Amid growing demands, the Government of India has included Madurai airport in the list of entry points where persons holding e-visa can enter India. According to a circular released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, visitors holding valid e-visa can enter the country without going to the nearby airport with e-visa on arrival facility. This facility is expected to benefit a large number of tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Mauritius, the US and the UK. Overall fourth in Tamil Nadu, the Madurai airport is the 26th airport to get the facility in the country.

Sterling Holiday Resorts is set to launch its latest resort, ‘Sterling Mysore’, thereby increasing its network to 35 resorts across the country. Sterling Mysore will be launched through a management agreement between Sterling Holiday Resorts and Tapovan Projects. The property is located in a peaceful enclave, within easy reach from Mysore city and Mysore Airport. Sterling Mysore features 16 well-appointed guestrooms, 16 one bedroom suites, 16 luxurious suites with private plunge pools and 24 two-bedroom villas with plunge pools. The resort offers amenities such as a 24/7 fitness centre, spa, holiday activity centre, swimming pool and a 200-seater best-in-class conference hall. Multicuisine dining options are available at the all-day dining restaurant, along with a poolside bar for guests to unwind. Speaking on the launch of Sterling Mysore, Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director, Sterling Holiday Resorts said, “In line with our strategy of establishing our presence across holiday destinations throughout the country, we are launching Sterling Mysore, shortly. Mysore is at the heart of heritage and cultural experiences and attracts tourists from different parts of the world. This resort will further bolster ‘Brand Sterling’ in providing experiential and immersive holidays to its guests.” Commenting on this partnership, K Sriram, Managing Partner, Tapovan Projects, said, “We are delighted to partner with Sterling and we believe ‘Brand Sterling’ brings immense leisure hospitality expertise, and with this launch we look forward to establishing Sterling Mysore as a premier resort in this vibrant holiday destination.”  

In an attempt to engage the travel trade and provide a platform to meet Scandinavian partners from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Scandinavian Tourist Board organised a roadshow in Delhi with 28 Scandinavian partners and seven DMCs from the Nordic countries. The annual event will be held in Bengaluru next and conclude in Mumbai. Briefing about the development of tourism in Scandinavian countries, Mohit Batra, India Representative, Scandinavian Tourist Board said that there has been a tremendous growth in the number of Indians travelling to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. “We are closely approaching 500,000 room nights in 2018 looking at the figures we have till now. We have seen a surge in every segment, be they FITs, groups or MiCE,” he informed.  

Sabre Corporation recently hosted the first-ever ‘Airline Leaders’ Forum’ in Mumbai to create a unique forum for airlines, travel agents and travel management companies from across the country to delve into industry best practices regarding merchandising, distribution and fulfilment that will enable a successful evolution towards the future of travel. Sabre continues to bolster its leadership position in the India travel marketplace. In addition to providing a platform that facilitates knowledge transfer between industry members, Sabre recently announced the renewal of a long-term, full content distribution agreement with Jet Airways. Sabre also has a long-standing relationship with Air India, with whom it holds a full content distribution agreement for both India and international points of sale. “India has the potential to achieve some of the fastest growth of any aviation market in the world. Sabre plays a leading role in the transformation of India’s aviation industry by enabling companies to adopt cutting-edge technology solutions that provide a significant market advantage,” said Rakesh Narayanan, Vice President, Air Line of Business, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific. “Through our strategic partnerships and thanks to our leading global travel marketplace, which connects over 425,000 agents to global airline content, Sabre contributes to the success of its customers on an international scale,” he added.

Around 10 top travel agents and tour operators visited the ultra-luxury cruise ship Silver Muse that had docked in Mumbai and interacted with Daniel Krupp, Vice President, Silversea, onboard the liner over lunch. They also went around the ship for an inspection after a product presentation to get a first-hand feel of the exclusive experience. The ship departed from Muscat on October 23 and docked in Mumbai on October 26. It will then cruise to Kochi on October 28, going on to Colombo, Rangoon, Phuket, Pulau, Klang and finally arriving in Singapore on November 9. The product is currently promoted in India mainly by Cox & Kings and a couple of other agents.

The Den, Bengaluru has announced the launch of Layla, a rooftop mediterranean restaurant, along with a grand opening reception of the first property by The DAN group (Israeli) in India. Located in the IT hub of Bengaluru, the 226-room property provides the right blend of service and luxury for business travellers as well as fulfils the requirements of the destination connoisseurs. On this special occasion, Ronen Nissenbaum, President and CEO, Dan Hotels said, “The Den is an urban oasis and at the heart of it is authentic hospitality and philosophy to do what you want with utmost comfort, panache and just a little edge.” Vinesh Gupta, General Manager, The Den, Bengaluru, added, “The launch of Layla has been much anticipated and we are ecstatic to bring to our guests one of the best mediterannean restaurant in the city. Layla is a beverage-centric restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine with a lively, light-hearted and fun-keeping atmosphere, reflecting a touch of fine dining. We are excited with the launch of Layla and welcome people from Bengaluru to experience a unique dining experience.” Located on the 21st Floor of The Den, Bengaluru, the breathtaking location of the rooftop restaurant makes it an ideal place for a high and fun-filled dining experience with the sky view.

Fortune Hotels has flagged off its first hotel ‘Fortune Park Pushpanjali’ in the Steel City – Durgapur. Marking the celebration, the chain’s senior leadership team including Samir MC, Managing Director; Rohit Malhotra, VP – Operations; Dhananjay Saliankar, Head – Sales & Marketing and Kovid Sharma – Head Human Resources was present at the ceremony. With the inauguration of this hotel, Fortune now has 46 hotels across 39 cities in India. The property offers 89 contemporary guest rooms with full services and amenities, including 24-hour room service, high speed WiFi connectivity, satellite LED TV, electronic safe, mini bar, tea/coffee maker, iron and ironing board, among other things. Commenting on the launch, Samir MC, Managing Director, Fortune Park Hotels, said, “Fortune Hotels is building momentum across India through the launch of smart hotels as well as growth of our portfolio. After Haridwar and Vellore, we are delighted to announce our brand new hotel, Fortune Park Pushpanjali in Durgapur.” He added, “Durgapur is one of the fastest growing smart cities in India, and with excellent location, contemporary design, first-class full services, we are confident that the hotel will see great success and offer best-in-class guest experience to the travellers visiting the city.”

Bali Mandira Beach Resort & Spa enters Indian market through a market-representation agreement with India Sales Associates. The property features 187 units of variety stay options from large superior rooms to deluxe cottages, deluxe club cottages and suites and Mandira Club Suite to Pool Club Villas. Besides the club lounge, it also boasts of four different restaurants and bars. Manas Sinha, Director, India Sales Associates, said, “It is located within close proximity to all that Legian and Seminyak is famous for, excellent shopping, traditional art markets, trendy restaurants and thriving beach clubs.” He further adds, “It’s a perfect location between Kuta and Seminyak, the vast range of on-property facilities and impeccable service makes it highly attractive choice for families, couples and also for MiCE and special groups. Led by one of Bali‟s most celebrated chef, resort is geared to serve the authentic Indian cuisine and Jain meals, aside the wide variety of International and Indonesian cuisine.” With well-appointed accommodation, delectable dining, rejuvenating spa therapies and pristine beaches, Bali Mandira offers a blend of Bali’s beautiful natural splendor with a vibrant theatre of music, dance, culture and other world-class facilities to ensure a wonderful stay for every guest.

The Andhra Pradesh government has partnered with IndiGo to operate two weekly non-stop services between Vijayawada and Singapore with effect from December 04, 2018. Ajay Jain, IAS Principal Secretary- Energy, I&I said, “We feel excited to engage IndiGo as the most preferred airline for connecting Vijayawada to Singapore. This will fulfil the dreams of Telugu Diaspora in Singapore and will be a great convenience for our investors and business community.”  Virender Singh, CEO- APADCL, said, “This is just a beginning to add more such flights to many more destinations”. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We feel privileged to be the first domestic airline to launch international services from Vijayawada in association with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. These twice weekly non-stop flight services between Vijayawada and Singapore will augment our regional connectivity that we aspire to provide across domestically and internationally.”

New hotels that have commenced operations over the last five years averaged 66.4 per cent occupancy last year, according to a recent study by Hotelivate. While hotels that opened in 2013-14 through 2015-16 consistently displayed stronger occupancies, it dipped slightly in 2016-17 only to show a burly rebound last fiscal. First year ARRs, on the other hand, were more a function of the positioning mix of the new supply across the five-year period. As more budget, economy and mid-scale hotels open their doors for business across the nation, it is only natural that their blended ARRs would be lower than the nationwide average. Overall, absorption of new supply has been robust in recent years and the sector displays signs of being in the pink of health.