Expanding its reach to new destinations under UDAN III, SpiceJet has announced the commencement of eight new daily flights to Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The city will be the airline’s 11th destination under the regional connectivity scheme and overall 52nd domestic destination. The eight new flights will also make SpiceJet the first airline to offer daily direct flights on the Gwalior-Hyderabad-Gwalior, Gwalior-Jammu-Gwalior, Gwalior-Bengaluru-Gwalior and Gwalior-Kolkata Gwalior sectors. The budget carrier has also announced four new daily flights connecting Bhopal including daily non-stop flight between Udaipur and Bhopal from March 31. It also announced daily direct flights between Chennai and Bhopal.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has won the First Prize in the category of TV Cinema Spot at the prestigious international Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2019. The awards were received by Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary,Tourism on March 8, 2019 at ITB, Berlin. Following promotional films/television commercials produced by the Ministry as part of its Incredible India 2.0 Campaign received the awards: Yogi of the Racetrack The Reincarnation of Mr. and Mrs. Jones Sanctuary in Paris Maharani of Manhattan and The Masala Master Chef The Golden City Gate Tourism Multi-media Awards are given annually in various categories related to the Tourism and Hospitality sectors. The ‘Golden City Gate’ is a creative multi-media international competition for countries, cities, regions and hotels. The entries received for the awards are judged by an international jury comprising film and tourism experts. The annual award ceremony takes place at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading tourism trade show. The Ministry of Tourism has launched the Incredible India 2.0 Campaign in September 2017. The 2.0 Campaign marks a shift from generic promotions across the world to market specific promotional plans and content creation. Thematic creatives on different Niche tourism products have been produced and are being used in the Campaign, to cater to diverse consumer interests.These include the above Television Commercials on Yoga, Wellness, Wildlife, Luxury and Cuisine, which have been very well received the world over, registering about 155 million views on social media. The commercials have been produced in English with voice overs in 9 international languages, viz. German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Narendra Modi has given its approval for extension of time and scope for revival and development of un-served and under-served air strips of State Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Civil enclaves, CPSUs, helipads and water aerodromes at the total cost of Rs.4500 crore with the budgetary support of Government of India. As an outcome, small cities/towns shall be connected on commencement of operation of flights to under-served/un-served airports and it will further boost the economic development in these as well as surrounding areas in terms of job creation and related infrastructure development.

Hotel occupancy in Delhi and Pune crossed 70 per cent, according to a latest report by Horwath on ‘India Hotel Market Review 2018’. Delhi has grabbed the opportunity presented by GST replacing a usurious luxury tax with both hands, the report says. It performed well in all the parameters with occupancy rising to 71.7 per cent, ADRs at 7.5 per cent and RevPAR at 11.6 per cent. Aerocity hotels have fully dialled in – rooms demand, ADR and banqueting. Corporate, MiCE and retail business which chose Gurugram over Delhi because of major tax savings under Luxury tax have shown preference for Delhi once an even playing field was created. Aerocity itself has expanded its commercial spaces. Pune, too, had a good year in 2018, crossing 70 per cent occupancy and pushing through over 7 per cent ADR growth to post 11 per cent RevPAR increase. A solid Tier 1 business city, Pune’s growth can be attributed to MiCE and partly to the shift of some IPL games to this city.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Air India is all set to ply 40 of its domestic and 12 international flights with an all-women crew. “Air India is set to fly 12 all-women crew flights on its medium and long-haul international routes and over 40 return domestic and short-haul flights all over India to celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8 this year,” Air India said in a statement. Air India will deploy its B787 Dreamliners and B777s aircraft to operate the aforementioned 12 international flights. Women pilots and cabin crew will be operating Airbus family aircraft as well as dreamliners to over 40 domestic destinations and back to commemorate the occasion,” the airline added. On the ocassion, Ashwini Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India said, “I would like to congratulate our women crew for operating so many flights on various international and domestic routes fuelled by their indomitable ”nari shakti” (women power).” (With inputs from PTI)

According to The International Air Transport Association, air transport makes a significant economic contribution to India. In 2010, 79 million people travelled to/from/or within India. By 2017 that doubled to 158 million. That number is expected to treble to 520 million by 2037. Aviation in India supports 7.5 million jobs: 390,000 directly, 570,000 in the value chain, and 6.2 million in tourism. Aviation contributes some US$30 billion annually to India’s GDP.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels has opened Zone by The Park, Jammu. This 51-room hotel will have one of city’s largest banquet spaces with 7500 sq. ft. party hall with an open lawn of 1800 sq. ft. making it ideal for weddings and large conferences. The hotel also has two large party halls for high powered meetings and events. Bazaar, the signature restaurant of Zone, is inspired by multi-hued charismatic native markets. The 24-hour restaurant with interactive service formats and LIVE cooking stations will give guests an unrivalled experience. Liquiteria at the lobby level will serve quick bites and health drinks to the guests. Z Bar will offer a wide selection of refreshing beverages. An open lobby that can be re-arranged for private events; a bulletin that connects the guests with the city’s action; gaming consoles and the coolest Zone Auto, are few attractions of this new hotel. Speaking about the launch, Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd. said, “Jammu is an all season destination for tourists with great weather and unmatched history. Popularly known as the winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir, the city attracts immense traffic because of temples and shrines. Drawing from The Park’s design spirit, Zone by The Park envisions an interactive series of buzzing spaces using the best of contemporary design, with playful interiors and vibrant nightlife. We will cater to the needs of design-conscious, price-conscious guests, who are visiting the city to explore prevalent natural beauty, history and spirituality.”

WelcomHeritage (WH) has opened its new property in Coorg, Karnataka— WelcomHeritage Ayatana, which offers picturesque location and breathtaking views. The 53 cottage property is spread over 100 acres of endless lush greens amidst the gentle rolling hills WH Ayatana is a perfect location where you can breathe in fresh, clean air, take lazy walks or simply enjoy the natural surroundings. The magnificently designed individual cottages offer a spectacular view of the valley. Sanjeev Nayar, GM, WelcomHeritage shared, “This is the 33rd property of WelcomHeritage and we are extremely happy to share that we are experiencing good occupancy from month it flagged off. WelcomHeritage is determined to promote the country’s cultural heritage as well as the natural beauty and with WH Ayatana, it is our sincere effort to bring forward the untamed beauty of South India to the world. WH Ayatana is a perfect blend of natural beauty with seamless hospitality services. It has everything to offer to a discerning traveler be it close to nature experience or sumptuous cuisine, rejuvenating holiday or business trip. That is the reason, the property has picked up extremely well.”

Embassy of Vietnam signs BLS International for its visa applications in India and has also been authorised as the only company to handle the ‘Attestation and Legalisation Services’ for the Embassy of Vietnam. Shikhar Agarwal, Jt. Managing Director said, “We are honoured by the confidence and trust the Embassy has reposed in us for ensuring a smooth, efficient and delightful experience for the applicants. To ensure this, we are opening 15 centres across India, covering the major hubs as well as the growing regional cities. Our 15 centres will also facilitate the attestation and legalisation services for the Embassy of Vietnam, exclusively.” BLS International will accept visa applications for travel to Vietnam at 15 centres including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Goa, Kochi, Lucknow, Raipur, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Trivandrum. In recent months, BLS International has been gearing up to provide innovative solutions to Governments and Citizens across the globe and had engaged global consulting firm EY to review structures and processes. The company is now implementing their recommendations that will enable it to re-engineer and transform the business, and has strengthened the Leadership Team with professionals who are respected in the industry for their expertise.

The focus on LCC model is expected to only get sharper in the coming years, according to a report on Indian aviation commissioned by FICCI and Deloitte. It is expected that few airlines would even try out the newer Ultra-Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) model that has seen some traction in USA, the biggest domestic market of the world. They could offer absolute stripped-down travel, itemising ticket prices to the services included. Industry experts are even talking about Hybrid and Low-Cost Long-Haul (LCLH) business models. With lower cost of operations due to the waiving off of most airport charges on RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) routes, the ULCC model may be the newest paradigm for the industry in India. This would indeed help make air travel more affordable to the country’s millions.