The 51st FHRAI Annual Convention kicked off at the Amber Convention Centre in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The event was inaugurated by Vishvas Sarang, Minister (I/C) for Cooperation, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief & Rehabilitation, Panchayat & Rural development, Malini Laxman Singh Gaur, Mayor of Indore; Vivek Nair, Chairman, Convention Organizing Committee, FHRAI and Bharat Malkani, President, FHRAI. Radisson Blu Hotel Indore is the venue for all the business sessions which will be conducted on September 23 and 24, 2016, and the FHRAI awards will be held on Sept 24, 2016, at the Amber Convention Centre. The theme for the convention ‘Brand India’ is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision based on the 5T’s – Talent, Tradition, Tourism, Trade and Technology. The convention logo brings together the symbol of a flaming torch and the welcome gesture of ‘Namaste’. Welcoming all participants at the convention, Nair said that there is a need to create infrastructure to boost tourism in the country. He also said that GST should be relooked at a reasonable limit. Malkhani noted that FHRAI completed six decades of existence and the focus of the organisation is on skill development. The association has institued a study with the National Green Tribunal to bring out a book to run properties in a sustainable manner, which will be given to its members free of cost.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) honoured TravTalk with the ‘Best Pre-printed Dailies’ award at its 32nd convention held from September 18-20, 2016, at the ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. The magazine was conferred the honour by Thiru. Pandiarajan K, Minister for School Education and Sports and Youth Welfare (responsible for Archaeology), Govt. of Tamil Nadu. TravTalk is a product of DDP Publications and has been providing the travel industry with news and updates for more than 25 years.

Destination Canada along with Air Canada conducted an ‘Experience Canada Workshop’ for their travel trade partners in Mumbai today that was attended by more than 150 agents and operators. Also present at the event were Canada suppliers including Tekla Maira, ‎Director, Global Sales India, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts; and Mernoz Shastri, Director, Mazda Travel. The event was also attended by a representative from the High Commission of Canada in Delhi who gave a presentation on the visa process for Indians and took questions from the audience.

AccorHotels has launched India’s first ibis Styles in North Goa. The 197-room ibis Styles Goa Calangute is conveniently located within walking distance from Tivai Beach, a short drive from Calangute and Candolim beaches and minutes away from popular entertainment and night spots. Jean-Michel Cassé, Senior Vice President, Operations, AccorHotels India, said, “The opening of the ibis Styles Goa Calangute marks a strategic growth milestone for the group as we now have 43 hotels operating across a well-rounded portfolio of ten distinct brands in the country. Not only are we excited to introduce the ibis Styles brand to our guests in India, but we are also proud to share that we are now the largest hotel operator in Goa with a growing collection of midscale and in-demand economy brands presence.” Speaking on the opening, Nikheel Shirodkar, General Manager, ibis Styles Goa Calangute, said, “ibis Styles Goa Calangute offers a resort feel experience at an affordable price, making it the perfect destination for family vacations, leisure retreats or corporate team bonding sessions. Its bright and vibrant colours are seen throughout the hotel from its unique blend of architectural design. We look forward to extending the ibis Styles’ signature service to guests travelling to Goa.” A non-standardised economy and design brand, ibis Styles offers an all-inclusive package, with breakfast and internet access. Situated in the heart of cities and in other major centres of activity around the world, each ibis Styles has its own distinct personality that resonates a colourful and bright brand spirit which are hip and trendy. The hotel is deeply influenced by Goa’s Portuguese heritage and charm that are infused with a contemporary twist. All guest rooms are pool facing …

Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism in association with the Association of Turkish Travel Agents & Turkish Hoteliers Federation will conduct an eight-city roadshow titled ‘Destination Turkey Workshop B2B and Trainings’ for the travel trade in India. The roadshow will commence on September 26 in Mumbai; September 27 in Bangalore; September 28 in Kolkata; September 29 in Lucknow; September 30 in Delhi; October 1 in Ahmedabad; October 3 in Hyderabad; and concludes on October 4 in Chennai. The workshop will see an attendance of 35 participants comprising of suppliers, restaurateurs & hoteliers from Turkey and Turkish Airline.

Atout France India has announced that Indian arrival figures to France touched the 5,00,000 mark in 2015. Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India, said, “India’s largest incentive movement to France comprising of 2,200 passengers also took place in December 2015 enhancing France’s positioning as a preferred incentive destination. The growing influence of Bollywood has had a positive impact on tourism. With the much awaited Yash Raj’s ‘Befikre’ shot in its entirety in France to be released in December this year and last year’s ‘Tamasha’ shot partly on location in Corsica, France is steadily gaining favour with Indian film-makers as well.” Atout France’s recently-concluded annual showcase saw a record-breaking participation of 29 French-Indian delegates that was an interesting mix of established partners and new entrants. A large contingent of the delegation was from the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region that showcased its alpine destinations and activities. Held between September 12-16, the showcase commenced in Mumbai, travelled to Kolkata for the first time with a finale in Delhi. Munshaw also announced the launch of a first ever MOOC (Massive Online Programme) for the French travel industry enabling them to better understand the Indian market specificities and in turn better serving the Indian traveller. Optimizing on France’s popularity as a wedding destination, a destination wedding guide was released this summer in France to better acquaint the French travel and hospitality industry with the nuances of planning the Indian Wedding.

In a bid to establish a stronger footprint in the India market, Air Canada has announced expansions in its flights between India and Canada. At a B2B event jointly organised by Destination Canada and Air Canada in Mumbai today, Arun Pandeya, Country Head & GM – India Sub-continent, Air Canada, announced, “We will increase the frequency of our Toronto-Delhi flights from four times a week to daily beginning November 6, 2016.” To cater to the increasing demand from the India market, the airline is also introducing seasonal non-stop flights from Vancouver to New Delhi. “These flights will operate from October 20, 2016 to April 8, 2017. These will be on our Dreamliner 787-900 series and will be the fastest airline to connect these two cities – in 13 hours total,” he added.

Ministry of Tourism’s maiden Incredible India Tourism Investors’ Summit 2016 kicked off in New Delhi. Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs inaugurated the three-day summit. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture delivered the key address. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also addressed the audience on the occasion. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). IITIS is a platform for domestic and international investors to meet project owners from across Indian states and the private sector. Highlights of this summit will be state presentations encompassing all investible properties, session on “Why invest in India?,” MSME in tourism sector, panel discussions on core infrastructure for tourism, session on start-ups, digital India, investing into Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, MICE and niche tourism products, B2B meetings and signing of MoUs. Four Knowledge Partners i.e. Ernst & Young, KPMG, Yes Bank and Invest India will assist States and UTs for identifying projects, suggesting tourism policy updates and presenting these to the potential investors during the summit. Around 250 domestic and overseas investors are set to participate in the summit. More than 2000 delegates have registered for the event.

Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) during August 2016 were 6.70 lakh as compared to 5.99 lakh FTAs in August 2015, registering a growth of 11.8 per cent over the same month the previous year. A sum of Rs.12,903 crore foreign exchange was earned through tourism in August 2016 as compared to Rs. 11,411 crore in August, 2015 corresponding to a growth rate of 13.1 per cent in August 2016 over August 2015. FTAs during the period January- August, 2016 were 55.92 lakh as compared to the 50.73 lakh FTAs during the same period in 2015 corresponding to a growth of 10.2 per cent. FEE from tourism during January-August, 2016 was recorded at Rs. 1,00,287 crore with a growth of 14.7 per cent. The percentage share of FTAs amongst the top five source countries was highest from Bangladesh (16.61 per cent) followed by  USA (12.59 per cent), UK (10.57 per cent), Sri Lanka (5.92 per cent) and Malaysia (3.41 per cent) while the percentage share of FTAs amongst top five ports was highest at Delhi Airport with 28.38 per cent followed by Mumbai Airport (17.32 per cent), Chennai Airport (10.17 per cent),  Haridaspur Land check post (9.10 per cent) and Bengaluru Airport (6.83 per cent)

Jayaraj Shanmugam takes over as the new Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways. Since joining Jet Airways’ in mid-2015 and as Sr. Vice President of Products & Services, Shanmugam has been instrumental in sharpening the organization’s focus towards delivering superior guest engagement experience together with a host of outstanding, innovative initiatives. He will now be responsible for leading Jet Airways’ commercial teams to maximize revenue streams and use its market reach, people capabilities and brand appeal to accelerate the airline’s reputation for service excellence and efficiency. Specifically, his responsibilities will cover areas of product enhancement, guest services, passenger and cargo sales, marketing as well as corporate communications. He will also oversee other critical functions such as airport and in-flight services, catering, revenue management, cabin crew and e-commerce.