The industry body ASSOCHAM held a round table discussion on the Revival of the Tourism Sector, attended by industry leaders with the aim to shed light on key focus areas for the revival of the segment, the way forward and how the industry can convert the crisis into an opportunity. Addressing the gathering, Arvind Singh, Tourism Secretary, Government of India, mentioned, “We have to inculcate confidence in the minds of the travellers. The pain points of the travel sector have been discussed. What we are going through is once in a century event, we have seen ups and downs and after every down, there is always an up. We have seen the same in the first wave, where there was a revival after a pushback. We are hearing signs of revival, with people travelling to the hills. We are witnessing the revival again from the second wave of the pandemic in the domestic tourism sector. The ministry of tourism has kept dialogue & doors open with the industry.  A lot of suggestions have come up which we have examined and have taken up with the finance ministry and the other stakeholders” Putting forth his views while presenting how India as a destination can become a leader in the space of Medical Value Tourism C&MD ITDC, G Kamala Vardhana Rao said, “The increasing globalization of healthcare services has led to the rise of medical tourism. India is visited not only for its tradition, enthralling beauty, and delightful diversity but also for its high-end healthcare ecosystem and world-class medical treatment. Over the years, India has become a premier and attractive destination for travellers from across the globe to attain best-in-class clinical treatment, …

Uzbekistan Airways, the national flag carrier of the Republic of Uzbekistan has appointed Wingspan Group, the Airline Management Services Company & Specialist in Russia and CIS Countries for over two decades, as its new Passenger Sales Agent (PSA) for the Indian market. Abzal R Akramov, Uzbekistan Airway’s General Manager India stated that “We are pleased to appoint Wingspan Group to position our brand, create awareness of our products and sell our services in an important market – the Western & Southern India.” The new PSA, Wingspan Group will use its vast experience and will be the immediate liaison for the airline’s sales development in India, including ticketing and direct support services to the travel trade. “Wingspan Group is happy to be associated with Uzbekistan Airways as their Passenger Sales Agent (PSA) in India. Uzbekistan Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines in the CIS Countries and has aggressive plans to connect India and Uzbekistan through their hub in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We look forward to a great working association with Uzbekistan Airways and are optimistic of making their online operations a success & also resume flight ex-Mumbai once the pandemic is over,” commented Tasneem Udaipurwala, Director, Wingspan Group. About Uzbekistan Airways Uzbekistan Airways currently operates weekly flights to Delhi with increased capacity on The Dreamliner B787-800 & B757-200, a state of the art twin class 270 seater equipped with full-flat beds in business class and unmatched legroom in the economy, with in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi onboard. From Tashkent as its hub, Uzbekistan Airways reaches out to several cities in Russia, CIS Countries, Western Europe, the Middle East and the United States of America. Uzbekistan Airways operates one of the largest fleets …

Qatar Airways continues to set the benchmark for innovation, safety and customer service, becoming the first airline to trial COVID-19 vaccine authentication through the IATA Travel Pass ‘Digital Passport’ Mobile App. As more travellers return to the skies, the airline remains committed to reducing paperwork and providing a more contactless, secure and seamless travel experience for its passengers. The trial will be rolled out in phases from July, beginning initially with cabin crew returning to Doha travelling from Kuwait, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Sydney. Cabin crew will be able to upload their Qatar issued COVID-19 vaccination credentials along with their COVID-19 test results to the IATA Travel Pass Mobile App and verify they are eligible to travel. On arrival in Doha, crew will then be able to safely and securely share their vaccination certificate and proceed through immigration at the airport. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: “Despite the significant challenges the pandemic has caused international aviation, our industry has continued to be a leader in adopting new technologies and innovations to ensure a safe, secure and seamless travel experience for our passengers. Qatar Airways is proud to lead the way by becoming the first airline to trial COVID-19 vaccine authentication through the IATA Travel Pass ‘Digital Passport’ Mobile App. I want to especially thank Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation, whom without their ongoing support, this trial would not be possible. “We know as more people begin making plans to return to their favourite holiday destinations, they will inevitably face the challenge of ensuring they have the right paperwork. Through trialling …

The Israel Ministry of Tourism, India Office will conduct a virtual presentation for the Indian travel trade in all the seven states of the North East region of India on Tuesday, 6 July at 3 pm IST. The session will highlight various offerings on the theme of the Christian faith. To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

UK-based start-up airline Hans Airways has revealed the initial board line-up to spearhead its drive to gaining its Air Operator Certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) later this year. The carrier plans to begin direct non-stop flights from the UK to India in Autumn 2021. The airline will soon make announcements about the structure of the senior management team.

Ajay Singh, Chairman & MD, SpiceJet said that SpiceJet has decided to raise funds of up to Rs 2,500 crore. “To ensure our long term growth and sustainable operation we have decided to raise funds, these funds will be used to significantly strengthen our balance sheet,” he said. The airline has reported a net loss of Rs 998.3 Crore in FY2021.

Recognising the significance of social media in transforming the country, The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) on the 6th anniversary of Digital India said that a total of 33,898 accommodation units have been registered under the National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI) portal as on 30th June 2021. The number of self-certified units under the SAATHI initiative are 10,646.

The Tamil Nadu government has constituted a 16-member-committee to come up with a revival plan for the tourism sector and suggest COVID-19 SOPs for tourists in the state. Director- Tourism will be the Chairperson of the panel which also includes representatives from TAAI, IATO, TTM, SIHRA, TTTHA, FICCI, CII and South India MICE Association (SIMA).

VFS Global has informed that it has started accepting applications for The Netherlands Visa for select visa categories in India with safety measures in place. At present, visa applications are only accepted in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad. For more details on visa categories, operational days and safety norms, visit, www.visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/nld

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its hour-long webinar series in July that has been exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade. The next one will be held on Thursday, July 1 at 3pm IST and will focus on the Xacobeo Holy Year. Those who attend all three webinars and participate in the educational quiz stand a chance to win Amazon gift vouchers. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.