Category Archives: Agents

Promoting tourism awareness and social history, the Ministry of Tourism has launched its ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ webinar series to provide information on the many destinations of the country and share the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of our Incredible India. The first webinar, which was part of a series that shall unfold, touched upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded as 8 cities, each unique in its character and leaving behind traces which makes Delhi the magnificent city that it is today. The seminar was titled ” City of Cities- Delhi’s Personal Diary’. The next webinar is on the 16th of April from 11 am to 12 noon and based on the amazing city of Kolkata. The core of the session-based itself on tourism awareness and social history. Laced with interesting anecdotes the session which was conducted by the India city walks for Ministry of Tourism, had enthusiastic participation with 5546 persons registering and many interesting questions were raised which depict the interest of the participants. The webinar shall be available in public domain soon and so if you missed it then do see it on the official links of the Ministry’s social media handles- IncredibleIndia on Instagram and Facebook. Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT mentioned that the series of webinars shall be an on-going feature and the Ministry would work towards showcasing Incredible India. She requested that stakeholders should work with MOT to build positive messaging for the promotion of domestic tourism so that people are encouraged to travel as soon as the country has COVID 19 behind it.

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to participate in its webinar titled ‘From the James Bond Mountain to the shores of Lake Geneva Region’ to be hosted today at 3:00 pm. One of the best 360-degree views of the Swiss skyline can be witnessed on top of the James Bon Mountain, Schilthorn. From the central Swiss Alps, travellers can then make their way to the French-speaking Lake Geneva Region on board the famous GoldenPass Panorama Train. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, the region is surrounded by mountains and vineyards and provides numerous activities and excursion possibilities. This webinar will provide the trade with the latest information and updates about Schilthorn Cableway and the Lake Geneva Region. Travel partners who attend all the webinars stand a chance of winning a trip to Switzerland. For more information, please contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

A KPMG report on potential impact of COVID-19 on Indian economy says that along with large scale cancellations, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) estimates that the hotel, aviation and tourism sector may incur loss of about US$85 billion due to travel restrictions imposed on foreign tourists. The report also indicated that outbound and inbound travel to India will be at an all-time low with impact likely to be felt on both white and blue collar jobs.

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to participate in its webinar titled ‘From the James Bond Mountain to the shores of Lake Geneva Region’ to be hosted on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 3:00pm. One of the best 360-degree views of the Swiss skyline can be witnessed on top of the James Bon Mountain, Schilthorn. From the central Swiss Alps, travellers can then make their way to the French-speaking Lake Geneva Region on board the famous GoldenPass Panorama Train. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, the region is surrounded by mountains and vineyards, and provides numerous activities and excursion possibilities. This webinar will provide the trade with the latest information and updates about Schilthorn Cableway and the Lake Geneva Region. Travel partners who attend all the webinars stand a chance of winning a trip to Switzerland. For more information, please contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

Yatra.com has contributed 56,000 face masks to the Haryana Government, for use by healthcare workers, as a gesture of gratitude for their dedication and efforts in fighting COVID-19. The masks were received by Hari Om Attri, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Gurugram. As coronavirus threatens the livelihood of daily wagers and underprivileged kids, Yatra.com contributed between two NGOs Arpana Trust and Naya Sawera. Arpana Trust which is into multi-disciplinary services is providing ration in slums of New Delhi to daily wage earners and underprivileged kids, while Naya Sawera is dedicatedly working for HIV infected kids to protect them against infections such as COVID-19. Talking about this initiative, Dhruv Shringi, Co-founder & CEO, Yatra.com, said, “In the time of this pandemic, it is very crucial for us to stand together and contribute in our own way towards the well-being of our citizens. At Yatra.com, we would like to show our solidarity towards the government initiatives through our contribution and support the people in this unprecedented situation. This is a small gesture of gratitude on our part, for the people who are working tirelessly at the forefront looking after individuals in need.” Through these contributions, Yatra.com stands with the government and local communities in their fight against COVID-19.

Talking about the after-effects of COVID-19 on the Indian tourism and aviation industry in the recovery phase during TravTalk Digital Conclave, Kapil Kaul, CEO & Director, CAPA South Asia said that there is a need to rationalise the number of travel agents in the country. “There will be consolidation across the travel and aviation sector. The change must start by rationalising the number of travel agents in the country. Somewhere, the associations need to relook at their membership. There should be stricter norms to be a travel agent otherwise there will be fewer entry barriers in the industry, we’ll keep having more and more travel agents. Travel trade associations must relook at whether they need so many travel agents? You can’t have thousands and thousands of travel agents. The more and quicker you rationalise, it is better for the health of the industry. There is a possibility that there would be no airline commission or GDS commission may drop(If NDC comes into effect in June) for travel agents in the recovery phase post-COVID-19 crisis. Then you may need to take that call earlier than post to avoid taking drastic measures suddenly. I urge TAAI, TAFI to look at their membership and restrict the qualification to be a travel agent.

During the TravTalk Digital Conclave, Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation & Silk Road Development, UNWTO said that it may take almost 7 years for tourism to scale back growth achieved in recent years. According to him, the global tourism demand will not be the same again post-COVID-19 crisis is over. “COVID-19 may cost tourism seven years of growth – that’s seven years of lost jobs and lost opportunities. UNWTO’s recommendations for recovery urge governments to act decisively to protect jobs, protect companies and include tourism in all recovery plans,” the former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. In its analysis estimating the global impact, UNWTO predicted a loss of 290-400 million international tourist arrivals globally. 

Analysing the revival plans for the tourism industry post-COVID-19crisis, Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EbixCash Travel & Holidays has said that there will be a lot of behavioural changes in the industry including a complete price realignment for every tourism product. He said that post-COVID-19 crisis, rationalisation and consolidation will become important they will look at special interest acquisitions going forward when the situation is normalised.  “Ebix has always been bullish about the Indian market. Post COVID-19, there will be a complete paradigm shift in the industry, which will make a consolidation opportunity for us. We will be looking at special interest acquisition and continue the way we have progressed in the Indian market. Among sectors, I believe MiCE industry will be the first one to bounce back,” said Kundu.

TravTalk Digital Conclave – India’s first virtual tourism conclave got off to a roaring success with over 6000 plus attendees in three sessions that took place yesterday. TravTalk got on board eminent stakeholders in the tourism industry to discuss various issues arising because of the COVID-19 crisis for the industry. Session one focused on ‘When will inbound bounce back? What action can tour operators take in the interim?’ Speakers for this session included Rupinder Brar (ADG – Ministry of Tourism), Himmat Anand (Founder – Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels) and Homa Mistry (CEO – Trail Blazer Tours). The second session was on the subject ‘Outbound tourism: Weathering the storm and gearing up for better days’. Speakers for this session included experts like Tricia Warwick (APMEA Director – VisitBritain), GB Srithar (Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia – Singapore Tourism Board) and Deepak Rawat (Senior Vice President, International Markets – MakeMyTrip). The final session covered the topic ‘Coronavirus – A small roadblock or a major disrupter for the tourism industry?’ This session had industry experts Suman Billa (Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Development – UNWTO), Kapil Kaul (CEO, India & ME – CAPA) and Naveen Kundu (Managing Director – EbixCash Travel & Holidays), share their expert advice with the travel trade.

Addressing concerns from member agencies regarding refunds/credits from airlines/ IATA due to the impact of Covid2019 as customers are demanding refunds from travel agents, TAAI has said, “With reference to the unilateral decision of the airlines to give credit notes and no cash refunds, we have made it very clear to all concerned that, cash refunds are required due to the global pandemic situation. It is the right of the passenger to get back his amount paid in stipulated time. Cancellation charges shall not be borne by the traveller due to the cancellation of flights/ lockdown situations/ banning of flights by government of India as well as of other countries, etc.” In an official statement by TAAI to its members, it was written, “We are in daily communications with the Indian Prime Minister’s office(PMO), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Niti Aayog, IATA Global Head Quarters, IATA-India, all airlines individually including Low Cost airlines in India. We are working in support with, all associations of travel, tourism & hospitality trade under UFTAA, FAITH, CII and other leading trade bodies. Our concerns have been voiced not only in our communications but also in mainline media being TV channels & newspapers, trade media as well as social media.” The TAAI team urged its members to be patient, claiming that the as Govt. of India, is prioritising the requests of citizens, industries, trade, travellers, etc. and are actioning to the best of their abilities, with timelines. “Their main objective right now is to ensure the health safety of all persons and providing proper medical …