The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) held its 6th Annual General Meeting in New Delhi for its members. Welcoming the members, Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI said, “We are working towards increasing our membership and expanding our base in Tier-II and III markets. After our successful annual convention in Cape Town, South Africa, we are now looking at organising training and educational programmes for frontline staff of our members. We also plan to conduct destination workshops for them in different cities.”

In a bid to further enhance its flight connectivity from Uttar Pradesh, IndiGo has announced Allahabad as its 60th destination after the successful launch of operations to and from Gorakhpur. The airline will now operate flights between Allahabad and Bangalore effective November 15, 2018. From Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad will be the fourth city IndiGo will be connecting from, after Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur. The introduction of these flights will bring Allahabad closer to the other cities of India with all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 3620, bookings for which are open with immediate effect. William Boulter, Chief Strategy Officer, IndiGo said, “Allahabad is a key market for us and the fourth strategic launch in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur on IndiGo’s network. We are strengthening our network from the state and hope to create more affordable, point-to-point connectivity for our passengers. IndiGo will continue to offer an on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and affordable flying experience always.”

The Park Hotels brought its year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations to The Park New Delhi on September 22. The event was presided over by Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, The Park Hotels. Speaking on the occasion, Paul said, “50 years is an important milestone and I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of The Park Hotels’ incredible journey. Our remarkable success is due to our solid foundation and values. Our vision of ‘Leadership Through Differentiation’ is manifested by each of our 15 hotels across India. My outstanding team and I look forward to creating unique experiences for customers and more value for our stakeholders.” The Park Hotels’ 50-year celebrations continue across India and will culminate at The Park Vishakhapatnam which also turns 50 in 2018. About 50 years ago, Late Jit Paul and Late Surrendra Paul took the hospitality industry a notch higher when Apeejay Surrendra Group’s first hotel The Park Kolkata, a contemporary luxury property was opened on November 1, 1967. Since then, The Park Hotels has taken the path of creating a unique collection of luxury boutique hotels. Tapping into the ever-shifting pulse of society, the edgy design and imaginative spaces have brought together the pioneers of creativity to engage with each other and with the hotels.

The Ministry of Tourism, Oman successfully conducted the first leg of its multi-city roadshow in Delhi at The Taj Mahal Hotel. Her Excellency Maitha Saif Al Mahrouqim, Undersecretary, Ministry of Tourism, Oman; Sunil VA, Regional Vice President, ISC, Oman Air and Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative – Ministry of Tourism, Oman along with other representatives were present at the roadshow. On the occasion, Mahrouqi said that Oman has witnessed over 31 per cent growth in Indian arrivals since 2014. “In 2017 alone, Oman received 321,161 Indian visitors with a growth of over 7 per cent in just one year. In the first six months of 2018, the country witnessed 15 per cent growth in comparison to the same period last year. Oman is a ideal for every kind of traveller but we are looking to focus immensely on MiCE opportunities from India.” Furthermore, to encourage more travellers to visit the country, Oman has recently announced a new short-term tourist visa at 5 Omani Riyal (OMR) equivalent to approximately Rs 940 to visit the Sultanate for a period of 10 days. This is in addition to the existing e-visa for Oman which is available at 20 OMR with a validity of one month.

Uzbekistan airways has announced direct flights to Tashkent from Mumbai, effective October 30, 2018 with a frequency of three times a week. This makes Mumbai the third Indian destination on the airline’s network, along with Delhi and Amritsar. The airline will be flying its A320 aircraft on this route on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Uzbekistan airways is promoted by Delmos Aviation, GSA for the airline in India since 2003 headed by Dr Naveen Rao, Director, Delmos Aviation headquartered in New Delhi.

GetMyVisa.com has launched its tourist and business visitor visa application service for 50 countries, most frequented by Indians. Conceived and developed, in Mumbai, by a team of skilled entrepreneurs, GetMyVisa.com is built to create a simple and counselled internet visa application process, with accurate and updated information on visa regulations and the convenience of applying for visa anytime. The GetMyVisa.com application process covers E-visa, third party and in-person submission with interview and biometrics collection. Every applicant receives personalised attention and is assisted by a call center, web chat, SMS alerts and email confirmations. One can start to process visa for themselves and or their family and friends. Business house travel administrators can use the portal for all their executives. With 50 million Indians travelling abroad every year for short visits the crying need for an easy online visa process is now fulfilled. At the launch, Apurva Mody, Founder Director, GetMyVisa.com, said “Our travel plans need not be shattered for not being able to obtain a visa. Planning with timely information and guidance is the key.” Besides visa information, GetMyVisa.com also provides a destination country profile, customs and duty-free information, driving license information, health, travel tips and VAT refund information. Also included is emergency handling information such as Indian embassy and consulate contacts overseas.

The Wallonia Foreign Trade along with Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) recently took a tourism mission to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi. The Consulate General of Belgium, AWEX and BIE in association with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) organised the event for its members in Mumbai. Nine delegates from different tourism attractions from Brussels and Wallonia (Southern Belgium) presented its undiscovered and unique tourist attractions to the TAAI members. The delegation also visited top tour operators in the city. Peter Huyghebaert, Consul General, AWEX Team; Emmanuelle Timmermans, Trade and Investment Commissioner, and Dominique Andre from Wallonia Belgium Tourism, joined Ellona Pereira, India Director, Visit Brussels, for the roadshow. Also part of the delegation were Albert Joris from Caves of Han, Catherine Vuidar from Euro Space Center, Rodolphe Brohée from Durbuy, Malati Dasi and Martin Gurvich from Radhadesh Castle, Jérôme Aussems from Ardennes Incoming and Steven Truyman from Hey Belgium. Top tour operators from Mumbai and Pune attended this event.

ITC Hotels has announced the successful acquisition of Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa as part of an auction held by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) for Rs 541 crores in 2015, and upheld by the Supreme Court in its March 19 judgement. Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa at Cansaulim, spread across 45 acres and comprising 252 Indo-Portuguese style rooms and suites, is currently under renovation and will soon echo ITC’s standards of excellence.  The sprawling property is currently under minor renovation to comply with all the ITC’s exemplary sustainability practises to deliver the best of luxury to its customers. Commenting on the chain’s entry into Goa, Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC said “ITC is pleased to announce the latest addition to its luxury hotel portfolio in the hospitality landscape of Goa. This has been a long-awaited destination for ITC and we welcome the opportunity to be integrated into the multi-faceted culture and ethos of Goa.” He further added, “In order to ensure business continuity and seamless transition, the leadership team of ITC Hotels is at hand to support the current team of managers and associates. ITC Hotels has received tremendous support from key officials in the state government to ensure that we can recommence operations at the earliest and support the tourism goals of this great state.”    

The Ministry of Tourism has clarified that the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India from the USA during 2017 have registered a positive growth of 6.17 per cent over 2016. Since 2010, the number of FTAs from the USA in India has never declined. However, it is observed from the report of National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO), USA, that the outbound tourists from the USA to India have declined by 7 per cent in 2017, as compared to 2016. The figures of outbound travellers in the report are 1,195,000 and 1,111,000 for the years 2016 and 2017, respectively. In the said report released by NTTO, it is also mentioned that traveller volume is based on the US Department of Homeland Security Advanced Passenger Information System wherein all airlines are required to electronically submit passenger data on flights arriving into and departing from the United States. Thus, it is obvious that the source of data for the report is only airlines reporting. In the cases where direct flight between the USA and India is not operating, it is not known whether the final destination is reported as India by the passengers. Moreover, departures at international check posts other than airports are not captured in the report.

As part of its international expansion, IndiGo is set to operate its first daily flight from Amritsar to Dubai. The low-cost carrier now operates 13 daily flights between India and Dubai. In addition, the airline will also operate flights between Kolkata-Cochin and Bangalore-Pune. Both services will commence from October 2018. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce our first daily flight to Dubai from Amritsar and Kolkata to Cochin effective October this year. We will also operate an additional flight between Bengaluru and Pune. The launch of these new services is in line with our growth strategy outlined for both domestic and international markets.” He further added, “IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers wherever they demand it. It is our constant endeavour to provide more flexibility of choice for our customers as IndiGo continues to offer them on time, courteous and hassle-free service and always an affordable flying experience.”