GVK Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), the company that administers the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), achieved yet another milestone by becoming the only airport in the country and second globally, to achieve a three-year extension of ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) ‘Level 3+ Neutrality’ certification. This certification is conferred by the Airports Council International (ACI), the global authority of International Airports. ACA ‘Level 3+ Neutrality’ accreditation is the highest level of environmental achievement available to airports for their contribution in offsetting carbon emissions. This certification assumes greater importance given that CSI Airport, Mumbai has the credit of being the busiest airport with a single runway with more than 48.5 million passengers having travelled to and from Mumbai. The accreditation will be valid till May 2021 and is the outcome of continuous efforts for environmental protection, energy management and reduction of carbon emissions in airport operations. Three year renewal of ACA Level 3+ requires an airport to fulfill stringent requirement of achieving reduction (verified by third party) in GHG emissions of one of its Scope 3 activity, in addition to the reduction of Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions.  

Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo, has resigned from the airline, with effect from July 15, 2018, to pursue other career interests. William Boulter, currently Chief Strategy Officer, will be taking over as Chief Commercial Officer. Rahul Bhatia, Interim CEO, IndiGo, said, “I would like to thank Sanjay for all he has done for the company in making IndiGo the airline it is. We are successful at what we do and Sanjay’s contribution has been very significant in getting us to the level we are today. I am grateful for all his hard work since he joined in January 2007 and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.” Kumar said, “The last 12 years at IndiGo has been the most satisfying and rewarding experience of my career. I am extremely proud to have been a part of commercial success of the airline. I would like to thank the founders and all colleagues for their support during this time.”  

Hilton has announced the appointment Matt Fry as Senior Vice President—Development in Asia Pacific (APAC). Effective August 6, 2018, Fry will oversee the team responsible for the overall development strategy for APAC. “We are thrilled to have Matt join our team and oversee the strategic growth in APAC,” said Ian Carter, President—Global Development, Architecture, Design and Construction, Hilton. “His appointment represents our commitment to building on our tremendous success and achievements there. Fry’s extensive experience in the real estate and development industry will be invaluable as we continue to expand our global footprint in this region.” A seasoned professional, Fry brings with him to Hilton over 20 years of experience in the real estate and development industry with nearly 18 years leading diverse teams at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Most recently, Fry served as the head of global real estate operations and America’s real estate at WeWork, a company growing rapidly around the world to provide shared workspaces with a strong emphasis on community for entrepreneurs, freelancers, small businesses and large enterprises. “I am excited to be joining the world’s most hospitable company and overseeing the development efforts for APAC,” said Fry. “Hilton has had incredible growth and the best-performing portfolio of brands in the business. This is a testament to the incredible global development team, which I am eager to work with during this exciting time for the company and industry.” Fry will be based in Hilton’s APAC regional office in Singapore and will report to Ian Carter, president, global development, architecture, design and construction.

With regard to the personalisation-privacy paradox, 64 per cent of Asia Pacific travellers interviewed are open to sharing personal data for more relevant offers and personalised experiences, according to Amadeus’ Journey of Me Insights report. Somewhat more cautious, 71 per cent of Indian travellers feel the same. In the face of rising privacy concerns, some boundaries must be maintained and at all times travel providers must respect and protect personal data and the need for privacy. And above and beyond adhering to legislation, travel players must be able to articulate ‘what’s the value?’ to get travellers to share their data. From when and how Indian travellers plan and book their trips, to how and why they want to stay connected while travelling, to how frequently they use sharing economy services, and the types of new technologies they would be most interested in, the study takes a multi-faceted look at what Indian travellers want.

India has improved 12 places to reach the 40th position globally, according to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 by World Economic Forum. The country has seen continued growth in international arrivals over the past 15 years, reaching the 8 million mark in 2015. India continues to charm international tourists with its vast cultural and natural resources (9th and 24th, respectively), and its price competitiveness advantage (10th). India continues to enrich its cultural resources, protecting more cultural sites and intangible expressions through UNESCO World Heritage lists, and via a greater digital presence. International openness (55th, up 14 places), through stronger visa policies implementing both visas on arrival and e-visas, has enabled India to rise through the ranks. The T&T sector benefited from improvements in the country’s ground transport infrastructure, which has traditionally been a challenge (29th). Health conditions are improving, though they remain inadequate (104th). Similarly, ICT readiness (112th), security concerns (114th) and human resources (87th) are improving, but remain weak. While further improvements are needed across these dimensions, India is taking small but important steps in the right direction. The T&T sector presents significant opportunities that are yet to be reaped, especially in the provision of tourist service infrastructure (110th), and in terms of additional accommodation capacity and entertainment facilities.

Goibibo has announced its partnership with PhonePe, a digital payments start-up, to provide a unified login and payments experience to over 100 million PhonePe users while making their hotel bookings. As a part of this partnership, Goibibo will be live with their ‘Hotels’ store (microapp) on the PhonePe app. Leveraging mutual synergies, the alliance brings together a streamlined travel booking experience through Goibibo, and assured reliability and integrity of payments through PhonePe. In an industry first, PhonePe users will also be able to use their goCash balance (Goibibo’s promotional currency) in the PhonePe app to book domestic and international hotels. Commenting on the partnership, Sanjay Bhasin, COO, Goibibo said, “This partnership will extend Goibibo’s extensive selection of over 50,000 domestic hotels and homestays, including Goibibo certified goStays and half a million international hotels to PhonePe’s growing customer base. PhonePe has taken a unique approach to solve digital payments, and their open ecosystem allows us to build the Goibibo experience into their app and engage with a wider user base on their platform.” Rahul Chari, Co-founder & CTO, PhonePe said, “With this partnership, Indian travellers can easily and conveniently make hotel bookings within their PhonePe app. The microapp storefront was built by GoIbibo in just three weeks, which is testimony to how simple it is to build out a merchant experience on PhonePe.”

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Cygnett Inn Duvvada. The budget hotel features 40 guest rooms and suites with modern interiors, stylish furnishings and spacious event and banquet space. The hotel also adds ease to those travelling to the city as it is conveniently located close to the airport, railway station, and famous tourist attractions. As one steps outside, there is a fitness centre, a business centre and one of three banquet halls to choose from which are segregated among the lobby and the first floors. Pavilion is a one-stop destination to relish in the hotel’s delicacies. Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder and Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels and Resorts, said, “While it cannot be ignored that finances, proper pricing and timed positioning of one’s brand are important aspects for any business to cater to, it is essential that we, at Cygnett always prioritises on giving our guests an experience which hopefully they will remember for life!”

More than 300 foreign delegates are expected to participate in the PATA adventure travel conference, to be held in Rishikesh from February 13-15, 2019, a senior official said. PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019 (ATRTCM) would be hosted by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. “Uttarakhand won bid this time. The travel mart is a better way of showcasing the state to international clients,” said Dilip Jawalkar, Secretary, Uttarakhand Tourism. The event, that brings together public and private sector players involved in the adventure tourism, would be held from Responding to a query on whether there was any financial bidding for hosting the event, he replied in the negative. “One has to commit tourist facilities for visiting travel agents like accommodation, transportation, site seeing, etc.” he added. This year, the conference was held in Abu Dhabi.

Marking a milestone of being the first airline to launch Lucknow-Goa and Lucknow-Pune sectors to its network, IndiGo has announced the introduction of its maiden flights effective July 2018. IndiGo will operate a daily non-stop flight between Lucknow-Goa-Lucknow and Lucknow-Pune-Lucknow respectively. Continuing the low-cost carrier’s expansion in the domestic skies, IndiGo’s average daily departures will now be 25 flights out of Lucknow to 13 destinations. The introduction of these flights will further strengthen the airline’s operations, and will provide enhanced connectivity between Lucknow and other key cities with all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 3999. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of these two sectors from Lucknow, which will further provide more flexibility of choice to our customers. We are providing affordable fares on these new routes for 6E travellers. It is our constant endeavour to provide the best travel experience to our customers, as IndiGo continues to offer them on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and an affordable flying experience always.”

Marriott International has opened its sixth ‘Aloft’ branded Hotel in India with the launch of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. ‘Different by Design’, Aloft was created keeping in mind the needs of the next-generation traveler, bringing together tech and design to enhance the experience and provide innovations. The hotel’s 253 guestrooms are designed with a bold and contemporary tonality reflective of the brand’s philosophy. The urban design encompasses open spaces providing an environment of informality and opportunity for personal engagement. Food and Beverage offerings include the Re:mix lounge, the on-trend W XYZ® bar with regular ‘Live at Aloft Hotels’ music performances by local emerging artists and Nook – the all-day dining restaurant. With state-of-the art business meeting facilities, the hotel is well equipped to host large conferences. Recreational options include Re:chargeSM – the fitness center and Splash – the outdoor pool bar and lounge. “The Aloft New Delhi Aerocity is a significant addition to the brand’s distribution in India. With the recent milestone of Marriott International celebrating 100 hotels in the country, we continue to see huge opportunity for growth, especially for distinctive brands like Aloft.” said Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South – Asia, Marriott International. “The brand’s value proposition resonates with the new-age traveler who is looking for unique experiences and technological innovations that establish a ‘connect’ and make the stay match his lifestyle” he adds. The Hotel’s General Manager Suman Gahlot added, “We are extremely excited about the opening of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. With spacious rooms, a vibrant atmosphere, music and technology, we expect the hotel to become the hottest city hangout, attracting both savvy travelers and young local professionals.”