Kempinski Hotels completed its four-city roadshow in Delhi after conducting them in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group, which represents the brand in India said, “Kempinski is by far the most luxurious chains in the world and I am happy that six of the properties under the brand are in India to showcase their offerings to the travel trade fraternity. We conducted the roadshows in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. We have got excellent response as luxury is very important in India and I think we received an overwhelming response from our travel partners in all the cities. We have seen a huge growth for Kempinski Hotels this year. In fact, this is the reason why there is another roadshow after having one in February this year. They believe in India and our efforts done since many years.”  

About 81 per cent of commercial aircraft in India are leased, compared with 53 per cent globally, according to a recent report by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) titled ‘Aircraft leasing in India: Opportunity knocks for an Indian lessor’. Leased aircraft take a high share of all operators’ fleets in India. There are 652 commercial aircraft with operators in India at 17-Oct-2018 (including 34 in storage), according to the CAPA Fleet Database. Of these, 531 aircraft are leased, which is 81% of the total. This compares with a leased aircraft share of 52% in Asia overall and 53% globally. Indian airlines’ leasing dependency reflects their relative youth and/or financial fragility. By comparison with other parts of the world, Indian operators rely much more heavily on leased aircraft. In Asia as a whole, leased aircraft account for 52% of all aircraft in service and in storage. Globally, the share is 53%.

Domestic air traffic has grown by 20.11 per cent from January-October YOY, according to a latest report by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-October 2018 were 1146.37 lakhs as against 954.45 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year. The passenger load factor in the month of October 2018 has shown increasing trend compared to previous month due to the onset of tourist season.

As per the statistics released by Greece National Tourist Office (GNTO) and Athens International Airport, 38,046 Indian tourists visited Greece in the nine months vis-à-vis 17,376 Indian tourists during the same period in 2017, which is a whopping increase of 119 per cent. Speaking about the positive growth, Konstantinos Tsegas, Secretary General, Greek National Tourism Organization said, “Greece as a destination has gained momentum over the years and we are glad to witness the rising interest of Indians for Greece as a popular holiday destination across the country. Our approach is to target the captive audience across various age groups simply by appealing to every kind of travel need. We have effectively leveraged diverse platforms, based on specific characteristics of the Indian market. The strategy is to also promote 365-day tourism in Greece and create awareness about lesser known cities of Greece like Thessaloniki, Xanthi or Kavala which have great geophysical, historical and cultural importance along with Athens. We are closely working with our partners in India for growth across segments like families, FITS (first time travelers segment), MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events), destination weddings, honeymoon and films.” The beauty of Greece is a Unique Sales Proposition (USP), by any means. But what truly makes a difference is its people, the authenticity and simplicity of Greek touristic products in combination with an extremely rich historical background. In 2016, Greece National Tourist Office noticed 14.6 million arrivals in total and in 2017, 15.5 million, whereas, the growth percentage of arrivals from India has been around 9.7 per cent each year.

LATAM Airlines, a South American airline, conducted workshops for the travel trade in Mumbai and Delhi on November 20 and November 22 respectively. Citing a double-digit growth, Marcio-Ma, Account Manager—Southeast Asia & India, LATAM Airlines Group, said that India market has been very important for the airline. “Through this workshop, we want the travel trade in India to get an idea about the LATAM product portfolio and the destinations we connect to. For next year, we want to grow further in the Indian market and will be taking required steps to do the same.”

Marriott International has announced the opening of Courtyard by Marriott Madurai, making it the first Marriott International property in Madurai. Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President- South Asia, Marriott International, said, “Marriott International is elated to debut in the heritage city of Madurai with the Courtyard by Marriott brand. The addition of Courtyard by Marriott Madurai brings the brand’s footprint in India to 16 hotels. Being the third largest city in Tamil Nadu, Madurai promises a lot of potential for travel and tourism sectors with its increased air, road and rail connectivity.” He further added, “The Courtyard brand has been evolving to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers since it was founded 35 years ago. This new hotel in Southern India will be a showcase of the brand’s passion in supporting our guests with both their professional and personal pursuits.” This smart, modern hotel features 86 guestrooms including four exquisite suites that are designed to perfectly balance form and function. Every guestroom features high-speed wireless internet, an LED TV, and a well-appointed work area with comfort lighting and a snug corner that’s suitable for both working and relaxing. The property also houses a fully-equipped fitness center, which allows guests to maintain their fitness schedules, whilst on the road. Guests also have the opportunity to enjoy three tempting dining options at the hotel, along with several other amenities.

Geared up to capitalise on the upcoming festive season, Tourism Authority of Thailand has recently introduced some attractive scheme and offers to ensure maximum footfalls from India and other countries to Thailand. This year Thailand has already recorded 919,130 tourist arrivals from India a Y-O-Y increase of 13.24 per cent. Recently the government granted a visa-on-arrival fee waiver for tourists from 20 countries. From 15 November, 2018, to 13 January, 2019, citizens of Andora, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China including Taiwan, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan will be exempted from the 2,000 Baht visa-on-arrival fee for the purpose of touring in Thailand not more than 15 days. Tourism Authority of Thailand now launches Amazing Thailand Grand Sale ‘Passport Privilege’ campaign during the same period.” Tourism Authority of Thailand gives delightful experiences in shopping and using services for foreign tourists who come to Thailand during November 15, 2018 – January 15, 2019. The campaign will help tourists to increase buying power on a variety of products and services from leading service providers Furthermore tourist travelling to Thailand (arriving at Suvarnabhumi and Donmuang Airport) can now avail of E Visa on Arrival. The Nation Immigration Bureau acting commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakpal officially launched the e-Via on Arrival (E-VOA) system that is expected to cut visa processing time to as little as one minute. Surachate presided over a ceremony to launch the new system, which has been used on trial basis at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports since November 15. The launch ceremony was held at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The facility is available at Phuket International Airport since …

AirAsia India has appointed Sanjay Kumar as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from December 03, 2018. In his new role, he will be responsible for commercial operations of the airline. He will be instrumental in shaping next phase growth at AirAsia India and will be reporting to the newly appointed CEO & MD, Sunil Bhaskaran. Kumar has over 25 years of experience in the airline industry across functions like Business Planning, Strategy, Network Development, Distribution and Sales, Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations. He comes with valuable experience in the low-cost airline business model and scaling-up start-up airlines to market leadership positions. His previous assignment was with IndiGo where he worked as Chief Commercial officer. S Ramadorai, Chairman, AirAsia India, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sanjay to the AirAsia India leadership team. He joins us at a time when the airline is in a growth momentum with an aim to venture forward in international operations. I am confident that Sanjay’s experience and knowledge of this sector will prove to be valuable in steering the company forward.” Kumar said, “I am delighted to be taking on the role of AirAsia India’s Chief Operating Officer. The airline has the best constituents with the Tata Group’s credibility and AirAsia’s innovative, proven, cost-effective and sound business model with a keen focus on customer satisfaction and people-friendly practices. I am looking forward to be a part of the airline’s journey of growth and expansion in the Indian aviation industry.”

Jazeera Airways has announced the launch of its services to New Delhi from December 15. The airline, which commenced operations in India last year, currently flies to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi and Ahmedabad from the Gulf nation. The airline has also announced special one-way fare starting from Rs 10,599 for an Economy Class journey and Rs 19,146 for Business Class travel on the new route. Rohit Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer, Jazeera Airways, said, “The introduction of services to New Delhi and the expansion of network will bring more choice to travellers to and from India, connecting them to Kuwait and other cities in the Gulf and the Middle East that are served within the airline’s network.” Source: PTI

Minor Hotels has announced its stake in the Global Hotel Alliance, (GHA). Following this shareholder announcement, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor Hotels, will now join the GHA Board of Directors. The investment is worth a total of $3.2million, representing a 10 per cent share of the Global Hotel Alliance. First entering with the Anantara brand, Minor Hotels have been longstanding members of the GHA since 2007. As the GHA will enter its 15th year in 2019, Minor Hotels took the opportunity to support the alliance which is currently investing in new CRM and shared technology to build on the success of the Discovery loyalty programme. Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor, commented, “Since joining the GHA in 2007, we have grown and developed our own brands and continue to acquire new ones, and membership of GHA fits well with our multi-brand strategy. GHA has consistently demonstrated the value of global customer reach and a strong CRM and loyalty programme for our hotels, and so we are delighted to be able to take our place as a shareholder in the business, with the opportunity to help guide its growth over the coming years.” He added, “The 13 million Discovery members will produce US$1.7 billion in room revenues in 2018, of which around US$125 million is from customers moving between our member brands. We plan to double those numbers in the next few years, as independent brands look to collaborate with each other to share the common challenge of competing with the ever-consolidating major brands and third party distribution providers.