Mumbai-based Avant Garde Consulting has taken on JA Resorts & Hotels as part of its connoisseur’s collection, which is a collection of seven properties spread across Dubai, and one each in the Maldives and Seychelles. Pooja Wadhwa, Partner, Avant Garde Consulting, said, “The company has an analogous marketing philosophy and market segmentation as ours, and we see a perfect fit for each of their properties in various segments within the ever evolving Indian market that desires an authentic and enriching experience. We look forward to building the JA Resorts & Hotels brand in India, and subsequently acquire a large market share for JA in India.” JA’s Portfolio includes seven properties in Dubai, JA Manafaru exclusive island resort in the Maldives and Enchanted Island Resort by JA in Seychelles, which is a super-luxurious 10 villa property each with private beach access and a private pool.

The Sultanate of Oman in association with the national airline Oman Air will conduct multi-city roadshow for the travel trade in India during September. The roadshow will commence on September 19 at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad; September 21 at The Oberoi, Kolkata; September 23 at Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad; and conclude on September 26 at JW Marriott, Pune. Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative – Ministry of Tourism, Oman says, “In 2015, we witnessed 17 per cent growth in Indian arrivals and in the first six months of 2016 too we have seen a positive growth. Encouraged by these figures and to penetrate better in tier II cities, we have decided to conduct the roadshow in Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. This year, we also identified Kolkata as a new market for Oman and will be conducting our first roadshow in the city. With this new addition, Oman has made presence in 8 Indian cities with Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai being our main source markets.” Representatives from Ministry of Tourism, Oman along with a 15-member delegation representing hotels, DMCs and attractions in Oman will interact with key travel agents and tour operators from India. The roadshow will follow a pre-fixed meeting format whereby the invited travel agents will get adequate time to meet each delegate from Oman.

AirAsia will connect Bengaluru with Hyderabad and Goa from September 22. The airline would also operate flights between Bengaluru and Guwahati with daily service. This was announced at the company’s press conference where AirAsia disclosed its plans of expansion of its fleet along with starting new routes in India. As part of the proposed plans, it will induct 20 Airbus A320 aircraft to its India operation. “We want to expand our presence in India as a low cost player. We have put in very careful consideration about where we fly. It must be commercially viable at the end of the day. It is a very young market and will take time to stabilise,” says Amar Abrol, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia India. The company at present has a market share of 2.2 per cent in the domestic business with an average load factor of 86 per cent. “AirAsia has ordered for 100 A320neo. As and when they are added to our fleet we expect those will be added to India operations also,” adds Abrol. He also pointed out that as of now the company is operating a single fleet but is also constantly evaluating other types of aircrafts. “It again depends on the demands in the areas where ATR can fly. There are no immediate plans,” he says. (Source: The Hindu)

AccorHotels and InterGlobe Hotels have announced the opening of ibis Hyderabad HITEC City, marking the debut of the in-demand economy brand in the city. Strategically located in the heart of HITEC City, the hotel is easily accessible from Hyderabad International Convention Centre managed by AccorHotels. With 178 rooms, the hotel boasts of a contemporary design that offers unparalleled comfort and convenience with a range of in-room amenities at an affordable price. Speaking at the hotel’s launch, J.B. Singh, President & CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, said, “The Pearl City, is a perfect blend of leisure and business travel. Known for its heritage, history, and iconic tourist attractions, Hyderabad has always been a destination of choice for travellers. More recently the city has also emerged as a popular MICE destination, and has seen several domestic, and international business meetings and conferences. Along with AccorHotels, we are very happy to bring ibis to Hyderabad HITEC City which is the ideal brand and offering for the frequent Hyderabad business traveller as well as the leisure traveller.”

Tourism Malaysia has appointed Sulaiman Suip as the new Director, North & East India operations. He will spearhead Tourism Malaysia’s marketing and publicity efforts from the New Delhi office to continue focus on bringing innovative products and promoting unique experiences to the Indian travel community. Previously, Suip held similar positions in Thailand and as deputy director at Tourism Malaysia’s Japan office. Speaking about his latest tenure in India, Suip said, “India is an important market for us as it contributes to the 6th largest arrivals to Malaysia. This year we have a target of welcoming one million Indian tourists.  The face of Indian travel is changing a lot and now it’s not just about status symbols or checking places off a list. Experiential holidays like spa holidays, art and culture trips, culinary vacations are catching the fancy of the Indian traveller. So there will be a conscious effort to promote this sector to the discerning traveller. Focus will also continue on promoting theme parks and the shopping segment, as Malaysia is seen as a perfect family destination with something for everyone in the family.” Suip was instrumental in setting up the Tourism Malaysia offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai during his tenure as the Desk Officer overseeing promotion for South Asia market from 2000 until 2002. “Life seems to have come to a full circle with this new stint and I look forward to doing some good work in the eclectic Indian market,” Suip adds.

Destination Management Company Sen Travel Group has appointed Absolute Hospitality Services as its sales office in India and looks forward to servicing the Indian clients. The group services tour operators and travel agents worldwide. It specialises in tailor-made travel itineraries for both individual and group of travellers seeking to provide authentic experiences in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The founder of Sen Travel Group, Tran Thi Xuan Nguyen is passionate about travelling and has turned this passion into business. The company aims to provide top quality and great value travel products to tour operators and travel agents in India. Team at Sen Travel Group is professional, dedicated and good at what they do. Their local knowledge and first-hand experience enables them to customize and create the most suitable products, itineraries and experiences as demanded by agencies partners and their guests. People still view Vietnam through the lens of war, however Tran says, “in reality Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are blessed with fascinating natural beauty; tranquil village life, ravishing coastline, emerald-green mountains, breathtaking national parks, dynamic cities, outstanding cultural interest and above all the world’s best cuisines.” Anuradha Singh and  Randhir Narayan – Directors of AHS, welcome Sen Travel Group to the portfolio of International DMCs. Anuradha commented “we are always excited to introduce new destination & new experiences to Indian Travel Trade ”.

Wadia Group-owned airline GoAir can now fly to international routes by early next year as GoAir receives the government’s approval to fly to nine countries including Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhastan. The approval for the Mumbai-based carrier which has been operating for over a decade, comes more than two months after the Government eased the overseas flying norms for Indian airlines. The nine countries include Iran, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. “We have got approval to fly to nine countries. We expect to start international operations from the next summer schedule,” GoAir Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told PTI. Generally, the summer schedule commences from the last Sunday of March and extends to the last Saturday of October every year. GoAir would be the first Indian private carrier to fly to any CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). CIS countries for which the carrier has got flying nod include Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Azerbaijan. Only in June this year, GoAir saw its fleet rise to 20 planes with the induction of first A320 neos. Around the same time, the government decided to do away with the 5/20 rule and replaced it with 0/20 norm as part of the new civil aviation policy.

Sunil Kumar, President, United Federation of Travel Agents Associations (UFTAA), has revealed that the association board is reviewing the venue it had selected for its 50th anniversary celebrations this November. It had selected Istanbul as the destination. However, recent developments have forced the board to review it. While on his way to the airport for his flight to Istanbul last night to attend a meeting with the UFTAA board members, Kumar revealed, “We will review the venue for our Golden Jubilee Congress that is expected to be held anytime after November 22, 2016. The exact dates will also be confirmed at this meeting.” UFTAA will also be getting ready for the Passenger Agency Conference (PAConf) that will take place in September in Singapore, he added.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has finally frozen on the venue and dates for its 63rd convention. Sunil Kumar, President, TAAI, revealed, “We have decided on Abu Dhabi as the venue for our next convention that will be held from October 14-16, 2016. We are in the process of blocking air seats now. It is one of the strongest destinations in the Middle East region and also an easy place to reach from India. “We want a strong convention this year with a strong focus, for our members as well as our partners. We will focus on both inbound as well as outbound. We are amidst signing contracts for this right now and have blocked rooms and convention space at the grandiose Emirates Palace,” he said. The team is now working on the convention theme, logistics and other details.

With an aim to promote tourism through film shoots internationally, Divine Holiday Management and International Destination Management Company, with offices in Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines, has recently announced their new subsidiary company Divine Line Production. The company will facilitate film shootings in Europe, Australia, USA, Thailand and Mauritius. They are also doing a big budget Hollywood film to be produced by Warner Bros. in Mauritius. Terence Cardoz, Owner, Divine Line Production, said, “We are International Line Producers and work very closely with Worldwide Film Commissions, tourism boards, government authorities, embassies, consulates and airlines to support production houses for film shoots to any destination in the world. We assist production houses with accommodation’s, logistics, permissions, equipment’s, junior artists, crew during the shoot. We also assist and ensure government subsidy in many international destinations. Due to our close contact high commissions worldwide it makes it even easier to assist production houses for Recce and Crew visas. We also assure the best deals on Air Tickets to any destination in the world during the shoot.” The Countries that they are currently promoting for film shoots are Austria , Italy , Switzerland, Germany, France , Belgium , Netherland , Luxembourg, Spain , Portugal , Czech , Slovak, Hungary, Georgia, Malta, Kyrgyzstan, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Slovenia ,Malta, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, UK , Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, India, Nepal, UAE, Oman , Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Malaysia, South Korea , Singapore , Thailand , Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand , South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius , Reunion Island, Namibia & Rwanda.