “We are demanding that the Government extends the UDAN scheme to Kashmir as well. Currently, the perception of travellers towards Kashmir is negative after the recent attacks, and it is a difficult situation. However, the attack happened in a remote area which is far off from all the tourist attractions, where the situation is normal as usual. Also, if UDAN is extended to Kashmir, the state will have domestic connectivity, which would give a positive signal to the entire nation that tourism is normal in Kashmir and travellers should not hesitate in going there. Currently the situation is difficult, and the valley is suffering from a financial crunch, which can improve if domestic tourism develops in the state.”

The flag carrier airline, Turkish Airlines, is ready for the great change in Turkish aviation history. The great move to Istanbul Airport will begin on April 5 Friday night at 03:00. As the greatest airport project of the world, the first stage of the move towards Istanbul Airport was back on October 29th, 2018. Unique in the global aviation history, the moving operation will take 45 hours in total and it will be concluded on April 6 Saturday night at 23:59. In order to conclude the Great Move successfully according to prior plans, Atatürk Airport and Istanbul Airport will be closed for all scheduled passenger flights between 02:00 and 14:00 of April 6. Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlker Aycı, says, “The biggest move of the aviation history will take place. The combined size of the equipment we are going to transfer would cover 33 football pitches. After this great move, which will be watched by the entire world, we will wake up to a new morning. It will be a morning, which the sun shining on Turkish Aviation with the flights operated at Istanbul Airport. I convey my hopes that it will bring a great fortune to both our country and company.”

Continuing its acquisition spree, Ebix has now offered to acquire Yatra Online for around $336 million (around Rs 2,350 crore) in a cash-and-stock deal. The company has offered to pay for Yatra Online at its discretion either in cash or by issuing freely tradeable Ebix stock. US-headquartered Ebix said in a statement that it intends to merge Yatra Online, which operates travel portal Yatra.com, with its Indian EbixCash subsidiary, which offers remittance services. “We believe that Yatra Online’s products and services are complementary to EbixCash’s travel portfolio of Via and Mercury; and a combination of the two companies would lend itself to significant synergies and the creation of the India’s largest and most profitable travel services company. We see substantial synergies, economies of scale and expanded growth potential for the combined business. Our interest in making an offer for Yatra Online is also borne out of our firm belief that a combination of the two companies could be substantially and immediately accretive to Ebix’s EPS,” said Robin Raina, Chairman, President and CEO, Ebix. Meanwhile, Yatra has confirmed that it received a acquisition proposal from Ebix and said that the Company’s Board of Directors will review and consider the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all of its shareholders. Ebix has given Yatra a week’s time to allow them to begin due diligence. It has stated that it could reduce the offer if it did not receive “a positive engagement response from the Yatra Online Board in a timely manner or if any subsequent steps are taken by the company that could have an adverse impact on its …

Marriott International has announced the launch of Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri. Comprising 130 rooms, meeting and conference facilities, and an mix of dining options, the Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri’s banquet hall has 4000 sqft of indoor and outdoor space. “The opening of the first Courtyard by Marriott in the East of India marks a great milestone for Marriott International”, said Gaurav Singh, General Manager, JW Marriott Kolkata & Cluster General Manager, Bangladesh “It was a matter of time before the Marriott Brand came to Siliguri, the Gateway to the North East of India. Marriott is globally renowned for its intuitive service and commitment to providing guests with truly enriching experiences. We believe this property will create a new atmosphere and be an integral part of this city’s growth story.”

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued additional safety directives to airlines in the country flying the Boeing 737 MAX after the Ethopian Airlines plane crash. SpiceJet and Jet Airways in India use these disputable aircraft. According to the directive, The pilot commanding the aircraft should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience while the co-pilot should have at least 500 hours of flying experience. “The DGCA will continue to closely monitor the situation and may impose/ take any other operational/ maintenance measures/ restrictions based on the information received from accident investigation agency/ FAA/ Boeing,” the regulator said in a statement. In addition, DGCA has also asked the airlines to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX planes.The operators have to ensure that no B737– 8 MAX aircraft in their fleet is operated without compliance with DGCA’s latest directions with effect from 1200 hours on March 12. These include conditions that Minimum Equipment List (MEL) would not be released for operating an aircraft in case dual auto pilot mode and certain other parts are inoperative. “Safety of the passengers is our utmost concern. Directed Secretary and DGCA to take appropriate action immediately,” said Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu in a tweet. (With PTI Inputs)

Trafalgar has announced 100% Definite Departures on its Europe & Britain trips for the 2019 Europe and Britain 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 per cent definite to help our valued partners close the sale and reassure their clients that now is the best time to book. 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% confidence,” says Gavin Tollman, Trafalgar’s CEO. Trafalgar offers a multi-dimensional travel experience, delivering travel moments that open up a destination like no other brand can offer. Guests will discover at a grassroots level how choosing Trafalgar is making a genuine and visible impact to people and the places we visit. Through JoinTrafalgar experiences, travellers support World Heritage Listed Sites on 63% of trips, such as supporting the UKs National Trust to protect places like the White Cliffs of Dover in Britain and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. On selected Trafalgar trips, guests also visit female artisans at social enterprises and itineraries are planned to encourage visits to lesser known communities, encourage tourism dispersal to ensure more people go beyond the iconic attractions.

South African company Great Plains Conservation has a newly-minted agreement with Avant Garde Consulting, headed up by Pooja Wadhwa and Kunal Munshaw. They will be responsible for targeted sales, marketing and public relations activities in the Indian market. Dereck Joubert, CEO, Great Plains Conservation, says, “We have always enjoyed the shared values and ethos of our guests from India at our safari camps in Botswana and Kenya. There is just something special about sharing the joy and appreciation that we love about this business. On opening further new safari offerings (new camps in Botswana and Kenya this year and totally new safari experience in Zimbabwe), the time came for us to further grow our relationship with these valued guests and to bring on a more permanent sales presence in India. Avant Garde has a great reputation in the Indian market and we feel that we share common values and sensitivities when it comes to conservation ethics, high-end tourism experiences and being respectful and caring to everyone and everything we touch.” Pooja Wadhwa, Founding Partner, Avant Garde, says, “Our foray into the African continent could not have been met with a better partnership than the one we have found in Great Plains Conservation, a company that is so passionate about preserving everything that Africa really stands for, wildlife, nature & its people. It also leads us towards conscious luxury, tranquil travelling and giving back to where we came from, something that the evolved traveller is seeking, in today’s fast-paced world.” Great Plains Conservation is an African-focused conservation tourism focused organization that creates conservation and community initiatives through a sustainable bouquet of small luxurious camps, lodges and safari experiences. Great Plains Conservation …

Queensland concludes 4-city roadshow in Mumbai Tourism and Events Queensland had embarked on a four-city roadshow in India touching New Delhi, Chennai, Ahmadabad and finally Mumbai along with 11 operators from the state. Leading the delegation was Ryna Sequeira, Country Manager – India, Tourism and Events Queensland, who said, “We have hosted ‘Queensland on Tour India’ this week. We have actually been back after five years to do this event and we have received great response from our Queensland suppliers. They have come all the way from Gold Coast, Cairns in the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island, Whitsundays, Tangalooma Island Resort from the region of Southern Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, as well as the regional tourism organisations.” The said that the idea behind this was to introduce new updates and products to the Indian buyers. “This is important to do because everyone thinks that Queensland is a standard three-night itinerary which isn’t true. We want to showcase the many new products within the ones we are already selling to the trade and inform them about the new updates. We would also like them to learn about the new experiences in the other regions that are not very popular in India yet,” she adds.

The Lufthansa Group and Amadeus has announced that they will renew their longstanding technology partnership. Through the deal, Amadeus’ Altéa Passenger Service System (PSS) will continue to provide Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines with their IT systems for reservation, inventory and departure control. In addition, the Lufthansa Group and Amadeus are also expanding their partnership to add further areas of collaboration. Areas in which Amadeus technology is supporting the Lufthansa Group range from operations and merchandising & shopping to disruptions management. “Amadeus and the Lufthansa Group are two companies, founded in Europe, driving growth and digitalization across the world,” says Dr. Roland Schütz, Executive Vice President Information Management & Lufthansa Group CIO. “Amadeus systems will continue to support the Lufthansa Group through industry-leading solutions that foster innovation.” “We are very proud to announce an agreement to expand our partnership with Lufthansa Group today,” says Julia Sattel, President, Airlines, Amadeus. “Our partnership is based on a deep mutual understanding and respect, and this agreement is proof of the collaborative, individual approach we take with our customers. Amadeus’ industry-leading technology supports the Lufthansa Group to pursue its business goals.”

Travel insurance provider, Cover-More, part of Zurich Insurance Group, has reaffirmed a strong commitment to driving growth and differentiation for their TrawellTag Cove-More business in India. Dev Karvat, Founder & CEO, TrawellTag Cover-More, India & Emerging Markets, said being part of a global player allowed the business in India to intelligently apply Cover-More’s travel insurance capabilities to de-commoditise the product offering and grow the share of the traveller wallet. “In recent years, we have also become the partner of choice for airlines and leading online travel agencies including GoAir, IndiGo and Goibibo which underlines the strength of our integrated travel insurance offer and our ability to deliver differentiated solutions for our distribution partners. The next step for us is a deeper dive into the e-commerce sector with enhanced technological know-how and support from the Cover-More and aligning that with the changing business scenarios in India.” Visiting Mumbai recently, Cover-More CEO, Asia Pacific, Judith Crompton said India remains one of the most exciting economies in Asia with growth in travel insurance uptake almost double that of more mature markets. “Cover-More remains very positive about the outlook for travel in India, especially international travel. In recent years, we have also seen significant growth in the number of outbound travellers understanding the importance of quality travel insurance,” Crompton said. She was in India as part of Cover-More’s new global growth strategy roll-out. She was appointed as Cover-More’s CEO, Asia Pacific in October 2018.