Mohamed Maliki,  Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco has said that Morocco will soon be opening a tourism office in New Delhi. “The new office was supposed to open in January this year but due to some technical hurdles, it had to be delayed. We will announce the office and the CEO who will head it soon,” he said. He also revealed that the two countries had recently signed a bilateral agreement for aviation. “We are in talks with some Indian airlines for better connections between India and Morocco and may even look at a direct connectivity if it makes sense to the airline. We are currently connected to India through a few Middle Eastern and European airlines,” Maliki added. He was in Mumbai to inaugurate the ninth visa application centre which is in Mumbai. All its visa services are contracted to Cox & Kings Global Services. These developments indicate a growing number of Indian tourists to Morocco. In 2017, the North African country welcomed about 21,850 Indian visitors. “We hope to double this by 2019. We will plan a strategy for the India market once we open our Moroccan National Tourist Office in Delhi,” Maliki added.

Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System have together launched a special ‘Ranveer on Tour’ train dedicated to Ranveer Singh to honour the actor’s contribution towards the increasing popularity of the country as the preferred destination of Indian tourists. The train’s maiden journey was inaugurated by the official brand ambassador of Switzerland Tourism. Also present at the inauguration were Martin Nydegger, CEO Switzerland Tourism and Maurus Lauber CEO Swiss Travel System. Post the inauguration, Singh took a commemorative ride on the train while interacting with the passengers and signed a few postcards. Nydegger said at the inauguration, “The Indian market is fundamentally important for Switzerland Tourism. In 2017, activities to promote Switzerland in India have resulted in a strong increase of 23.4 per cent in overnights. Our campaign with Ranveer Singh as our Brand Ambassador has powerfully contributed to this recent success: Switzerland has become increasingly famous as an adventurous and fun destination for younger Indian visitors.” Lauber added, “ Indians are extremely important for the Swiss Travel system and the number of Indian travellers using the Swiss Travel Pass has doubled since 2013. We are very proud that the Golden Pass Panoramic train is named after Ranveer Singh and we hope this inspires more Indians to travel on this premium route on the Grand train tour of Switzerland.”

Micro-hospitality brand SaffronStays has launched its first-ever training centre to facilitate 360-degree training locals who can be employed as cooks and caretakers in vacation homes across the country. The brand will teach, train and empower 1500 individuals in skills ranging from hygiene to health-care, and cooking to concierge. Tejas Parulekar, Founder, SaffronStays, says, “We are an inclusive brand. Our caretakers are our ‘Moment of Truth’ since they are first recall points of brand experience, and hence training them was a priority. The training centre in Panvel is our first giant step towards skills development, and would over time, become a part of our CSR activity. We would eventually look at top hospitality brands to collaborate and co-create the modules to train the staff”. The first successful test run involved caretakers from SaffronStays 9 Palms, Alibaug, SaffronStays Sanskriti, Kashi, and SaffronStays Little Paradise, Murud. The caretakers were imparted in-depth knowledge of local dishes that covered over 25 recipes for breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner. Various types of service-enhancing modules were taught during the three-day session. This included styling and setting up of community tables, table decoration and flower arrangement using locally-grown flaura. The aim is to cater to the larger goal of running 500 homes and providing a parallel support of skilled caretakers.

The first phase of Oman’s brand new Muscat International Airport is operational now. It has increased the passenger capacity to 20 million, up from the previous 12 million passengers recorded in 2017. The state-of-the-art airport has been designed to be the shining symbol of the Sultanate of Oman. The new airport is designed as International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) category 4F airports which will be able to accommodate the world`s largest aircraft, Airbus A380 and the runway will enable independent parallel operations. The passenger terminals built with the latest technology are aligned with IATA Service Level A standards. The total gross area for the new Muscat International terminal building is 580,000 m2 with an overall airport land area of 21 km2. Salim Al-Mamari, Ministry of Tourism, Oman said, “The government of Oman is focusing on Travel and Tourism as a part of its economic diversification strategy. The newly opened Muscat International Airport, brand new Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, revised visa rules along with other infrastructure developments seen in the recent times determine some of the efforts to increase tourism in Oman. India is one of the key markets for Oman and we are certain that this proactive initiative by the Ministry will drive a lot of visitors from India. Since 2014, Oman has witnessed over 23% growth in Indian arrivals. In 2016, Oman received 297,628 Indian arrivals as compared to 256,210 arrivals in 2014 that is over 16% growth within 2 years. In 2017, Oman received 321,161 Indian arrivals which is remarkably higher, showcasing growth of over 7.90 % in just one year.”

AccorHotels has signed an agreement with Mövenpick Holding and Kingdom Holding to acquire Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, for an amount of CHF560 million (€482 million). Sebastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, AccorHotels said, “With the acquisition of Mövenpick, we are consolidating our leadership in the European market and are further accelerating our growth in emerging markets, in particular in Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. The Mövenpick brand is the perfect combination of modernity and authenticity and ideally complements our portfolio.” “Its European-Swiss heritage is a perfect fit with AccorHotels. By joining the Group, it will benefit from AccorHotels’ power, particularly in terms of distribution, loyalty-building and development. This transaction illustrates the strategy we intend to pursue with the opening up of AccorInvest’s capital: to seize tactical opportunities to strengthen our positions and consolidate our leaderships, as well as leverage our growth,”Bazin added. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will benefit from AccorHotels’ loyalty programme, distribution channels and operating systems, which will help optimise their performance. This acquisition further consolidates the current footprint in Europe and in the Middle East and accelerates growth notably in key regions where the Group has been established for many years, such as Africa and Asia. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. It should be completed during the second half of 2018.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has launched Dubai Pass for visitors to enjoy the city’s range of attractions, experiences and tours. It is an all-inclusive pre-paid card, grants cash-free access to 33 key events and venues across Dubai, making it the perfect way for tourists to explore the city’s world-class destination proposition. It will be available to redeem from May 16, 2018. Starting at AED399, the pass offers ‘Select’ and ‘Unlimited’ packages, with a specially-curated list of popular attractions and experiences. These include Burj Khalifa, Dubai Parks and Resorts, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Wild Wadi Waterpark, Ski Dubai, Desert Safari Tours, and many more. With every purchase, visitors will also receive a 50% discount on tickets to La Perle – the city’s one-of-a-kind live entertainment show with acrobatics and aerial stunts – by simply presenting their Dubai Pass when buying a ticket to the show. The ‘Select’ package is priced at AED399. It allows card users to enjoy a range of attractions – one from each of the three-tiered attraction pools. The pass is valid over seven consecutive days, beginning with the first day of use. Meanwhile, the unlimited package is available for AED899. Users can choose unlimited events and activities, and the pass is valid for three days. The year-round Dubai Pass has been introduced following the success of previous seasonal DSS and DSF passes. It will provide a streamlined way for people to experience Dubai, save money and make the most of their trip with family and friends.

The official destination marketing organisation for the five boroughs of New York City – NYC & Company – recently invited a select group of travel agents in Mumbai for an evening of cocktails and meet Makiko Matsuda Healy, Managing Director (Tourism Market Development), NYC & Company who was in the city for a quick visit. The evening also involved a quick run through of some of the new tourism projects that are taking shape in New York, particularly the new hotels that have come up, new attractions, and the airport that is getting an upgrade. Making this short presentation was Christopher Heywood, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, NYC & Company, who also took questions from the agents. There were about nine agents from eight agencies who focus on leisure FIT and group holidays to North America.

Pride Group of Hotels has recently launched the Pride Hotel and Convention Centre in Indore by entering into a tie-up with HRJ International. Speaking at the inaugural function, SP Jain, MD, Pride Group of Hotels, said that Madhya Pradesh presents avenues for numerous opportunities. “The city of Indore is located close to two Jyotirlinga and tourists visit these destinations round the year. The hotel is located at Dewas Bypass making it the ideal choice for leisure and business activities as two important industrial hubs Pithampur and Dewas are located nearby”, he added. The Pride Hotel & Convention Centre Indore offers a choice of Deluxe, Suite rooms and 10 luxury villas, a gym, a business centre and a swimming pool. Pride Hotel & Convention Centre offers extensive convention facilities. The HRJ Grand Hall can accommodate upto 900 to 1,000 persons at the HRJ Grand with an area of 10,000 sq ft and additional pre-function area of 4500 sq. ft. There is a separate grand ceremonial entrance, an exclusive pre-function area which makes Indore’s biggest banquet hall even more spacious. This distinguished hall can also be customized and split into three different venues. The Hall and the 35,000sqft lawn can together accommodate 4,000 to 5,000 persons with ample parking for more than 750 cars.

InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) has announced the appointment of Rahul Bhatia as its interim Chief Executive Officer who will continue as the director of the company. InterGlobe has also announced the appointment of Gregory Taylor as Senior Advisor to the company reporting directly to Bhatia. Aditya Ghosh will resign from the post of President of IndiGo effective July 31, 2018 and as a Director of the Company with effect from April 26, 2018. In the coming months, the Board will consider the appointment of Taylor as President and CEO of the Company, subject to receiving the necessary regulatory approvals and paperwork. Bhatia said, “We are delighted at Greg’s decision to rejoin the IndiGo team and welcome him back to the company. His enormous and varied experience and understanding of the complexities of the airline industry will be invaluable to our future plans. At the same time, we thank Aditya for all his hard work and contributions and for the successes that the company has enjoyed.” Ghosh, meanwhile, added, “For the last ten years, it has been a relentless, exhilarating and a most satisfying task building IndiGo.  It is now time for me to step off the treadmill and sometime in the near future embark on my next adventure. I wish all my colleagues at IndiGo the very best as they move on to the next phase of growth.” Taylor has more than 40 years of experience in large, world class airlines. During 2016 and 2017, he was the Executive Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning at IndiGo. Prior to that he held various senior management roles at United Airlines and US Airways in the areas of Corporate Planning, Strategy, …

Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) has opened a new Morocco Visa Application and Information Centre (MVAIC) in Mumbai. The office was inaugurated by Moroccan Ambassador to India, Mohamed Maliki. It currently has centres in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Goa, Indore and Bengaluru. CKGS is set to open a new MVAIC in Hyderabad in June 2018. Speaking on the occasion, Maliki said, “The ties between Morocco and India go back over several centuries and both the counties have enjoyed cordial bilateral relations over the years. The government of India and Morocco have agreed on a newly revised air service agreement which will have certainly a positive impact on facilitating and boosting tourist movement between the two countries. Foreseeing the growth in the number of Indians travelling to Morocco, we needed to create a seamless experience for Indian travellers in applying for visas.  The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco is glad to entrust the responsibility to CKGS by appointing them as our representatives to open visa application centres in India.” Commenting on the mandate, Venku Murthi, Chief Operating Officer, CKGS said, “We are happy that the Embassy of Morocco has put their trust in our proven expertise. Our offices across 12 centres in India will seamlessly facilitate visa processing, thereby accelerating outbound travel to Morocco. This is an opportune time to tap the growing Indian outbound travel market, which is growing in double digits.’’