The Travel Agents association of India (TAAI) Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand Chapter held a badminton tournament for its members on January 7, 2018, in Lucknow. Sunil B. Satyawakta, Chairman, TAAI UP & UK Chapter, said, “The tournament was a success. We had received overwhelming response to our Tigerair Cup (TAAI Badminton League – 2016) and that motivated us to hold TAAI Badminton League – 2018. As expected, about 40 per cent more participants registered for this event. They were from travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, tourism boards and hotels.” The league was held at the Babu Banarsi Das UP Badminton Academy in Lucknow. The league was played under the categories: Travel Agents – Singles Male, Travel Agents – Singles Female & Family – Singles, Airlines/GDS/Insurance/Forex/Hotels – Singles, Travel Agents – Doubles Male, Mixed Doubles and Kids under 18. The event was inaugurated by Avnish Awasthi, Principal Secretary & Director General, Uttar Pradesh Tourism. The tournament was sponsored by UP Tourism and supported by Oman Air, Scoot, Fly Dubai, Indigo, Jet Airways, Vistara, Saudia, Asian Roots Tour Co. Ltd., Royal Gulf Tourism Dubai, Decathelon, Udaan, TLC, Levana Suites and Hyatt Regency, Lucknow. Also present were Office Bearers Anupam Shukla, Hon. Secretary, and Umair N Shah, Hon. Treasurer of TAAI Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand Chapter.

The first ever Adventure Sports Expo Asia is going to be held in New Delhi from January 27-29 at Four Points by Sheraton. As many as 15000 visitors and sports enthusiasts are expected to attend the show. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, informed that the government has declared 2018 as the Year of Adventure and the ministry is going all out to promote the country as an important hub for adventure tourism. Ajeet Bajaj, Senior Vice President, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and the Managing Director of Snow Leopard Adventures, said, “The mission behind the Expo is bringing together all stakeholders to make India an adventure powerhouse while keeping risk management, sustainability and responsible tourism at the forefront. ATOAI is the backbone as far this industry is concerned in India and our aim is to make India a global hub for adventure tourism. Internationally, the adventure sports industry is a $400 billion industry. According to industry estimates, the Indian inbound industry for adventure tourism in growing by 5-7 per cent annually and domestic tourism for this segment is on an upswing, growing by 20-25 per cent annually.” The expo will host many sessions addressing the various issues of the adventure sports industry with luminaries from across the globe. Commenting on the Expo, Rishi Narain, Founder and Managing Director, RN Sports Marketing, said, “India already has huge potential as an adventure sports destination with so much diversity from mountains to rivers and desserts. ASEA 2018 will market India as an iconic destination for adventure to the world with the support of ATOAI. The event will also recognise individuals/groups and companies in the field of adventure on the …

KJ Alphons, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, launched the Incredible India digital calendar in Delhi and also released the Incredible India wall and desk calendars for the year. Alphons said, “We want to keep up with technology and thought to do something very innovative. The digital calendar will be a very dynamic one where you will get updated pictures everyday. Therefore, for the first time in the wall calendar, we are showing India at night. Each picture of the key tourist site, displayed in the calendar has been taken at night. Unique feature of the calendar is that when you hang it in your room, then the monument or the site glows. You get to get a feel of the monument under moonlight. The timing of the picture has also been given in the calendar. Photographs have been enhanced using radium ink. Also, most of the tourists see these destinations during the day, we wanted to showcase how they look at night.” Elaborating on the key features of the digital calendar, Rashmi Verma (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, said, “It is for the first time we have a digital calendar, and it can be downloaded on your Android and Apple mobile phones. It can be used as a planner and everyday, as per the festival and the occasion the picture in the digital calendar will change. Sometimes, for one day you may get more than one picture, in case there are two three festivals in one day. The Incredible India digital calendar application enables users to know about the events and festivals happening in India on the go. The digital calendar can also be used …

A top-level delegation led by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Govt of India, gathered inside Mumbai Port to lay the foundation stone for the new international cruise terminal. Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) proposes to handle 80 per cent of the cruise passengers that will arrive at the port once the terminal is complete. Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, MPT, said, “As per our consultant’s report, we have the potential to bring in 30 lakh passengers. Based on that projection, we have prepared a second SOP on a national level. We have also recently exempted cruise passengers from e-visa and this is in line with our efforts to make immigration process for international tourists easier and faster. With the new terminal, the area of cruise terminal will be 4.15 lakh sq feet, almost 10 times bigger than what we have today.” Bhatia added that the new terminal will have all the facilities of the domestic airport. Also present at the ceremony were Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra and Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of India.

The concluding day of the 6th Global Konkan Festival from January 6-10, 2018 held in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, started with Tourism Conference in which speakers from MTDC, Tourism Board, IRCTC and Tourism Ministry took part. Various schemes and facilities provided to the local as well as international tourists like train packages, spiritual tours, adventure sports, etc. were discussed. Suryahas Chaudhari from Bordi bagged the Paryatan Bhushan Awards 2018 for sustainable agro and ecotourism. Deepak Kesarkar, Minister of State for Home (Rural) said, “It is important to provide correct infrastructure to the people of Kokan region for them to develop businesses. Be it tourism, fisheries or any industry, we will be supporting each and everyone who wants to start their business. This will generate new jobs, aid reverse migration and raise the per capita income of the region.” The event also showcased Konkan’s culture with traditional dances, food and seafood available in the region, art and photo exhibitions, artifacts and local produce to promote trade and tourism opportunities in the region.

Virgin Atlantic has announced the appointment of David Hodges as the new Country Manager for its India operations. In his new role, David will drive Virgin’s business at a strategic and commercial level for all sales within India. An accomplished industry leader with over a decade of business development and external affairs experience, David has an established track record of leadership and business expansion at large, complex, multinational organisations including varied roles at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Brevia Consulting. Hodges said, “I am excited to be part of the dynamic team in India. We will continue to champion the customer’s needs and tap the incredible growth opportunities in both leisure and business segments. I look forward to meeting the organisation’s objectives, strengthen the brand and grow business in the India market.” Prior to this, he was Senior External Affairs Manager in which he worked closely with the Government and the business sector on issues that led to a significant increase in the number of people flying with Virgin Atlantic.  

India Sales Associates has been appointed by Singapore-based Far East Hospitality & Management (FEHMS) as their Regional Sales Office (RSO) for the Indian subcontinent market. “Far East Hospitality Group (FEHMS) is a premier owner and operator of hotels and serviced residences.” It has a combined portfolio of close to 14,000 rooms under management across 90 hotels and serviced residences in seven countries. Far East Hospitality’s stable of 10 unique and complementary brands present excellent opportunities for cross-selling initiatives across different brands and geographic markets, offering guests with a greater diversity of choices and locations. In Singapore, the holding company’s hospitality management arm, Far East Hospitality Management, operates a portfolio comprising 22 hotels and serviced residences. Toga Far East Hotels, its joint venture in Australia, is a leading hotel operator across Australia, New Zealand and Europe managing nearly 70 strategically located hotels within this portfolio.  

Thomas Cook (India) strengthened its presence in North India with the inauguration of a flagship store at Connaught Place by Vijay Kumar,  Brand Ambassador, Thomas Cook India. This expansion augments Thomas Cook India’s total number of outlets to 16 consumer access centres with six owned branches and 10 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Delhi. Thomas Cook’s new store will offer travellers a range of holiday products (domestic and international tickets, and hotels, cruises, individual and group tours, luxury vacations), foreign exchange, visa services and insurance. Rajeev Kale, ‎President, Country Head–Leisure Travel and MICE, Thomas Cook (India) said, “North India is delivering a strong growth of 20 per cent YoY for our leisure travel business and Delhi has been identified as a prime growth driver as part of our strategic plan. Our new branch at Connaught Place is at a prime location, thus giving our consumers convenient access to a range of holiday products, travel and foreign exchange services.”  

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to a number of amendments in the FDI Policy -one of them allowing foreign airlines to invest up to 49 per cent under approval route in Air India. These are intended to simplify the FDI policy to provide ease of doing business in the country. As per the extant policy, foreign airlines are allowed to invest under Government approval route in the capital of Indian companies operating scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, up to the limit of 49 per cent of their paid-up capital. However, this provision was presently not applicable to Air India, thereby implying that foreign airlines could not invest in Air India. Foreign airlines can now invest up to 49 per cent under approval route in Air India subject to the conditions that foreign investment(s) in Air India including that of foreign airline(s) shall not exceed 49 per cent either directly or indirectly. Substantial ownership and effective control of Air India shall continue to be vested in Indian National.

IndiGo has expanded its regional network by commencing ATR operations from Rajahmundry. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Nimmakayala China Rajappa along with Sanjeev Ramdas, Executive Vice President, Customer Service & Operations Control, IndiGo recently flagged off the flight from Rajahmundry to Chennai at Rajahmundry Airport. Rajahmundry will be connected to Hyderabad with twice daily frequencies, and one direct daily frequency each on Rajahmundry–Bangalore–Rajahmundry and Rajahmundry–Chennai–Rajahmundry sectors. IndiGo is the only airline that connects Rajahmundry with direct flights to three major metros of southern India, namely Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad from day one of its operations.