According to WTTC, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism to employment was 41,622,500 jobs in 2017 (8.0% of total employment). This is forecast to rise by 3.1% in 2018 to 42,898,000 jobs (8.1% of total employment).By 2028, Travel & Tourism is forecast to support 52,279,000 jobs (8.4% of total employment), an increase of 2.0% pa over the period.

According to a recent report by DGCA, Passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan 2019 were 125.08 lakhs as against 114.65 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 9.10%. However, the passenger load factor in the month of Jan 2019 has shown decreasing trend compared to previous month due to the end of tourist season.

According to a recent report by JLL India, eight out of eleven cities in India witnessed an increase in RevPAR performance in Q4 2018 over same period last year. While Mumbai is the RevPAR leader in absolute terms, Ahmedabad is the leader in RevPAR % change in Q4 2018 over same period last year. For CY 2018, Delhi is the leader in RevPAR growth change. All eleven markets witnessed increase in ADRs in Q4 2018, except for Kolkata. International hotel operators dominated signings over domestic operators with the ratio of 57:43. Importantly, 25% of new signings are conversions of old hotels. Rajasthan is the leading state in brand signings and Goa leads in hotel openings in Q4 2018.

Japan Airlines and Vistara airlines have entered a codeshare partnership that will open up more routes between India and Tokyo. With the signing of this agreement, Vistara becomes the only codeshare partner for Japan Airlines in India. The sale of tickets open on 26 February 2019 on all channels and major GDS systems, for travel from 28 February 2019. As part of the agreement, Japan Airlines will add its ‘JL’ designator code to approximately 32 Vistara-operated flights each day across India covering seven Indian cities, namely Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune. JAL and Vistara already have an interline/through check-in partnership and the two airlines had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2017¹ to pursue commercial opportunities together. Commenting on this key partnership, Mr. Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara said: “We’re delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Japan Airlines with this codeshare agreement, which is a step that underlines our commitment of partnering with some of the leading airlines in the world and of putting Vistara, India’s best airline, on the global map. This partnership helps us offer greater convenience and variety of choice to customers with a comprehensive network, as well as the opportunity of welcoming travellers from Japan and beyond to experience Vistara’s award-winning hospitality and service. We’re confident that our respective customers will truly enjoy the shared benefits of this partnership between two airlines committed to being amongst the best service providers on the ground and in the sky.” “The number of passengers traveling between Japan and India has increased over time,” said Mr. Hideki Oshima, Executive Officer, Japan Airlines. “By strengthening the partnership with Vistara, we will be able …

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is planning further rapid expansion of its international operation over the next few months as it launches services to Hanoi, New Delhi and Phnom Penh and adds frequencies to 12 of its 39 existing international destinations. PAL’s international seat capacity will increase by nearly 10% this summer, pressuring yields and profitability as the airline tries to increase sixth freedom traffic. PAL is growing capacity to continental North America by nearly 50% this summer, supported by the delivery of A350-900s. As PAL introduces 17 additional weekly frequencies to North America it is trying to attract more transit traffic in the highly competitive North America-Southeast Asia market – leading to the decision to add Hanoi, New Delhi and Phnom Penh. PAL’s expansion this summer will result in more competition with several North Asian airlines, including its new strategic partner All Nippon Airways (ANA). On 29-Jan-2019 ANA Holdings announced the acquisition of a 9.5% stake in PAL Holdings, the parent company for PAL and the full service regional subsidiary PAL Express. While the deal is strategically significantly for PAL, which has been trying to secure a foreign airline investor for years, the stake is small, and the USD95 million investment is pocket change for ANA. The fact that the transaction values PAL at only USD1 billion, despite group revenues of over USD2.5 billion and an extremely attractive slot portfolio at congested Manila, reflects the challenges PAL faces. (Source: CAPA)

InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Indroyal Hospitality Services for Crowne Plaza Amaravati. The 300-room hotel will be the first IHG hotel in the city and is expected to be operational by 2024. Amaravati, the soon to be capital of Andhra Pradesh is being rapidly developed as a world class city and is expected to attract high-value manufacturing and service industries, creating strong economic growth opportunities in the years to come. Connected to the major cities in India by land, rail and air through its neighbouring city of Vijaywada, Amaravati is expected to attract both domestic and international travellers.” Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are delighted to partner with Indroyal Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd. for our first hotel in Amaravati. Amaravati is being developed as a world class capital city, offering a business-friendly environment, and we are confident it will emerge as an important destination for corporate travellers. Our brand Crowne Plaza with its business ready services, is a perfect fit for the city’s future, and we are very pleased to be one of the first hospitality companies to establish our presence in this upcoming city.

In a new online visa application journey, Indian customers for UK visas can now experience a more digital visa service as a result of improvements developed by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), and VFS Global. UK visa customers can now fill the visa application form, book regular or priority appointments, selfupload documents prior to visiting the centre, or choose from a range of services, in a single online journey. The intuitive and simplified online visa application system, developed by VFS Global for UKVI, is part of UKVI’s continuing initiatives to transform the visa application journey for customers around the world. Shift to an integrated online system previously, Indian visa applicants applied for a visa via two separate websites – Gov.UK and VFS Global. As part of the new customer journey, customers can access information about, or opt for, all visa services at the outset of their visa application journey. Customers now have the option to digitally upload documentation prior to visiting the Visa Application Centre using their smartphone, tablet or other camera/computing device. Customers who opt for the self-upload option can visit the centre with just their passport – meaning less need to carry original documents with them. A scanning service will still be offered by VFS Global, for a fee of 500 INR, however this will be free to customers for a short period. A range of optional services aimed at providing a stress-free application experience can now be opted for online, at the application stage. Customers can opt for the ‘Walk-in without appointment’ service (for customers seeking to submit applications urgently), or ‘Keep My Passport While Applying’ (enabling customers to apply for other visas during the processing of …

Travelport has announced that it has renewed its long-standing, successful partnership with BCD Travel. With this new agreement, Travelport Digital will continue to collaborate on BCD Travel’s digital traveller engagement solution, TripSource, making it the preferred way to manage all aspects of business travel. TripSource allows travelers to shop and book air, hotel and car, and to evolve the next generation of self-service corporate travel experience. Since 2013, Travelport has been a key digital partner for BCD Travel, one of the largest TMCs in the world. As a trusted technology partner, Travelport Digital has collaborated with BCD Travel to develop the award winning TripSource platform. The collaboration allowed BCD to vastly expand upon TripSource’s early iteration as an itinerary management app to produce a popular destination for shopping, booking, policy guidance and self-service trip management. TripSource now offers a cutting-edge user experience that drives the best purchasing decisions, allows users to book and manage travel and helps travelers to stay organized. “We’re delighted to continue our relationship with Travelport, who share our mission to deliver a simple, digital, adaptive and global experience for travelers,” said Will Pinnell, BCD Travel Vice President, Product Strategy. “Our longstanding alliance offers us immense value as we strive to lead the corporate travel industry in innovation that translates into tangible value for businesses and a superior experience for their travelers.” “As a key partner for the TripSource platform since its early stages, we’re thrilled to continue to support its future growth with our technology solutions,” said Julie O’Sullivan, Head of Digital, Business Travel, Travelport Digital. “This renewal is yet another example of our commitment to enabling our partners to continue providing the very best digital …

Vistara has announced the addition of Raipur as its 23rd destination. Effective 31 March 2019, Vistara will operate double daily flights between Delhi and Raipur, providing a convenient same-day return option to travellers from both cities, along with convenient one-stop connections between Raipur and Amritsar, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Jammu, Lucknow and Varanasi. Bookings are now open on all direct and indirect channels at an introductory all-inclusive one way fare in Economy Class starting INR 2698. Vistara aims to serve the burgeoning industries and businesses based in Chhattisgarh by providing better connectivity and more travel options including the choice of three classes of travel, to customers travelling to and from Raipur. With the city’s stature as the state capital and its growing importance as a centre for major national and international investments, Raipur is a perfect fit into Vistara’s growing network. Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “We’re delighted to start operations in one of India’s fastest growing states, Chhattisgarh, with double daily flights to and from its capital city, Raipur. Vistara offers three classes of travel including India’s only Premium Economy class, and a level of service designed to attract discerning customers looking for better travel options. Travellers from Raipur travelling to and from international destinations via Delhi will also benefit from seamless same terminal domestic-international transfers at Delhi’s T3, from where Vistara operates.”

Continuing to improve its rank on the global passport power rank, the Indian passport has become 10 ranks stronger in the last five years improving its position from 77 in 2015 to 67 in 2019. According to the Passport Index 2019, the Indian passport allows visa-free travel to 25 countries while Indians get visa-on-arrival for 39 countries. The country has improved its position by one spot in comparison to last year. In 2018, the Indian passport ranked 68. Indian tourists still need visas to enter 134 countries in the world. The 2019 Passport Index, which ranks passports of 199 countries on the basis on their Visa-Free Score and their ranking on the UNDP human development index has ranked UAE passport as no 1, which allows visa free entry to 113 countries and provides visa-on-arrival facility in 54 nations around the world. Among SAARC nations, India is only behind Maldives, who ranks 51 on the list. Maldivian passport holder can enter 84 countries visa free or with visa-on-arrival facility.