Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), an ISKCON project and a wellness destination which is a premium MahaBhraman status certified by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), announced the launch of Govardhan School of Yoga. It recently received the prestigious UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) Award for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism. Dr. K.H. Govinda Raj, IAS, Managing Director of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, stated, “We are delighted to be associated with Govardhan Eco Village as they are significantly contributing through innovative initiatives which are competitive and at the same time sustainable in character. Govardhan Eco Village is the only destination in Asia to be awarded by UNWTO this year. As more people embrace overall healthier lifestyles at home, we are now seeing those behaviours translate and be integrated into their travel and vacation habits. This initiative will attract tourists from all across the world.” Govardhan Eco Village highlights the importance of spiritual ecology. The 28-day residential program will enables guests to not only learn and teach yoga, but also to learn healthy eating, taking care of your body but also meditation practices. Gauranga Das, Director, Govardhan Eco Village said,” It’s our honour and privilege to receive this award on behalf of land of India and we would like to express our gratitude to UNWTO for giving this opportunity to share this message of sustainability on a larger scale especially in this year which is celebrated as the year of sustainable tourism.”

The Government of India and the Government of UAE have signed an MoU on mutual exemption of entry visa requirements to the holders of Diplomatic, special and Official Passports. The agreement allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passports visa free travel between the two countries. This was a part of several list of agreements/MOUs exchanged during the State visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India. He is the Chief Guest in the Republic Day celebrations.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) held an interactive meeting at the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, for its members on the new legislation for service tax, where they had invited S.C. Kamra, Advocate and expert on service tax. Kamra made a presentation on the service tax on how the new notification will impact the tour operators. The session saw a full house with around 300 members in attendance. The presentation was followed by question and answers, where IATO members put forward their queries and problems regarding the new Service Tax norms.

Finnair has launched its first flights to Goa this year, as part of its expansion in long-haul network. Starting November 29, 2017, the airline will start flying to the Indian beach destination, operating two weekly flights for the winter season, ending on March 21, 2018. Services will run every Wednesday and Sunday using an Airbus A330 aircraft. Apart from that, Finnair will add one more weekly flight to Delhi, taking the total frequency to six weekly flights next winter. It will also add two additional weekly frequencies on Helsinki-Bangkok route, taking the total to 16 flights per week. The airline will also add two more weekly services to Singapore, making it a daily destination, while three more weekly frequencies will be added to Hong Kong, taking the year-round total to 10 flights per week. “With the expected arrival of four new Airbus A350 aircraft in 2017, we are pressing ahead with our growth strategy,” said Juha Järvinen, Finnair’s chief commercial officer. “These newest additions will offer even more travel options and flexibility for our customers travelling between Asia and Europe through our efficient Helsinki airport hub which guarantees a short and smooth connection,” he added.

The Etihad Aviation Group Board of Directors has announced that James Hogan will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in the second half of 2017. The Board and Hogan first initiated the transition process last year with the formation in May of the Etihad Aviation Group, a diversified global aviation and travel organisation. H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of the Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We are very grateful to James. In just ten years, he has overseen the growth of the company from a 22 plane regional carrier into a 120 aircraft global airline and aviation group, with seven airline equity partnerships which together serve more than 120 million guests every year. It is a business which has set new benchmarks for service and innovation. Under his leadership, the company has provided new opportunities for thousands of Emiratis and has been a critical element in the remarkable progress of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We look forward to James’ continued association with Abu Dhabi in new ways.” Commenting on current priorities for the business, H.E. Mazrouei said, “To position the company for continued success in a challenging market, the Board and management team will continue an ongoing, company-wide strategic review. We must ensure that the airline is the right size and the right shape. We must continue to improve cost efficiency, productivity and revenue. We must progress and adjust our airline equity partnerships even as we remain committed to the strategy.” Last month, Etihad Airways unveiled plans to create a new European leisure airline group in a joint venture with TUI AG. A new codeshare agreement with Lufthansa and an …

Look To Book, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s global rewards program is celebrating its 25th anniversary and planning special promotions and offerings throughout the year to reward members for their efforts. Travel agents in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand can accrue points through special Look To Book 25th anniversary programming which are redeemable for stays at hotels around the world, gift cards, airline miles etc. While Look To Book rewards agents with 10 points per 1 USD, members will have the opportunity to earn even more points as part of the silver jubilee celebration by registering and booking hotel stays during the ‘Earn Up To 25,000 Points’ promotion period of January 17 through March 31, 2017; taking the ‘25 Years of Look To Book’ quiz and earn up to 1,000 points; bookmarking the Look To Book 25th anniversary page for additional bonus points throughout 2017. “We are excited to be celebrating 25 excellent years of Look to Book. The travel agent community has played an integral role in the success of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and to show our appreciation, we will be offering the special anniversary programme throughout the year which includes earning bonus points and prizes,” said Sandy Russell, Vice President-Commercial Operations, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Club Carlson will also be rolling out new campaigns and engagement initiatives in the coming months as we celebrate this milestone,” added Russell.

Bharat Parv is set to promote the rich cultural diversity of the country from January 26-31 2017 at the Red Fort. The highlights of the celebration include display of the Republic Day Parade Tableaux, performances by the Armed Forces Bands (static and moving), a multi-cuisine food court, crafts mela, cultural performances from different regions of the country and a photo exhibition by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The event will be inaugurated on January 26, 2017, and will be open to the public from 5-9 pm on the first day and from 12-9 pm from January 27-31, 2017. There will be 11 theme State Pavilions where each State would showcase their achievements and initiatives, tourism products and destinations, etc. The Ministry of Information Broadcasting is also setting up a Photo Exhibition on the theme “Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai”. A big attraction of the event is the Republic Day Parade Tableaux which will be stationed at the venue for the duration of the event. The Food Court will have 50 stalls set up by the States / UTs, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) showcasing food from different regions as well as by the Institutes of Hotel Management and ITDC. The Crafts Mela with 50 stalls will showcase the diverse handicrafts of the country, arranged by the State Governments and Ministry of Textiles through the Office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts.

OYO has come up with another offering and has launched OYO Townhouse, positioned as a friendly neighbourhood hotel. The new category will operate under the OYO Townhouse brand and aims for a footprint of 250 properties with 10,000+ rooms across 12 cities in India by end of 2017. OYO Townhouse offers a combination of a hotel, home, merchandise store and lounge and is targeted at Millennials, for whom price, convenience and a differentiated experience play an important role in determining choices. Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO, said, “OYO Townhouse represents our ongoing commitment to continue innovating and creating world-class hotel experiences from India. Townhouse will operate as a hotel, community hotspot, cafe and merchandise store – to deliver an all-encompassing experience to guests. This launch marks a milestone in our journey towards the next level of Hospitality, consolidating our position as a category innovator and leader.”

Ezeego1, a comprehensive online portal that provides end-to-end travel related services, launched its new franchise store in Surat, Gujarat, with an aim to grow its presence and cater to the increasing travel demand from travelers in this market. This franchise outlet will act as a one-stop-shop for all travel needs and provide services like flight tickets, hotel accommodation, car rentals, holiday packages, rail, cruise, bus, sightseeing, visa and insurance, both online and offline. Travelers can choose from a wide variety of group tour summer packages to domestic destinations like Ladakh, Andaman, Sikkim, Himachal, Goa and Kashmir and international destinations like Europe, South Africa, Dubai, Thailand, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Singapore, amongst many others. The store will also offer only- veg tours for travellers who have a vegetarian or Jain food preference. Neelu Singh, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Ezeego1, said, “We are happy to announce the launch of our franchisee owned and operated in Surat, an important source market for several destinations. Rising disposable income and growing travel aspirations have increased the travel appetite of people in Tier II and Tier III markets. Considering that a large number of travelers contributing to the domestic and international travel market are from Gujarat, there is immense opportunity to tap and gain a stronghold in this market. We also plan to expand our franchise network to other cities in West India, for deeper market penetration.” Ezeego1 will provide the franchisee with an active marketing, technical and store development support. The marketing activity will include print and radio advertising, attractive and preferential commercials. Store development support will include store designing to reinforce the brand’s look and feel. Training and technical support will be provided to …

After strategic tie-ups with eight state tourism departments across India, Stayzilla gets on board with Agri Tourism Development Company Private Limited (ATDC) to promote Agri Tourism homestays. ATDC is a private organization which stands to endorse agriculture tourism to achieve income, employment and economic stability in rural communities in India. It also helps to boost a range of activities, services and amenities provided by farmers and rural people to attract urban tourists to their area, thus providing opportunity for urban people to get back to the roots. The MoU was signed between Western Region Office of Stayzilla and ATDC Pune Headquarters. Ankit Rastogi, Vice President Marketplace, Stayzilla, said “India is largely an agrarian economy and most of the festivals and culture are centered at agriculture. The real taste of Indian culture lies in the villages and adding agri-tourism to the portfolio is a logical progression. With this collaboration Stayzilla becomes the strongest proponent of experiential tourism in India. Our associations with different state governments also share the same vision towards rural tourism.” Stayzilla will collaborate with ATDC to promote agri tourism by empowering the farmers to market their homestays with the support of Stayzilla’s platform. Under this MoU, more than 300 agri tourism stays will be listed on Stayzilla to provide an enhanced experiential stays for the tourists where they can stay with the local people in the rural areas. The MoU also provides for joint workshops by Stayzilla and ATDC in which the farmers will be trained on travel technology and Agri- tourism. “The sole objective of ATDC is to promote agri tourism by all means possible and take up initiatives that works for promotion of our rural communities. Promotion …