Subhash Goyal, Hon. Secretary, FAITH, laments over the Government’s ignorance towards tourism trade’s demand for industry status. “While the government has taken many initiatives to boost business and infrastructure, we’ve got a mixed reaction from the trade on the Budget. Increasing the threshold limit for Corporate Tax from Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 250 crore is a welcome move as it will benefit SMEs. Building international airports around the country, offering Wi-Fi in trains and railway stations is a welcome move as well. Also, encouraging investment in sea plane activities would benefit tour operators in boosting coastal tourism,” he says. However, Goyal adds, “The government failed to meet two of or demands. One was to differentiate tour operators on the basis of FEEs under GST and another was GST to be reduced for five-star hotels from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. We are not happy about the government not giving tourism industry status.”

Garish Oberoi, President, FHRAI, says the hospitality industry has been repeatedly asking for infrastructure status which hasn’t been mentioned this year as well. “Among the positives in the Budget is the Rs. 500 crore allocation for ‘Operation Green’ to promote Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs), agri-logistics, processing facilities and professional management,” Oberoi adds. He notes that focus on technology is very relevant in this digital age. “The Budget allocated to the Railways to the tune of Rs. 148, 528 crore to build infrastructure, laying tracks, Wi-Fi and CCTVs will help improve them. In tourism 10 prominent tourist sites will be made into national tourist sites. New Greenfield Airports are in the offing and building airport capacities to handle 1 billion trips can give a boost to connectivity. Post demonetisation and GST many hotels have become Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). We still await measures by the government to deal with NPAs. In totality, the Budget is more for the ease of living and not so much the ease of doing business. While the focus on healthcare and education is commendable, the biggest challenges to growth and employment generation are low credit offtake and ease of doing business, neither have been supported by the Budget,” Oberoi says.

PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, said they had been looking forward to some GST relief in the Budget. “There has been no relief in GST in the Union Budget 2018-19, we had been looking forward to it. However, the budget offers some SOPs to tourism sector by announcing 10 prominent tourist sites to be developed into iconic ones and enhancing visitor experience in 110 Adarsh monuments under the ASI, with railways to have Wi-Fi and CCTV cameras on all trains and stations. Enhancement of sea plane activities and boosting aviation sector with the present 124 airports, the government plans to take this up five times to accommodate one billion trips per year. Focus on infrastructure, education, healthcare, creation of jobs has been highlighted in the budget, which is a good move.”

Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO, expresses his discontent over the Union Budget 2018, saying there was nothing in it for tourism. “The Union Budget 2018 has nothing to offer to the tourism industry. We are not happy as there was no relief from double taxation in GST which was our major concern. Even after focusing on job creation, the government has ignored that tourism could be a major facilitator for job creation. Under GST Goods and services should be under the same purview. Since there is no respite from cascading taxation, India would remain a costlier destination than its neighbouring countries for tourists. The only positive is the focus on infrastructure, wherein they have introduced sea planes, 99 smart cities, 10 new destinations, enhanced experience at 110 Adarsh monuments, airport expansion, etc. Also, Corporate Tax of 25 per cent is extended to companies with turnover up to Rs. 250 crore in financial year 2016-17. Earlier, this was for companies with turnover of Rs. 50 crore. Even road and rail transport have got an increased budget. However, businesswise there is no change,” Sarkar said.

The tourism and hospitality sectors had to listen intently to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Union Budget 2018 speech for a mention, which was made precisely three times. The Finance Minister proposed to develop 10 prominent tourist sites into ‘Iconic Tourism destinations’ by following a holistic approach involving infrastructure and skill development, development of technology, attracting private investment, branding and marketing. “To preserve and revitalise soul of the heritage cities in India, National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) has been taken up in a major way,” the minister said. In addition, to enhance visitor experience, tourist amenities at 100 Adarsh monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India will be upgraded. For promoting tourism and emergency medical care, Government will make necessary framework for encouraging investment in sea plane activities, Jaitley mentioned. The Minister noted that in the last three years, the domestic air passenger traffic grew at 18 per cent per annum and airline companies placed orders for more than 900 aircraft. Regional Connectivity Scheme of UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) initiated by the Government last year shall connect 56 unserved airports and 31 unserved helipads across the country, he said, adding that operations have already started at 16 such airports. “We propose to expand our airport capacity more than five times to handle a billion trips a year under a new initiative – NABH Nirman,” he said. For the Railways sector, “We are in a process of eliminating unmanned railway crossings. All railway stations having more than 25,000 footfall will have escalators. We are also working to provide Wi-Fi and CCTV Cameras on all trains and stations,” Jaitley said. Redevelopment of 600 major railway stations has been …

Trafalgar will host its inaugural Trafalgar Europe Britain Day as part of its efforts to provide agents a way to learn about travel destinations in Europe and Britain like an insider. It will partner with four European tourism offices in this first-of-its kind showcase exclusively for the trade in India. Atout France, Tourism Ireland, Tourism Office of Spain and Switzerland Tourism together with Trafalgar will present the iconic sites of the respective countries. Trafalgar’s ‘Insider Sessions’ will take place on February 7 in Mumbai and on February 9 in Bengaluru. Nicholas Lim, President, Trafalgar, Asia, says, “We want to help agents to grow their business by showcasing the diversity of Europe and the opportunities around it. We’re delighted to launch our Insider Sessions and in 2018, it’s time to travel to Europe with Trafalgar and live The Good Life. Agents who participate in these sessions will be eligible to win a grand prize of a nine-day ‘Spanish Experience’ holiday sponsored by Trafalgar. There will be two grand prizes given away – one for each city.”

IndiGo has announced the appointment of Wolfgang Prock-Schauer as the Chief Operating Officer, subject to regulatory approvals. An accomplished industry leader with more than three decades of experience in civil aviation, Schauer has held senior leadership positions with leading airlines across Europe and Asia. In his role, he will be responsible for operational aspects of IndiGo such as Flight Operations, Maintenance and Engineering and Inflight Services directly as well as Airport Operations and Operations Control Centre. He will be reporting to Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo. Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole-Time Director, IndiGo said, “With an illustrious career in various leadership positions, Schauer is a proven leader and I am confident that this important step in strengthening our leadership team will serve as a great building block for the future of IndiGo. Over the last year, we have elevated several colleagues internally to positions of leadership and have also attracted world class talent across verticals.” In the past, Schauer has worked with Austrian Airlines, Jet Airways (India), British Midland International, Air Berlin (Germany/ UK) and Go Air (India).    

As a part of its 260 years’ celebration, Cox & Kings’ Bharat Deko held its first-ever Partner’s Meet with its vendors from across India. Hoteliers, transporters and other suppliers, who have long been partnered with Cox & Kings, participated in the meet. The domestic wing of Cox & Kings, Bharat Deko had organised the event for its panel of partners and suppliers to recognise their support and performance. The event served as an opportunity for both suppliers and the operational staff to interact with each other who otherwise are connected digitally. Bharat Deko also conducted an orientation presentation to familiarise the partners with its ethos, policies, achievements and new plans. Speaking about the event, Yusuf Poonawala, Head, Bharat Deko said,” The Partner’s Meet reiterates our efforts in acknowledging our supplier’s commitment to our brand. They are our important stakeholders who encourage us to be further innovative by offering us their timely and commendable service. While the oldest travel brand Cox & Kings is turning 260 years, we wish to have our partners to be a part of the celebration”

Radisson Jodhpur opened its doors to the magnificent city of Jodhpur with 96 rooms. The hotel is the first Radisson to open in the city. Spread over around 70,000 square feet, the hotel constitutes 96 rooms across Superior, Business Class, Studio Suites, Single Bedroom Suite, Two Bedroom Duplex Suites and Presidential Suite categories. The hotel boasts over 30,000 square feet of total meeting space comprising three banquet halls. It also features a state-of-the-art fitness center with modern equipment and a spa service with two treatment rooms. The banquet facilities at the hotel also feature a party lawn spread over an area of approximately 14,000 square feet for organising stylish parties. “I am delighted to welcome our first Radisson hotel to Jodhpur. The hotel’s architectural grandeur combined with the brand’s service ethos will enthrall guests travelling to the city. We appreciate the commitment that Madhav Heritage has made in this hotel and the trust they have demonstrated in the Radisson brand,” said Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Positioned to be a preferred hotel in the upscale segment and the first choice among leisure and business travelers, the hotel is situated two kilometers from the airport and four kilometers from the railway station. It is situated within a radius of five kilometers from international tourist attractions like Ummaid Palace, Birkha Bawri Step Well, Merangarh Fort, Ghanta Ghar and Mandore Garden.

Sabre Corporation has signed agreements with Bedsonline, TravelBound and the Expedia® Affiliate Network (EAN) to make their content available in the new Sabre Content Services for Lodging, a solution that will integrate multiple sources of content to increase efficiencies and improve customer satisfaction. “Having aggregator content integrated with traditional GDS hotel content makes travel agents and corporate booking tool providers more efficient, effective and confident in the increased depth and breadth of lodging offerings they are able to bring to their travellers,” said Traci Mercer, Senior Vice President of Lodging, Ground, and Sea, Sabre Travel Network. “These agreements are key to helping us better serve customers in all regions around the globe.” These agreements will establish a critical mass of new opportunities for GDS consumers and buyers. Bedsonline brings a portfolio of more than 170,000 properties in 120 countries, while TravelBound reaches customers in 190 countries and offers unique experiences from more than 50,000 hotels. EAN will provide access to more than 350,000 properties worldwide and offer more than 650,000 exclusive deals on accommodations. Launching later this year, the first market release of Sabre Content Services for Lodging will deliver over 900,000 property options from both the Sabre GDS and non-GDS sources such as aggregators, redistributors and agency-sourced hotel content. The new lodging solution will allow a more seamless shopping experience that will display the new content at the room and rate level, side-by-side, for more efficient comparison. The new lodging solution will include the capabilities of Sabre APIs and will be incorporated into Sabre Red Workspace, GetThere and TripCase. The solution will not only drive more efficiency and revenue with increased lodging choice, but will also extend tools and …