InterContinental Hotels Group strengthens its presence in the East India with the introduction of its first Holiday Inn® hotel in Kolkata – Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport. With the opening of the 137-room hotel in partnership with Jain Group, the total number of Holiday Inn hotels has gone up to 11 in India. Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, InterContinental Hotels Group said, “Holiday Inn brand family is one of the growth drivers for IHG’s expansion in India.  We are proud to add Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport to our portfolio and look forward to expanding our footprint in West Bengal. We are delighted to be working with the Jain Group and look forward to offering business ready services to our guests in Kolkata.” Shrayans Jain, Vice Chairman, Jain Group said, “We are very happy to partner with IHG and announce the opening of ‘Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport’. Due to increased business activity in the state, West Bengal has become the gateway to North East India enabling an upward swing for the hospitality sector. Strategically located near the airport, the hotel caters to the needs of the guests visiting Kolkata for both business and leisure. We look forward to fulfilling our guests’ expectations with services unique to a Holiday Inn hotel.” Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport is located just five km away from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, with close proximity to Business Parks, SEZs and IT hub of Kolkata in Rajarhat, New Town and Salt Lake Sector-V area. The hotel offers comfort and convenience to the contemporary business and leisure traveler with 137 well-appointed rooms & suites. For MICE and corporate guests, the hotel offers 6,076 sq ft of …

Hahn Air is expanding its network of over 300 air, rail and shuttle partners with high-speed rail operator Eurostar (9F). The UK-based train services are now available to travel agents worldwide for ticketing on Hahn Air’s HR-169 document with the exception of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. To issue tickets for Eurostar, travel agents can use the standard ticketing process in all major GDSs. “Eurostar is our third rail partner and the first to use our HR-169 product through an interline agreement”, said Steve Knackstedt, Vice President of Airline Business Group at Hahn Air. “We believe that we can support them in reaching new markets and unlocking new business opportunities. They can therefore position themselves towards travel agents worldwide as a means of transportation on par with air travel in Western Europe.” Eurostar is the only high-speed railway service connecting London with mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Services operate between London St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille and the French Alps. With a change in Brussels, passengers can also connect to any domestic Belgian station. Its trains reach a maximum speed of 300km per hour (186 miles per hour). Their new e320 trains feature more spacious carriages, free Wi-Fi and over 300 hours of entertainment which can be streamed to phones, tablets or laptops. Established in 1994, the company has to date carried over 170 million passengers between London and the continent.

Hurtigruten has appointed Cruise Professionals as its exclusive GSA for India and Sri Lanka. The Norwegian cruise company aims to grow revenue opportunities and establish wider distribution in these two markets. By enhancing their commitment in India and Sri Lanka, the management of both companies aims to make Hurtigruten a major exploration cruise brand in India with significant growth in the years ahead. Recognising the need for a concentrated brand and product development strategy to service India and Sri Lanka, William Harber, Hurtigruten’s President for China & Asia-Pacific, says, “Our partnership with Cruise Professionals will enable the rapid expansion of our exploration cruising and coastal Norway products. This association leverages Cruise Professionals’ expertise in managing distribution.  Their operating model and strengths in sales and marketing will deepen current relationships and create future trade arrangements across India and Sri Lanka.” Nishith Saxena, Founder & Director of Cruise Professionals says, “Hurtigruten and Cruise Professionals association has come at a time when a large section of Indian travellers are seeking a different experience that goes beyond the normal cruising options. We shall make Hurtigruten easy for the travel agent to sell and deliver a complete solution for adventurous travellers by educating the trade about these unique voyages offered to some of the world’s most breathtaking destinations.”

ibis New Delhi Aerocity has announced the addition of 129 brand new guest rooms at the property, including a 775 sq. ft. gymnasium facility for guests’ recreation and fitness needs. The inventory of the property has now reached 445 rooms, which is amongst the largest in the hospitality precinct. As a part of the extension, ibis New Delhi Aerocity’s meetings space is now complemented with enhanced areas. This includes the addition of four new meeting rooms with two dedicated board rooms, to its current portfolio of three meeting rooms. Together, the seven meeting rooms can accommodate up to 185 attendees giving the ibis New Delhi Aerocity the ability to meet a broad range of meeting event requirements. Combined with expansive MICE facilities at Pullman and Novotel New Delhi Aerocity, the other two co-located AccorHotels’ properties located in the hospitality precinct, guests now have the flexibility to choose from a range of venues and services depending on the nature and scale of their event. The three locations offer an unrivalled 2,406 square feet of combined MICE space to MICE guests. The introduction of an all-new exclusive crew lounge for the hotel’s airline crew guests completes the expansion. Speaking about the new addition, Pierre-Etienne de Montgrand- Director of Operation ibis & ibis Styles said, “The extension significantly increases the number of hotel rooms at ibis New Delhi Aerocity and enhances the accommodation choices for guests. The added capacity also allows us to cater to an increasing number of travellers to the city and a growing number of airline crews. The hotel’s strategic location and seamless connectivity to the Delhi Airport perfectly caters to transiting passengers, while its proximity to the commercial hubs …

Vistara has announced the launch of two new routes to cater to growing customer demand. Starting March 26, 2017, Vistara will fly direct daily between Kolkata and Pune, and starting April 15, 2017, will also fly direct between Delhi and Port Blair (Andamans) on Saturdays and Sundays during the upcoming summer season. These new flights are in addition to Vistara’s recently announced service to Amritsar from both Delhi and Mumbai, and to Leh (Ladakh) from Delhi, both starting in March. Vistara’s Kolkata-Pune flight will serve business professionals as well as a large population in Pune that hails from Kolkata. The Delhi-Port Blair flight will cater not only the people residing in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands who visit the national capital, but also attract businesspeople and tourists from northern India to discover the history, beauty and trade potential of the Andaman Islands. Bookings for these flights are now open. Customers can book their flights on Vistara’s official website (www.airvistara.com), on its iOS and Android mobile apps, and through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and other travel agents. Vistara’s GDS partners including Amadeus and Travelport allow customers to book via all major channels worldwide, including through our global interline airline partners.

Trafalgar is calling on agents to be part of the revolution in guided holidays and join the journey to even greater success, with the launch of its Trafalgar Academy. The holiday operator has unveiled its inaugural e-learning programme, specially created to help agents increase their earnings and make selling more fun. The Trafalgar Academy empowers industry partners with its interactive guidance on how to sell, as opposed to what to sell, and upon completion of each course they are further equipped to learn, earn and travel more. The initial launch phase of the Trafalgar Academy is available now and invites users to discover ‘The Trafalgar Difference’. Following in close succession in the coming months are ‘Converting Opportunities Into Success’ and ‘It’s Lifestyle Not Features That Matter’, with additional courses forthcoming as the programme gathers momentum. Agents registering for the Academy will uncover insights on increasing conversion and commission, as well as enjoying exclusive travel offers. Commenting on the brand e-learning launch, Trafalgar (Asia) President Nicholas Lim says, “We are excited to introduce our latest industry initiative, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to providing our valued partners with all the tools they need for sales success. For those choosing to become Trafalgar experts, they can look forward to seeing conversion, commission and retention rates rise.”

The Russian Information Center in India recently announced an ‘India Friendly’ program to provide features and services that are required by Indian tourists when they are travelling in India or internationally. The program strives to ensure that the Indian traveller feels at home in Russia. Paresh Navani, Head of Russian Information Center in India, reveals, “The program covers various needs of the Indian traveller like Indian food options in the menu and for breakfast, electric kettle or hot water service in the hotel, bottled water in the room, English signboards, English-speaking staff, special vegetarian meals, sanitary requirements like water in toilets and many others.” The program is voluntary and will be provided by hotels, restaurants, cruise liners, museums and any other enterprise that provides tourism services in Russia. Certification will be provided by Russian Information Center in India post a series of tests for staff and audits conducted on-site in Russia. Already 25 hotels in Russian regions Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and Crimea have joined the program with brands like Park Inn, Radisson and Marriott. Navani adds, “Tourism to Russia is poised for the leap forward noting the interest and enthusiasm the travel trade showed for initiatives like the ‘India Friendly’ program, the reduction in the cost of visa fees by almost 40 per cent for Indian tourists by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, coupled with destination presentations we conduct for the travel trade to promote Russian tourism options. We aim to increase tourist flow from India by 50 per cent in this coming year.” Tourists from India in the nine-month period of 2015 was 39,832 which jumped to 47,152 in 2016, indicating a growth of …

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau recently conducted a roadshow for the travel trade and wedding planners in Mumbai, with an aim to increase footfalls to the emerald island. The roadshow saw an attendance of 27 participants from Sri Lanka comprising leading travel companies and hoteliers besides the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines. Speaking about India as a market, Madubhani Perera, Director of Marketing, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, who attended and addressed the gathering said, “We have seen an annual rise in arrival numbers from India over the years. The roadshow was conducted to increase destination awareness and highlight the new attractions in Sri Lanka. We hope this event will add a positive impact and further increase Indian footfall in Sri Lanka. We have now planned several promotional activities for Indian markets.” Apart from the roadshow in Mumbai, the SLTPB has plans of conducting roadshows in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune later in the year. The promotion plans for 2017 also include joint promotions with international partners and a digital marketing campaign targeting potential Indian travellers. Sri Lanka received a 12.8 per cent increase in Indian tourist arrivals in 2016 and are expecting an even better double digit increase in 2017.

Jet Airways has announced another new initiative, which possibly indicates an attempt to get more and more customers on to its website and reduce its distribution cost. Under its new ‘Billion Miles Festival’ the airline will offer its customers assured bonus on JetPrivilege Miles on its every flight – domestic and international. This frequent flyer reward promotion is valid from February 21 to March 31, 2017. The assured bonus miles on Economy Class is 1,500 JP Miles, on Premier Class is 5,000 and on First Class is 10,000. This is available for existing as well as new members. The airlines assures quick one-minute enrolment under its JP program on its website. The bonus miles are available only on booking tickets through its website or mobile application.

The Thai Government has decided to extend the tourist visa fee exemption scheme, initially available from November-February, 2017, by an additional six months, informed Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), Tourism Authority of Thailand. “Visa applications from the Indian market grew by almost 200 per cent during the visa fee exemption scheme’s initial duration. Hence, it was decided to extend the scheme for six months.”