K J Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, has inaugurated the Institute of Hospitality Management in Jodhpur. Speaking at the event, he said that India is among the fastest growing tourism economies in the world and in 2017, the Indian tourism receipts went up by 20.8 per cent against a global growth rate of 7 per cent. He expressed his hopes for the country to be able to double its inbound revenue in three years.

Mana Hotels is set to open a resort in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. With 27 rooms; 16 Deluxe Tents and 11 rooms along with a conference hall, restaurant, game room and swimming pool, this property will be positioned as a three-star deluxe resort. With a location closest to Kumbhalgarh fort amongst this category of hotels and with amazing views of the hills, Mana at Kumbhalgarh will ensure a satisfying experience for guests. The bookings have already started from July 1.  

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has signed a management agreement with Hotel Marina Agra for Holiday Inn Agra MG Road. Expected to be operational in 2018, the 150-room hotel marks the company’s debut in Agra and also completes IHG’s presence in the Delhi-Jaipur-Agra Golden Triangle tourist circuit. Just 15 minutes’ drive from Agra Fort and Taj Mahal, Holiday Inn Agra MG Road offers stunning views of the Taj from the upper floors. Sudeep Jain, Vice President – Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are delighted to partner with Hotel Agra Marina to introduce our first hotel in Agra, under the Holiday Inn banner. With excellent location, facilities and best in class amenities, we are confident the hotel will be a great choice for varied guest profiles with diverse requirements. The Holiday Inn brand family is our growth driver in India, and this signing underscores our commitment to further strengthen our position in the midscale hotel segment.” Shashank Bhagat, Managing Partner, Hotel Marina, said, “We are delighted to partner with a strong, global player such as IHG to bring the Holiday Inn brand to Agra. We are assured that the hotel will benefit from the company’s robust distribution systems, top revenue management tools and best in class loyalty programme.” Situated on MG Road, the hotel is in close proximity to the business district and key government offices, making it an ideal choice for corporate travellers, as well.

India is one of the markets where social media is more important than emails in inspiring travel, according to PATA’s ‘The Connected Visitor Economy’ report. It is therefore critical for destinations and tourism businesses to ensure they deliver on the experience and facilitate social sharing for Indians (e.g. via free Wi-Fi). Indians are also very likely to share information whilst travelling or post reviews after their visits. These sources are increasingly influential. In using content marketing, it is important to note that India is a highly mobile dependent market. so providing content in mobile-friendly formats is vital. Although internet penetration is low, it is highly correlated with travel incidence.

Indian business travellers feel safer in ride-sharing services than in taxis, according to research commissioned by Carlson Wagonlit Travel. More than a half (56%) of the Indian respondents surveyed expressed safety concerns about using taxis when traveling for business, compared with 47% for ride-sharing services. Business travellers in several other newly industrialised countries like Mexico and Brazil also responded similarly. “In cities across the globe, using ride-sharing services has become a way of life,” said Bindu Bhatia, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “The familiar and convenient experience they provide has made them a preferred mode of transport for many business travellers. Still, one continues to hear about safety incidents surrounding ride-sharing services around the world, which might explain in part why some travellers are worried about using them.” Looking at ride-sharing, 56% of Asia Pacific women feel somewhat nervous versus 38% of men. For taxis, that is 48% and 35% respectively. Even though ride-sharing is associated with the younger generation, the findings show that these travellers are more concerned about personal safety. Millennials, in all regions, are the most worried, followed by gen X travelers and baby boomers. In Asia Pacific, half of the millennial travelers are very/somewhat concerned when using a rideshare service, followed by 44% of gen X and 35% of boomers. In the Americas, the percentages are 47% for millennials, 42% for gen X and 29% for boomers.

Over 900 registered buyers and above 500 attendees attended the inaugural show of Global Panorama Showcase in Hyderabad at Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre. Inaugurated by Azmeera Chandulal, Tourism and Tribal Welfare Minister of Telangana; B Venkatesham, IAS Secretary to Government of Telangana, Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture Department and other dignitaries, the event presented an insight into ways to boost in tourism in the state and discussed future prospects for growth in the tourism sector. The first day saw a product presentation, educational seminar and GST session. Students from various universities and institutes were also invited to understand the travel and hospitality sector. B2B table top meetings are scheduled for the remaining day. Telangana Tourism is Partner State for the event. Apart from Telangana Tourism, Andhra Pradesh Tourism and West Bengal Tourism will also be showcasing themselves at the event. The next GPS will be held in Chandigarh from July 5-7.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has recommenced its popular white water rafting activity on the Mhadei river from June 28, 2018 all the way through September this year. There will be two rafting trips held each day with the first trip starting at 9:30 am and the second at 2:30 pm. Each trip will go on for 2.5 to 3.5 hours running 10 km each. This year, the white river rafting experience promises to be different. Goa Tourism has tied up with a top adventure sports video company in the country to capture the rafting experience through a personalised video, which would be shared via WhatsApp or Google Drive the same day. This comes along with a souvenir framed picture as well. There are also plans to offer a bus service for Rs 200 from Panjim and the Northern beaches twice daily to make the commute seamless. Speaking on the river rafting trend in Goa, Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, GTDC stated, “This year, we decided to associate with a top adventure sports video company to create personalised videos of our adventure enthusiasts braving along the Mhadei River, which can be taken home as a memorabilia. In future as well, we will continue to explore different tie-ups that would help us enhance the experience of our travellers.” Ideal for beginners and children above the age of 10, the trip costs Rs 1,890 per person including 5% GST.

The total visitor arrivals from India to New Zealand have doubled from 33,000 to 66,000 in the past four years, with more Indians visiting the country than ever before. In recognition of this incredible growth, Tourism New Zealand is expanding its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year. The new format will see the organisation and partners hosting key buyers from around India in Mumbai from July 9-10, followed by frontline training in Bangalore and New Delhi from July 12-13 respectively. Kiwi Link serves as a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market insights in the tourism sector. Kiwi Link 2018 will see participation from record 40 New Zealand operators, along with three airlines – Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, Immigration New Zealand and 72 Indian delegates from 49 travel companies. More than 50 Indian participants are expected to attend the frontline training programme which will be conducted in the Bengaluru and New Delhi markets. Steven Dixon, Regional Manager-South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, “The record number of New Zealand operators visiting India to participate in Kiwi Link this year is a real reflection on the value we place on the market. This event provides an opportunity for both new and experienced tourism operators to develop an alliance with vital travel decision makers, thus enabling them to drive sales out of India.”

To promote the flights to Amsterdam, together with CSIA Mumbai, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has installed an experiential activity at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport targeting the international flyers. The installation is made so thematically that the flyers can have a taste of ‘Mini Amsterdam’ during their transit time and before they board the flight from Mumbai. As Holland is known to be the biking capital of the world, KLM India has installed a cycling activity, which is a nice way for passengers to spend time while waiting to board their flights. The activity also gives a chance to the flyers to win goodies, airline discount vouchers, food coupons and much more. It is communicated via social media and will be live until end of June. From Mumbai, passengers fly on KLM’s latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which has 30 World Business Class seats, 45 Economy Comfort seats and 219 Economy Class seats. Speaking about this activity, Max Smits, General Manager, Air France – KLM, Indian Sub-Continent said, “We are happy to collaborate with MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) regarding this activity to boost the KLM presence out of Mumbai and inspire flyers to choose KLM for travel to Amsterdam and beyond. KLM started its direct service from Mumbai to Amsterdam last year during winter 2017 with three weekly flights. For the winter schedule of 2018, we will be adding another flight making it as four weekly flights from Mumbai.”

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has recently announced the theme for its 34th Annual Convention as ’20 Million Tourists: Challenges & Possibilities’, to be held in Visakhapatnam from September 6-9, 2018. While announcing the theme, Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO said, “The theme has been finalised after consideration from the Ministry of Tourism. We will hold discussions on it and will try to look how we can achieve this target. A session will be held on hotels and airlines during the convention. The theme has been finalised by the Executive Committee.” The association has already announced the governing body for the convention. While Rajiv Mehra has been appointed as the Chairman, Rajesh Mudgil, Hony Secretary, IATO has been appointed as Co-Chairman. Amaresh Tiwari has been named as Convener for IATO Run for Responsible Tourism. The venue of the convention is Hotel Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach. Talking about IATO’s activities in last one month, Mehra said, Mehra said, “We conducted a roadshow to the US with Ministry of Tourism where 25 active members of IATO participated. We also concluded IATO’s Chapter Meeting in Mumbai, attended by Hony Secretary Rajesh Mudgil.”