A 60-room Cygnett Resort is set to open in Neemrana on Decemeber 15, 2017. The resort will offer 60 cottages and suites, a 24×7 multi-cuisine restaurant called ‘Cygnett Pavilion’, a Japanese specialty restaurant & metro bar, a large conference hall, open air party lawn, swimming pool, sports activity area and gamming zone, gym and rejuvenating spa area. Just 80 kms from Gurguram’s IFFCO Chowk, Neemrana is a magnificent town with great heritage and natural scenic beauty. It is a leisure and pleasurable destination on Delhi-Jaipur highway and has the presence of several major international and national industries.

The 2nd Aero Expo organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry got off to an excellent start at New Delhi. The four-day event will also feature India’s first Heli Expo on November 4 and 5. Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the mega event, which will deliberate on the key focus areas for Indian aviation to sustain and grow itself in the coming years. Also gracing the event was Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, and Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India, among other industry stalwarts and key stakeholders. Speaking about the future prospect of the country’s aviation network, the Vice President of India exclaimed, “Apart from playing a key role in promoting connectivity between various regions and creating jobs, the civil aviation sector is one of the key drivers of the economy. As such, a continued introspection of the current policies, norms and infrastructure needs to be done to ensure the sectors contribution towards the economy.” Jayant Sinha also met with the leading CEOs and CMD of the industry to discuss the future of civil aviation. With 200 million passenger trips per year currently and growing at a rate of 12 per cent, the Indian industry is looking at one billion passenger trips from across the various airports around the country and the 2nd Aero expo highlighted the investment requirements for the same.

In lieu of growing demand for roof-top cafes and bars in Mumbai with ocean view for an enhanced experience for locals and tourists alike, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has granted permission to open eateries on terrace/part terrace/common terrace of those buildings which are commercial mall building/residential hotel having an existing eating house. “AHAR and HRAWI are thankful to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ajoy Mehta, Rahul Shewale, Aditya Thackeray, and Rais Sheikh of Samajwdi Party who were instrumental in facilitating the open terrace permissions. We are happy that the government is doing its bit in encouraging tourism. It has been our plea to unlock the huge potential that terraces offer by allowing them to be operated as leisure or recreational spaces. Sky bars and roof-top cafes are an emerging trend across the world and Mumbai despite being the commercial capital of India lacked the policy for allowing these activities. This is a welcome decision which many International tourists as well as Mumbaikars will appreciate,” said Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI).

Sarovar Hotels has announced the signing of a new hotel in Ajmer, marking the group’s strong footprint in the state of Rajasthan. The group has signed an agreement for an 88 room hotel, Mittal Sarovar Portico in this old pilgrimage city. Owned by Mittal Dewellers, Mittal Sarovar Portico is Sarovar’s sixth hotel in the state of Rajasthan. The group has three operational hotels in Jaipur, one in Jodhpur and an upcoming hotel in Jaisalmer. Designed as per the brand characteristics of a Sarovar Portico hotel, the property enjoys access to all key tourist attractions and will be offering all modern facilities including an all-day dining restaurant, bar, gym, swimming pool, spa and banquet facilities. The hotel is expected to be operational by October 2019. Commenting on the development, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said, “We are happy to open a Sarovar Portico hotel in this significant city of Rajasthan. With its rich history, Ajmer is an important tourism destination with rising number of visitors from across the country and overseas. It is an important location for us and a significant addition to our portfolio. This hotel equipped with all amenities required by a modern day traveller is set to be one of the finest in town.” Sarovar Hotels is focused on strategic expansion throughout India and Africa. Some of the expected openings this year include hotels in Amritsar, Raipur, New Delhi Mahipalpur, Somnath and Jaisalmer.

Etihad Airways has announced the suspension of its Abu Dhabi-Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) route effective March 25, 2018, as it will become commercially unsustainable following American Airlines’ unilateral decision to terminate its codeshare agreement with the airline. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “The unfortunate decision by American Airlines to terminate a commercial relationship that benefited both carriers has left Etihad with no choice but to suspend flights between our Abu Dhabi home and Dallas/Fort Worth. “We are open to American Airlines reversing its decision to cancel our codeshare agreement so that Etihad Airways can continue the route and together protect and support American national interests and global connectivity while driving commercial value for both airlines.” Etihad Airways has invested heavily in the DFW route since its launch in December 2014. The route commenced with three flights a week and was upgraded to a daily service in February 2017, providing travellers in the US and across the airline’s network with access to more US cities through American Airlines’ primary hub. More than 235,000 travellers have flown on the route since its launch. Almost half of Etihad Airways’ DFW customers connect on US codeshare flights operated by American Airlines. Baumgartner added, “The cancellation of the Dallas route is one of several adjustments that we are making to our US network in 2018 in order to improve system profitability. Further changes are possible as we monitor the full impact of the American Airlines codeshare cancellation on summer 2018 bookings. Etihad Airways currently operates 42 non-stop flights a week to five US gateways – Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York and Washington. Additionally, Etihad Cargo operates twice weekly Boeing 777F freighter …

Ethiopian Airlines is all set to launch Africa’s first and the airline’s youngest and modern operating fleet B787-9 Dreamliner operation in to Mumbai. The aircraft made its debut flight to India’s capital city of Delhi on October 28, 2017. The Dreamliner fleet which is an integration of design and technology with unique features of biggest windows in the sky, high ceiling, less noise, distinctive lighting, and higher air humidity, has further redefined passengers’ travel experience on board Ethiopian. Tadesse Tilahun, Regional Director, Indian Sub-continent, Ethiopian Airlines, remarked, “Ethiopian was the first airline to introduce Dreamliner 787-8 to India in 2012 and Airbus A350 -900 XWB in April 2017. Once again, we are proud to celebrate yet another first with the introduction of the cutting-edge Africa’s first 787-9 into Indian market. India is a strategic market for Ethiopian that has been served for more than 46 years and in line with our expansion strategy in Indian market, we are pleased to deploy our latest fleet and adding capacity on the existing route to better serve our esteemed customers and to further strengthen the growing trade and commercial ties between the booming economies of India and Africa.”

As an annual ritual, Trafalgar has launched its new 2018 brochure that will include some new itineraries and elements. Nicholas Lim, President for Trafalgar Asia, who is in India for the launch, says, “The new brochure has over 100 itineraries across Europe which also has some new itineraries such as Best of Norway and Berlin Explorer because of demand from the India market. This year, we have also added our ‘Be My Guest’ element to all our itineraries as against just a few chosen ones these last few years. It is a signature program that we have weaved into all our itineraries this year due to high demand. This is an exclusive dining experience at a local’s home.” Trafalgar launched this brochure in key markets across India including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune. Lim adds, “This year too we are guaranteeing all confirmed departures under our ‘Discoveries’ series for itineraries starting from April to October 2018. That means travel agents can book with confidence and don’t have to worry about whether a tour will be cancelled or not. This is also extended to some of the itineraries in our ‘Best of’ series but not all as of now. So they need to check this on our website before making the bookings.” It has also kept the early bird deal that it is giving out till the end of February 2018 that offers 10 per cent off on all itineraries unless they are already full.

Ebix, Inc, international supplier of on-demand software and e-commerce services to the insurance, financial, e-governance and healthcare industries, has announced that one of its Singapore subsidiaries has entered into an agreement to acquire Bengaluru-based Via.com, an omni-channel online travel and assisted e-commerce exchange. The acquisition of Via expands on Ebix’s distribution network to over 224,000 distribution outlets in the South East of Asia, besides offering significant cross selling opportunities for Ebix’s EbixCash Financial Exchange portfolio of products. Under the terms of the agreement, Via was valued at a total enterprise value of approximately $74.9 million. The closing of the transaction is expected over the next few days. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Ebix earnings immediately. Via has shown growth at a CAGR of 45 per cent over the last three years with over 110,000 distribution outlets and 8000 corporate clients. Its distribution network encompasses over 85,000 agents in India, 14,700 agents in Indonesia, 9,900 agents in Philippines, 600 agents in Singapore and 350 agents in UAE and Oman. Ebix intends to consolidate this acquisition into its Financial Exchange – EbixCash while bringing significant synergies and redundancies to the combined operation. The acquisition of the Omni-channel Business, would further strengthen Ebix’s position in the Financial Exchange market in India, as travel transactions can be one of the key areas of any leading financial exchange, with an estimated user base of 600 million in India alone. Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital said, “Ebix is a logical home for Via, as it complements EbixCash’s financial exchange portfolio perfectly, opening up tremendous cross-selling opportunities on both sides. We are excited about the possibilities this offers for both our customers and …

SriLankan Airlines extended its route network with the launch of daily non-stop services to Melbourne on October 29, 2017. Ajith Dias, Chairman of Sri Lanka’s national carrier, said: “We at SriLankan Airlines are delighted to launch this new service, which we have no doubt would be of great convenience to all segments of travelers, including the large number of Sri Lankans domiciled in Australia, the many Australians who love to travel overseas and people throughout Asia who visit Down Under.” Sri Lankan expatriates and students form a large and significant community in Australia, and frequently travel back to their native land. Many of them reside in Melbourne, and other cities in the state of Victoria and neighbouring New South Wales, with smaller numbers throughout the rest of Australia and New Zealand. Captain Suren Ratwatte, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, said: “We have been extending our route network in a systematic manner throughout Asia – from the Middle East to the Far East – and can now provide Australian travelers excellent options in connectivity, with one-stop journeys to the most popular destinations via Colombo.” A member of the prestigious oneworld global airline alliance, SriLankan offers convenient connections to 14 cities throughout India, nine in the Middle East and other destinations such as Male and Gan Island in the Maldives, and Seychelles. SriLankan also operates one-stop twice-daily services between Sri Lanka and Australia with its codeshare partners Qantas and Malaysia Airlines. Passengers will enjoy the comforts of the airline’s modern Airbus A330 aircraft between Melbourne and Colombo, with flatbeds in Business Class, sophisticated in-flight entertainment and world class service provided by SriLankan’s award winning cabin crew.

Global hospitality group Carlson Rezidor announced the entry of Radisson in Mumbai with the signing of a 112-key property called Radisson Mumbai Andheri MIDC. The hotel is being developed in partnership with GHV Hospitality India and will be managed by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia, said, “We are delighted to sign the management agreement for Radisson Mumbai Andheri MIDC, which is significant to us in many ways. Radisson is a firmly established global brand with over 200 hotels in operation and development throughout the world.” Source: PTI