India has steadily increased the number of overseas city pairs served by a non-stop service from the country over time, according to a recent study by International Air Transport Association (IATA). There are 304 such international pairs in 2018, up from around 230 ten years ago. In relative terms, the India market appears to have considerably less international city pairs served than either China or Russia. However, Indian travellers have ready access (via the geographic proximity) to the Middle East superconnector hubs – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha – that China and Russia do not. This increases the size of the network significantly for Indian travellers, as well as making India more accessible for international visitors. As such, it may go some way to explaining the relatively lower number of international city pairs for India relative to China and Russia.

The total passenger traffic (to, from and within India) in India is expected to rise nearly six-fold from 187 million in FY2018 to around 1124 million in FY2040, according to a latest report by FICCI-KPMG titled ‘Vision 2040 for the Civil Aviation Industry in India’. This includes around 821 million domestic passengers and around 303 million international passengers (to and from India). The overall CAGR across the five clusters works out to around 9% in domestic and 7% in international traffic during FY 2018-2040. “The FICCI-KPMG projection is higher than the projections made by leading organisations. Given the untapped potential of the Indian aviation market and the signi?cant reforms being driven by the federal and state governments, we feel that the above projections are eminently achievable. These are of course predicated on the assumption that volatility in oil prices and exchange rate will be within a reasonable range and the constraints in terms of policies, taxation, infrastructure and ease of doing business shall be addressed on priority,” the report states.

Israel has recorded a 21 per cent growth in Indian tourist arrivals with around 70,800 travellers visiting the country from January to December, 2018 vis-a-vis 58,700 tourists in 2017 and 44,700 in 2016. This marks a whopping growth of 58 per cent from 2016 to 2018, as per the statistics released by Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT). Speaking about the positive growth, Hassan Madah, Director, Israel National Tourism office in India and Philippines, Israel Ministry of Tourism, said, “2018 has been an outstanding year for Israel Tourism in India and worldwide as we welcomed a record-breaking 4.12 million tourists into the country. With a rapid increase in leisure outbound trips, India is an important market for us possessing tremendous potential to become one of the key source markets for Israel in the coming years. We have seen Israel emerge as a preferred tourist destination for Indians owing to its dynamic offerings, opening of more direct air routes and relaxation of visa procedures”. He also added, “Our marketing efforts, collaborations with travel agents, introduction of Air India’s direct flight operations from New Delhi and a further increase of frequency on that route along with an increase in seat capacity on El Al have contributed appreciably to the growth numbers. Ministry’s initiatives to reduce the visa fee for Indians coupled with the opening of a visa application centre in Kolkata have been seen as a welcoming move to increase interest among Indian travellers”.

The Sikkim Hotels & Restaurants Association (SHRA) recently convened hoteliers’ meeting in Gangtok during which it was unanimously agreed to not continue conducting business with Go-MMT until the concerns were addressed and resolved. Effective January 16, 2019, hotels in the state have indefinitely closed inventory to the OTAs and have decided to not honour any new bookings that might come through. During the meeting, SHRA member hotels also decided to terminate their contracts with Go-MMT immediately. Pema Lamta, President, SHRA, said, “We are in solidarity with the country’s apex hospitality body – Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and also our regional body – Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) in uniting against the OTAs’ unfair and discriminatory business practices. We have made an official appeal to all our members to not honour Go-MMT bookings from January 16, 2019, and have requested them to terminate their contracts with the OTAs immediately. However, we will accommodate guests who have already been booked through Go-MMT even after the 16th. We do not want our guests to be harassed or inconvenienced. However, they will be requested to make payments directly to the hotel instead of to the OTAs.” Many other hotel Associations across India have accused the said OTAs of charging exorbitant commissions, unfair accounting practices and unauthorised and further discounting of hotel prices set by hoteliers. The boycotting of the two online portals gained momentum after Ahmedabad Hotel Association had first raised the issue, which many other associations and hotels followed on later. “SHRA had earlier written to OTAs with concerns raised by local hotels and even held meeting with them. The association had raised specific concerns …

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts has signed Viraj Sarovar Portico, Jammu, the brand’s second hotel in Jammu & Kashmir after RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar. Set to be operational in mid-2019, the property will offer 45 designed rooms with contemporary amenities and extensive banquet facilities for up to 5000 guests. The property is located in the epicentre of corporate, educational and industrial areas of Bari Brahmana. In close proximity to Jammu Airport and railway station, the hotel is designed with keeping modern travellers in mind. The facilities include car parking for more than 300 cars, gymnasium, spa, bar and an outdoor swimming pool. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said, “This announcement is aligned with our strategy of expanding and driving growth across all emerging destinations. Jammu is the nearest airport for connecting to Vaishno Devi, one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in North India and we are delighted to serve the needs of the travellers, with a hotel offering best-in-class facilities and services in Jammu.”

With a track record of hosting Asia’s most prominent events, Singapore continues to deliver innovative solutions for the transfer of knowledge, ideas and connections to drive new possibilities for the MiCE sector in Singapore. Kicking off its first MiCE-focused event for 2019 in India, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) organised a MiCE thought leadership seminar in Mumbai with the theme ‘Meetings & Incentive Travel to Singapore – Forging New Possibilities’. The programme included a presentation by Gokul Bajaj, Head — Sales and Partnerships, Cvent, a cloud-based enterprise event management platform. This was followed by a panel discussion on how the MiCE industry can leverage technology to better engage audience. The panelists included Bajaj, Aikta Tyagi, Vice President & Head — Special Events, Amway India; SD Nandakumar, President & Country Head — B2B, SOTC Travel. The discussion was moderated by GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board. A team-building activity focusing on Lego Serious Play, conducted by Ludovic Odier, CEO, Outdoor in Asia, highlighted innovative, high-impact and experiential team engagement activities possible in Singapore for M&I travellers. The attendees were updated on new MiCE venues, incentive schemes provided by the STB and diverse and exciting array of experiences available in Singapore for M&I groups. The programme was well-attended with 150 Indian travel agents and 40 Singapore stakeholders representing hotels, airlines, attractions, Destination Management Companies (DMC) and cruise operators. Speaking on STB’s efforts to showcase Singapore as a destination of choice among the MiCE travellers, Srithar said, “India continues to be a key source market for MiCE travellers to Singapore. Thanks to the support of trade intermediaries and corporates, we have witnessed a healthy growth in …

Poland flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines will launch a new non-stop service between Warsaw and New Delhi, commencing on September 17, 2019. Like all LOT long-haul flights, the new route will be operated by state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner five times per week. The announcement was made by LOT Polish Airlines during the Global Aviation Summit in Mumbai. The new route launch will provide the shortest and most convenient connection from New Delhi directly to the centrally located hub in Warsaw as well as access to many central, eastern and western European cities. The first flight will commence on September 17 from Warsaw Chopin Airport to New Delhi’s Terminal 3 (with the return flight taking off from New Delhi on September 18). Rafał Milczarski, CEO, LOT, says, “The long-awaited flight between Poland and India is becoming a fact. I am pleased to announce that this magnificent destination is being added to LOT’s growing network today. This is a great moment in our 90-year history and evidence of our dynamic development. Poland, located in the very heart of Europe will be a gateway for Indian passengers, enabling access to various destinations across Europe. Over 8.9 million passengers travelled between India and Europe in 2017. A convenient schedule provided by LOT, including an overnight eastbound flight, a comfortable on-board product and seamless connectivity via Warsaw, will certainly increase the flow of business and leisure travellers coming to and from India,” he adds. Five weekly flights connect the hometown airports of Star Alliance member carriers: LOT Polish Airlines and Air India. The new route launch features excellent connectivity via Warsaw, starting from 40 minutes connecting time to/from London City Airport, Paris, Brussels, Kraków, Geneva, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, …

“Maharashtra is an industrial state and the way aviation sector is witnessing growth, there is a demand for more infrastructure and more airport spaces,” said Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, at the first Global Aviation Summit in Mumbai. As one of the key speakers of the inaugural session, Fadnavis focused on how aviation contributed to 15 per cent of the national GDP. Welcoming all the dignitaries and ministers to the financial and entertainment capital of India, the chief minister highlighted the importance of growth in the aviation sector and said that Mumbai is proud to be one of the most efficiently managed airports in India. Fadnavis thanked Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Civil Aviation and Commerce and Industry for choosing Mumbai as the venue for the summit. Mentioning the construction of the Navi Mumbai airport, which is touted to be operational by 2020, the minister said that the airport will offer a unique experience to travellers. The airport has capacity to add 1 per cent to our GDP and apart from it, there are 9 airports in the pipeline in the state. While Pune airport is being developed to cater to one of the major IT hubs in the country, Nagpur airport is being developed for its strategic location in national and international flight routes. All metros in India are around an hour’s distance from Nagpur via flight and this connectivity has called for more attention to its infrastructure development, the chief minister added. The connectivity between South East Asia and Europe also passes through Nagpur and hence facilities at the airport are one of the best that have been created. A passenger and cargo hub will also be created in …

As one of the top 10 source markets of visitor arrivals for Thailand, India generates more than one million tourists in a year, revealed Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand. Talking at a product briefing networking lunch in Delhi, he said, “From January to November 2018, arrivals from India were up by 12.03 per cent to 1.42 million, generating an estimated 63 billion baht in tourism income.”

GVK Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), the company that administers Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is now equipped with the latest technology that eliminates boarding pass stamping for all domestic airlines operating out of Terminal 2. This makes it the first-ever airport in the country to introduce Digi Yatra proposed by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the watchdog of aviation security in India. Passengers travelling within the country from Terminal 2 can now authenticate their boarding pass at pre-embarkation security check point by scanning the boarding pass barcode or QR code on the mobile phones at the E-gates reader, using the Live Passenger Dataset. This authentication of boarding pass will eliminate the responsibility of CISF physical checking personnel to stamp the boarding pass, thus save their time, bringing a harmonious experience to passengers and improving the overall throughput of security check procedure. With the government’s plan of Digital India, this initiative by CSMIA is a step towards adopting new technology and digitising the travel experience of passengers, making it hassle-free. This pilot feature introduced by CSMIA aims at reducing time involved in completing the many pre-flight boarding checks. It is a forward-looking service that is technology-driven and offers seamless digital experience to passengers. The self-service facility at the airport has drastically reduced the waiting time and queues at various touch points.