Air India and Ethiopian Airlines, both members of Star Alliance and with an extensive network in their home countries, have agreed to strengthen their cooperation by expanding the current free-sale codeshare agreement, thereby allowing Air India to access Ethiopian Airlines’ network in Africa and Ethiopian Airlines to access Air India’s network in Australia and Hong Kong, in addition to the Indian domestic points. Tadesse Tilahun, Regional Director for Indian subcontinent, Ethiopian Airlines, commented, “The expanded codeshare cooperation between Ethiopian Airlines and Air India gives seamless connection to our esteemed customers. He added, on top of the seamless connection, passengers will get more benefits such as accruing their miles as both airlines belong to the largest airlines alliance – Star Alliance.” “Air India’s esteemed passengers now have access to multiple destinations in the African countries served by Ethiopian Airlines through this expanded cooperation with our long standing partner airline, Ethiopian Airlines, viz through Addis Ababa to Accra, Seychelles, Mombasa, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Kilimanzaro and Zanzibar vv sectors besides the existing access through Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Dar-Es-Salaam, Harare, Entebbe and Kigali vv sectors. Likewise, Ethiopian Airlines customers will be able to access a number of points on Air India network through Delhi to Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney vv sectors besides the existing access through Mumbai and Delhi to Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Goa, Jaipur vv sectors”, said Seema Srivastava, Executive Director – Strategy and Planning, Air India.  

During the year 2017-18, a total of 1,62,660 cruise passengers and 139 cruise ships visited India at six major ports namely Mumbai Port, Chennai Port, Cochin Port, Kolkata Port, New Mangalore Port and Mormugao Port. The government has taken multiple steps to increase the flow of cruise tourists in the country. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cruise vessels have been revised and operationalised w.e.f. November 2017 for uniform, redefined processes to be observed by all major ports. Immigration counters have been set up at five major ports visited by cruise ships. The facility of e-visa has been extended to five sea ports namely Mumbai, Goa, New Mangalore, Cochin and Chennai. Cruise tourists arriving with e-visa have been exempted from the requirement of biometric enrolment for a period of three years to facilitate expeditious immigration clearance. The port charges have been reduced and all major ports now charge a uniform single rate of $0.35 per Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) for first 12 hours of stay w.e.f November 3, 2017 and will remain in force for a period of three years. The ports do not levy any priority/ousting/shifting charges for berthing the cruise vessel. Walk-in berthing/preferential berthing to homeport cruise without any extra charge is now available.

The site namely ‘The Walled City of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India’ has been proposed for World Heritage. As per Operation Guidelines 2017, only one site can be nominated by the state party each year. The recognition of World Heritage, as a matter of great pride, impacts the local economy by giving a boost to domestic and international tourism leading to increased employment generation, creation of world-class infrastructure and augmentation of sale of local handicrafts, handlooms and heritage memorabilia. Besides, it adds to the prestige of the country as well as prescribed site. There are a total of 37 World Heritage sites in India currently.  

Jet Airways has introduced new flights effective August 1, 2018 on the Indore-Chandigarh, Indore-Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Guwahati routes, thus connecting guests from emerging cities to metropolises. Jet Airways flight 9W 955 will depart from Indore at 12:45 hrs, arriving into Chandigarh at 14:45 hrs. On its return journey, flight 9W 958 will depart from Chandigarh at 15:15 hrs. and land at Indore at 17:15 hrs. The flight will then depart for Hyderabad at 18:00 hrs, arriving at its destination at 19:25 hrs. This flight will be operated by Jet Airways on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Jet Airways is set to offer enhanced connectivity to the Northeast from Bengaluru with daily direct services to Guwahati. Guests arriving at Guwahati can avail of excellent connectivity to beyond points to include Aizwal, Bagdogra, Jorhat, Imphal and Silchar. Jet Airways’ guests from Hyderabad will be able to connect to Chandigarh via Indore. Marnix Fruitema, Executive VP – Commercial, Jet Airways said, “With the aviation industry witnessing growth in travel from emerging to metro cities in India, we have introduced several direct flights between new city pairs. Providing enhanced connectivity will enable more flyers to travel for both business and leisure across our network, and at the same time, experience Jet Airways’ famed service excellence.”      

Witnessing a significant increase in demand for experiential travel from the MiCE sector, Thomas Cook (India) has launched a portfolio of unique programmes that deliver engaging experiences across key global destinations. The clear shift from the traditional basic sight-seeing tour plus gala dinner to innovative experiential itineraries has created potential for the MiCE sector. In a strategic initiative to leverage this momentum, the company’s MiCE business has curated a series of cutting-edge MiCE programmes. Thomas Cook’s experiential MiCE portfolio incorporates fascinating long-haul destinations (Iceland, Canada, Japan, Korea, Norway, New Zealand, Australia and USA, etc) and short hauls (like Baku, Kiev, Morocco, Oman), coupled with distinctive elements including the adrenalin rush of Queenstown’s adventure experiences, snow-mobiling in Iceland, rafting in Norway, Formula 1 drives on the Yas Marina circuit, 360 degree helicopter tours, etc. Sightseeing trips are delivered with an exciting twist: via segway in Hungary or Spain, vintage cars in Prague, stretch-limousines in Dubai/Abu Dhabi or helicopters in Canada. Also incorporated are exclusive dining experiences- on a glacier in Canada or a private island in Australia; also decadent spa-wellness programmes and thermal baths in Iceland, Turkey, Jordan, New Zealand and more. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa & Passport Services, Thomas Cook (India) said, “The evolution in the MiCE sector is creating an expanded market of discerning corporates. With experiential travel high on their wishlist, our launch of engaging MiCE experiences was intended to capitalise and build on this significant and growing opportunity.”  

Adding one more feather to its cap, Linkin Reps recently bagged the media representation account for Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in India. Linkin Reps, through a well thought strategy and year-long media plan, will work towards highlighting Turkey as a destination for Indian travellers, ease of travelling, cultural affinity and present its lesser known destinations to the Indian audience. Promoting Turkey as a complete tourism destination will be the prime focus of Linkin Reps during its tenure. The decision was driven by Turkey’s growing outbound demand, witnessed in the steady rise in visitation from India, along with rises in the length of stay and spending power of Indian travellers. Speaking after the announcement, H Deniz Ersöz, Culture & Tourism Counsellor, Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in India, said, “Our partnership with Linkin Reps will further strengthen our outreach and presence in the country. We have a very interesting calendar planned out for the year which will be executed in partnership with Linkin. We are aiming at increasing the outbound travel from India to Turkey and invite more of Indian travellers to experience the rich culture and beauty of the Republic of Turkey.” Commenting on the appointment, Komal Seth, Director, Linkin Reps said, “With a series of campaigns planned, we will strengthen Turkey’s positioning as the first choice of destination for tourists from India.” Turkey is the home of unique nature, culture’ and deep-rooted historical and religious prestige, which reflects in its 18 world heritage sites, recognised by UNESCO.

Air France-KLM has appointed Jean-Noel Rault as the new General Manager of the Indian Sub-Continent. Noel, who will assume his office on August 1, 2018, will be responsible for accelerating the growth and strengthening the presence of Air France-KLM in the Indian Sub- Continent. He will also drive the consolidation and extension of the company’s partnerships in the same geography. Prior to being appointed the GM – Indian Sub-Continent, Jean-Noel was heading Air France-KLM’s business in Canada as the Vice President and General Manager. During his assignment he opened two routes, Amsterdam to Edmonton for KLM and Paris to Vancouver for Air France. He also reinforced the company’s joint venture with Delta Airlines and partnership with West Jet. Jean-Noel started his career with KLM in 1987 and joined Air France in 1989. Over three decades of his career, he has held decisive positions as Station Manager, Commercial Director, Country Manager and General manager in Constantine, Bucharest, Prague, Riyadh, Noumea, Abidjan and Montreal. While he was stationed in France, he was assigned the role of Route Manager for the Middle East and Africa, Head of Direct Sales and Services Policy, as well as the Director of Customer Contact Centres and Social Media Servicing. Succeeding Max Smits, who was at the helm of Air France-KLM’s business in the region since 2015, Jean-Noel will be a part of a strong and successful India team that has provided seamless service to its customers and partners.

The second meeting of tourism Joint Working Group (JWG) between India and Nepal held in Kathmandu has agreed to set up the Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum with representation from government and private sector from both sides for mutual consultation and promotion of tourism in both countries, informed KJ Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism. The JWG also decided to officially recognise two circuits, Ramayana Circuit and Buddhist Circuit by both governments for joint promotions through common branding and marketing exercises. Earlier, during the Conclave of Special Committee on Tourism for SAARC countries held in India in 2016, the Ministry of Tourism has agreed to offer total 50 seats for three years B.Sc. programme and diploma courses through Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) to the students from SAARC countries including Nepal. The Bharatmala Pariyojana (approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in October 2017), includes development of 5,300 km border and international connectivity roads including some National Highways stretches leading to Nepal Border. Out of this, 2,000 Km of National Highways for international connectivity has been provided an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore in Phase I (2017-18 to 2021-22) of the program. The National Highway infrastructure developed under the above program would also provide connectivity for tourism related activities.

Jet Airways has announced plans to introduce new city pairs Bengaluru – Guwahati (subject to final regulatory approvals) as well as Hyderabad-Indore, thus connecting travellers from emerging cities to the metropolises. The airline will introduce new first daily direct service  effective from August 1, 2018, on the Bengaluru-Guwahati-Bengaluru route and on the Hyderabad-Indore-Chandigarh-Indore-Hyderabad route. Jet Airways 9W 659 will depart from Bengaluru at 1015 hrs and arrive Guwahati at 1315 hrs. On the return leg, Jet Airways flight 9W 660 will take off from Guwahati at 1620 hrs. and arrive into Bengaluru at 1930 hrs. The airline will also connect Hyderabad and Chandigarh from August 1. Jet Airways 9W 955 will depart from Hyderabad at 1050 hrs. and have a stopover at Indore, arriving into the city at 1215 hrs. The flight will depart from Indore at 1245 hrs. arriving into Chandigarh at 1445 hrs. On its return journey, flight 9W 958 will depart from Chandigarh at 1515 hrs. and land at Indore at 1715 hrs. The flight will then depart for Hyderabad at 1800 hrs., arriving at its destination at 1925 hrs. This flight will be operated by Jet Airways on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

SITE India recently held its members meet at the Ethiopian Culture Centre in New Delhi. During the event, Vikas Suda, SITE India Chapter Vice President- Events & Operations, gave a presentation on the advantages of being a SITE member and how the association works on enhancing the skills and educate the members. He said that the association helps in empowering the members and ultimately helps in excel in their business.