Continuing with its efforts to find ways and means of enriching the members’ knowledge during these extremely challenging times, the Outbound Tour Operators of India (OTOAI) has recently collaborated with its recent associated member VisitPortugal,  to hold a series of webinars. The main purpose of these webinars is to enrich the knowledge of OTOAI members regarding Portugal as a tourism destination,  attracting visitors from all over the world (Europe’s Leading Destination 2020), to its seven and contrasting regions. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “There are new and revised set of guidelines for people travelling to mainland Portugal, in transit or with connecting flights, regarding which we aim to appraise our members. These Webinars are just one of the many initiatives that we have been taking over the last few months to help OTOAI members sail through these exceptionally challenging times. The international travel scenario is changing very fast and we need to stay updated with the same to offer trustworthy and authentic information to our customers.” Claudia Matias, VisitPortugal Director in India said, “We are a country with such heritage, diversity,  inclusiveness, warm hospitality and mild weather. We rank top searched destination of “European Best Destinations” in 2021. It is not a surprise that celebrities such as Madonna, John Malkovich, Monica Bellucci or Scarlett Johansson decided to settle in our amazing country. These webinars are a continuation of our commitment and B2B strategy in India, after opening our office in New Delhi in 2020. We find it extremely relevant to train our business partners, helping them to sell the destination better. Besides this, we look forward to organising FAM trips to gain first-hand knowledge about our country, once tourism from …

As the world is struggling with a new wave and new mutations, the increased vaccination drive across the globe is offering the much-needed assurance and many countries have come out with statements welcoming guests who have received their complete vaccine dose. Maintaining the travel sentiment and in an endeavour to assure people that outbound travel from India will hopefully resume soon, RiazMunshi, President, OTOAI, was recently invited to be the Keynote Speaker at a Luxury B2B MICE Conference in Istanbul, Turkey organised by Team Travel Shop. The event took place from April 6 – 7, 2021. Expressing his thoughts on Indian traveller’s travel habits in the light of the pandemic, President OTOAI said, “Turkey is the perfect destination for all segments of Indian travellers, be it families, honeymooners, MICE groups or weddings. Turkey is also one of the first countries to launch the Safe Tourism Certification System, which is already a step in the right direction to build consumer confidence. Travellers will now be much more cognizant of their choice of destinations and will seek reassurance that they will be safe while in a particular country or location. Positioning the destination as one that promises travel safety upfront puts Turkey in a good position to attract more travellers. I am sure that together, we will make India the number one source market for Turkey.” Emphasising how the entire world is travelling in the same boat and must collectively work towards turning this into an opportunity, Munshi said, “I believe that the travel industry is at a point of disruption and the future will be different from what we had imagined, but it will surely be a bright one. For all …

TAAI- WITT and FICCI – FLO have announced to organise a webinar to empower women and skill the female workforce in the industry for sustainable tourism. The webinar powered by TravTalk is scheduled for 9th April from 11 am – 12:30 pm. Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI and Jahnabi Phookan, National President, FICCI FLO informed that the event will be joined by Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism as a special invitee. Other speakers include Rupinder Brar, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary, Gujarat Tourism, Priya Paul, Chairman, Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels, Parineeta Sethi and Madhu Jain. To join the webinar, log on to  http://zoom.us/j/95192672623   The event is supported by the Ministry of Tourism.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) will be taking part in the inaugural edition of ITB India. This first edition of ITB India, which will take place from 7th to 9th April, has been organised to connect stakeholders to the Indian travel market through a three-day, business-to-business, virtual event. DCT Abu Dhabi will be presenting a virtual exclusive session as part of the event, where HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi, will be discussing Abu Dhabi’s roadmap for the future of travel and tourism. Addressing the UAE capital’s continuous efforts to overcome the challenges which have been brought on by the pandemic, he will focus on the importance of collaboration within the industry and highlights the emirate’s long-term vision to deliver appealing yet distinctive tourism and cultural destination that is ready to welcome the world. Showcasing the ambitious Go Safe campaign, which has standardised health and safety protocols across the emirate, he will also discuss other pioneering initiatives, real-time trends, and upcoming projects and attractions that will create memorable experiences for travellers in Abu Dhabi. “We are delighted to participate in the inaugural ITB India. India is a key source market for us and we value the trust that Indian travellers have in us as a destination,” said HE Al Shaiba. “Through our ongoing initiatives to maintain high standards of safety and hygiene, including the Go Safe initiative and a countrywide efficient vaccination drive, we aim to make Abu Dhabi the preferred travel destination for Indian travellers. “Abu Dhabi boasts a wide range of tourism and MICE offerings, catering to all types of travellers. We …

Close to 300 Indian travel agents tuned in to CruiseWorld India 2021 organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Northstar Travel.  Helmed by Genting Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International, STB and leading cruise agents, the session instilled confidence in Singapore”s cruise recovery and the steps taken by the Singapore cruise industry in the safe resumption of cruising even as Singapore has not opened for international cruise travel. Singapore has pioneered the world’s first Cruise Safe certification programme with stringent hygiene and safety measures throughout the passenger journey. The results have been very encouraging.  More than 90 sailings had taken place and 120,000 Singapore residents had experienced seacation with cruise to nowhere itinerary.

Air Seychelles is set to resume operations of its commercial flights between Mumbai and Seychelles twice a week, starting Thursday, April 8, 2021. Remco Althuis, CEO, Air Seychelles says that it is the right time to launch these flights since Seychelles has reopened its borders on March 25 to welcome visitors on its shores regardless of the vaccination status. “We are very optimistic about the Indian market for Seychelles, especially after seeing so many Indian visitors to the Maldives. Hence, we want to use this opportunity to get more Indians to see Seychelles and hopefully, in the future it’d lead to an increase in the visitor numbers to India once the pandemic is over,” he adds.

As part of its efforts to develop tourism in the state, the Karnataka government has decided to build heliports at major tourist destinations, informed, Tourism Minister CP Yogeshwar. He said that Kalaburagi, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi, Hampi and Mangaluru are the destinations where heliports will be developed.  

Sulaiman Bin Suip, Director, Tourism Malaysia, North & East India, has said that as they continue to gear themselves for opening borders, they have been conducting activities in the market. “Our participation in the Gulf Travel Show itself is part of our plan for gearing up towards border opening. I hope the travel fraternity will be participating in the show will continue to engage with us and we will try as much was we can to engage with them to ensure that our destination and products are. Also, we will tell them that we are taking all necessary measures to ensure a safe destination for their clients and travellers,” he added.

Kerala Tourism today launched a pioneering travel initiative led by ten influencers from around the country who will carry out a new-media campaign to attract domestic tourists in the post-Covid era. Rani George, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism, flagged off the Kerala Blog Express, titled ‘My First Trip 2021’, which is slated to conclude on March 29. The influencers will tread different itineraries for six nights and five days, facilitating production of exclusive contents for Kerala Tourism.The images, videos and literature generated by them will be shared on social-media platforms as #MyFirstTrip.  They will announce to the world that destinations in God’s Own Country continue to be open for tourists. Kerala Tourism Director V.R. Krishna Teja, IAS, and Biju. B.S, Deputy Director, Marketing, Kerala Tourism, were also present at the function held at the Hotel Mascot in the city. “The trip will give the participants a chance to not just visit the famous tourist destinations in Kerala, but experience the cuisine, culture, art and other popular activities around,” Smt George said. “Tourism industry was struck by the pandemic and Kerala was no exception. Gradually, we learned to live on with Covid-19. We started to see visitors coming to Kerala from November-December 2020. Now, these vloggers can also spread the word to the world that Kerala is safer to explore since Covid-19 cases are on the decline in the state. So, people would understand the situation,” she added. Teja, in his address, said that through the trip, the vloggers would certainly experience the warmth of people and understand how safe the state was to explore. While the previous editions of the Kerala Blog Express had only international bloggers and social media influencers, …

JTB India has confirmed key NTOs, hotels and airlines as exhibitors for its B2C virtual platform dedicated to MICE which will be held on April 28, 2021. These includes key Tourism Boards, Global Hotel chains & Airlines. The last date for signing up for this show is 30th March. JTB invites the trade to participate in this unique show to take advantage of its wide corporate network. The event will see attendance from top corporate companies in India. For more information, contact Kritika Kunden at kritika.kunden258@jtb-india.com or Deepali Gupta at deepali.gupta040@jtb-india.com.