Category Archives: Agents

The Ministry of Health & Welfare has just released a new list of 96 countries with which the government of India has an agreement for mutual recognition of the vaccination certification for individuals that are fully vaccinated with either the nationally-recognised or WHO-recognised COVID-19 vaccine. This list was released on November 9, 2021.

Fernando Heredia Noguer, Consul General of Spain in Mumbai, during a panel discussion for the trade on visa, said, “We are processing visas very fast. We take one day to process visas. The visa comes from BLS office and it is processed within one day by the Consulate!” More than 90% of the Spanish population has been fully vaccinated. Spain is safe for tourism. It is also important to note that WHO has now recognised Covaxin as a COVID19 vaccine. However, children between 12-18 who aren’t vaccinated cannot enter Spain.

Vaccines listed under the WHO Emergency Use List will now be recognised in the UK government’s inbound travel rules from 4am on Monday 22 November. As a result, Covaxin will also be added to its list of approved vaccines for inbound travel, benefitting more fully vaccinated people from countries including India. These travellers will not have to self-isolate.

Post 18 months of restrictions, being confined at home and living in a virtual world, Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have identified a strong pent-up demand for outdoor and adventure experiences. India’s unparalleled biodiversity, exceptional wildlife and jungle experiences hold strong allure, and the companies have hence launched an exciting portfolio of Safaris & Jungle Experiences intended to target India’s millennials/young professionals, honeymooners, families; equally corporates – with exciting team-building jungle getaways. The products are attractively priced, starting from Rs 4,990.00 per person for stays of 2-7 nights. With the pandemic bringing focus to health and safety, while Indians are longing to escape from the monotony/ restrictions of work-from-home, they are actively seeking holidays away from crowds. Thomas Cook and SOTC’s Safari & Jungle Experiences are hence designed to offer safe/secluded yet magical landscapes: from rugged scrubland to lush forests, across rolling hills, watering holes and the floodplains of the mighty Brahmaputra to the awe-inspiring Sundarbans – the world’s largest delta. Thomas Cook and SOTC have included India’s top game reserves with the thrill of crossing paths with majestic tigers at Corbett, India’s oldest National Park – regarded as the ultimate tiger safari destination, or  sighting a leopard at the Ranthambore National Park; a glimpse of snow leopards at Hemis, one of the world’s highest altitude parks; Bandhavgarh National Park, once a royal hunting ground and now a protected reserve for the Royal Bengal Tiger; the famed Asiatic Lion at the Gir National Park; spotting panthers, bears, pythons and elephants at Kanha National Park featured in Kipling’s ‘Mowgli’, a variety of migratory birds at the Kumarakom/Vembanad Bird Sanctuary or the magnificent one-horned rhinoceros at Kaziranga National Park …

As the United States reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from overseas, Los Angeles is thrilled to welcome international visitors to start their comeback. The L.A. visitors know and love is back, continuing to push the envelope of creativity and innovation with new adventures to discover with the full range of the visitor experience from museums and restaurants to theme parks and outdoor live events open for business. Prior to the disruption to our industry, international markets represented a highly important share of business with nearly 1 in 4 visitors to L.A. coming from overseas. In 2019 alone, the destination welcomed over 7.4 million international visitors who injected $11.6 billion in visitor spending into the local economy. November 8 marks a crucial milestone in the recovery of L.A.’s tourism industry. Los Angeles Tourism forecasts project a growth in international visitor spending from $3.7 billion in 2021 to $9.7 billion in 2022. This represents a growth of 262% in international visitor spending. “We have desperately missed our international guests,” said Adam Burke, President & CEO of Los Angeles Tourism. “As one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive destinations where everyone is welcome, L.A. just isn’t the same without them. It’s also impossible to overstate the economic importance of this market segment for our local business community.” Throughout the pandemic, L.A. has continued to be actively engaged in top international markets. Los Angeles Tourism continues to be the only U.S. Destination Marketing Organization with full-time staff overseas based in Australia, China, India, and the United Kingdom. The destination has also made the health of visitors and residents top priority throughout the pandemic, implementing proactive and preventative safety protocols to mitigate …

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai will conduct a one-hour virtual panel discussion on Spain (Schengen) visa for travelers from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Nov 9 at 3pm IST. Speakers include José María Ridao, Ambassador of Spain in India; Fernando Heredia Noguer, Consul General of Spain in Mumbai; Helena Escorial López who is the Head of the Consular Section of the Embassy of Spain in India, Ambica Shrestha, Hon. Consul of Spain in Nepal; Priya Jayawardena, Hon. Consul of Spain in Sri Lanka; and Director of Turespaña in India – Elisa Robles. To register, please visit https://event.webinarjam.com/register/327/n7kngavw or write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call on 9650196532.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), India Offices, and TravelBullz Indian Travel League organised an Indian Travel League for Pan India Travel Agents. ITL is a weekly campaign with a total of 4 rounds. The campaign began on October 20th, and each week, a match would be followed by a wordplay format quiz. The campaign is set to have its semi-final round on November 10th with K. D. Singh, founder and president of TravelBullz, and K. Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director, New Delhi Office, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), as the panellists for the semi-final round. The winner stands a chance to win a 4-night stay in Phuket.

Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort has appointed Global Destinations as its sales and marketing arm in India, effective immediately. The Republic of Mauritius, located in the south west of the Indian Ocean, attracted nearly 76,000 Indian visitors in 2019. On 1 October, Mauritius reopened its international borders to double-vaccinated international travellers, including those from India. Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort, managed by Hawaii-based Outrigger Hospitality Group, offers guests 181 ocean-facing rooms beside a white sand lagoon in the south of the island, adjacent to the nature reserve of Bel Ombre. It is known for its serene setting, premier amenities, locally inspired entertainment and diverse dining options, including Mauritian Creole flavours. “We are honoured to welcome back guests from India to Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort,” said the property’s General Manager, Cyrille Carmona. “With our new partner Global Destinations, we look forward to showcasing both our beachfront resort and the scenically beautiful south of the island including where Bollywood movies were filmed.” Carmona promised to deliver a unique Mauritian vacation, offering both tranquility and adventure to major segments of the Indian market, including couples, multi-generation families, honeymooners, dining, soft adventure, and ecotourism enthusiasts. Pranav Kapadia, Founder of Global Destinations, said: “With Mauritius opening its borders, there couldn’t be a better time to announce our new partnership with Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort.” He said the aim would be to build a strong Outrigger brand presence in the Indian market. “Our objective as Global Destinations is to generate business for Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort from multiple segments such as FITs, couples, honeymooners, weddings, families and more,” he said. Snorkelling, kite surfing, mountain biking, e-biking, forest hiking, waterfall discoveries and educational flora and fauna tours in the …

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI and Member Board – CII National Committee on Tourism and Hospitality, on behalf of the travel trade fraternity, submitted its inputs and recommendations to Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution at the 3rd edition of DPIIT – ASCON Consultation Forum with Industry Associations’ theme ‘Stimulating Growth for Aatmanirbhar Bharat -Leveraging Opportunities Post Pandemic’. The six key recommendations were collated into a presentation under Investments, Cost of doing business, Ease of doing business, Trade Policy, Technology & R&D & Job creation & Skills. Some of the key recommendations by the committee are: Inclusion of Tourism in Concurrent list. The National Tourism Policy has had multiple deliberations, but a revised policy is still awaited. Waiver of statutory dues and licenses. ECLGS 5.0 for disbursing another 20% on outstanding loans. Govt. to restore SEIS to 7% for travel and 5% for hotels & to restore without legal entity wise capping of 5 crores. Auto-renewal of licenses without any fees for this financial year. Enabling investments in the industry in a time-bound manner through single-window clearances. Promote travel spending LTA Tax Exemption and Allow a 200 per cent weighted exemption. Need of National Tourism Fund to be created. An empowered Taskforce to be created with members from the Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Tourism, Environment, Shipping, Civil Aviation and Culture. To restart scheduled international flights in tandem with tourist visas to stimulate inbound tourism & necessary provision to be made in the new Foreign Trade Policy 2021-26 for custom duty waiver. Opening up tourism by starting e-visa, through Vaccine certificates & promoting India as a Safe Tourist Destination. Campaigns to attract young …

Delhi features as a top source market for Thomas Cook India. Lockdown fatigue and pent-up demand is resulting in strong travel desire from Delhites – Thomas Cook India has been witnessing a robust 60% month-on-month increase since re-opening in June 2021. A surge in demand for the upcoming Festive & Winter Season, Expo 2020 Dubai and honeymoon travel due to marriage season in North is powering travel growth from Delhi. Thomas Cook India reports that the demand is back to 65% of pre-pandemic levels overall: domestic travel at an impressive 290%; international at 55% (acquisition data Sept 2021 vs Sept 2019). Maldives, Switzerland, France, Russia, Spain, Egypt are the top destinations, while Expo 2020 Dubai is seeing a brisk demand currently. Additionally, Delhi is also witnessing a strong demand for overseas education travel and Thomas Cook India has delivered well on student travel to USA and Canada with quarantine packages. Delhi NCR Travel Trends: Thomas Cook India’s survey has revealed insightful consumer behaviours & travel trends for Delhi 62% prefer international destinations; favourites include Maldives, Dubai, Switzerland, France 78% prefer Domestic holidays; Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand; with North East and Andamans now seeing strong demand *(*data not equal to 100% as multiple choice options were provided to customers) Top Experiences: Delhites enjoy outdoor adventure trips like Biking in Ladakh, Rafting in Uttaranchal ,Kashmir, Rajasthan, South India; mountain destinations and experiences like ATV rides/a picnic lunch in an apple orchard; Andamans and beach destinations with water sports like sea karting, snorkeling, etc. Winter holidays with festivities of Christmas markets in Switzerland & France or Russia’s Lapland & Northern Lights, Nile cruises, hot air ballooning in Cappadocia (Turkey) and Expo …