Passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Oct, 2016, were 813.70 lakhs as against 660.60 lakhs during the corresponding period of 2015, thereby registering a growth of 23.18 per cent, according to a DGCA report. SpiceJet recorded the highest PLF of 91.9 per cent amongst all other domestic airlines. The passenger load factor (PLF) in October this year almost remained constant compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season, while the overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines for the month of Oct 2016 has been 0.72 per cent. In terms of On Time Performance (OTP), SpiceJet again came out a winner with an average OTP of 86.1 per cent, as against Vistara (83.6 per cent) and IndiGo (81.2 per cent).

Come March 2017, Brussels Airlines will come on board with Lufthansa Group Airlines. Lufthansa Group Airlines represents Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian in India. Wolfgang Will, Director South Asia, Lufthansa Group Airlines, said, “Lufthansa Group Airlines will also now represent Brussels Airlines in India from March 2017 onwards and has also announced five flights from Mumbai to Brussels from the same month.” Will also added that they have received a robust load factor from India which is over 85 per cent.

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, is celebrating the country’s 46th National Day with the inauguration of its Kochi office at a new location. The new office is located in MG Road, which is the most coveted location in the city. It was the first international carrier to operate from the Kochi International Airport. The office inauguration was marked by the ribbon cutting ceremony by Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain, in the esteemed presence of Ihab Sorial, Senior Vice President – International Sales, Sunil VA, Regional Vice President – Indian Subcontinent, Bhanu Kaila, Country Manager – India, Jayakrishna Bhaskaran – District Sales Manager, Kochi and Vijay Bhatia, President, Bird Group of Companies. In 2001, Oman Air started its operations in Kochi with 3 flights in a week which was later increased to 5 flights a week. In 2005, Oman Air announced daily operations from Kochi to Muscat. To meet the ever increasing travel needs of our customers, Oman Air now operates twice daily from Kochi since December 2015.

IndiGo Airlines will now have its fares and ancillaries on Travelport’s travel commerce platform in India. The announcement was made in September, and now the content is live on Travelport. The launch saw in attendance Aditya Ghosh, President & Whole Time Director, IndiGo,  and Gordon Wilson, President & CEO, Travelport. The partnership will see IndiGo leverage Travelport’s leading merchandising capabilities to bring IndiGo’s brand proposition to life for travellers in India, and will be rolled out to agents globally in a phased approach.

Merlin Entertainments has announced its foray into the Indian market, with the launch of Madame Tussauds Delhi. Launching mid-2017 within the heart of the capital in the famed Regal Cinema at Connaught Place, Madame Tussauds Delhi will pay homage to A-list celebrities from Bollywood through to Hollywood, in addition to featuring icons from sport, music and notables that have not only shaped the popular and historical landscape of India, but the world as a whole. John Jakobsen, Chief New Openings Officer, said – “We are delighted to be announcing that our 22nd Madame Tussauds Attraction will be opening in Delhi. Ever since we introduced Amitabh Bachchan as the first Bollywood figure in Madame Tussauds London in 2000, we have seen how Madame Tussauds appeals to the Indian consumer, and having a permanent attraction in the heart of the country’s capital made perfect sense for the evolution of the Madame Tussauds story.” “In order to bring the attraction to life, we worked with a host of local experts to ensure an authentic visitor experience – truly bringing to life the color and vibrancy that encapsulates the essence of India. We have no doubt that locals and visitors alike will relish in meeting their heroes in a way that only Madame Tussauds can offer.” Allowing closer access than ever before, guests will be encouraged to interact with the incredibly life-like figures in highly themed and immersive environments. Visitors will be able to give a speech with Prime Minster Narendra Modi, take a selfie with Kim Kardashian and test their bowling skills and technique with cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North East states and West Bengal is organising the ‘International Tourism Mart’ in Imphal, Manipur from November 23–25, 2016. 57 Buyer delegates from ASEAN, Japan, Korea, Australia,  New Zealand, Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Kenya, Oman, Canada, Brazil , South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Kingdom and USA are participating in the Mart.The event is being held in the City Convention Centre, Sanjenthong, Imphal, Manipur and will be inaugurated on November 24, by Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur in the presence of Union Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi and other dignitaries from North East states. Besides the foreign delegates, 80 domestic stakeholders in Tourism sector from other parts of the country including sellers from the North Eastern States and West Bengal are participating in the Mart. Representatives of State Tourism Departments of these State Tourism Departments are also present to showcase their tourism destinations and to interact with the delegates. The annual event is organised in the northeastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets. Buyer and Media delegates from around the world and from different regions of the country are participating in the Mart and will engage in one-to-one meetings with sellers from the North East Region. This will enable the tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers, with the objective of promoting tourism to the region. An exhibition by State Tourism Departments from the North Eastern States and West Bengal is also being organised   to show case the tourism products of respective participating States. Post-mart familiarisations to …

Karan Anand, Head (Relationship), Cox & Kings, has been nominated by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to the National Tourism Advisory Council for a period of three years. The Council will act as a ‘Think Tank’ and advise the government on policy matters relating to tourism in the country. The committee comprises luminaries from the central government and the private sector. Anand will continue to carry out his responsibilities at Cox & Kings.

In view of the demonetisation drive by the government, and the resulting cash crunch in the country, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to extend the suspension of collection of parking charges at all airports till midnight of 28 November, 2016. The parking charges were earlier waived off till November 24. The extension has been done in order to facilitate the smooth movement of passengers.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has revealed that it will not be pursuing the previously-announced Powai hotel project anymore. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, “We are not pursuing the Powai hotel anymore as we are invested more in the upcoming property in Mumbai and other areas around Mumbai greater area. We have signed a new hotel which will be coming up next to the Mumbai International airport. The hotel is currently under construction and the civil structure is almost been built out and we expect the hotel to open in the next two years. Mumbai is a very important market for us and also the places close to Mumbai city. This year we opened a resort in Karjat, we already have an operating hotel in Alibaug. We look forward to adding more destinations in and around Mumbai and in the Maharashtra region.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi has confirmed the temporary waiver of visa fees for Indian tourists travelling to the Kingdom from Dec 1, 2016, to Feb 28, 2017. The Thai cabinet has also decided to halve the visa-on-arrival fees from 2000 baht to 1000 baht. Along with India, the move applies to 18 other countries including Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Mario, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The three-month tourism promotion measure is aimed at boosting the number of visitors by 350,000 and generating an income of 28 billion baht.