The first flight from the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport could start operating by September 2021, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey has said. Choubey, who reviewed the progress of the greenfield project at a high-level meeting in Mumbai recently, said both the state government and the concessionaire are hopeful of starting flight operations in three years. “The state government and the concessionaire are optimistic that they will be in a position to start the first flight possibly in three years time from now,” Choubey told reporters in New Delhi. “We are trying to, off course, even compress it even further to see the first flight earlier because not all facilities need to be build to initiate the flights. But that’s probably the timeline and it’s going at very good speed,” he added. He said there has been “good cooperation” between the concessionaire, the project-affected persons and the state government in executing the airport project. The project is being carried out under the public-private-partnership model and Cidco has been mandated to execute the project. GVK group is developing the project. The group through its subsidiary, Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), holds 74 per cent stake in Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL), while Cidco holds 26 per cent. In February this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the airport, which will give a breather to single-runway and slot-constrained Chattrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai. Source: PTI

With the rising tide of Chinese tourists visiting India, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) participated in Tourism Roadshow in China organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the Indian Embassy, Beijing and Consulate General of India in Guangzhou and Shanghai. The event was successfully concluded in major cities, including Guangzhou, Wahun and Shanghai in the presence of KJ Alphons, Tourism Minister (I/C), Government of India; Jaykumar Rawal, Tourism Minister, Government of Maharashtra; Gautam Bambawale, Indian Ambassador to People’s Republic of China; Vice Governor, Hube region Wuhan, Chang Hyei and other officials. The roadshow consisted of buyer-seller meet, Incredible India seminar, a presentation on tourism promotion strategy by Chinese companies focussing on why Chinese travellers should travel to India and the state of Maharashtra. The aim is to draw Chinese travellers by highlighting Buddhist circuits across the state and the country. Circuits in Aurangabad, Pune, Nashik, Mumbai, Satara and Kolhapur, Raigad and Nagpur were promoted to encourage Buddhist tourism. The objective of the roadshow was to create awareness about Maharashtra and its many destinations among Chinese travellers. Rawal said, “It’s a pleasure to perceive that the roadshow has received an overwhelming response from all the stakeholders across China.”

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) is set to take place as per schedule despite the recent floods in Kerala leading to huge devastation and loss. Abraham George, President, KTM Society confirmed that KTM will take place as per schedule with the inauguration on September 27 and business meetings from September 28-30, 2018 in Kochi. “The Kerala tourism industry is back for business and we will be showcasing our products and hold business meetings at KTM. Most of the destinations are not much affected by the floods; it’s only a few roads that have damaged. The government is working to fix that. Also, whatever work needs to be done at the resorts and the tourist destinations will be completed in about 10 days and we will be ready to welcome tourists,” he said.

The 7th Annual Convention of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) is scheduled to take place at Bharatpur in Rajasthan from September 13-14, 2018 on the theme ‘Revitalizing India as the Heritage Destination’. “We are all here to explore, debate, deliberate and arrive at a definite roadmap for resurrection of this sacred land. We have thus far taken our heritage for granted and been extremely irresponsible to provide the desired care to protect and preserve our invaluable heritage both tangible and intangible,” said Randhir Vikram Singh, Secretary General, IHHA. Several eminent national and international speakers are expected to share their respective nations’ conservation experiences.

Booking.com has partnered with Air India to offer the airline’s customers access to over 28.9 million accommodation listings, including everything from homes, apartments, villas to world-class hotels and resorts from the Air India website. Stewart Jones, Regional Director – Strategic Partnerships, APAC, Booking.com said, “Air India makes it the perfect partner for us to showcase our global online accommodation offering to their domestic and international customers. As India is poised to become the third largest aviation market by 2020 with its fast-growing outbound travel market, we are happy to combine our strengths with Air India’s to deliver the best travel experience to travellers across the country.” Madhu Mathen, General Manager – Sales and Marketing, Air India said, “Booking.com’s global reach and unique accommodation offerings is a key reason we chose the online accommodation platform as one of our first accommodation partner. As a member of the world’s largest airline alliance – Star Alliance, Air India has passengers that are globe-trotters. Partnering with Booking.com enables us at Air India to provide our customers a broad & unique variety of accommodation options in any city we fly them to.”  

The venue for the upcoming India Tourism Mart (ITM), scheduled to take place from September 16-18, 2018, has been changed by the organisers. The much-awaited travel trade event, which was earlier slated to be held at Vigyan Bhavan, will now take place at The Ashok, New Delhi. Informing about the updated schedule, Subhash Goyal, Hony Secretary, FAITH and Chairman, India Tourism Mart said, “The venue for ITM has been changed by the Ministry of Tourism looking at the overall security arrangements. It will now be held at The Ashok, New Delhi. Other programmes remain intact as per schedule.”  

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), at International Aviation Summit held in Delhi, called on the government of India to maximise the potential contribution of aviation to India’s development by addressing infrastructure constraints that limit growth and government policies that impose excessive costs on aviation. Growth forecasts for India indicate a trebling of passenger demand by 2037 when some 500 million people are expected to fly to, from or within India. Already aviation supports 7.5 million Indian jobs and Rs 30 billion of GDP (1.5% of the economy). The Summit, being co-hosted by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Airports Authority India (AAI) and IATA, commemorates the approaching milestone of 50-straight months of double digit domestic growth for Indian aviation. “While it is easy to find Indian passengers who want to fly, it’s very difficult for airlines to make money in this market. India’s social and economic development needs airlines to be able to profitably accommodate growing demand. We must address infrastructure constraints that limit growth and government policies that deviate from global standards and drive up the cost of connectivity,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA. India’s aviation infrastructure has benefitted from significant upgrades in recent years. “It is clear that India has the capacity to develop effective infrastructure. But the job is not done. Passenger numbers will grow. And infrastructure must not be a bottleneck in fulfilling the needs of travelers and the economy,” said de Juniac who called for work in four priority areas – develop a comprehensive and strategic master plan for India’s airports, remove all obstacles to successfully opening Navi Mumbai as quickly as possible, modernise airport processes using technology in …

K V Abul Nazar, Chairman and Managing Director, Akbar Travels recently met with the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 crore towards the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Owing a majority of its growth story to Kerala, Akbar Travels currently has 35 branches in the state, spanning almost all the districts of God’s own country. Currently, the company has a total of 57 IATA approved branches and 40 non- IATA offices across India.

Tourism Australia has launched a new bespoke tourism promotion campaign in India and Southeast Asia. The latest chapter in Tourism Australia’s evolving There’s Nothing Like Australia campaign, UnDiscover Australia specifically targets high value travellers in India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The campaign challenges perceptions and stereotypes of what Australia offers as a tourism destination by showcasing unusual, unfamiliar and unexpected attractions and experiences. To sustain growth in arrivals and yield, the campaign seeks to entice Indian travellers by providing a multidimensional understanding of Australia’s high-quality experiences, showcasing the journey of renowned Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra. The campaign plays on some of the prevalent misconceptions about Australia highlighted by research carried out in the region, showing that there is much more to Australia than the typical stereotypes of beaches, furry animals and popular icons. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager – India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said, “This campaign will shine a spotlight on some of our undiscovered and hidden holiday gems, showing there’s much more to an Australian holiday for Indians in addition to experiencing our well-known icons. Yes, you can watch a game of cricket at the magnificent Adelaide Oval, but are people aware that they can also do an amazing rooftop climb offering 360 views of the city? Or that there are plentiful immersive experiences amidst untouched natural landscapes in close proximity to our vibrant cities,” he said. The campaign will be executed in two phases in India – September to November and January to April to coincide with the holiday planning periods for the peak travel season during the year-end and Indian summer respectively.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has inaugurated the Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50, the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gurugram. As part of IHG’s partnership with SAMHI for a portfolio of 14 Holiday Inn Express hotels, this property will be the first to open its doors to guests on September 15. Marking this celebration, IHG’s regional leadership team including Kenneth Macpherson, CEO-EMEAA and Pascal Gauvin, MD, IMEA, were present at the ceremony. Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 offers 205 intelligent, design-led, contemporary rooms, providing an efficient environment to guests. Boasting of an excellent location, Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 is strategically situated in a mixed-use complex populated with a shopping mall, restaurants, entertainment and wellness facilities, making it a perfect destination for business travellers as well as leisure seekers. Vivek Bhalla, Regional Vice President – SWA, IHG said, “We are delighted to launch the first Holiday Inn Express hotel as a part of our partnership with SAMHI. Our growth in India is fuelled by the Holiday Inn brand family, and this partnership underscores our commitment to grow our midscale offering in the country. We are confident that Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 will offer an uncompromising and modern guest experience to travellers visiting the city.” Ashish Jakhanwala, MD & CEO, SAMHI added, “The conversion and the rebranding exercise of our existing portfolio to the Holiday Inn Express brand is one of the largest in the hospitality industry. We strongly believe that a combination of strong locations, a vibrant product and the power of the brand Holiday Inn Express, will lead the way for the midscale hotel space in India.”