Category Archives: Agents

As reported in Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2024, globally, 44% of travellers are using AI to help them plan and research travel, but its use varies a lot depending on the market. 45% of Indian travellers, for example, are already using AI on their phones compared to just 8% in the UK. The next logical step is to use the AI technologies now available to us to help these travellers in the discovery phase of their travel planning journey.

To increase the number of visitors from India to South Africa and address the visa challenge, Patricia de Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa, said that the tourism ministry is in talks with the president about a visa waiver of up to 90 days for Indian travellers. The ministry must collate a joint report with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of State Security regarding this matter. She has recommended that India should also enjoy the BRICS visa waiver of 90 days, as is done for Brazil and Russia.

IHG is proud to announce the signing of a management agreement with Mansarovar Amusement Park & Resort to develop Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj, Nepal. Scheduled to open in early 2028, the resort will feature over 100 keys and will further strengthen IHG’s growing portfolio in the SWA region. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s largest premium hotel brands, with more than 520 open or in pipeline properties in major global cities and resort locations. Rooted in a deep understanding of the needs of today’s business traveler, Crowne Plaza’s “Work/Life Blend” features multi-functional spaces where guests can switch effortlessly between work and socialization. Located in the sub-metropolitan city of Banke District, Nepalgunj is a vibrant and diverse city that serves as a major transport hub for many of the western regions of Nepal. It is a convenient stopover for travellers between Nepal and India, due to its location near the southern border with Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh. The city is famous for its treks to the Dolpo Plateau and Jumla region, and offers a strategic stopover spot on the pathway to the Himalayas, offering a unique blend of culture, adventure, and nature. The new resort will be easily accessible from the Nepalgunj Airport and the India-Nepal border, catering to the needs of travellers seeking leisure and blended travel. Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are delighted to announce the signing of Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj, further expanding IHG’s presence in Nepal. The strategic location of the hotel will provide us with a great opportunity to offer world-class premium hospitality and cater to the demands of …

Travelport and Canadian carrier WestJet have signed a new long-term content distribution deal. This partnership will allow WestJet to improve its retailing capabilities, as both companies start to collaborate on the future delivery of NDC content and servicing.

Tourism Malaysia, along with Sarawak Tourism Board, invites the Indian outbound travel trade to attend an exclusive webinar on discovering Sarawak – the Gateway to Borneo and the Land of the Hornbills – on May 21, 2024 at 3pm. Participate in the quiz and win exciting prizes! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest adventure tourism experience provider company’s India office has launched its adventure packages tailored for the North Eastern States and Central India with an aim to provide vibrant experience of the rich culture heritage and wildlife and scenic beauty of India. The packages named as ‘Premium India Safari’ and ‘India Expedition: Sikkim, Assam, and Nagaland’, introduced with the aim of bringing around 12,000 inbound adventure travellers from across the word to India in 2024. Each package is led by seasoned experts and tour leaders dedicated to the group of 12-15 people. Premium India Safari is a 13 days long trip that offer sights, sounds and smells of India on a unique wildlife-focused adventure. The activities includes a hop on a rickshaw safari through the bird sanctuaries of Keoladeo, to take an evening boat and night time safari in Satpura National Park and cruise on jeep safaris through Bandhavgarh and Panna National Parks. The travellers will get a chance to see the birdlife, deer, flying foxes, leopards, sloth bears, monkeys and tigers and more. Whereas ‘India Expedition – Sikkim, Assam & Nagaland’ tour package tour is an expedition of 16 days to the unspoiled wildlife reserves, spectacular wetlands and rambling mountain villages in the northeastern India. There will be opportunities to learn about the cultures of Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland. Travellers will explore Kaziranga National Park for the iconic one-horned rhinoceros and will take a winding journey on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. From the floating villages of Majuli Island to the living root bridge- the handiwork of the Khasi people, this trip will offer a side of country few visitors see. Speaking about the new packages, Rama …

After meeting the state’s tourism official, Kuldeep Singh Chandela, President, Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) said, “The tourism department is likely to come up with Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy in the upcoming budget session. In fact, they are also planning to recognise, the unrecognised hotels, tour operators, and travel agents in the policy.”

South African Tourism announced ‘Africa’s Travel INDABA 2024’ to take place from 13 to 15 May in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal. The event will host over 40 trade partners from India. Nearly 95 per cent of the participants will be from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. The highlight of this year’s event will be the showcase of new and untapped regions within South Africa.

On 1 May, German taxes on flying increased by 19% to between EUR 15.53 and EUR 70.83 per passenger, depending on the route. The tax will make Germany less competitive in key economic areas such as exports, tourism, and jobs. It will further affect Germany’s air transport recovery from the pandemic, which is one of the slowest in the EU. Germany’s international passenger numbers, for example, are still 20% below pre-pandemic levels.

Speaking about how TCS has affected bookings, Harmandeep Singh Anand, MD, Jagsons Travels, says, “Indians in tiered cities are taking frequent holidays now – often twice a year – and they are travelling not just within India but also taking international trips. Therefore, I would say that the much-dreaded TCS has not impacted business, but it has complicated it.” He added that the recovery he was expecting by 2025 was fast-tracked and happened by 2023, and most agencies in these smaller cities have seen this growth. Jagsons has also seen a four-fold jump in FY 2023-2024 in its sales turnover as compared to 2019. One of the reasons is that the number of players in the market have gone down, more people are travelling, plus the overall travel expense has increased by about 40-50%. That also added to its turnover.