On 19 December 2016, the Lufthansa Group will receive its first A350-900, which is the most modern long haul aircraft worldwide and will be based at Lufthansa’s Munich Hub. The first regular commercial flight will be from Munich to Delhi on February 10, 2017. “We are looking forward to welcoming our first A350-900 shortly before Christmas. And already in February, our passengers will be able to enjoy a higher level of comfort on their flights to Delhi as we have now made further improvements to key components of the A350-900’s cabin interior. This includes a newly designed self-service area in Business Class, new seats with ergonomically designed cushions in Economy Class, larger screens in all classes and improved broadband internet services,” says Thomas Winkelmann, CEO of the Munich Hub. Once Lufthansa has taken ownership of the aircraft on December 19, the A350-900 will be transferred to Munich during the week leading up to Christmas. Lufthansa Technik in Munich will then install the cabin interior including the new Premium Economy Class as well as other features so that the new flagship aircraft will be ready to be presented to the public at the beginning of February. From February 2017 onwards, Lufthansa will station the first ten Airbus A350-900 aircraft in Munich. The first flight destinations are Delhi and Boston. The aircraft will have space for 293 passengers – 48 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy and 224 in the regular Economy Class section. The A350-900 is the most modern and environmentally friendly long haul aircraft worldwide and uses 25 percent less kerosene and produces 25 percent fewer emissions. The A350-900’s noise “footprint” is up to 50 percent lower than that …

Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha and Secretary, Civil Aviation, Rajiv Nayan Choubey inaugurating the two-day Aero Expo India-2016 organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the patronage of Ministry of Civil Aviation here today. The Minister remarked that with new civil aviation policy in place and other associated reforms accompanying it, the civil aviation sector would emerge to serve the un-served at affordable pace. Raju reassured the Indian civil aviation industry, emphasising that the government of the day is exploring all possibilities for capacity expansion of leading airports in the country as well doing its best to make sure that the regional air connectivity is accomplished as per its UDAAN initiative. The Minister also stressed that though the domestic civil aviation industry has been growing at a rate of more than 20% in the last few years, admitting that higher passenger growth in civil aviation sector is still a challenge for the government which could be won with addition of capacities in India’s leading airports. Speaking on the occasion, Sinha asked civil aviation industry to grow in such a manner so that its passenger traffic, currently estimated at about 150 million for domestic and overseas sector multiplies manifold and catches on pace with the air traffic of China which presently is calculated at 500 million per annum. In order to achieve this objective, the ministry has been adopting three pronged strategy under its UDAAN commitment which includes expansion of airports capacities, ensure regional connectivity and equip the air passenger with better level of satisfaction and experience under its Air Sewa initiative, emphasized the minister adding …

At the behest of Adventure Travel Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Vinod Zutshi, Secretary Tourism, Government of India, announced the formation of National Task Force on Adventure Tourism for the development and promotion of adventure tourism in India. The National Task Force will be chaired by the Secretary Tourism while the team will comprise Joint Secretary Tourism as the convener, Joint Secretaries of MHA, MEA, Ministry of Civil Aviation, MoEF, MOD, Ministry of Sports, Director- Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Principal- IISM, Gulmarg, Director – National Institute of Water Sports, Goa, President of ATOAI, Representative of ATOAI, secretaries of all states concerned with Adventure Tourism and Dy. Director General (Niche Tourism). The task force also aims to resolve the issues related to the segment which includes safety and security of adventure tourists, accessibility, products and promotion, among others. “Adventure travel is facing challenges on multiple fronts, across almost every region in India. Safety, accessibility, licensing and standards are the four pillars of any adventure travel destination and we have to deal with multiple ministries and offices to address these issues. The formation of the National Task Force on Adventure Travel will not only attempt to address these challenges, but at the same time, will be able to highlight our vast plethora of natural assets to international markets – which have till now been ignored,” said Akshay Kumar, President, ATOAI.  “It will allow the great geographical features of India and the adventure tourism opportunities there to become a focus for development and promotion throughout the global markets. This in turn will make the field grow tremendously in revenues, helping Indian tourism to potentially double the number of international tourist arrivals in India,” said …

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during October, 2016 were 7.54 lakh as compared to FTAs of 6.83 lakh during October, 2015 and 6.68 lakh in October, 2014. There has been a growth of 10.4% in October, 2016 over October, 2015. FTAs during the period January-October, 2016 were 69.62 lakh with a growth of 10.5% as compared to the FTAs of 62.98 lakh with a growth of 4.5% in January- October, 2015 over January- October, 2014. The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during October, 2016 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (16.67%) followed by  USA (12.83%), UK (11.03%), Canada (3.73%), Australia (3.50%), Sri Lanka (3.45%),  Germany (3.38%), Russian Fed (3.20%), France (2.91%), China (2.70%), Malaysia (2.65%),  Nepal (2.16%), Japan (2.12%), Singapore (1.54%) and Thailand (1.44%). The Percentage share of  Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during October 2016 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (34.06%) followed by Mumbai Airport (15.69%), Haridaspur Land check post (9.22%), Chennai Airport (7.19%),  Bengaluru Airport (5.50%), Kolkata Airport (4.10%), Hyderabad Airport (3.01%),  Goa (2.90%), Cochin Airport (2.72%), Ahmadabad Airport (2.14%), Gede Rail (1.86%), Amritsar Airport (1.71%), Trivandrum Airport (1.28%), Ghojadanga land check post (1.16%) and Gaya Airport  (1.03%). Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in India during October, 2016 were Rs. 12,303 crore as compared to Rs. 10,549 crore in October, 2015 and Rs. 10,041 crore in October, 2014.

IndiGo has announced the launch of 28 new flights on its existing domestic network. The new schedule will see maiden flights on the Guwahati-Lucknow, Lucknow-Ahmedabad, Bengaluru-Indore and Raipur-Patna sectors. With the new flights and frequencies and induction of two new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline’s frequency will increase to 890 daily. Effective November 2016, these flights will provide enhanced connectivity on the key sectors thus strengthening IndiGo’s existing network within India. With 890 daily flights connecting 41 destinations, these new flights will enable both corporate and leisure travellers to experience IndiGo’s unmatchable on-time performance. Speaking about the latest network expansion, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce 6E’s new flights connecting the metro cities with the regional destinations. In the exciting times for Indian aviation, we are hopeful that these flights will prove to be popular among our customers.”

As many as 1,05,268 foreign tourists arrived in October 2016 on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 56,477 during the month of October 2015 registering a growth of 86.4 per cent. The UK continues to be biggest market availing the services with a 22.9 per cent share, followed by USA (12.1%), France (6.6%), China (5.8%), Russian Fed (5.6%), Germany (5.5%), Australia (4.5%), Canada (3.6%), Spain (2.3%) and Netherlands (2.1%). New Delhi Airport served the most number of eTV applications with a 51.67 per cent share, followed by Mumbai Airport (18.65%), Dabolim (Goa) Airport (6.20%), Bengaluru Airport (5.18%), Chennai Airport (4.97%), Kochi Airport (3.15%), Amritsar Airport (2.42%) Hyderabad Airport (2.18%), Kolkata Airport (2.08%) and Trivandrum Airport (1.28%). During January-October 2016, a total of 7,80,570 tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 2,58,182 during January-October 2015, registering a growth of 202.3 per cent.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has taken a step towards boosting agriculture tourism with its Agri Tourism Conclave 2016 in the Vidharba region will take place on 20 November 2016, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development in Nagpur, during the Kalidas Festival 2016. The motive of this conclave is to increase employment and investment opportunities in agro tourism in the region. The conclave will be inaugurated by Pravin Datke, Mayor, Nagpur followed by a presentation on encouraging people to take up agri-tourism as a profession by enterprising speakers from Baramati, Washim, Pune, Nagpur and Satara. This will serve two purposes i.e. boosting the farmer’s income and also bringing rural India closer to the cities. Dr. KH Govinda Raj, Managing Director, MTDC said, “As tourism is becoming increasingly important to the economy. Agricultural tourism is one alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. The objectives for promoting rural and agri-tourism is to educate the public and promote the products of the farm and generate additional farm income; provide rural experience to urban residents and allow diversification of income opportunity to farms and ranches that can help buffer fluctuating markets.”

Leading travel trade agents from Mumbai gathered at the Magazine Street Kitchen to an event hosted by Rhaetian Railways. It was a close-knit dinner, which was attended by 35 travel trade partners, including the Consul General of Switzerland, Martin J. Bienz. Sonal Salian, Market Manager India, Rhätische Bahn, said, “We are extremely grateful to our travel trade partners who have supported us all through the year; this event was a token of appreciation and also to give everyone an experience of Swiss opulence and precision which is synonymous with the brand.” The guests were greeted with fine European wine, a wide range of home-made cheese and freshly baked bread. Special care was taken that every element at the evening had a Swiss connect, as Rhaetian Railway is a Swiss mountain railway network, operating the well known Glacier express and Bernina express in the Graubünden regions.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) offices in Mumbai and Delhi took its the fourth edition of its B2B event ‘Luxurious Pleasure’ to four cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. First held in 2013, Thailand’s ‘Luxurious Pleasure’ roadshow series is an addition to its staple annual roadshow and focuses on high-end holidays such as holidays on private islands and helicopter rides. Explaining Thailand’s focus on luxury, Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mumbai, said, “Our two-city initiative is now a four-city show with Bengaluru, Kolkata and Ahmedabad now in the fray. We have noticed visible changes in buying behavior. This includes a growth in the number if travellers opting for five-star hotels and villas and a good response to market promotions with prices in the range of Rs 80,000 to Rs 150,000 for a week-long holiday. Today about 25 per cent of the Indian market is checking into luxury hotels and above (villas, private islands and yachts) and this is up from barely 10 per cent when TAT first launched its campaign to target the luxury segment. It is about strategy, sustainability and streamlining the industry with quality as a focus.” Thailand welcomed 1.06 million Indian travellers in 2015 and expects to cross 1.1 million in 2016, having hit over 700,000 Indian arrivals by August already. Homchuen added that TAT wants to grow high-end’s share of the pie by another five per cent. A change in the ratio of men: women travellers is also part of the goal. “Women comprise 23 per cent of the market currently and for this year we would like to bring this up to 30-35 per cent,” she said.

Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Middle East’s largest integrated theme park destination, announced the opening of Bollywood Parks Dubai on Nov 17. It is a first-of-its-kind theme park that showcases rides and attractions based on some of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters. Unlimited access Annual Pass costs AED 755.00, while Single Park Ticket for a day full of fun and excitement start at AED 285.00 and Multi Parks Tickets offering access to more than one amusement park at AED 480.00. The park opened today with a ceremony that included various live entertainment shows performed by the talented Bollywood artists and dancers. Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of DXB Entertainments PJSC, the owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts said, “Following the successful opening and commencement of operations at LEGOLAND® Dubai and Riverland™ Dubai, we are very excited and eager to witness our guests’ reactions when they experience Bollywood Parks™ Dubai. Today we celebrate the opening of the first Bollywood inspired theme park in the world, and we’re confident that it will appeal to a large segment of fans due to its popularity in the region”. “We’re extremely proud to see this magnificent entertainment destination revealed to the world after 3 years of hard work and perseverance. Dubai Parks and Resorts is paving the way for future entertainment destinations, and shall forever change the face of family tourism and entertainment in the region” he added. Bollywood Parks™ Dubai will recreate the Bollywood experience through themed attractions and rides spread across five zones: Bollywood Boulevard, Mumbai Chowk, Rustic Ravine, Royal Plaza and Bollywood Film Studios. Visitors will experience bold action, colourful story-telling and captivating dance sequences inspired by nine popular films: Rock On!!, Don, Lagaan, …