Category Archives: Agents

Meera Charnalia – Sr. Vice President and Head – MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, has claimed, “We witnessed over 100% recovery vs our pre-pandemic levels for MICE sector with our robust forward pipeline reflecting a strong and growing appetite for MICE travel in 2023 and beyond.”

Rajesh Magow, co-Founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, has said that there is a need to overhaul taxation and compliance structure to boost the domestic travel industry. “We suggest that tourism exports be treated at par with other exports and services and such transactions may be zero rated for GST without stopping the flow of input credits,” he added.

Tripjack is excited to announce the opening of a new office in Chennai, India. The office will act as a focal point for the business operations in the area and offer a variety of services to local travel partners. It will be led by a team of experienced travel professionals who are committed to delivering the highest level of service and will look at new avenues to explore business growth in the region. The team will work closely with local travel partners servicing them across all categories including Flights, Hotels, Cruises, Holidays, Rail and Visas. Speaking on the announcement, Hussain Patel, Director, Tripjack said, “We are thrilled to open a new chapter in Chennai, which is an important hub for both business and leisure travel. We believe expanding our footprint will enable us to serve our travel partners in a more personalized and direct way. Along with our high-quality service we look to explore new avenues of growth in this region.”

One Rep Global has been appointed India representative for Netherlands’ iconic hotel De L’Europe Amsterdam which opened its door to patrons 127 years ago in 1896. Dedicated to luxury Amsterdam hospitality the hotel has 105 beautifully designed guest rooms including 55 suites and a peerless six-bedroom penthouse suite. With luxurious comfort at its heart, each room is an amalgamation of classic design, contemporary amenities, and the authentic Amsterdam spirit for a stay beyond compare. Home to three of the finest restaurants and the charming gentleman’s pub in Amsterdam, De L’Europe is a culinary delight to be explored during one’s stay. Flore, a two Michelin Star restaurant led by chef Bas van Kranen takes its guests on a culinary adventure with conscious and high-quality cuisine that moves with the pace of the seasons. Marie, a casual yet chic restaurant on the waterfront terrace overlooking the Amstel river serves French cuisine. For Italian cuisine lovers, there is Trattoria Graziella which serves up inspired Italian dishes in a charming space. Last but not least, one cannot miss going to Freddy’s Bar, a gentleman’s pub named after Alfred ‘Freddy’ Heineken. With an old-world charm, this place is a perfect setup for socializing for guests and locals alike. Robert-Jan, Managing Director, De L’Europe Amsterdam said, “One Rep Global provides a 360-degree approach within the luxury hospitality and luxury lifestyle industry. With De L’Europe being an independent luxury hotel, we admire the core values of One Rep Global as one of the leading hotel consultancies in India and Middle East. With their in-depth knowledge and their tailor-made services, we are looking forward to re-open the doors of De L’Europe to this inspiring and upcoming market and …

The MoT has issued fresh guidelines for recognition of tourism service providers. Based on te requests from stakeholders, the MoT will now consider turiner of 2019-20 applicable till Dec 2023. The minimum annual turnover required for this was Rs 20 lakh.

The Centre will organise the country’s first Global Tourism Summit on April 10-12, in New Delhi as part of India’s G-20 presidency. Tourism Ministry officials from various northern region states emphasised how G20 will be the Centre’s main area to establish India as a key tourism destination, during its year-long leadership. Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Publicity, Ministry of Tourism, said: “The summit is being organised to showcase various opportunities for investment and trade in the sector, especially in the hospitality sector. This will allow global visitors to explore Indian tourism products and services that will provide an opportunity to the local players to cater to the global demand and compete in this sector.”

Speaking about various schemes offered by the government of Punjab, Gurkirat Kripal Singh, Secretary, Tourism & Cultural Affairs, said, “As the gateway to the nation for Central Asia, a lot of cultural exchange has happened in Punjab where a lot of events have taken place, of significant historical value. The government of Punjab is embarking on a series of new initiatives to achieve the ends from the point of view of Punjab. Of Punjab’s upcoming initiatives, adventure tourism, water tourism and caravan tourism topped the list.”

Swiss Hotel Apartments – A luxury hotel apartment chain in Switzerland inked a partnership agreement with Wanderlust Marketing, Global Destinations experiential travel representation vertical to sell and market their various 5 star serviced apartments in India. This association will offer Indians travelling to Switzerland, access to a range of unique accommodation experiences and apartment style options. Post pandemic travel trends for Indian travellers reveal holiday accommodation goes beyond merely hotel categories or room types. The FIT traveller segment has shown an increasing preference to explore authentic local stays and a want for deeper engagement and immersion into the destination, culture and its people. Swiss Hotel Apartments as a leading luxury hotel apartments provider in Switzerland, take on responsibility to make their guests’ experience as remarkable as possible, not just the stay but the complete journey from the time they book until the check out. They have properties in Montreux, Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lugano ranging from Studios, One, Two, Three Bedrooms, Villas to Chalets. The apartments can sleep 2 to 10 guests. These are Family friendly, spacious, modern apartments with fully equipped kitchens, taking care of the smallest detail towards the guest’s comfort making them feel home. Swiss Hotel Apartments is a member of Suisse Tourisme and Apartment Holiday Comfort and ranked as 5 Star Hotel Apartments in Switzerland. In their initiative to tap into the ever-expanding market potential that India has on offer and to leverage the growing demand for apartment style accommodation, the agreement with Wanderlust Marketing commences with immediate effect. Swiss Hotel Apartments intend to offer significant value and flexibility to honeymooners, families, ad-hoc groups of friends and business-cum-leisure travellers with access to their unique stay options- across …

Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has been named top in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for punctuality. As per the results of the 2022 On-Time Performance Review by global aviation analytics leader, Cirium, the airline’s on-time arrivals stood at 91.38%, almost 5% ahead of the region’s second highest ranking airline. The annual Cirium On-Time Performance Review is considered the global gold standard for airline   and airport performance, its results based on data collected from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information. It defines on-time flights as those that arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival. Captain Nasser bin Ahmed Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer at Oman Air, said, “During 2022, the global operational environment has been challenging, with many airports affected by disruptions and resource challenges, as well as the lingering effects of Covid-19. Despite such a backdrop, we have continued to maintain an excellent service record. To have achieved this recognition for on-time performance against some of the world’s most reputable airlines is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all Oman Air staff across our global network. As we enter into 2023, we look forward to continuing to pursue excellence in all elements of our guest experience, from punctuality to convenience, our products and services, and of course our signature Omani hospitality.” Continuing to position itself as a major international carrier, Oman Air has set several benchmarks for quality, comfort and hospitality in the last year, earning itself the 2023 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), among others. Evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting market, the airline has made …

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board signed 8 MoUs with chapters of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). The MoUs were signed by principal secretary and MD of MP Tourism Board Shiv Shekhar Shukla with the Presidents of GOPIO France, Mauritius, Reunion Island, Martinique, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and GOPIO international. They seek to establish greater cooperation in the tourism sector and promote important destinations in Madhya Pradesh.