Considering the uptick in domestic tourism, the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala recently organised B2B roadshows in multiple metros including Mumbai. The delegation from Kerala was led by Shine KS, Tourist Information Officer, Department of Tourism, Govt of Kerala and comprised 63 major players from the state’s tourism industry – the highest so far. Explaining the initiatives for 2017, Shine KS said, “The marketing initiatives for the year 2016-17 were formulated and executed based on the keen understanding of the unique appeal that Kerala holds for visitors. The marketing measures adopted by the government have elevated the state to the top-tier of ‘must visit’ destinations around the world. There has been a remarkable increase in the arrival of tourists within a single year as a result of the various initiatives implemented by the Government. We will continue with our 10-point agenda which was launched in September 2016 under the Green Carpet Initiative which focuses on giving a facelift to select tourist destinations in the state to ensure security, cleanliness, hygiene, and scientific waste management methods, apart from offering unique experiences.”

IndiGo has added 20 new flights to cities with high demand and expanding potential. The airline has added flights to Jammu and Srinagar from Delhi only for February 13 and 14. The airline has unveiled additional to and fro flights connecting Hyderabad and Chandigarh; Chennai and Chandigarh; Chennai and Hyderabad; and Chennai and Kochi, starting February 20. Targeting the business and leisure travellers, the airline will also add a second daily flight on its Chennai-Singapore route beginning March 05 2017. In East India, IndiGo will enhance operations from Delhi and Kolkata to Bagdogra with 4 additional flights to strengthen connectivity between metro cities and remote routes. With a total of 883 flights connecting 41 destinations, these new flights will further consolidate IndiGo’s position as the fastest growing airline in India. It recently launched two new non-stop daily flights to Sharjah and additional flight to Muscat in a bid to consolidate its position in the Middle East market. It now offers a total of 903 flights connecting 41 destinations.

Choice Group of Hotels inaugurated its new property in Jaipur-Hotel Clarion Inn with 90 rooms. The hotel is located in Kukas, Jaipur. Suresh Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, Hotel Clarion Inn, informed that the hotel offers 10 suites, 20 deluxe and 60 superior rooms. There are two banquet halls, multi cuisine restaurant, open lawn to organise parties and weddings. He said, “The hotel is spread in 3000 Sq. Ft. Work is under progress for an international spa and gym which is expected to open soon. With all of this in future we are planning to start Thai food and other facilities like bar and café as well.” Radha Raman Rawat, Chairman, Hotel Clarion Inn, said “We hope that our guests who stay with us will get unique cognition by all the facilities provided to them.”

Zoom Air became the 10th scheduled carrier in India with its inaugural flight from Delhi to Durgapur. It is the only airline that flies to Durgapur. The daily operations will ply on the Delhi-Kolkata-Durgapur sector. The service would further be extended to Amritsar in the afternoon followed by an evening service between Delhi-Surat-Bhavnagar-Delhi. The CRG 200LR aircraft is 50 seater with 2X2 complete premium economy seater.  

With a view to sensitise stakeholders about the new GST scheme that is to replace a multitude of indirect taxes currently being levied, the Service Tax zone of Kolkata has flagged off a mobile help centre. A network of trained officers will tour the city of Kolkata, conducting seminars, to help stakeholders transition from the Service Tax and Central Excise schemes to the GSTN (GST Network), a front-end system developed by the Government of India as a single interface for the GST roll-out. New registrants will be able to register on-the-spot.

Austria recorded a total of 147,300 arrivals from India in 2016 which amounts to 25 per cent increase over 2015 and 271,100 overnights registering a 25 per cent increase over 2015. “According to our statistics, which assesses 55 countries across the globe, India was identified as the highest growing market for Austria. Also, Indian outbound market is expected to grow at 8.2 per cent and by 2021, 21.5 million Indians are expected to travel abroad. It is interesting to note that 44 per cent of Indians stayed in 4-star hotels and 19 per cent stayed in 5-star properties,” informed Christine Mukharji, Marketing Manager, Austrian National Tourism Office. Austria Tourism Board conducted its annual roadshow in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Vienna, the capital city received a record 53,522 Indian arrivals corresponding to 32.6 per cent growth as compared to 2015. A total number of 111,531 bed nights were recorded, which is an increase of 28.9 per cent. “We are expecting an increase of nearly 20-30 per cent from India in 2017. India climbed to the 29th position from 42nd last year in terms of source markets in 2016 and we hope to see India in our top 10 source markets soon,” said Isabella Rauter, Team Manager-Media Management, Vienna Tourist Board. The city of Innsbruck recorded 51,000 Indian overnights in 2016 corresponding to a 5 per cent growth over 2015. “With an increase in number of Indian arrivals to Innsbruck, we are now the second most popular destination in Austria after Vienna for Indian visitors. We have some very exciting projects with Bollywood coming up in Innsbruck. The Yash Raj Film-Tiger Zinda Hai, featuring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will be shot in …

In a bid to transform the face of Indian Railways, Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched the first Phase of the World’s largest station redevelopment program comprising 23 major railway stations on Indian railways network. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar was present to grace the occasion. Chairman, Railway Board, A.K. Mital, Member Engineering, Railway Board, Aditya Kumar Mittal, Member Traffic, Railway Board, Mohd. Jamshed and other Board Members and other distinguished guests were present to grace the occasion. Prabhu said that the Railways have certain advantages out of which one is holding of land on a large scale. He said that Railway Stations is a place where lots of people wait to board a train and thus Railway Station can be developed into an iconic property.

The Ultimate Travelling Camp (TUTC) is back with the luxurious and widely popular Chamba Camp Thiksey and Chamba Camp Diskit in Ladakh. Introducing a special promotion for travel agents, TUTC offers them the opportunity to earn a complimentary night for their clients on a three-night stay package at one of the luxury suite tents. Travel agents stand a chance to earn incentives over and above their existing commission on this limited offer, for bookings made before March 31, 2017. Chamba Camp, Thiksey operates 15 May to 10 October and Chamba Camp, Diskit from 15 May to 30 September, which is considered to be the most favourable time to visit Ladakh. Speaking on the offer, Rajnish Sabharwal, Chief Operating Officer, TUTC said, “Travel operators play an important role in promoting our bespoke experiences, not only locally but also across the globe. Our early bird offers allow customers to save more and plan their holidays in advance, at the same time serves as an incentive for our associated agents who give us unique opportunities in reaching out to new customers.”

According to ICRA, domestic air passenger traffic has been undeterred by demonetisation with a robust YoY growth of 24 per cent in December 2016. The growth was propelled by peak season demand along with prevalent low airfares due to intense competition. The traffic growth on international routes was however impacted slightly, with the industry reporting 7.7 per cent YoY growth during the month. Nevertheless, performance of Indian carriers on international routes was better than the industry, with 16.1 per cent growth in traffic. Domestic passenger traffic growth was healthy at 22.9 per cent during 9m FY2017. Anand Kulkarni, AVP and Associate Head, Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA Limited, “ICRA has been emphasising on pressure on profitability of airlines operating in the country due to competitive environment and increasing aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices in the current fiscal and the same has been reflected in decline in profitability of the listed airlines in Q3 FY2017. As per ICRA estimates, the fuel cost per ASKM (CASK) of the domestic aviation industry increased to Rs. 1.08 in December 2016 from a low of Rs. 0.82 in February 2016 and the same is expected to increase further in Q4 FY2017. Going forward, the profitability of the airlines would be negatively impacted in Q4 FY2017 as the airline yields continue to remain under pressure and the ATF prices maintain the uptrend. The ATF prices in February 2017 are ~50 per cent higher on YoY basis. Further, the capacity addition in the industry is expected to continue at a healthy pace given the proposed fleet expansion plans of various airlines.”

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian and the UK to ease restrictions on the number of scheduled flights between the two countries. Limits on flights from key Indian cities including Chennai and Kolkata have been scrapped, allowing for a greater range of flights for passengers while providing a boost to trade and tourism for the UK and India. The agreement also opened all destinations in the UK for Indian carriers for code share flights, and reciprocally the UK carriers can also operate code share flights to any International Airport in India, through domestic code share arrangements. According to Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, said “The increase in number of flights between the UK and India is encouraging news for our businesses and tourists. We already enjoy strong ties with the UK and we welcome such continued association which in the long run will not only encourage business activity, but also people-to-people contact. I am sure that this agreement will bring direct and indirect benefits to many sectors of the economies of our two countries.” Tourism from India makes an important contribution to the UK economy. In 2015, there were 422,000 visits from India to the UK, bringing more than £433 million to the economy. Lord Ahmad, Aviation Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “India is one of our closest allies and key trading partners and this new agreement will only serve to strengthen this crucial relationship. We are unlocking new trade and tourism opportunities which will boost our economies, create new jobs and open up new business links. This is great news for both the UK and India and is yet another sign that …