An increase of 11.39 per cent has been recorded in domestic tourist arrivals to Kerala in 2017, as compared to the figures of previous year, according to figures compiled by Kerala Tourism. Meanwhile, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 5.15 per cent during the period. “Travellers from across the globe arrived in Kerala in large numbers during 2017, and the growth has been recorded at 5.15 per cent compared with the figures of last year. This comes at a time when the tourism industry is suffering from adverse factors like enhanced GST rates and allied hurdles. The growth figures point to the immense popularity Kerala Tourism enjoys beyond the borders”, said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms. With growth almost doubling than that of last year, domestic tourist arrivals have, in fact, achieved more than what has been targeted in the Kerala Tourism Policy. On the foreign tourist arrivals front, footfalls have increased from 10,38,419 to 10,91,870. The figures point to the fact that there has been an increase of 53,451 more foreign tourists this year, with figures nearing 11 lakh.  

GoAir has announced the appointment of Jyri Strandman as Chief Operating Officer. He will report to Managing Director Jeh Wadia and be a part of the airline’s core management team. Strandman will be responsible for strengthening GoAir’s operational functions of Flight Operations; Engineering; Airport, Security and Airside Operations (ASA); Flight Safety; Inflight Services (IFS) and Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). He has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. Prior to GoAir, Strandman was associated with US based Spirit Airlines as Director, Operations and VP, Flight Operations. At Spirit, he was instrumental in introducing over 70 Airbus A320 family aircraft including the NEOs into the airline fleet. Commenting on his appointment, Strandman said, “I look forward to many challenges that come with this ever-burgeoning market and expanding operations of the airline. I am excited at the prospect of making GoAir the preferred choice of airline for customers.”

Uniglobe Travel South Asia has launched  its Impact 100 campaign, a unique programme which will help independent travel agencies survive in the ever-changing travel environment. The aim is to attract independent agencies that require a global brand and the benefits of being part of a franchise organisation to survive in today’s travel marketplace. “We have begun an aggressive campaign to help independent travel agencies prepare adequately for the new environment. We are reaching out to as many independent agencies as possible making them aware of our marketing tools, customer servicing systems and cost saving technologies”, said Ritika Modi, Regional President, Uniglobe Travel South Asia. “In discussions with independent agencies, we are highlighting the benefits of joining Uniglobe and the tools and programmes they receive as members. We feel strongly that being Uniglobe branded, having access to our preferred programmes and being part of a global network provides any agency with the best opportunity to be successful in today’s evolving marketplace,” noted Amanda J Close, Vice President, Global Operations & Regional Services, Uniglobe Travel International.    

In an attempt to harness the outbound tourism potential of the Indian market, ENIT—the Italian National Tourism Board is conducting a three-city roadshow in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Italy has revived its promotional activities in India and is positioning the destination as a luxurious hot-spot. Salvatore Ianniello, Representative—India, ENIT, informs, “In 2015, Italy received 427,000 Indian visitors for more than one million nights, registering a growth of 49 per cent over 2014. We have allotted a significant budget to now position Italy among the high-end clients from India. We are looking at doing joint promotions with the tour operators and travel agencies in India; we will also be launching our own ad campaign and continue the educational training of the travel agents.”

Air India will get a one-time grant of 750,000 euros from Israel for launching direct flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, likely to be rolled out next month. “The conditions of the directive includes a grant of 250,000 euro per weekly flight, up to a total of three weekly flights. It is a one-time grant for an airline opening a new direct route into Tel Aviv (TLV) from a destination that has potential for incoming tourism,” said Lydia Weitzman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism. Informed sources said that the Indian flag carrier could start its direct flights into Israel from New Delhi on March 20, flying thrice a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Dubbed a game changer in Israel’s efforts to promote inbound tourism from India, Air India’s direct flight between New Delhi and Tel Aviv would be operating on the shortest route and is expected to bring down significantly the cost of travel between the two countries. “The number of tourists from China to Israel doubled in one year after the start of direct flight by Hainan Airlines. We expect something similar with India,” said Amir Halevi, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Israel. SOURCE: PTI

VisitBritain has launched ‘Find Your GREAT Britain, I Travel For’, a digital marketing campaign with UK Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion Baroness Rona Fairhead, as part of the India-UK Createch Summit in Mumbai. The event was attended by more than 200 delegates from the travel trade industry across India, 50 UK businesses representing transport, technology, healthcare, film and music and a further 150 Indian businesses from a variety of industry sectors. Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive, VisitBritain said, “India is an important inbound tourism market and a huge opportunity for VisitBritain. Our new campaign builds on the strong growth we have seen in visits from India by showcasing that Britain is bursting with fun activities, adventure and new experiences to come and discover right now.” The first phase of VisitBritain’s campaign is rolling out from February 7 for eight weeks with the launch of short films across Facebook and Instagram in India. Research by VisitBritain shows the powerful influence social media has in positioning Britain as a destination of choice for international visitors. The ‘Find Your GREAT Britain, I Travel For’ marketing campaign is part of the UK Government’s global GREAT Britain campaign, which showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer as a place to visit, study and do business.

In an effort to make an agent’s life easier, Trafalgar has announced 100 per cent definite departures for all 2018 Italy and Ireland trips in keeping with its ongoing commitment to its travel partners. Nicholas Lim, Trafalgar (Asia), said, “Italy and Ireland are popular with Asian travellers, especially with unique experiences like our exclusive after-hours VIP dining at The Vatican. At Trafalgar, we are wholly focused on always keeping agents first that adheres to our campaign #AgentsFirst, ensuring they are fully equipped to respond to customer demand and sell our guided holidays with confidence and ease.” Lim further expresses, “We are thrilled to be able to guarantee 100 per cent definite departures now on 44 trips including Italy and Ireland, in addition to all European Discoveries – with more to come. With a weakened US currency and early payment savings where customers can save 10 per cent if they book before Feb 28, 2018, now is definitely the best time to book a trip to Europe.” Trafalgar will announce more definite departures soon.

Expressing concern over the prevailing political developments in Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs issued an advisory to Indian nationals to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice. It also alerted Indian expatriates in Maldives to the need for heightened security awareness. “The prevailing political developments in Maldives and the resultant law and order situation is a matter of concern for the Government of India. Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice. Indian expatriates in Maldives are also alerted to the need for heightened security awareness, and urged to exercise due caution in public and avoid public gatherings,” the MEA said in an advisory. SOURCE: UNI

FCM Travel Solutions has consolidated and rebranded its travel retail and holiday brand – Flight Shop under a single leisure brand ‘Travel Tours’. Known for its range of customised travel offerings, post the consolidation, Travel Tours promises ‘unbeatable’ services both in pricing and quality to its customers across India. Four decades old, Travel Tours will now offer travel services ranging from leisure, corporate travel, MICE, visas, inbound to wholesale and foreign exchange pan India. Shravan Gupta, Executive Director – Leisure Businesses, FCM Travel Solutions, said, “Travel Tours has a strong brand equity and heritage in large parts of the country. Through the rebranding, our intention is to put our entire strength and expertise of both our brands – Flight Shop and Travel Tours under one. This move supports our journey of going from a flight seller to being an FIT specialist.” He further added, “We are taking a step further from being a regional powerhouse to being a national player of repute as we move forward. The foundation for our rebrand is firmly in place; we are primed and ready to become Travel Tours”. The rebranding of all the 25 Flight Shop and Travel Tours stores spread across 17 cities was completed on January 31, 2018.

SpiceJet will soon connect Assam’s northern district of Lakhimpur with Jorhat in the south, announced Ajay Singh, Chief Managing Director, SpiceJet at Advantage Assam-Global Investors Summit’18 in Guwahati. The move will, if it comes through, form part of Centre’s UDAN or Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), an initiative taken to make air travel to India’s Tier-II and III cities affordable and at the same time putting remote regions on the country’s aviation map. “For India to grow, it is critical that North East grows. And, the region cannot grow without connectivity. SpiceJet connects cities of Guwahati, Silchar and Dibrugarh to other parts of the country and under UDAN, we will soon be connecting Lakhimpur and Jorhat,” Singh said. The two-day event showcased the state’s manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors. The summit was organised by the Assam Government, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). There were a number of focus sectors identified by the state, which includes agriculture and food processing, organic farming, bamboo, handloom, textile and handicrafts, inland water transport, riverfront development and logistics. Source:ANI