SpiceJet will reportedly offer Dubai visa services to Indian passengers in association with Cozmo Travel World. It will offer services for both 14 and 30-day tourist visa based on the passengers’ requirement. “The service is available to all Indian passport holders who fulfil the eligibility conditions prescribed by the UAE Visa authorities,” the airline said in a statement. “This facility can be availed by any person visiting Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and holding valid round trip tickets of the company. The visa service is available at a competitive rate starting from Rs 5,412 per passenger.” The airline said the facility is only for ‘single entry visa’, which stands valid for 59 days from the date of issue with a stay period of 13 days (14 days’ visa) or stay period of 29 days (30 days’ visa) from the date of entry.

“There is great opportunity for promoting creative industries in various sectors from tourism, medical, healthcare, Bollywood and technology sectors besides financial services and innovation and technology in Cyprus,” said Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus while addressing an event hosted by the All India Association of Industries (AIAI) in Mumbai. Anastasiades said Cyprus will offer various incentive and conducive atmosphere to promote these sectors to the investors who are looking forward to establish bilateral trade relations with Cyprus. He met with the President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and signed various MoUs to promote business and cultural relations. Cyprus is also working on establishing air connectivity between India. “Cyprus is all set to extend assistance to India in improving the business environment between the two countries. We want to unlock the potential relationship by rebooting an age-old relationship in the wake of strengthening economic relations. Joint efforts of government together with trade and industry will facilitate bilateral trade and increase co-operation in fields of interest including tourism,” he adds. The Cypriot government is also keen to invite Bollywood producers to shoot their movies in the country.

South Africa received 6,300 Indian tourists to the destination during January 2017. The country aims to welcome more than 104,000 tourists from India in 2017. “We have been witnessing consistent growth in tourist inflow from India. Looking at the growth trend we are expecting to host 104,000 Indian tourists in 2017. We are focused in increasing our engagement with travel agents and customer outreach through outdoor media, television, digital and print,” said Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism-India. She further says that the destination is looking forward to very high numbers during the summer holiday season running from now until mid-June. Slabber informed that the tourism board is planning to engage potential travellers in Tier-II markets through the agent-specific ‘Learn South Africa’ programme, which will train travel agents in 17 Indian cities during July 2017. She also added that with over 3,129 product offerings, and more being added, South Africa has something for everyone. “We are planning to train and customise specialised product offerings for travellers in these places with city-specific joint promotions with travel agents in all 17 cities. We have also published tourism related information and product offerings in six Indian vernacular languages,” she added. The destination is also focusing on the MICE segment and young solo travellers from India. (Source: PTI)S

Thomas Cook (India) through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Thomas Cook India Group announced its acquisition of Kuoni’s global network of Destination Management Specialists, covering 17 countries across the geographies of the Americas, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia. The transaction will be completed post customary closing conditions. The multinational acquisition creates a strong global network that will transform the Thomas Cook India Group into a globally integrated travel services provider with the ability to leverage inherent synergies across its global travel portfolio. The agreement includes premium brands with expert knowledge of their respective regions, including, ‘Asian Trails’, ‘Desert Adventures Tourism’, ‘Gulf Dunes’, ‘Private Safaris (East & South)’, ‘Allied TPro’ as well as ‘Australian Tours Management’ and extends across 17 countries – USA, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook India Group said, “In keeping with the Fairfax strategic intent of fair and friendly acquisitions, our agreement to acquire Kuoni’s global network of Destination Management Specialists in 17 countries, provides us a significant expanded global footprint with enhanced presence in The Americas, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia- all favoured destinations for tourists and business travellers worldwide.” He added, “This acquisition is a strong reiteration that the Thomas Cook India Group continues to invest and grow its travel businesses globally with a view to creating strong value for its customers.”

Created exclusively for the ultra-luxury market, One&Only Resorts recently held a presentation over lunch in Pune city. About 60 agents attended the event that had presentations from all One&Only Resorts, with a focus on One&Only Royal Mirage. A similar presentation was held in Ahmedabad this week as the focus for the hospitality group is on Tier-II cities of India this year.

Gulf Air has partnered with VFS Global to facilitate visa issuance for passengers flying to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The online visa facility will launch this summer on gulfair.com. Signing the agreement with VFS Global, Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer, Ahmed Janahi, said, “We are partnering with VFS Global to provide a much needed service to Gulf Air passengers that will support our national carrier’s longstanding efforts to promote the Kingdom as a destination to a broad spectrum of travellers while making the process of obtaining a visa to Bahrain easier and more convenient. Soon, Gulf Air passengers will be able to easily obtain short term visit visas to Bahrain via our website gulfair.com – allowing them to come to Bahrain and experience all that our Kingdom has to offer in terms of tourism, business opportunities and more.” Zubin Karkaria, Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group, says, “Integrating next-generation convenience into the traditional visa process lies at the heart of our services. We are pleased to synergise our efforts with Gulf Air and the Government of Bahrain to ensure greater flexibility and digital-friendly services for visitors to Bahrain, while maintaining the security requirements of the visa process. We believe the online e-visa platform will make visa application much more convenient for Gulf Air customers, providing them with greater speed and transparency in the process, thereby enhancing their overall experience.” Vinay Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East & South Asia, VFS Global, added, “Applying for an eVisa through our dedicated online platform, designed exclusively for Gulf Air passengers, will transform the visa application experience for passengers, offering more customer-centric services. Quicker turnaround times, 24X7 accessibility, and online tracking, amongst other advantages, …

About 50 travel agents gathered at Mumbai’s Ballard Pier to get onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s luxury cruise ship called Seven Seas Voyager that made its way from Bangkok into the Indian Ocean and onwards to Rome. The agents were from Mumbai as well as other cities like New Delhi, Gujarat and even Bengaluru. They did a ship inspection followed by a sit-down lunch at one of the ship’s fine-dining restaurants while interacting with Steve Odell, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Promoted as the most luxurious ship ever built, Regent Seven Seas was docked in Mumbai for two days and had 99 per cent occupancy.

After venturing in to Malaysia last year, OYO Rooms is now entering Nepal with the launch of its debut hotel in Kathmandu.  Launched in 2013, OYO’s network has grown to 7000 hotels in 200 cities.  Nepal is the second overseas market for OYO, after its successful venture into Malaysia in January 2016 where it has now grown to 200 hotels. Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO, OYO, said, “OYO has been at the forefront of the small and budget hotels revolution in India. Building the category grounds-up, we have employed technology and operational acumen to deliver delight to our customers and unparalleled benefits to partners. Our network has witnessed robust growth to become the largest in India. After our successful overseas foray in Malaysia, we are now thrilled to offer OYO’s hassle-free and standardized stay experience to travellers visiting Nepal.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UDAN – the Regional Connectivity Scheme for civil aviation, from Shimla Airport. Under this scheme, flights have begun today from Shimla, Nanded and Kadapa airports. The Shimla-Delhi flight will be operated by Air India, which opened the bookings for the same on Tuesday with all-inclusive fares starting at Rs 2,036. The Prime Minister addressed the gathering at Shimla Airport, and also at Nanded and Kadapa via video link. He said that with this launch dreams of middle class will take flight. “The lives of the middle class are being transformed and their aspirations are increasing. Earlier, aviation was considered to be the domain of a select few. That has changed now,” he said.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has launched a business travel solution specially designed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India called ‘CWT For You’. The solution will give SMEs access to CWT’s specially negotiated airfares and hotel rates, as well as added benefits like in-flight meals, preferred seat selection, flight changes and cancellations at no extra charge on various low-cost carriers. Typically these benefits can add up to close to 20 per cent of the ticket price. Geeta Jain, CEO, India, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, says, “Indian SMEs and start-ups have seen tremendous growth in recent years, with many expanding nationwide and some even venturing into international markets,” said. “Yet most of these companies have very little control over what they spend on business travel – a significant chunk of their total spend.” With no minimum spend threshold or applicable transaction fees, this new service is available through a web-based registration and is focused on giving these growing businesses access to some of the benefits of managed travel that larger corporations enjoy.