Category Archives: Agents

According to a recent survey by Travel Consul, to study the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and the future recovery of global travel distribution, there could be a 67% drop in business volume (revenue) in Q1 2021 compared to the same period in 2019-2020. More than 1,000 travel executives (tour operators and agency owners) participated from more than 20 countries in the global survey.

PM Modi has inaugurated Asia’s longest ropeway on Mount Girnar in Junagarh, Gujarat which is a major pilgrim site with the presence of Hindu temples. Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 130 crore, it can carry 1,000 passengers per hour. A distance of 2.3 km will now be covered in just 7.5 minutes through the ropeway

In a webinar organised by GPS and TravTalk ‘Understanding TCS’, speakers seconded the thought that the advanced tax is part of national building exercise and get the important industry affiliation from the government. The presentation also explained the reason why TCS is the level playing field for everyone. Myths and queries regarding the tax were also deciphered.

According to a recent survey by Travel Consul, to study the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and the future recovery of global travel distribution, 42% of the respondents said that though their country reopened cautiously, the epidemic was still on the rise. More than 1,000 travel executives (tour operators and agency owners) participated from more than 20 countries in the global survey.

Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel and Vertical Search, APAC, Google, in her keynote address at the ITB Asia, is that the demand for staycation in the APAC region is very high. “The demand for staycation is three times the demand since January, which is great news for hotels and operators across the board. This means that its important to focus on messaging and what’s top of the mind of the travellers now—the leisure experience,” she shared.

Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) and TravTalk is set to bust all myths regarding Tax Collected at Source (TCS) with the webinar ‘Understanding TCS’, which will be held today at 11 am. The webinar will allow travel professionals to understand what TCS is, how it will impact them and if it is taking away their business. To register, contact Jaspreet Kaur at 9650196532 or Jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

Visit Utah will conduct it’s first-ever presentation for the Indian travel trade today at 11am. Rachel Bremer, its Tourism Global Markets Director, will highlight the state’s must-visit spots and its appeal to the Indian clientele. To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.    

Sharing its views on the recent changes in TCS on Twitter, the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) stated, ‘TCS will kill the outbound tour market and the changes in LTC will kill the domestic tour market. Government actions are not in sync with our needs. No hand-eye coordination between government speeches and action.’    

The Department of Tourism & Culture, State Tourism of Maharashtra has created a task force to revive this sector and create an action plan. For this, it has appointed key members from the tourism and hospitality sectors including Harmandeep Singh Anand, Jt. MD, Jagsons Travels and GPS and the IATO President. This task force is led by the State Tourism Minister, Aaditya Thackeray. Other members of the team include President of NRAI, President of EEMA, Farhat Jamal who is the President of the Indian Merchants Chamber, Suneet Kothari from Aurangabad, and Valsa Nair Singh, the Tourism Department’s Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra.    

Ahmedabad-based Pathfinders Holidays celebrates its 23rd anniversary this month. Led by Maitreyee and Mahendra Vakharia together with their son Karan Vakharia, the company focuses on bespoke travel itineraries to worldwide destinations and within India. Their client base is spread out not only in India but also in UK, USA and Canada and they manage their holiday arrangements from the Ahmedabad office