Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran launched a unique initiative, Ayurbodha at the World Travel Mart in London to enlighten tourists with the basics of Ayurveda. The newest product of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) aimed at blending tourism and knowledge of Ayurveda. Under the initiative, a traveller can stay at any of the KTDC resorts and learn about the ancient medicinal stream of Ayurveda. The focus would be on basic home remedies and diet regimes, Ayurvedic practices for the rejuvenation of body and soul, secrets of pressure points, basics of ‘panchakarma’ treatment and the history and use of medicinal plants. The traveller goes back not only enlightened but also with a certificate for gaining knowledge of Ayurveda. “Ayurveda, as a wellness system and a mainstay tourism product, has been largely confined to treatments and massages. While Kerala is known as a destination for spending serene and peaceful holidays, our time-tested tradition of the ancient Ayurveda can enrich every visitor’s experience,” Surendran said.

Hoping to cash in on the growing leisure travellers in the city of the Taj, VITS Hotels Worldwide has launched a four-star property, VITS Agra. Chandrakant Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, VITS Luxury Business Hotels says, “Agra is a world renowned tourist destination, home to the Taj Mahal and also called city of love. We are delighted to launch our property in the city that would enable us tap the growing potential of tourist inflow.” VITS Agra offers 60 rooms with three categories- deluxe, suite and executive deluxe, each boasting of tastefully adorned décor, luxurious ambience and modern services. Each room is replete with amenities ranging from Wi-Fi connectivity, 24-hour room service, tea/coffee maker and an attached bathroom with complimentary toiletries. With major tourist attractions namely the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar Tomb and Jama Mosque in close proximity, the hotel boasts of aesthetically designed rooms and suites ideal for business and leisure alike. VITS Luxury Hotels currently operates nine properties located and has an inventory of 600 rooms with host of banqueting, conferencing, restaurant and lifestyle facilities.

The India pavilion at the World Travel Market 2017, the leading global event for the travel industry, was abuzz with activities for the trade and consumers alike. Addressing a press conference, Rashmi Verma, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, launched the all-new Incredible India website which will be going live from December 25.  At the three-day exhibition underway at the ExCeL-London from Nov 6-8, Incredible India showcased a lively celebration of spiritual tourism. The India stand laid special emphasis on the development and promotion of tourism for the North East States with an objective of showcasing the largely untapped tourism potential of the region. The Secretary highlighted the new initiatives for promoting tourism in India. “India Tourism has been going at a fast pace. We have jumped 25 positions as per World Tourism Forum, our ranking has improved from 65 to 40. In terms of international tourist growth in our country, last year it was 9.7 per cent as against the international trend of 3.5 per cent. This year so far it has been very encouraging and it has been at a high of 15.6 per cent. In terms of foreign receipts our growth has been commendable. The international growth has been 2 per cent, ours has been about 8.3 per cent (2016). The growth has been there but still there’s a long way to go.” Verma informed that recently India celebrated tourism fortnight with a focus on encouraging tourism. The MOT started campaigns called ‘Tourism for All’ and ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, focused on domestic tourists as well as NRIs, encouraging them to come to India not only to visit their relatives but also witness the diverse culture of the country. She pointed …

In a bid to streamline its sales process, SOTC has introduced a new sales app called ‘Engage’. The mobile sales app empowers field representatives to close deals on the go from anywhere. Sales representatives can now deal with last-minute scenarios. This allows users to customise the app for their business, close deals faster, use marketing features to turn consumers into customers and deliver customer service immediately. Daniel D’souza, Head Sales, India and NRI Markets, SOTC Travel said, “The sole purpose of introducing the app was to boost the team’s sales productivity while giving the team the core sales tools needed to grow the business. With mobile data reiterating the Indian travellers’ shift to ecommerce, as pioneers in the travel services space, we are pleased to present the new sales app.” The app simplifies the sales and booking process for the sales user, enhances customers’ experience and lowers risk of errors. Users can now record bookings and confirm packages while they are on the go.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai successfully concluded its annual mission titled ‘Expo Indonesia 2017’ in Mumbai. The three-day exhibition is being organised with the aim to promote Indonesian trade, tourism and investment and promotes opportunities in Indonesian in these sectors. The event saw participation of 47 Indonesian companies who displayed a wide range of Indonesian products. The delegation also included Indonesian travel and tour operators as well as Indonesian airlines who met with the Indian trade to promote Indonesian tourism product. It was attended by Saut Siringoringo, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai, Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, New Delhi, official from the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Indian Trade & Tourism associations, leading Indian business entrepreneurs, travel and tourism industry from India and Indonesian companies investing in India along with the exhibitors.    

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has announced that it will conduct its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 28, 2017, in Mumbai at The Lalit Mumbai. This will be followed by its national elections at around 11:30 am at the same venue. Revealing this is Sunil R. Kumar, President, TAAI, who adds, “Currently we are busy with all the statutory processes for the AGM such as reports, financial statements as well as arranging for the election process.” When asked about the annual convention that has been delayed due to various reasons, Kumar says, “We will definitely have our convention, which will happen after our AGM, possibly in January or February 2018. We did the same thing last year as well when we held our annual convention in Abu Dhabi after our AGM.”

United Airlines is marking 10 years of its daily non-stop service between Mumbai Airport and its New York/Newark hub, Newark Liberty International Airport. Since it was launched in October 2007, the service has carried over 1.6 million customers on over 7,000 flights. Celebrating this milestone, VIP guests, United employees and customers from across the travel industry joined Marcel Fuchs – United Vice president Atlantic and Pacific Sales, Thorsten Lettnin – United Managing Director Continental Europe and India, Sales, Harvinder Singh – United Country Manager India and the Commercial Consul for the US Embassy in India, Gregory Taevs, for a gala dinner in Mumbai. “We are extremely proud to mark a decade of this successful route and thank our valued customers and the travel trade community across India for choosing United,” said Harvinder Singh, United Country Manager India. “Our Mumbai service also offers a comprehensive network of onward connections from our New York/Newark hub to points all across the Americas.” United has served India since 2005. “United offers daily non-stop services from Mumbai and Delhi to New York/Newark. Flights are conveniently timed to connect at our New York hub with an extensive network of destinations throughout the Americas. United flight UA49 departs Mumbai daily at 11:10 pm, arriving at New York/Newark at 5:55 a.m. the next day. The return flight, UA48, departs New York/Newark daily at 8:20 pm, arriving in Mumbai at 8:40 p.m. the following day (all times local and subject to change). The Mumbai-New York/Newark flight is operated by Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with a total of 267 seats – 50 flat-bed seats in United Polaris business class and 217 seats in United Economy, including 72 Economy Plus seats.”

Royal Orchid Hotels has announced that it has reached an agreement to represent Bespoke Hotels in India. With this strategic partnership, Bespoke and Royal Orchid shall work together to enhance each other’s revenues and brand presence in their respective markets. Royal Orchid now has the ability to offer its guests hundreds of hotel options across multiple global markets. Bespoke, in turn, shall promote this new partnership in the Indian subcontinent to its guests. Bespoke Hotels has grown to represent and manage over 200 properties worldwide, with over 50 represented hotels in India, and stands as the UK’s Largest Independent Hotel Group. Founded in 2000 by Haydn Fentum and Robin Sheppard, Bespoke has consistently grown to the point where they now manage over 9,500 hotel rooms, 8,000 employees and £815 million of assets. Chender Baljee, Founder, Royal Orchid Hotels, says, “We are thrilled to have Bespoke Hotels on board, to offer our guests 100’s of hotels abroad, and to market our hotels to inbound International travellers. We are looking forward to growing and reinforcing the standing of both brands in the future.” With over 47 hotels under management and ownership, Royal Orchid Hotels encompasses a range of luxury and five star properties in Bengaluru, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Goa. Robin Sheppard, Founder, Bespoke Hotels, says, “We are delighted to have reached agreement to represent Royal Orchid and welcome them to our burgeoning international portfolio. They boast a portfolio in some of India’s finest locations, with a commitment to the highest standards of hospitality.”

Global passenger traffic demand in September rose 5.7 per cent compared to the same month in 2016, according to IATA’s global passenger traffic results. This was the slowest year-on-year increase since February. Domestic passenger traffic demand climbed 4.2 per cent in September compared to September 2016. India and China continued to lead all markets with double-digit annual traffic increases while elsewhere, results were mixed. Capacity rose 4.7 per cent and load factor slipped 0.4 percentage points to 82.2 per cent. “September’s growth in passenger demand was healthy, notwithstanding the impact of extreme weather events on the Americas,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Global economic conditions support rising passenger demand, but with higher cost inputs, the demand stimulation from lower fares has waned, suggesting a moderating trend in traffic growth.” International RPKs climbed 6.5 per cent with airlines in all regions recording growth compared to 2016. Total capacity climbed 5.6 per cent, and load factor rose 0.7 percentage points to 81.3 per cent. Asia-Pacific airlines’ traffic rose 8.7 per cent in September compared to the year-ago period, the strongest growth among regions. Capacity increased 7.8 per cent, and load factor climbed 0.6 percentage points to 78.3 per cent. A solid regional economic backdrop, helped by robust growth in China, is supporting passenger demand within the region.

Having successfully managed the Thai Visa Application Centres in western India, Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS), has now been empanelled by the Royal Thai Embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Chennai and Kolkata to expand its services across the country. The new centres located in New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata are now operational. In the next phase of operations, offices will be open in Tier-II and III cities that have huge traffic from India to Thailand. The service is open to customers and travel agents/tour operators as well. CKGS values its customers and travel agents who avail services from our respective offices. Venku Murthi, Chief Operating Officer, CKGS said, “The expansion of our services on an all-India level is an affirmation of the confidence that the Thai government has in CKGS and we will maintain our professional standards as we move to other locations in India to boost Thailand tourism.” CKGS will provide services such as disseminating visa related information provided and approved by the Thai Embassy and its consulates as well as pre-scrutiny of documents and acceptance of visa application and passports from the general public and travel agents. CKGS was incorporated in 2008 and is a specialist business process outsource agency which focuses on serving Consular sections of Diplomatic Missions. It renders services related to Visa, Passport and other Consular services to various Diplomatic Missions across the globe – key customers being Ministries of India, Italy, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, UAE, Oman and its latest addition is Algeria.