After a 40-year break from operating product in the region, Contiki has launched an Indian itinerary titled ‘The Eternal India’ that will take intrepid young explorers on a journey through India: from Delhi to Agra to Jaipur to Goa. ‘The Eternal India’ trip is on sale now, with trips running from December 2016. The Eternal India trip will take place over 12 days, following Contiki’s more relaxed ‘In-Depth Explorer’ pace. Travellers get the chance to visit Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and finally the beach paradise of Goa. It will include excursions to heritage sites, a safari and special stay at Ranthambore National Park and a trip to the world famous Taj Mahal. Some of the optional activities include a cooking demonstration and local family supper in Jaipur, a Bollywood tour in Mumbai, a tour of Mumbai at dawn and a Yoga class on the beach. Director of Sales & Marketing for Contiki Asia, Sam Morrah, says the new trip is not only a fantastic way to showcase India to young travellers from around the world, but will also help increase brand awareness in the India market where bookings to other destinations such as Europe have increased by 30 per cent this year. “It’s unlikely we’ll see many Indian travellers looking to travel on a Contiki trip in their own country. However young Indians will see just how many travellers from around the world choose Contiki to show them the best travel experiences and this will no doubt result in more young Indian travellers seeking to travel with us to other destinations,” he adds.

Ginger Hotels has announced the launch of its second hotel in Noida; Ginger Hotel Noida, East. Strategically located in the heart of Noida, Ginger Hotel Noida, East; provides convenient access to Noida Expo Centre, Electronic City, Corenthum Business Park, Pragati Maidan, Buddh International Racing Circuit and Delhi Expo Mart. The hotel is also in close proximity to Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Akshardham Temple and the Old Fort. The hotel’s location allows access to a multitude of other services like medical, entertainment and banking within the radius of a kilometer. With 96 rooms, this hotel offers free high-speed wireless Internet, multi-cuisine restaurant with 24/7 coffee shop, well-equipped fitness center, reliable security features and state of the art meeting facilities, for today’s value conscious traveller.  “This is an extremely proud moment for us as we launch our second hotel in Noida – a city that is continuously evolving as a business district and IT hotspot. Ginger is the largest chain of branded budget hotels in India with a resilient promise of safety, cleanliness, wonderful sleep experience, refreshing shower experience, a sumptuous breakfast and seamless internet connectivity. We assure travelers of a delightful experience with us,” said Rahul Pandit, MD & CEO, Ginger Hotels.

Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka has appointed Dr. N. Manjula, IAS, as its new Director. Dr. Manjula, a 2002-Batch IAS officer had earlier held the posts of Director, Municipal Administration; District Collector, Chikkaballapur; CEO, Zilla Panchayath, Mysuru.

Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) kicked off in Ahmedabad with B2B sessions and partner presentations. It is the first time that GPS is being held in the city. The three-day event, being held from July 14-16, witnessed 50 exhibitors offering a diverse range of products, 500+ attendees. July 14 was a day dedicated to a total of six partner presentations throughout the day which witnessed a gathering of more than 140 tour operators and travel agents. This was revealed by Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, Jagsons Travels (organisers of GPS).

Akanksha Garg Dewan, Director, Waxpol Hotel and Resorts, was awarded the Gold Maya at the East India Travel Awards 2016 for the Face of the Future. Dewan has been a pioneer in promoting sustainable tourism and resorts with negligible carbon footprints in Sundarbans and West Bengal. She has also been instrumental in putting Dooars that opened in 2008. She has not only created a niche in the region, but has even taken the brand to Madhya Pradesh.

Suresh Periwal, Managing Director, Clubside Tours and Travels, has won the prestigious Gallery of Legends award at the East India Travel Awards 2016 in Kolkata. With over 40 years of experience in the travel trade, he has been instrumental in putting the eastern region on the tourism map of the country. He is the founder President of the Eastern Himalayan Travel and Tour Operators association and was the Chapter Chairman of IATO for North Bengal and Sikkim Chapter last year.

The third edition of the East India Travel Awards celebrated the accomplishments of the travel and tourism industry of East India at Novotel Hotel and Residences, Kolkata, on July 15. J. P. Shaw, Regional Director (East), India Tourism-Kolkata, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, was the Chief Guest for this prestigious award ceremony. The awards commemorated the achievers from different segments of the industry, such as airlines, GDS, Hotels, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and allied services.

The Government of Maharashtra has appointed Jaykumar Rawal as the new Tourism Minister as on July 8, 2016. Rawal took oath as Cabinet Minister and will also be handling the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in Maharashtra in his portfolio. He holds a degree in Bachelors of Commerce from Symbiosis University, Pune and degree in Business Management from Cardiff University, England. He takes over from Prof Ram Shinde. On taking over charge of his new role as a Tourism Minister, Rawal immediately had a meeting with Madan Yerawar, State Minister Tourism, Government of Maharashtra and higher officials of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) including Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra; Satish Soni, Joint MD, MTDC; Swati Kale, GM, MTDC, amongst other Head of Departments. He reviewed the current tourism projects and provided valuable guidance and direction to the Department of Tourism during the meeting. On the appointment Rawal said, “My key focus will be to advance the current tourism scenario in Maharashtra through implementation of new policies aimed towards tourism growth and skill development. We have great platforms like Visit Maharashtra 2017 campaign and SAARC Summit in Aurangabad in the pipeline. The Tourism Ministry will soon announce the launch of creative contests for logo designing for Visit Maharashtra 2017 campaign and tagline for Maharashtra Tourism.”

Travelport and OYO has announced a new agreement whereby 6,000 hotel properties offered by OYO will be made available through Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform to its travel agency users, both in India and around the world. OYO currently operates in more than 180 Indian cities, including Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Goa. Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform connects hotel providers and independent properties to its 68,000 connected agencies worldwide, in turn, offering travellers more hotel choices as Travelport now offers 650,000 unique hotel properties. Kavikrut, Chief Growth Officer, at OYO said, “We are pleased to partner with Travelport and take our offerings to a wider audience. Both OYO and Travelport are recognised for leveraging innovative technology capabilities. We are confident of utilising this synergy to unlock new growth areas for both partners.” The agreement with OYO is the latest example of Travelport responding to the needs of its agents to add the hotel content they need in their local regions.  It also responds to the needs of hoteliers by giving them access to the international travel booking industry. Once on Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform, travel agents globally have access to the hotel content through their normal workflow, eliminating time-consuming and inefficient bookings across different channels.

Starting July 15, Jet Airways will be charging Rs 900 for extra cabin bag for passengers flying from the six metros. Under the new rule Jet Airways would allow flyers to take one hand bag weighing up to seven or 10 kg. This is depending on whether they are flying economy or business or are Jet’s privilege platinum and gold members, a laptop bag, and a purse for women without any extra charge. Apart from this, any other cabin luggage will have a levy of Rs 900.