Hahn Air is set to operate a weekly flight from Düsseldorf (DUS) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI) with one of its business jets, a Cessna Citation Sovereign starting May 2018. Flights to the new destination will be scheduled for 19:15 every Friday throughout the 2018 summer season, with the return flight at 16:45 on Sundays. “We’re proud to be adding another European destination with Palma de Mallorca and thereby, offering our passengers another attractive holiday destination,” says Daniel Rudas, General Manager & COO, Hahn Air Lines.  

Thomas Cook (India) has announced the appointment of Romil Pant as Senior Vice President for its Leisure Business, both international and domestic. Pant comes with more than two decades of experience in operations and credit management across sectors, including, telecom, financial services and travel. In his role, Pant will provide leadership and functional expertise to drive productivity and results across the company’s leisure businesses, while focussing on Thomas Cook India’s omni channel growth strategy. Pant has previously worked with MakeMyTrip.com, Capital First, HSBC, Citi Financial and Essar Cellphones. He is a Masters in Finance from University of Delhi.

The Loire Valley region will celebrate the artistic, scientific and intellectual effervescence of the Renaissance in France as the year 2019 will mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci at Amboise, the start of the construction of the Château of Chambord and the birth of Catherine de’ Medici in Florence. The region aims to adopt an association with major contemporary art venues such as the FRAC (regional contemporary art collection) in Orléans, the CCCOD (Olivier Debré Centre for Contemporary creation) in Tours, the Transpalette in Bourges and the Regional Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, an Arts and Nature Centre. The 2019 celebrations will cover major themes of the Renaissance including heritage, arts and literature, music, gardens, science and technological revolutions, architecture, craftsmanship and gastronomy. A cultural programme is currently being put together, composed of different highlights including a large travelling digital show mixing contemporary artistic and musical creation, an international architecture competition, guided tours, banquets, many exhibitions, international symposiums, etc.

Marriott International has marked an important milestone in India with the opening of its 100th hotel in the country – the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center in Bengaluru. Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International, who is on a week-long visit to the country, attended the opening ceremony of the hotel. The company is poised to further grow its profile in the country in years to come, with more than 50 signed projects in the pipeline. The Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center has 360 rooms with 39 suites. It also features the Sheraton brand’s signature amenities and facilities like Shine Spa for Sheraton, Sheraton Club Lounge, Sheraton Fitness and Sherato Signature Sleep Experience. “India is one of Marriott International’s most important markets in Asia with the second highest number of hotels and rooms after China. Given India’s robust economy and rising middle class, we see an incredible opportunity to continue working with owners to open hotels from across Marriott’s extensive array of brands, particularly in the upper midscale, upscale and luxury segments,” said Paul Foskey, Chief Development Officer, Marriott International.

Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL) has announced that Rahul Pandit, MD and CEO, Roots Corporation, a subsidiary of IHCL that owns and manages Ginger Hotels, has resigned effective April 2, 2018 due to personal reasons. Pandit has been with the company for around three years. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director, IHCL and CEO, Roots Corporation, said, “The Board respects Pandit’s decision and thanks him for his leadership. During his tenure, Ginger expanded its portfolio  in line with the company’s growth strategy whilst achieving its highest customer satisfaction ratings . We wish him the very best with his endeavors. There is a stable leadership team in place at Roots Corporation and we will continue to pursue our aggressive plans for the company.” Pandit stated, “It has been an honour to lead Roots Corporation over the last few years. It was an exceptional learning experience which added value to my professional journey. I would like to thank my board members and colleagues for their support during my stint.”

SpiceJet is set to commence its New Delhi-Leh daily direct flight service from May 1, 2018. The flight service will be operated from Terminal 1D at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. “Leh is the 46th domestic destination to be added to SpiceJet’s pan India network,” the airline said in a statement. “To celebrate the launch, SpiceJet has announced a limited period special introductory all-inclusive one-way fare of Rs 3999 and return fare of Rs 7799 applicable for bookings made on a first-come-first-serve basis.” The airline said that it will deploy a Boeing 737-700 aircraft on the route. Source: IANS

Tourist arrivals to Kerala have registered a significant growth of 10.93 per cent during 2017, compared to figures of the previous year. According to statistics compiled by Kerala Tourism, Kerala saw as many as 15.54 lakh tourists including both domestic and foreign travellers during the year. An increase of 15 lakh new domestic tourists was recorded this year, with footfalls going up to 1,46,73,520 in 2017 as against 1,31,72,535 in 2016. As per the report, it was found that foreign tourists preferred travelling to Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts, while also opting for destinations like Alappuzha, Munnar and Wayanad. In terms of specific locations, both foreign and domestic tourists were found to have preferred Kochi as a prime destination. According to Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms, the statistics show up encouraging trends in terms of increasing footfalls both in the international as well as domestic segments. Rani George IAS, Secretary, Department of Tourism, said, “The trend in tourist arrivals over the past five years has shown a marked change in the pattern of tourist visits to different destinations. It is exciting that more destinations are being sought after by tourists, and that shows more destinations in Kerala are gaining in prominence in travellers’ minds.”  

The maiden edition of Très RARE recorded over 100 Indian destination management companies and 30 foreign tour operators from the UK, US, France, Germany and Italy. Instituted by RARE India, the event was a showcase of the finest boutique hotels, lodges, hideaways, camps and retreats in India, Nepal, and Bhutan that aimed to engage with the bespoke tour operators and media from India and overseas, alongside an eclectic mix of world travellers. Conducted over two days, the event focused on intensive one-on-one engagement, knowledge building and innovations. The close interactions with hotel owners and hosts were followed by 11 hosted familiarisation trips across India. The event also hosted speakers on hospitality and related topics to add value to the concept of experiential travel in the sub-continent. Sowmya R Vijaymohan, Partner at RARE India said, “This is probably the first green event where no plastic has been used, thus following the green document. It is a tribute to all the bespoke boutique hotels. These boutique hotels inspired us at RARE to break away from the traditional and create an intimate showcase that focuses on the niche rather than the mass and mainstream.” Some of the hotels which participated at Tres Rare were RAAS Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Bhainsrorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, Hotel Druk, Bhutan, Pepper Trail, Kerela, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Nepal, Deccan Odyssey, etc.

Thomas Cook (India) has strengthened its presence in Mumbai with the opening of a new franchise ‘Gold Circle Partner’ outlet at Opera House. This brings Thomas Cook India’s total number of outlets to 21 consumer access centres with nine owned branches, 12 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Mumbai, 38 consumer access centres with 15 owned branches and 23 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Maharashtra. Thomas Cook India’s internal data has highlighted that Mumbai continues to feature as a top and growing source market for its holiday business. Hence, in an initiative to harness this opportunity, the company identified Opera House, Mumbai as a high potential location to set up its new Gold Circle Partner franchise outlets. The Thomas Cook Gold Circle Partner programme is an exclusive franchise partner initiative that increases the brand’s presence reach across the country, giving consumers access to the company’s products and services in metros/mini-metros and emerging Tier-II and III markets. A Gold Circle Partner is equipped with sales and marketing support. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Leisure Travel & MiCE, Thomas Cook (India) said, “Mumbai has been identified as a prime growth driver and continues to deliver strong growth of 30% YoY for our leisure travel business. Thomas Cook’s data has highlighted South Mumbai as a high potential source market for its holiday business.”

Singapore-based cruise companies are reporting strong growth in footfall of Indian tourists, with some 127,000 of them having sailed on luxury liners last year, up 25 per cent from 2016. Industry players have also noted a jump in fly-cruise tourists from India. A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said the company believes the Indian market “has potential to grow at double-digit rates”. “We are seeing an increasing number of Indian tourists booking fly-cruise packages to Singapore as the island is a regional hub and port… From Singapore, the tourists are able to visit a number of other countries depending on the cruise package they have booked,” the spokesperson said. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the number of Indian guests taking its cruises has increased by 10 per cent to 20 per cent yearly, especially after the arrival of its Voyager Class ships to South-east Asia in 2013. Indian tourists like the convenience of packing for one trip but being able to travel to several countries at one time, the spokesperson added. In 2017, international visitor arrivals in Singapore increased by 6.2 per cent to 17.4 million, with those from India posting the highest growth rate of 16 per cent, according to Singapore Tourism Board.