The Maharashtra Chapter of IATO has convinced the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to conduct city-specific guide courses, starting from Mumbai. N.S. Rathor, Chairman, Western Region IATO and Regional Chapter Chairman, says, “We met the Secretary of MTDC recently and spoke to him about the scarcity of guides that we experience in some cities, specially Mumbai. Fortunately, MTDC has agreed to start city-specific guide courses starting from Mumbai and then offering city-specific courses in Pune and Nasik. MTDC has said it will start the course from September end – October beginning but the dates have not yet confirmed.” IATO had been in talks with Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) in Gwalior to offer their guide course in Mumbai since it was difficult for applicants to travel and stay away from home for six months, especially women. The institute had however agreed to offer their course at its Goa campus. Unfortunately, due to few applicants – only nine on the last count – the institute decided to cancel it as it was not viable.

Arief Yahya, Tourism Minister, Indonesia, has informed that the number of Indian tourists holidaying in Indonesia has kept increasing over the past six years. The number of Indian tourist arrivals to Indonesia from January to June 2016 was recorded at 185,911 with a growth rate of 28.25 per cent amid negative growth of foreign tourists from other countries due to global economic slowdown. Compared to the same period in 2015, the number of Indian-tourist arrivals in Indonesia was recorded at 145,734 people. Indonesia conducted a two-city roadshow in Kolkata and Ahmedabad to promote its brand ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ and attract more tourists from India. The Indonesian Tourism Ministry as part of the marketing plan organised Sales Mission India 2016 in Kolkata and Ahmedabad on August 22-24, 2016. Deputy Tourism Minister for Overseas Promotion I Gde Pitana said this Sales Mission India 2016 is the continuation of the previous sales missions held in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai during the first half of the year 2016. We hope this event will also add positive impact and further increase the Indian footfall in Indonesia,” he said. Sales Mission India 2016, will facilitate the Indonesian sellers and Indian buyers to meet and produce seller-buyer transactions of tour packages of various Indonesian tourist destinations. There were around 18 stakeholders from Indonesia.

Effective October 12, GoAir will commence services from Hyderabad. The new schedule will introduce daily non-stop flights connecting Hyderabad to Chennai, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Hyderabad will also be connected to Port Blair via Bangalore which will provide leisure travelers additional travel option. This latest addition to GoAir network reflects the airline’s phase of growth with a focus on scaling up operations gradually in the coming weeks while strengthening the value proposition to suit customer’s demand. With the new additions of aircraft in coming months, GoAir will operate up to 184 daily flights by the end of December from current 144 daily flights. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, GoAir, said, “Hyderabad is a key market in South & Central India and a significant base for business and tourism in the region. Adding Hyderabad with its ideal geographical location, we reinforce our commitments towards connectivity across the country. It is our constant endeavor to provide flexibility of choice to our customers along with on time, convenient and affordable flying experience.”

Tourism has been given industry status by Haryana Government for land use purpose. The tourism projects identified under land use are activities relating to amusement, recreation, theme parks; adventure tourism projects; heritage hotels except standalone hotels, tourist resorts, food streets, outdoor dining areas, food courts, restaurants; commercial components within recreational and commercial activities etc. informed Devender Singh, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Haryana. Singh added that the provisions would be applicable to mega projects only involving an investment of Rs 100 crore or above or employing more than 500 people. The conditions would also be applicable with prospective effect to all the new as well as expansion projects involving an investment of Rs 50 crore or more. He also added that the notification to this effect has been issued. (Source: Times of India)

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.