Cox & Kings opened its first dedicated foreign exchange branch at Panjim in Goa. The branch designed as a one-stop-shop for all foreign exchange requirements was inaugurated by Ravi Menon, Head, Foreign Exchange, Cox & Kings. The flagship store located at Magnum Centre, First Floor, Shop 20, MG Road, Panjim will offer a slew of products – buying and selling of all frequently traded foreign currencies, sell pre-paid cards, enable Money Transfer business where tourists can receive money from overseas, as well as provide domestic money transfer facilities.  Students who desire to travel overseas from Goa for further studies can avail Foreign Currency Draft and Outward Remittance facilities through this outlet. According to Menon, “Goa is a key market as it receives a large number of foreign tourists. Our bouquet of foreign exchange products and services are designed to cater to this segment. Our branch will cater to all the requirements which are allowed under Authorised Dealer CAT II activities.” It has been observed that foreign tourists need help to exchange and exhaust their money when on their holiday. Cox & Kings will cater to both these needs, where these guests can exchange their money as well as use the money transfer facility to receive money from overseas. In case foreign tourists need help with their domestic holiday they can approach this branch, which in turn will refer them to the nearest Cox & Kings store. According to data released by the department of tourism, government of Goa, in 2015, Goa received 5.40 lakh international tourists, an increase of 5 percent over 2014. This year the state is expected to attract even more tourists especially from traditional markets such as …

A total of 68,809 foreign tourists arrived in September 2016 on e-Tourist Visa (eTV) as compared to 31,729 during the month of September 2015 registering a growth of 116.9%. UK (15.5%) continues to occupy top slot followed by USA (12.4%) and China (9.0%) amongst countries availing e-tourist visa facility. During September 2016, a total of 68,809 foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 31,729 during the month of September, 2015 registering a growth of 116.9%. During January-September 2016, a total of 6,75,302 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 2,01,705 during January-September 2015, registering a growth of 234.8%. The percentage shares of top 10 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facilities during September, 2016 were as follows: UK (15.5%), USA (12.4%), China (9.0%), Australia (6.0%), Germany (4.8%), France (4.3%), Spain (3.6%), Canada (3.1%), UAE (2.6%) and Malaysia (2.6%).The percentage shares of top 10 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during September, 2016 were as follows: New Delhi Airport (51.71%), Mumbai Airport (21.06%), Bengaluru Airport (6.44%), Chennai Airport (6.27%), Kochi Airport (3.50%), Hyderabad Airport (2.45%), Kolkata Airport (2.34%),Trivandrum Airport (1.35%) , Amritsar Airport (1.18%) and Dabolim (Goa) Airport (1.11%). The facility of e-Tourist Visa has been made available by the Government of India to the citizens of 150 countries, arriving at 16 International Airports in India. The number of e-Tourist Visa availed by foreign tourists visiting India during the month of September, 2016 has registered a substantial growth rate over the corresponding month of 2015.

Ramesh Marwah has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA) to better administer UFTAA and offer regular support to members. He will endeavour to create increased connect between members as well. This was informed by UFTAA to all its members through a formal circular. Commenting on his position, Marwah said, “I am very excited and proud to be a part of UFTAA-the illustrious global federation which is also celebrating its golden jubilee this year. Every initiative will be in the direction of retaining confidence of travel agency associations in UFTAA; making UFTAA a global platform for knowledge, learning and networking and also maintaining free flow of communication to ensure UFTAA remains first point of contact when any issue props up in any part of the industry worldwide.” He is a proven professional with about 40 years experience of serving in various leadership positions with reputed organisations including international airlines, Italian DMC, global OTAs, etc.

Goibibo has now launched a new feature of live flight tracking for 1824 daily flight schedules, for both domestic and international flights. With the new feature passengers are enabled with three key aspects—get real time data on the flight schedule, air craft type, gate number, baggage carousel information; get notified on delays with estimated time of departure and arrival, change in terminal and gate information; and enable friends/ families of the passenger to track their journey as well as get notified on arrival information or change in schedules. Ashish Kashyap, Founder & CEO, Ibibo Group, said : “Flight tracking and status information is first of its kind. This is in line with our focus of constantly delivering unique consumer experiences and at the same enhancing our travel social network, GoContacts. We have an exciting line up of innovative product releases for all our categories comprising air, hotels, bus and cars”

Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior, is organising 6th Asia-Euro conference 2016 in Tourism, Hospitality & Gastronomy from November 9-12, 2016, in Gwalior. Conference Chairman and Director, IITTM Prof. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, informed “It is the first time in India that this conference is being organized in collaboration with Taylor’s University, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and University of Toulouse, Jean Jaures, France. The theme of the conference is ‘Envisioning Tourism 2050’. More than 150 academic experts representing Asian and European universities and institutions from France, Italy, Switzerland, UK, US, Mauritius, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Uzbekistan etc. besides Indian tourism academic experts will be attending the international conference.” The Inaugural Ceremony shall be held on November 10, 2016. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Government of India & Chairman, Board of Governors of IITTM, and Vinod Zutshi, Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of India & Vice Chairman, BOG of IITTM as well as  other dignitaries including Dr. Graig Arden, President – Taylor’s University, Prof. Jean Pouline – France, Prof. T.V. Kattimani – Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak; Prof. S.P. Bansal – Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi State University, Haryana, are expected to grace the inauguration function. Special panel discussions on ‘Future of Tourism’ and ‘Indian Diasporas & Cultural Dimensions’ are also scheduled beside technical sessions on different related themes.

January-August 2016 saw 1,17,897 Indians visit Bali, recording a growth of 61.57 per cent as compared to the same period last year which saw 72,969 visitors, according to the Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BTPD). With this, India scored the highest growth rate followed by China at 35.06 per cent. The increase in Indian visitors has pushed the country’s position as the fifth most important source market, with Australia, Europe, China and Japan occupying the first four ranks. Accordingly, India contributed to 3.69 per cent share of the total tourists in Bali which is 3.19 million during the same period.

AirPortr, a London based travel technology start-up, in partnership with British Airways, has launched AirPortr + Bag Check-In, a ‘game-changing’ new service for airline customers, which allows them to check in their luggage from anywhere in London. AirPortr + Bag Check-In allows those travelling with British Airways to travel straight through the airport completely luggage free until they reach baggage reclaim at their destination airport. AirPortr will deliver any size or weight item of luggage to London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City Airport with bags checked in from a London address. Prices start from £30 for the first bag from Central London and £10 for each additional bag. The new service can help reduce travel costs and travel times by enabling travellers to use public transport bag free.

Honorable Mayor of Paris and Yash Raj Films launched the Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor starrer ‘Befikre’ at the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris on October 10 evening. Set entirely in France, ‘Befikre’ embodies the French freedom of expression through a contemporary story of two young protagonists. Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, Director Atout France India – France Tourism Development Agency, said, “This is the first ever Bollywood movie to have been truly “Made in France” right from romancing at myriad locations in Paris, Picardy and Cannes, to personifying the quintessential French lifestyle. It has been a delightful experience for us to have been a part of this journey right from handpicking and showcasing locations in France with the Yash Raj team to now embarking on this path breaking launch pad of releasing the film’s trailer in Paris as hospitality partners alongside Accor group of Hotels. To showcase the film to a diverse audience, Atout France in association with Accor group of Hotels and Yashraj will organise a special screening for the travel trade fraternity and select media in December. We hope travel companies are motivated to create a Befikre trail which includes destinations shot in the movie such as Picardy, Cannes and Paris which will spur the avid traveller to embark on a new Befikre experience in France.” Full of Parisian spirit, the movie celebrates love – sensual, carefree and focused on living life to the fullest celebrating the renowned French art de vivre or unique way of life. The ‘Befikre’ cast touched down in France in early May and shot the film entirely Made in France for 52 days. The movie is slated to be released in India on December …

Starting December, Indian Railways plans to test-run three luxury coaches with glass ceilings, one on a route in the Kashmir valley and the other two in the Araku Valley in South India. In a bid to attract wealthy tourists, the coaches will have chairs that can rotate, have extra leg space and high-tech infotainment systems, informed A.K. Manocha, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). “There are some trains with glass ceiling(s) in foreign countries like Switzerland, which enjoy the patronage of tourists. We believe such coaches would also give a fillip to rail tourism in India,” Manocha said. The move is a part of the government’s attempt to revamp the massive transport system. Dham Ghaj Prasad, Group General Manager, IRCTC explained the coaches with glass top ceiling would be the first of its type in India. “Work on the project started in 2015 with a series of meetings on the specification of the coach design. The first such coach is all set to roll out this month (October) itself. The coaches will be ultra luxurious with rotatable chairs to provide the passengers an aerial view through partly glass ceiling,” he elaborated. Estimated at Rs 4 crore per glass-topped coach, the project spending is estimated around $17 billion (Rs1.21 lakh crore) this fiscal towards this revamp. The Indian Railways this year also announced plans to offer wi-fi hotspots at 100 stations and improve its services via smartphone apps.

Senior delegates from Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), Economic Development Board and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority recently held productive discussions with a number of potential airlines from India, as it looks forward to seeing Bahrain added to their expanding network. The delegation was attending the 22nd World Routes Development Forum held in Chengdu, China from 24–27 September 2016. Last year, The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) supported the ‘Little India in Bahrain’ initiative to celebrate and document the contribution of the Indian community to the history and progress of Bahrain and to boost cultural tourism in the kingdom. BAC is building a new passenger terminal at the Bahrain airport scheduled to be completed by 2020. The expansion is expected to increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers a year from the current nine million passengers a year.