In an effort to enhance its visa service, the United Kingdom Visa & Immigration (UKVI) has extended the Registered Traveller Service to Indian nationals – an optional membership scheme which provides expedited crossing through the UK border. Registered Travellers are entitled to use the EEA entry lanes, or if they hold an electronic passport, the ePassport gates, and won’t need to routinely fill in a landing card. There are more UK Visa Application Centres in India than any other country. UKVI will also be improving the application process during 2018, with new online forms and upgraded technology to make the experience smoother and customer-friendly. Tricia Warwick, Interim Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, VisitBritain, said, “We want the UK to be a ‘must-go-now’ destination for visitors from India. Making it easy to travel here is an important part of our tourism offer. With our hotels, attractions and shops, all offering great value for Indian visitors right now, it is a great time to come to Britain.” Source: ANI

Cruise Club has been appointed as the representative in India for Dubai Business Events, a division of Dubai Tourism and the city’s official convention bureau. Based out of Mumbai, Cruise Club’s role is to increase Dubai’s market share from incentive groups and corporate meetings. The team has already begun its delegate boosting activity, promoting upcoming events such as the Lions Clubs International ISAAME Forum, set tot take place in December at Dubai World Trade Centre. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said, “India remains a top priority for us, now consistently being the largest source market for tourists to Dubai. This is a feat achieved through years of establishing and building strong trade ties in the market, in addition to the execution of a segment-specific approach across India. Charson Advisory has played a great role in realising this feat, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their consistently professional approach, enduring commitment and dependable work.”

Renaissance Hotels, part of Marriott International, announces the opening of the Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel in Ahmedabad. This becomes the brand’s third property in India, with two others in Mumbai and Lucknow. Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International, said, “The debut of the Renaissance brand in Ahmedabad will further strengthen our presence in India. With Ahmedabad being hailed as an emerging global business destination, we expect a huge influx of business and leisure travellers to the city.” Located at S G Highway, Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel features a contemporary design and has 155 rooms with six suites, 62 twin rooms, 87 king rooms and 24 inter-connecting rooms. The hotel offers extensive facilities for social events and meetings spread over 29,220 sq ft, of versatile indoor and outdoor spaces. “Apart from being a fast-growing business city, Ahmedabad is also the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, making it not only economically but also culturally significant. With our vibrant, new F&B options, extensive leisure facilities and insights into the city, we are confident the hotel will be a favourite for travellers and Ahmedabad residents alike,” said Vishvapreet Singh Cheema, General Manager, Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel.

‘Agenda 9’, Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society’s new comprehensive nine-point charter, focuses on making Kerala a sustainable destination. It mainly calls for measures to tackle waste management, promote organic farming, efficient use of energy and extensive use of local produce and products. Other key areas which will come up for deliberations are rainwater harvesting, reducing the use of plastics and improving greenery. KTM 2018, to be inaugurated in Kochi on September 27, coincides with World Tourism Day. The opening ceremony will be followed by three days of business-to-business meetings. KTM has already received nearly 600 registrations in just five days after its pre-registration got underway. From the domestic buyers alone, KTM received 485 applications and 105 registrations from international buyers. July 28 is the closing date for the registration. Baby Mathew, President, Kerala Travel Mart Society, said the huge initial response from buyers is a clear indication of a larger number of tourism stakeholders getting attracted to the stellar tourism gathering over the years. “Nearly 600 applications in five days is very encouraging. We are expecting a record number of registrations for this year’s edition,” he added.    

In its endeavour to strengthen its growing network, IndiGo has commenced operations in Colombo, Sri Lanka. With touch-down of 6E-1202 (Chennai-Colombo) at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo became its eighth international and 49th overall destination on IndiGo’s network. The maiden flight was welcomed on January 20 with the traditional water cannon salute followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony. Commenting on the launch, Capt Ashim Mittra, VP Flight Operations, IndiGo said, “IndiGo is delighted to commence its new daily services to and from Colombo. These new connections will not only boost corporate and leisure travel but also contribute to significant growth in cross border trade and commerce. We are hopeful that these new flights will provide affordable travel experience to our passengers across the country and beyond.” Malinga Arsakularatne, Managing Director, Hemas Leisure Travel Aviation Group (IndiGo’s GSA) added, “We are honoured to partner with IndiGo in strengthening tourism to and from India. Together, we can create benefits for travellers and shareholders.”

Air India’s international budget carrier, Air India Express (AIE) expands its wings to Vijayawada International Airport, with the introduction of non-stop connectivity to Mumbai. The services on Mumbai–Vijayawada sector commenced on January 19, 2018. The Mumbai service will be available thrice a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The flight will depart from Mumbai at 8am and arrive in Vijayawada at 9.45 am. In the return direction, the flight departs from Vijayawada at 10.30 am and will arrive at Mumbai at 12:10 pm. Air India already connects Vijayawada to Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. With the new service the city of Vijayawada is now being connected to major metros in the country. Air India Express, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India Limited, Head- Quartered at Kochi, Kerala. It has a fleet of 23 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft, six of which are brand new having joined the fleet recently. These new aircrafts are equipped to carry more and come with lighter seats and higher performance capabilities. Though the airline follows the market principles of a low-cost carrier, Air India Express offers complimentary tea, coffee and meals on board as its USP, said AIE in a press release on Wednesday.

The UK has launched their annual ‘Beat the Peak’ campaign to encourage Indian visitors to make the most of UKVI’s post-dated visa offer, which allows travellers to apply three months in advance and date their visa for when they travel. Visa applicants can benefit from quieter Visa Application Centres and more available appointment slots outside of the peak period. The post-dated service allows Indian visitors to the UK to start their visa on their intended travel date. For example, those planning to travel in April can apply for their visas in January, whilst keeping the full six month validity for when they intend to travel. Launched by Dominic Asquith KCMG, British High Commissioner to India, the 2018 ‘Beat the Peak’ campaign will include a range of activities led by the UK High Commission that aim to engage with the Indian tourist market and encourage them to visit Britain and apply early for their visa to do so. Asquith KCMG, said, “In the year ending September 2017, over half a million visas were issued to Indian nationals and visit visas alone were up by 11 per cent year-on-year. Indians can now expect a quicker visa process if they apply up to three months early and beat the summer peak in April and May.”  

The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) started its Penang Sales Mission to India with an objective to promote Penang as the preferred destination for corporate and association meetings, incentives and leisure travel. Led by Ashwin Gunasekeran, Chief Executive Officer, PCEB, the mission is supported by a Penang delegation of 17 partners, including the state bureau for leisure travel – Penang Global Tourism, hotels, destination management companies, event experts and PCEB’s official airline partner, Malaysia Airlines. “India is one of the top five markets for business events in Penang, and over the past year, we have received encouraging interest from event planners and conference organisers. India is the sixth highest generator of tourists to Malaysia. This mission is joined by some of Penang’s finest offerings in the hospitality, travel and events sectors, and will showcase the best of what Penang can offer to the Indian market.”  said Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO, PCEB. The mission kicked off in Kolkata on January 17, 2018, moving on to New Delhi on January 19, Mumbai on January 22 and Bengaluru on January 24.

India Travel Award winners Pankaj Nagpal and Sucheta Nagpal, the founders of Travstarz, have announced that Tours4fun, a booking portal for global tours and activities and subsidiary of CTRIP, has ventured into India by acquiring a stake in Travstarz Global Group. The company will continue to be led by them as the Managing Director and Director & CEO respectively. Tours4fun has ventured into global travel B2B business with the launch of RezB2B Global Limited and its platform Rezb2b.com. The details of the deal were not disclosed by both parties. Post the investment, Travstarz Global Group will merge its platform Travelrezonline.com with Rezb2b.com and will dedicatedly run the group’s B2B business in Indian Sub-Continent and other adjoining regions. “With this alliance, we will expand much faster and will get access to latest technology, wide range of products and global markets. We shall be merging our online platform travelrezonline.com into Rezb2b.com and all further developments will be jointly done by our India and Global IT Teams to offer an advanced and robust online B2B system with best worldwide inventory of flights, hotels, packages, transfers and sight seeing, visas, travel insurance and forex. It will provide complete IT Solutions for travel agents, DMCs and hoteliers to seamlessly manage their own content online and provide them a platform to sell their own products to a worldwide audience through us. It is a technology driven product and will change the way travel businesses run across the globe. We will be rapidly expanding our DMC operations under the Travstarz Global DMC Network Program also,” said Pankaj Nagpal, MD, Travstarz Global Group and Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO. Established in 2009, Travstarz Global Group started with selling Hong …

Online travel company Ezeego1.com has announced its strategic partnership with PAYBACK, a multi-brand loyalty programme, to expand its offerings into online travel category. With its wide range of travel products available in the market, Ezeego1.com offers a comprehensive ‘one-stop platform’ to the suppliers, travel agents, and travel partners for them to distribute, promote and sell their products. Under this partnership, PAYBACK’s 110 million members will be able to use their PAYBACK Points when making flight, hotel and holiday bookings on Ezeego1.com. In addition, they will also be able to earn 2 PAYBACK Points for every Rs. 100 spent on the same transaction done on Ezeego1.com with real time enrolment and registration. The partnership is aimed at driving loyalty and stickiness at the Ezeego1 travel domain by offering members a chance to earn points on their spends as well create a rewarding experience for them through redemption opportunities. Neelu Singh, CEO & Director, Ezeego1, said, “Creating memorable travel experiences and adding overall value to our customer’s travel process is at the core of our business. Our partnership with PAYBACK reiterates our commitment in providing customers best travel products as well as value- added benefits through reward points that can be redeemed on Ezeego1 for travel services around the world, from airlines to car rentals, hotels and cruises.”