The latest UK Visa and VisitBritain statistics show that more visitors than ever before are visiting the UK from India. Visa statistics for the year ending June 2016 show that over 380,000 visit visas were issued, an increase of six per cent or 20,000 visitors. Meanwhile the latest VisitBritain figures from the Office of National Statistics, International Passenger Survey show that over 422,000 visitors came to the UK from India last year, an eight per cent increase from 2014 and a 20 per cent increase from 2012. Sumathi Ramanathan, VisitBritain Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa said, “India is a priority growth market for Britain and is one of the seven markets globally to receive additional funding for tourism promotion. Our partnership with the airlines, travel industry and Indian movie industry has enabled us to reach new customers in the major cities of India. Increasingly, we are seeing demand for British itineraries covering London, Manchester, Oxford, Birmingham and Edinburgh. As the market evolves, we will continue improving and enhancing the travel offer for the Indian visitor.”

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has launched its latest property in Rajasthan — The Gateway Resort Pushkar Bypass Ajmer. The 81-room and suite resort hotel is built in the Rajasthani royal style for leisure and business travellers in the heart of the Aravalli Mountains to the north of the city. The room rates start from Rs. 4,000 and goes on to Rs. 30,000. “Ajmer and Pushkar are two secret jewels in the beautiful state of Rajasthan; they are cities with a rich history stretching back to the Rajputs, Mughals and Marathas and which blends Hindu and Sufi tradition. The 81 rooms and suites at the resort are inspired by this heritage and offer guests the best of Rajasthan whether here for leisure, business or to celebrate special occasions in a stunning destination.” said Nagendra Hada, General Manager, The Gateway Resort Pushkar Bypass Ajmer The hotel’s architecture and design is inspired by the culture and history of Rajasthan; its regal design in typical Rajasthani pink sandstone features private balconies with sit outs and jhoolas (swings) in every room. Inside, Bani Thani art—the local style that has its origins in nearby Kishangarh—provides a window into the area’s cultural past while live performances of Langa folk singers bring Rajasthan to life for guests. From the inviting cool waters of the swimming pool, sunk into the expansive courtyard, guests can drink in the stunning views to the mountains beyond or de-stress in the calming Spa with massage therapies. In-room yoga facilities mean that guests can keep on top of their fitness regime whether on business or leisure. The Gateway Resort Pushkar Bypass Ajmer is 15km from Ajmer railway station and 140km from Jaipur airport. …

Keys Hotels, a brand by Berggruen hotels funded by Berggruen Holdings, a New York-headquartered proprietary fund, has announced its foray into Manali with Keys Lite Apple Nest. This is Keys’ first hotel in Himachal Pradesh and remains noteworthy due to its enchanting and scenic location in the well-known hill station of Manali – a popular destination loved by both Indian and International visitors. The property is nestled amongst refreshing apple orchards. Aptly named Keys Lite Apple Nest, the hotel is situated on the national highway at the entrance of Manali town. Located at a distance of merely 50 kms from Kullu Manali Airport, this hotel is centrally located for most destinations en-route. Speaking about the newly launched hotel, Mr Anurag Mishra, Head-Marketing, Berggruen Hotels Pvt. Ltd. said, “The government has, in recent years launched its famed ‘Incredible India’ campaign to entice more visitors to India. We have always believed that India is indeed incredible and consistently endeavoured to showcase local culture and heritage through our properties nationwide. With the same unflinching spirit, our presence in Manali is an earnest attempt to showcase India to the world. We are confident that our esteemed guests will experience the culture through our special array of localised food and bespoke services.”

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced the appointment of GB Srithar as Regional Director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa (SAMEA) to be based in Mumbai. Srithar is well acquainted with the Indian markets having worked in India between April 2010 and December 2013 as Area Director, South Asia. Prior to his appointment as Regional Director, he headed the Brand Campaigns team at STB’s HQ’s Marketing Group. One of his key responsibilities will be to oversee the STB’s leisure and BT MICE travel promotions, marketing and developmental efforts in the SAMEA region; and his office will work closely with travel trade and non-trade partners to promote Singapore as the destination of choice among Indian travellers. Talking about his appointment and vision for the Indian market, Srithar said, “I am happy to assume a wider role and be back in Mumbai, a place that I have enjoyed working and living in. India is a key market for Singapore. In 2015, India registered a growth of over seven per cent in Visitor Arrivals at 1,013,777 arrivals, having crossed the 1-million mark for the first time. We have also observed a consistent growth in visitor arrivals in India over the last five years. I seek to extend STB’s hands in partnership to our friends in the travel fraternity across, not only in the key metros but also in the Tier II and III cities, which will contribute increasingly to the rise of the international visitorship for Singapore.”

TUI – Meetings & Incentives has announced that it is being rebranded as Pacific World India. Explaining this brand migration, Naveen Rizvi, Executive Director, Pacific World India, says, “Pacific World is the MICE setup of the TUI Group globally at present with presence in over 34 countries. The move comes as a strategic initiative to combine MICE Expertise of our global team with local knowledge to handle Meetings and Incentives within India and overseas. It will however be business as usual for our associates; only the brand name changes, nothing else. The parent company Le Passage to India Tours and Travels Pvt. Ltd and the management remain unchanged, as does the team handling the Meetings & Incentives. Our partners will now receive requests from us with the new brand name. The brand name change will have to be communicated to the concerned people in their organization.”

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) will pivot its 51st Annual Convention on ‘Brand India’. It will be held between September 22-24, 2016 in Indore. Revealing its objectives, Bharat Malkani, President, FHRAI, said, “The convention will encompass several sessions and panel discussions on subjects ranging from Innovative ways of Financing Hotels & Restaurants, Trends in Interior Design, Maximizing Food & Beverage Revenue using Technology and Deployment of Mobile Wallets & Digital Marketing. The discussion forums will provide an excellent opportunity for the participants to engage with key policy makers, business people from allied industries and inspirational entrepreneurs.” One facet of the convention will draw emphasis on accommodating the increasing tourist arrivals in the country. The hospitality industry plans to take up the challenge to set up the required tourism infrastructure for this and complement the Government’s efforts to make Brand India the beacon of growth in both products and services. Besides the inaugural session, business sessions, networking sessions and entertainment programmes, the three-day convention will concurrently run an exhibition featuring the latest products and technologies in hospitality.  

Ark Travels has finalised packages to sell Colombo and Singapore cruise packages from Mumbai starting October 29, 2016, on Genting Hong Kong’s Dream Cruises. The itineraries planned on Dream Cruises, the first-ever Asian luxury cruise line which caters specifically to the large and rapidly growing high-end market in Asia, will take travellers from Mumbai on high-seas to Colombo and Singapore. The travel company at present is focusing on selling two-night itinerary (Mumbai-Colombo, one way) on Dream Cruise. Besides, Ark Travels is also promoting six-nights (Mumbai-Colombo-Singapore, one way) and four-nights (Colombo-Singapore, one way) itinerary. Anju Tandon, CEO, Ark Travels, says, “Apart from this, we have also been focusing on charter cruises. We recently did a two-charter cruise from August 10-12, 2016 (two-nights for Singapore – Port Klang – Singapore) and August 14-17, 2016 (three-nights for Singapore-Penang-Port Klang-Singapore). We will continue to focus on selling charter cruises next year as well. With respect to the forthcoming travel season, the cruise travel company will be selling other Star Cruises brands like Superstar Gemini (ex-Singapore), Superstar Libra (ex-Penang) and Superstar Virgo (ex-Nansha) till March 2017.”

Lords Hotels & Resorts launched one of its most premium resorts in Kerala, recently. Located at Cheruthuruthy, the boutique Lords Resorts, Thrissur, was inaugurated by A.C. Moitheen, Minister for Co-operation and Tourism, making this luxury resort its 26th hotel in India and its first in Kerala. Spread over 20 acres of varied landscapes and located at a distance of 30 km from Thrissur town, the 57-room luxury resort is set on the banks of Bharathapuzha River. “Lords Resorts – Thrissur is in many ways an epitome of Kerala’s rich and varied landscape which within its premises houses a natural waterfall, a pond, butterfly farms and nature trails, all set against a backdrop of large expanse of rubber plantations. The lodgings are interspersed across the terrains and have been seamlessly merged with their environment. We are positive that a stay at our resort will make for one of the most memorable experiences for our guests,” says P.R. Bansal, Chairman & Managing Director, Lords Hotels & Resorts. The property formerly known as the Cheruthuruthy Eco Gardens owned by Pepco Group of Companies is now branded Lords Resorts – Thrissur and, will be managed and run by Lords Hotels & Resorts. The resort offers themed accommodations including tree-houses, honeymoon cottages by the pond, villas – single and duplex, and bungalows in addition to the royal and executive suites and rooms.

Harmandeep Singh Anand, Co-founder, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS), has announced dates for the fifth edition of the B2B travel event. It will start with Nagpur from January 19-21, 2017, and then go on to other cities starting from July and through August 2017. He said, “The fourth edition of GPS Nagpur was extremely successful and registered an increase in visitor footfalls from Central India. The event was followed by four new shows into the portfolio namely: GPS Ahmedabad, GPS Chandigarh, GPS Kolkata and GPS Coimbatore. GPS 2016 saw a combined unique travel trade visitor registration of over 3,000 people, firmly cementing GPS as a premier B2B travel event to reckon with for the Tier II and Tier III cities of India. GPS 2017 will take place in six cities namely: Nagpur (January 19-21), Ahmedabad (July 13-15), Chandigarh (July 20-22), Kolkata (July 27-29), Kochi (August 3-5) and Pune (August 10-12). One day will be dedicated to learnings and workshops, alongside the business meetings that will take place over the three days. Raju Akolkar, CEO, GPS, adds, “For the Nagpur edition, we will launch Voluntourism packages as we have identified a few NGOs in the region. This will also help travel agents put forth an interesting tour product for the region, that will include wildlife and community service together with local sightseeing. We will also get a local travel industry expert to speak and highlight the tourism products that available in the region and how to make it available to the industry and also to throw light about the regions traveller behavior in the context of domestic as well as outbound tourism.” Madhu Saliankar, Sales & Marketing Director, Entreps, adds, “Tourism is a …

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) India Chapter has bagged the PATA Award of Excellence 2016 which will be presented at the Welcome Board Dinner during the upcoming PATA Travel Mart. Commenting on the momentous occasion, Runeep Sangha, Executive Director, PATA India Chapter said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to be selected from 41 other chapters around the world to receive such a prestigious award. It underscores the commitments and efforts of our members, and their unending support to the tourism industry in India. Our focus is on value delivery to our members and we continue to strive for excellence for years to come.” PTM 2016 is scheduled to take place from September 7-9 in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia.