Effective June 12, 2017, Ethiopian Immigration and Nationality Affairs main Department in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines is offering e-visa service for international visitors to Ethiopia. The e-visa is processed and issued online on a single webpage where applicants apply, pay and secure their entry visa online. Once the online application is approved, applicants will receive an email authorising them to travel to Ethiopia and they will get their passport stamped with the visa upon arrival in Addis Ababa. Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines, says, “The full commencement of the Online Visa application and issuance system will promote tourism, trade and investment to the country. It will save time, energy and cost for travelers to Ethiopia in addition to the simplicity and convenience that it facilitates. With direct flights to/from more than 95 destinations from all corners of the world operated by the most modern airplanes, we will continue to make travel to Ethiopia, dependable, easy, convenient and affordable. I will take this opportunity to thank our IT team and our colleagues at the Main Department for Immigration & Nationality Affairs for the commendable collaboration and the job well done.” Gebreyohannes Teklu, Director Main Department for Immigration & Nationality Affairs, commented, “We are glad that we have been working together with Ethiopian Airlines for the effective implementation of e-visa facilities at Bole International Airport. Now international visitors to Ethiopia, from countries provisioned for visa upon arrival, will make use of this service. Moreover, we have set up separate counters to process the visas of travelers under electronic travel authorization.”

The Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council has considered revision of tax on hotel rooms and decided that while those in the range of Rs 2,000-Rs 7,500 a day tariff would face 18 per cent tax, rooms with daily tariff above Rs 7,500 would be taxed at 28 per cent. This comes as a slight relief for the hospitality and travel industry, especially in comparison with the initial rate of 28 per cent being levied for hotels charging over Rs 5000 per night. However, Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister, has said that the GST on restaurant service in 5-star hotels would attract 18 per cent tax.

Singapore Airlines has announced a special offer exclusively for its new and existing KrisFlyer loyalty card members. Customers booking a Singapore Airlines or SilkAir (regional wing of Singapore Airlines) return ticket from June 16-30, 2017, on www.singaporeair.com or SingaporeAir mobile app will receive two complimentary flights on Vistara. This offer is valid for travel between July 01 and August 31, 2017, on Suites, First, Business and Economy (Flexi and Flexi Saver) fares. Travel on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flights must originate from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. Except for Singapore Airlines Suites or First Class passengers who will be entitled to Vistara’s Business Class, customers will be allotted the same cabin class on their complimentary Vistara tickets with a travel validity from July 21, 2017 – August 31, 2018. Furthermore, travellers from India can redeem a complimentary S$20 Changi Dollar Voucher for use at all participating shops, restaurants and lounges when they transit at Singapore Changi Airport. Indian nationals can also avail of one-way, Visa Free Transit Facility for up to 96 hours in Singapore with a valid onward ticket and a valid visa from selected countries. The transit facility will be provided at the discretion of the immigration authorities.

Cox and Kings (C&K) has launched four Holiday Clubs in New Delhi which will offer customers a variety of experiential holiday options. Travellers can select from various holiday divisions of C&K to enable travel, getaway goddess and trip 360. The purpose behind launching these lounges is to mark its presence in areas where there is heavy footfall of consumers. “We launched four lounges in Connaught Place, Rajouri Garden, South Extention and MGF Metropolitan mall. Delhi is one of our key markets and these concept stores will provide the customers with a unique shopping experience,” said Karan Anand, Head Relations, C&K. He further added that these stores will complement the existing points of sales that C&K has in New Delhi with an aim to be present where the customers would most likely shop. The company is going to market these stores along with their trade promotion strategies.

Vistara has introduced two additional daily return flights between Delhi and Bengaluru to celebrate the second anniversary of its service on the route. With this addition, Vistara now flies five times return daily (four times on Sundays) between the two cities, taking the count of weekly flights on the route (both ways) to 68. Elaborating on this, Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “In a short time Vistara has emerged as the airline of choice for corporate customers, and the increase in frequency from 3 to 5 flights daily each way between Delhi and Bengaluru is in response to their request for more Vistara flights between these cities. Not only will these flights help us meet the needs of our frequent flyers, it will also attract those wanting to fly us more often.  Bengaluru is a key market for Vistara, and we intend to add more flights there over time, slots permitting.”

Qatar Airways has said that their operations to and from its Doha hub are running smoothly, and in fact, they will only be growing their network. The airline launched direct service to Dublin, Republic of Ireland on June 1. Qatar Airways will also start service to Nice, France, on 4 July, and flights to Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, on 17 July. Other new destinations planned for the remainder of this year and 2018 include Las Vegas (USA), Canberra (Australia), Douala (Cameroon), Libreville (Gabon), Medan (Indonesia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santiago (Chile) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as many others. The airline’s much talked about ‘First in Business seat’—Qsuite, will be showcased at the Paris Air Show from 19–25 June before debuting on its first route, between Doha and London Heathrow, later this month.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has finalised the Chairman and Co-chairman of their convention scheduled from September 7-10, 2017 at The Mayfair Convention Centre in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO, is the Chairman, while Lally Matthews, Hon. Secretary, IATO, has been designated as the Co-Chairman for the convention. On their planning for the convention, Mehra said, “We are looking forward to an excellent convention, and discuss various issues like GST, role of social media, as well as how to get leads through websites and developing websites. Through sessions, we will be working towards the ultimate aim of telling our members how to grow their business. We are choosing topics through which we can do something for our medium and small sized operators.” Matthews, on the other hand, said, “Right now we are trying to get the registrations started. Also, we are waiting for the GST roll out, so that the hotel rates can be finalised under the new regime.”

SpiceJet has announced its e-commerce venture SpiceStyle, which would reportedly help in increasing the airline’s ancillary revenue. This would be SpiceJet’s entry into the retail segment, and the airline has announced that the portal is expected to rake in additional revenues worth Rs 150 crore in the first year. According to a statement by the airline, “The new venture will further boost SpiceJet’s ancillary revenue income which has grown from 6 per cent to around 17 per cent in the last two years.” Initially planned as an in-flight service, SpiceStyle is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SpiceJet and an e-commerce portal ‘www.spicestyle.com’ has been set up in this regard. Besides, it has tied up with Amazon to launch an all new brand store. The strategic alliance would offer SpiceStyle’s entire portfolio of brands on the shopping portal at launch prices offering 25 per cent discount.

Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) is organising the 2nd Odisha Tourism Conclave on June 17, 2017, at Hotel Swosti Premium, Bhubaneswar. The theme of the conclave is ‘Tourism to be the Driving Force of Future Economy’. The conclave will see discussions on different potential issues relating to tourism sector and the conclave is planned to cover sub themes like ‘Branding of Odisha’, ‘Infrastructure to boost Tourism’, ‘Richness of Eco & Wildlife Tourism’, ‘Creating Tourism Friendly Awareness’, ‘Media & Tourism’, ‘Social Media & Digital Marketing in Tourism Promotion’, ‘Advantages of Odisha Tourism Policy 2016’, ‘Planning From Smart City to Smart State’, ‘Odisha a Buddhist Tourism Circuit’ and ‘Enhancing Skills & Training in Hospitality Education in Tourism Promotion’. Dr. S. C. Jamir, Governor of Odisha,  is expected to inaugurate the Conclave in the morning and the valedictory ceremony will be attended by the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the evening of June 17, 2017, at the Swosti Premium Hotel, Bhubaneswar.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on e-Tourist Visa during May 2017 were 0.68 lakh as compared to 0.44 lakh during the month of May 2016 registering a growth of 55.3 per cent. During January-May 2017, a total of 6.50 lakh tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 4.35 lakh during January-May 2016, registering a growth of 49.4 per cent. The percentage shares of top 15 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facilities during  May, 2017 were as follows: USA (15.1%), UK (13.1%), China (8.4%), Germany (4.3%), Australia (4.1%), France (4.0%), Canada (3.9%), Korea (3.4%), Singapore (2.8%), Malaysia (2.5%), Russian Fed (2.2%), Spain (2.1%), UAE (2.0%), Thailand (1.9%), and South Africa (1.6%). The percentage shares of top 15 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during May, 2017 were as follows: New Delhi Airport (45.1%), Mumbai Airport (21.4%), Bengaluru Airport (8.6%), Chennai Airport (7.8%), Kochi Airport (3.6%), Hyderabad Airport (2.8%), Kolkata Airport (2.5%), Dabolim (Goa) Airport (1.9%), Ahmedabad Airport (1.4%), Amritsar Airport (1.2%), Tirchy Airport (1.1%), Trivandrum Airport (1.1%), Jaipur Airport (0.4%), Calicut Airport (0.4%)and Pune Airport(0.3%).