To improve passenger experience, Ministry of Railways has decided to upgrade Premium Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains under Project ‘Swarna’. 14 Rajdhani trains and 15 Shatabdi trains will be upgraded under the project. With improved passenger amenities, aesthetics and hygiene standards, the nation’s first Swarn Rajdhani (New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express) was launched in New Delhi on November 29, 2017, at New Delhi Station. Some of the features introduced on Sealdah Rajdhani include complete interior painting to an aesthetic international colour scheme and LED lighting to improve illumination, auto janitor systems in toilets, night signage for easy identifications of berth numbers, CCTV cameras in doorway area and aisles, LED lighting over mirrors. An expenditure about Rs.35 lakhs has gone into this rake which translates into less than Rs.2 lakh per coach. A target budget of Rs. 50 lakh per rake was allowed for this purpose.

The national air carrier of Tajikistan, Tajik Air is commencing operations of its second flight on the Dushanbe-Delhi-Dushanbe route from December 22, 2017. The flight will take off from Dushanbe at 0830 hours and arrive in Delhi at 1145 hours. On return, the Delhi flight will depart at 1345 hours and arrive in Dushanbe at 1600 hours. The starting for a Dushanbe-Delhi flight start from Rs 15,000 (excluding taxes).

The Ministry of Tourism in association with the North Eastern States is set to organise the International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Guwahati, Assam from December 5-7, 2017. The event will be held at Taj Vivanta, and will be inaugurated by Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister, Assam and K J Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, along with other dignitaries from Central Ministries and North Eastern States. The 6th ITM will focus on India’s ‘Act East Policy’, blossoming ties with ASEAN and the larger East Asia region. Besides deliberations on promotion of tourism in the North East Region, the panel discussions will also lay emphasis on promoting cultural ties, strengthening contact with countries in the ASEAN region and providing enhanced connectivity to the North Eastern states. The ITM 2017 will also see an active participation by the Ministry of DONER to synergise the process of development of tourism in the North East region.

Following a successful launch in Hyderabad in November, Kuwait’s leading low cost airline, Jazeera Airways will now fly to Ahmedabad and Kochi starting January 17 and 18, respectively. Rohit Ramachandran, CEO, Jazeera Airways, said, “This is a major strategic move for us to extend our network into India and provide greater choice and value for the Indian community in Kuwait and broader GCC. We have been delighted with how well our new operations to Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad have been received both in India and the wider Middle East region. The decision to invest further in India comes from the rising demand of Indian expats visiting their friends and families, as well as the large interest of Kuwaiti travelers in exploring new destinations for tourism and medical visits.” Jazeera Airways will operate three flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays to and from Ahmedabad starting January 17 departing 00.05am from Kuwait arriving 06.00am, ensuring a quick and efficient journey. Kochi flights will operate four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays departing at 12.45 pm from Kuwait and arriving at 20.10pm in Kochi International Airport. Passengers can enjoy a baggage allowance of 30kg for Economy class and 50kg per Business class passenger.

Air France-KLM and Jet Airways have signed a landmark ‘Enhanced Cooperation Agreement’ for the development of their operations between Europe and India. A first in the history of Indian aviation, this agreement strengthens the partnership built between the three airlines since 2014. This cooperation was expanded in 2016 with an extensive code-share agreement for connections between Europe and North America and Jet Airways’ hubs at Mumbai and Delhi in India via Air France-KLM’ hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Jean-Marc Janaillac, Chairman and CEO, Air France-KLM, says, “Air France-KLM and Jet Airways are launching the first cooperation agreement of its kind on the India – Europe market, one of the markets at the heart of the group’s strategy for the coming years. We are innovating within the airline industry by offering connections between two partnerships for the first time: our enhanced cooperation agreement for India – Europe with Jet Airways and the Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines’ Europe – North American joint venture. Jet Airways, Air France, KLM, and, Delta Air Lines will thus connect India to a vast transatlantic network via the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs. With over 1,200,000 customers carried between India and Europe by the Group and our Indian partner, half of whom are travelling onward to North America, we are confirming our ambition to offer customers an enhanced network, and a unique, seamless product tailored to their needs with the best products and services.” Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, adds, “The enhanced cooperation agreement between Jet Airways, Air France and KLM being signed during Jet Airways’ 25th Year and Air France’s 70 Years in India, represents the next stage in our journey …

The Handicrafts Heritage Tour, organised by the Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village, was flagged off by the Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala, Kadakampally Surendran in Thiruvananthapuram. The Sargaalaya Handicrafts Heritage Tour will travel from the state capital to Kasargod and will pass through various villages known for its tradition, arts and handicrafts. On the occasion, Minister for Excise and Labour T.P. Ramakrishnan was also present. The Heritage Tour is being organised in the run up to the seventh annual ‘Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival’, scheduled to be held between December 21, 2017 and January 8, 2018 at the Sargaalaya Village at Iringal in Kozhikode. The handicrafts festival is being organised with the support of the Departments of Tourism, Industries, Culture, and Coir, Government of Kerala. The festival will have the participation of more than 400 artisans from as many as 25 states in India. Besides, artisans from South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Nepal, Sri Lanka will also be participating in the event. The Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival will put on display-and-sale handicrafts items made by around 500 artisans. The festival will also include arts and entertainment programs organised under the aegis of the Central government’s South Zone Cultural Centre, Tanjavur; the State Department of Culture’s Bharat Bhavan; and the Kerala Folklore Academy. Artisans from villages like Aranmula (known for the renowned Aranmula Mirror), Thazhava (known for unique mats), Perumbava (renowned for the manufacture of Mridangam and Maddalam), Vellinezhi (known for the decorative accessories used in Kathakali make up), Aruvacode (famous for clay products), Cherppu (known for wooden handicrafts items) and Kunhimangaalam (famous for the manufacture of metal handicrafts products) will be a part of …

From being a Member of the Managing Committee in the previous term to now the National Treasurer of TAAI, Imtiaz Qureshi’s journey with the association has been inspitational. Overwhelmed with the results, Qureshi, who is the Managing Director of Viceroy Travels, said, “We are very focused on our work and we will take on whatever unfinished tasks are there for the travel fraternity. It’s a great responsibility that has been given to us. We will try and do our best in whatever we can.”

Sanjay Narula enters the core TAAI team as the Vice President. The CEO of Apex Travels & Tours and a member of TAAI’s Northern chapter is absolutely delighted to be back in the Managing Committee. “I am overwhelmed with the confidence and support that the members have shown us. But it also puts a lot of pressure. There are several issues that have come to our notice such as the various taxation issues that have been raised by the recent amendments. But TAAI can work with the tourism industry to find out a middle ground and to seek a certain amount of relief for our members. I hope this will be one of the main points that TAAI MC will focus on,” Narula said.

Jyoti Mayal, Director of New Airways Travels (Delhi) who was previously a Member of the Managing Committee at TAAI, has been elected as the Honorary Secretary General of the association. Mayal says, “There are a lot of changes that need to be done at TAAI. To start with, we need to change the memorandum which has been long pending and that is the first thing that I am going to do. I was with the airline council earlier, and I need to continue that job because our main concern is how the airlines are dealing with us on GST.”

Sunil R. Kumar has been re-elected as the president of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) for the term 2017-19. While Sanjay Narula has been named the vice president, Jyoti Mayal will be the honorary Secretary General. Imitiaz Qureshi has been elected to the post of National Treasurer. “I have been elected for the second term and therefore, the responsibility is greater,” Kumar said, adding, “members have expectations, so we need to work towards getting airlines closer to meeting their expectations. It’s a tough challenge, but I believe we are tougher.”  The announcement was made during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 28, at The Lalit Mumbai. The seven Members elected to the Managing Committee are: Anoop Kanuga, Gurmeet Singh Vij, Rajan Sehgal, S. Saravanan, Bhagwan Ramnani, Anil Kumar, and Devaki Thiyagarajan.