Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) organised an interactive meeting with Sungita Sharma, Principal Commissioner CBEC, Govt. of India who is also head of Sectorial Working Group for GST on Travel & Tourism to address GST concerns of its members. The session was held at The Park New Delhi, where IATO members raised questions and concerns regarding GST to Sharma as well as Bipin Sapra, Ernst & Young. Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO, said that after the GST law has been passed there has been ambiguity on various aspects of the law including the definition of tour operators, how to file for input credit, hotel rates as well as airlines. He added that Sharma gave clarity on these subjects and also noted their advice to take them into consideration with the GST Council.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Israel has announced plans to launch flight service to Tel Aviv from Delhi and Mumbai. He made the announcement addressing the Indian diaspora in Israel on Wednesday, and urged the community to make frequent visits to India with this flight. The Prime Minister promised to ease the process of acquiring Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards by Israelis of Indian origin. Now, people of Indian community who have done compulsory army service in Israel will be eligible for OCI cards. He also announced that an Indian Cultural Centre would be set up in Israel.

The third edition of FICCI Tourism Investment Meet was held in New Delhi on July 5-6, 2017 in an attempt to facilitate investment through one-on-one meetings. State tourism departments showcased their policies and facilities that would encourage potential investors to capitalise on tourism. State governments with the likes of Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra and West Bengal took part on the occasion and solicited investment in tourism infrastructure through presentations and face to face pre-scheduled meetings with the investors. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Jyotsna Suri, Past President FICCI, & Chairperson, FICCI Tourism Committee said, “Three years ago, we embarked on this journey and once again, we are back here to help facilitate investment in tourism infrastructure development. We have gathered investors from around India, from hotels & resorts, convention centres, theme parks, adventure tourism, roadways etc., and hope this will give tourism the essential push it needs.” Rashmi Verma, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India in her special address said, “The tourism industry is one of the largest sectors all over the country, and is a major driver of the economy and for employment generation. India, with its abundant tourism products, is replete with different destinations, topography, weather and an old heritage. We have been jumping positions in several reports and have been doing well, especially in the month of May where growth has been 19.4 per cent and is one of the highest achieved. It has been encouraging to see this during May, which is considered as a lean month. However, we have a long way to go and if we really want our industry to reach greater heights, upgrading the infrastructure is the way …

Air India will finally start operations on its Delhi-Washington route with a direct flight from July 7, 2017. While the national carrier is grappling with the disinvestment issue, it is continuing to start the new flights which it had already announced. Air India hosted a gala evening to launch the flight for the travel trade at The Ashok, New Delhi, which saw the bigwigs of the industry in attendance.

Red Apple Travel will be hosting roadshows in 3 cities in July this year. On 18th July, they will start in Chennai, then move on to Ahmadabad on the 20th and finally end in Mumbai on the 21st. Commenting on this, Neha Goenka, Group Director, Red Apple Group said, “The roadshow will be a platform where we will be getting all our destination heads to meet our travel industry partners one on one. It will help them get an insight of our DMC offices and what kind of services we offer. We will be portraying our new products and destinations for this year at the roadshows.”

Tourism Fiji, represented by Mumbai-based Global Destinations in India, has planned a six-city roadshow in the country at the end of July this year. The roadshow will start on July 24 in Mumbai, then reach Kolkata on July 26, moving on to New Delhi on July 27, then to Ahmedabad on July 28 and Chennai on July 31 and finally end at Bengaluru on August 1, 2017. Pranav Kapadia, Founder, Global Destinations, explains, “We will have 10 Fijian partners coming down for this roadshow. These will include hotels, resorts and DMCs.” Global Destinations will also be present at the Global Panaroma Showcase (GPS) 2017 in three cities: Pune, Kochi and Chandigarh.

Fern Hotels & Resorts has recently announced the opening of its 31st hotel, namely, Amanora The Fern in Magarpatta, Pune, Maharashtra. Suhail Kannampilly, COO, Concept Hospitality, says, “Amanora is the second property we are opening under the Fern brand. We already have a property at MIDC Pune and we have got a very good response from the market. People have realized how committed we are to responsible luxury. This will also give them a chance to participate in their little way to the cause of environment.” The 26-key property, which is spread over 4.5 acres with a capacity to cater 3000 people, is owned by City Corporation Limited. It also has a squash court, a tennis court, a gym, a spa, a library and a huge indoor swimming pool. It also has an amphitheatre.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu recently launched e-Inner Line Permit (eILP) to make the entry to the state paperless and hassle-free for domestic visitors. Inner Line Permit is an official travel document issued by the central government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period. Khandu optimistically expressed that with this step, there would be a significant increase in the number of visitors to the state as they can now get ILPs from their homes without having to go to the designated offices physically. Visitors can apply and obtain the mandatory inner line permit online at www.arunachalilp.com. Special Secretary Information Technology, Prince Dhawan, explained that after fulfilling all criteria online, visitors will receive the ILP with unique identity number and codes in soft copy in their emails, which can be displayed on their mobile handsets or tabs at the entry gates for verification. However, ILPs can also be obtained at entry gates and other designated places (like Guwahati airport) physically on payment of fees.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia and Cruise Club Vacations announced their partnership whereby Cruise Club Vacations has been appointed as the first Executive Partner (travel and tourism) for CLIA in Asia. Commenting on the appointment, Tarique Hussain, Director, Cruise Club, said, “By appointing Cruise Club as the first Executive Partner (Travel & Tourism) for CLIA in Asia, the partnership recognises the contribution Cruise Club has made in the Indian industry in training and empowering travel agents to grow their cruise business from India. Our appointment with CLIA further endorses the opportunities in the market and reinforces our focus on training our travel partners in India.” He further elaborated that India is one of the fastest growing source markets for cruise lines and Indian guests are now expanding their horizons from mainstream and popular cruises and moving to exploring luxury, expedition, river and small ship cruising as well. Peter Kollar, Head of International Training & Development, CLIA, added, “CLIA is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association and is dedicated to promoting the cruise travel experience; educate and train its travel agent members and promote and explain the value, desirability and affordability of a cruise holiday. We value the focus on training that Cruise Club brings and through this partnership, Cruise Club will work with us and represent CLIA at regional cruise trainings, along with introducing it to the Indian travel industry.”

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) addressed its members’ queries regarding the recently implemented GST regime. Chartered Accountant Ashok Batra made a presentation to explain the nitty-gritty of this new tax structure and also elaborated on how this would affect the members of the association in day-to-day business activities. The members attended the seminar with full enthusiasm and raised various queries, all of which were addressed during the event itself.