The Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) will kick-start in Kochi on September 27, 2018 with Malabar Tourism promotion as its main theme. The three-day conclave, organised by KTM Society in partnership with Kerala Tourism, will be held from September 28-30. Pre-registration of buyers will commence in January 2018. “The 10th edition of KTM will be inaugurated coinciding with World Tourism Day (September 27) in Kochi. The inauguration will be followed by three-day business to business meetings. There is huge scope for tourism growth in Malabar with the inauguration of Kannur airport next year,” he said. The minister said the Responsible Tourism Mission has already started activities to spread its objectives to more places and make it a state-wide project, instead of concentrating it in a few places. Kerala Tourism Principal Secretary Dr Venu V said, “There is more to KTM than trade exchanges. The mart will feature 400 stalls showcasing a range of products, packages and services offered by businesses and entrepreneurs.” Source: PTI

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) signed an MoA with a strategic vision to promote tourism from the catchment area of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad to Malaysia. This tri-partite MoA involves collaborative market research, strategy development, promotional campaigns and marketing efforts with an aim to enhance the visibility of ‘Destination Malaysia’ in Hyderabad. The trend shows that over 100,000 passengers travel between Hyderabad and Malaysia every year; and this traffic has grown by 28 per cent CAGR in the last five years. SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said, “We are happy to sign this first of its kind MoA between airport operators – GHIAL and MAHB and Malaysia Tourism. This is a strategic initiative, which we have taken up to enhance the outbound tourism from our catchment region to key international destinations to enhance RGIA’s International connectivity and traffic growth.” Datuk Mohd Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director, MAHB, said, “We are delighted to partner MTPB and GHIAL in this unique endeavour. This mutually beneficial three-way partnership will enhance the visibility of Malaysia’s tourism attractions in Hyderabad and surrounding areas.”  

After being away from the Indian market for nine years, Alitalia resumed its operations in the country with a direct daily service between Delhi-Rome. Fabio Lazzerini, CCO, Alitalia, addressed the gathering and said that in 2015, around 4,60,000 people travelled between India and Italy, and the new flight would play a huge role in the growth of tourism between the two countries. “Re-investing in the country, we started the flight to meet the increasing demand. We have a state-of-the-art 250-seater A330 aircraft on the Delhi-Rome route, which has on board wi-fi in all the classes. The Business Class in Alitalia is called the Magnifica with ultra-luxurious service onboard as well as on ground. There is also a Premier Economy, which offers great comfort as well as extra legroom. The Economy Class also gives the comfort of Alitalia with amazing entertainment and meal options. We are starting new flights in our winter schedule this year from both India and Maldives.”

In a move to enhance air connectivity, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) welcomed Dutch Carrier, KLM’s Mumbai and Amsterdam services on October 30. The airline will be operating 294-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 30 World Business Class, 45 Economy Comfort Class And 219 Economy Class. The flights will operate thrice a week. Earlier, Mumbai-Amsterdam route was served with daily services offered by Jet Airways. Along with KLM, the route will be served with a total of ten services per week. Last week, CSIA welcomed Thai Smile’s maiden flight on the Mumbai-Bangkok route, the second airline after Thai Lion to start services on the sector within a month.

VFS Global recently received authorisation from the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi and its Consulates in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai to process Thailand Visa Application Centres across India. In order to provide convenience to the travellers from across East, West, North and South India, VFS Global has expanded its network of Thailand Visa Application Centres to 13 cities. VFS Global has already been servicing Thailand visas in East, North and South India, with centres in the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Kochi and Chandigarh. With the addition of operations in Western India, travellers can now also apply for a Thailand visa at any one of the VFS Global Thailand Visa Application Centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa. Vinay Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer – Middle East and South Asia, VFS Global, says, “Thailand has long been a popular destinati0n for Indian travellers, and a long-standing partner of VFS Global. For well over a decade, we have proudly served The Royal Thai Embassy and The Royal Thai Consulate General in India, with nine centres. It is therefore an honour to announce that VFS Global has been authorised to expand its Thailand visa services across India through its network of visa centres in 13 cities.” With Thailand emerging as one of the top destinations for Indian travellers, VFS Global’s appointment as a service provider will greatly benefit the growing volumes of applicants from India. When applying through VFS Global, applicants will be able to avail of the additional benefits on offer across VFS Global’s Visa Application Centres including services such as SMS updates, courier services, online tracking services, among others.

The Tourism Department of Kerala has launched a marketing campaign “#GoKerala” in association with HolidayIQ, India’s largest travel community, in order to promote state tourism. Under this campaign, five couples will get a chance to win a 10 days, all-expense paid trip to Kerala. Speaking about the campaign, P. Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism and Managing Director, Kannur International Airport said, “Kerala Tourism has always sought new and innovative marketing avenues to build Kerala as the top tourism brand and destination. Hence, we are excited to partner with Holiday where they have provided an innovative concept to invite real travellers with varying preferences from their vast travel community to experience the beauty and hospitality of Kerala and Kerala Tourism department.” #GoKerala campaign is a content-led, multiple-platform campaign with a dedicated microsite, integrated touchpoints and targeted reach. The experiential campaign, unlike traditional marketing campaigns, is completely powered by the holiday experiences and reviews of travellers across the country. “A holiday itinerary, specially curated by Kerala Tourism and HolidayIQ, will show these travellers a Kerala beyond its backwaters and mere honeymoon destination to being a wholesome family destination – a true taste of God’s own country!” P. Bala Kiran further added. The campaign has been live on all social platforms and receiving overwhelming response from travellers across the country, looking for the perfect destination to holiday this winter season. The idea is to promote and showcase unexplored destinations of Kerala and position Kerala as a family holiday destination across the country. Speaking on the occasion, Rohit Rawal, Head of Brand Solutions, Holiday said, “As India’s first and largest travel community, HolidayIQ has always been a pioneer in bringing experiential marketing to the …

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is offering battery-operated vehicle for tourists visiting the Raj Bhavan. Owing to an increase in the number of tourists at the Raj Bhavan, the government is now looking to further develop the tourist attraction. Raj Bhavan is the authorised residence of Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, one of the best-protected landmarks in the city, for public viewing and the gates of the inheritance building are open for public for three days a week. The two-hour trip starts at 6 am and comes with a directed walk through the Bhavan. The battery-operated vehicle will assist in offering an eco-friendly tour of the Raj Bhavan. Eco-sensitive zones will be identified by MTDC in areas including the hill stations, coastlines and spiritual sites, where diesel and petrol vehicles will not be permitted and only battery-operated or e-vehicles will be allowed for zero pollution. The state government is working on developing some cities as cycling hotspots and to encourage environmental friendly tourism. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “We are delighted to offer a battery-operated vehicle to the Raj Bhavan to enhance the tourism and create the wide visibility for this heritage site in Mumbai. Raj Bhavan, the governor’s Malabar Hill home has become the town’s novel tourist hotspot and our aim is to transform Maharashtra as an environment friendly tourist destination. This is a small effort by MTDC to diversify tourism products to cater to the passions of growing travellers.”

The Ultimate Travelling Camp (TUTC) is set to extend its philosophy of luxury to lodges and palaces. The rebranded luxury lodge called Jaagir Lodge Dudhwa, located in the rainforests of the Terai, Uttar Pradesh, will be operational from December 19, 2017 to June 15, 2018 when the game viewing is at its best. The colonial structure built in the 1940’s is a gateway to India’s four distinct forests reserves – Dudhwa, Katarniaghat, Kishanpur and Pilibhit. The lodge is a witness to the Bengal Tiger conservation programme – ‘Project Tiger’ championed by renowned conservationist Billy Arjan Singh. Rajnish Sabharwal, COO, TUTC said, “We are excited to unveil our new jungle lodge safari experience in Dudhwa. A beautiful colonial structure like Jaagir Lodge preserved deep in the Terai is a rare find and we thought it was a great opportunity to bring this hidden gem to the esteemed travellers seeking wildlife encounters in the comforts of luxury. TUTC’s Jaagir Lodge Dudhwa is infused with the same warmth and exceptional services as our other luxury camping properties.”  

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) certified 13 hotels in Maharashtra under new norms which are more contemporary and global in standards as compared to existing ratings. As per the new norms, hotel properties will be classified, rated or graded under six categories listed as Budget, Classic, Premium, Luxury, Deluxe Luxury and Primo Luxury, and will be uniform for both domestic and foreign tourists. “The objective behind developing the IHQS is to educate our members on modern quality standards as well as reduce the burden of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). The Government can now focus on improving and promoting tourism, while, we from the industry, are doing our bit to support the initiative,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI. The Shalimar Hotel, The Fern Residency, Golden Swan Beach Resort, The Emerald, Peninsula Grand Hotel, Sun-N-Sand Hotel, Holiday Inn Mumbai international Airport, Waterstones Hotel, T24 Residency, Hotel Transit, Hotel Meluha, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre and Hyatt Place are among the first hotels to have been audited as per the new classification standards and have been officially certified as of October 25, 2017.

Vistara recorded an excellent performance on several key parameters in September 2017, as per the DGCA monthly report. The airline topped on-time performance (OTP) and passenger load factor (PLF) amongst full service carriers, as well as in consistently maintaining the lowest cancellations and customer complaint rates amongst all pan-India carriers while having zero denied boarding. Vistara’s PLF stood at 84.1 per cent and continued to be the highest amongst all full-service carriers in India for the seventh consecutive month. The airline registered a year-on-year growth of 60 per cent in weekly flights from July-September 2017, operating close to 100 daily flights across 19 destinations. Though its fleet in the period increased just 23 per cent, Vistara had flown 1.1m passengers, compared to 0.6m in the same period the previous year, demonstrating 83 per cent growth and resulting in a 12pp increase in its average load factor. The improved performance was driven by higher utilisation of aircraft compared to the same period last year.