Category Archives: Agents

Indians are displaying strong and growing appetite for once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences and are not hesitating to increase their spends – reveals consumer data-analytics of Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel. To capitalise on this opportunity, the companies have announced Undiscovered Antarctica – taking Indians on a voyage of discovery of the seventh Continent. This distinctive holiday presents the awe-inspiring beauty of Antarctica while on-board a 10-day sailing on Ponant’s luxury cruise ship, L’ Austral. The lockdowns/restrictions of the pandemic have given Indians a new-found appreciation for travel and a strong desire for truly exceptional/ bucket-list experiences – away from crowds. To tap into this growing travel trend, Thomas Cook India and SOTC have introduced an adventure of a lifetime via its Undiscovered Antarctica luxury cruise holiday. This exceptional trip invites Indians to embark on an expedition that is truly off-the-beaten-track, a voyage to a pristine land of the world’s largest glaciers, icebergs, the awe-inspiring Antarctic whales, penguin colonies and avian species. Adventure seekers can opt for exciting experiences like kayaking amidst the icy waters, hiking tours, and more. One can even visit Port Lockroy – home to the southernmost post office in the world, to send loved ones a postcard featuring the Antarctica stamp. An additional optional tour includes the resort town of Ushuaia, located at the southernmost tip of South America and hence referred to as the “End of the World”! This Limited Period offer includes: Return Airfare India – Buenos Aires – India in Economy Class Flight from Buenos Aires – Ushuaia – Buenos Aires Cost of Multiple Entry Argentina & Chile Visas 2 Nights Accommodation in a 4* city-centre hotel in Buenos Aires 10 …

Global Destinations (representation, marketing, consultancy), one of India’s leading and respected names in the travel representation arena, is now a proud member of Global Travel Representation Alliance (GTRA). Global Travel Representation Alliance (GTRA) officially launched in March 2019 is an association that was formed between a collective of experienced, like-minded travel representation companies, offering high standards, similar services and covering different international markets. Since its inception, Global Travel Representation Alliance (GTRA) believes in working together to set the highest standards in travel representation to create strong brand awareness and more importantly, increase financial return for its partners’. GTRA’s global reach include members from UK & Ireland, USA, Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Middle East, Russia and now adding on India to their member list. With an eye to expand horizons while accelerating towards the goal of sustainable and inclusive Global Tourism, this is a massive step forward by Global Destinations. Through this association Global Destinations seeks to provide and benefit from the co-creation framework of GTRA, where-in each partner brings their collective resources, expertise, and integrated travel development plans to the benefit of all the members of the alliance. Speaking about the alliance and its value that it brings to the business, Pranav Kapadia, founder and director, Global Destinations, said, “Alliances and collaborations in the post-vaccinated world is the need of the hour. We at Global Destinations, have always believed in working with refined partners and collaborating with associations and associates that share our business ethics and vision. We found the alliance with GTRA a perfect fit. We are looking forward to the alliance and to work as partners for overall growth and to extend the benefits to our befitting partners.” Select Representation director and GTRA …

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, has launched a brand-new platform — ‘Book-A-BDM’— that will allow travel agents from across the country direct access to NCL’s regional Business Development Managers (BDMs), at a time and in a way that suits them. Through this new platform, developed as part of the line’s Partners First commitment, travel agents can quickly and easily book a personal session of up to 1 hour with their local BDM, either over the phone or via Zoom. Travel partners can choose from a range of services to discuss at their Book-A-BDM appointment, including group bookings, sales event planning support, marketing and promotions with NCL, or a general NCL product, itinerary and destination update, depending on the agent’s preference. Appointments are available with Manoj Singh, NCL’s Country Head, India as well as regional Business Development Managers, Betty Abraham – Sr. Business Development Manager for East and South India; Kashish Jiandani – Business Development Manager for Western and Central India; and Bhanu Pandey – Business Development Manager for North India.

With the holiday season approaching and Indians needing to consume their unspent leave, Thomas Cook (India) and its Group Company, SOTC Travel have launched a slew of unbeatable deals across top domestic and international destinations. The limited time offer is available for all bookings received by November 19, 2021 across the companies’ omnichannel network of portal, contact centres, apps and extensive retail outlets – pan India. The upcoming Christmas and New Year season is resulting in a strong uptick in consumer sentiment and Thomas Cook and SOTC’s consumer survey reiterates that over 85% respondents are keen to holiday before the year-end. However, travel during this super peak season comes with clear challenges: escalation in pricing and limited supply. Hence, in a smart strategy to accelerate bookings while making it effortless for its consumers, Thomas Cook and SOTC have launched a host of highly attractive offers: Leveraging the double benefit of its pre-booked/purchased air and hotel inventory at special negotiated rates, the Companies guarantee Indians the best price and airfare for their holidays – with the added bonus of confirmed availability. Also available is the unique Buy One Get One Free – Companion Offer across select India and international destinations. Thomas Cook and SOTC’s Christmas-New Year holiday specials include an array of India’s favourite domestic locations like Kashmir, Rajasthan, Goa, Himachal, Andamans, Cordelia Cruises; Dubai-Abu Dhabi, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Switzerland, France, Germany and Egypt (international) Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) said, “We are delighted to see the surge in travel desire for the upcoming season and we want to make it easy for our customers to utilise their unspent leave and take …

Effective immediately, the Ministry of Health Seychelles has announced the entry of visitors from all countries, including India, irrespective of COVID-19 vaccination status. All travellers will be required to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. Additionally, visitors will need to submit a duly filled application for Health Travel Authorization on https://seychelles.govtas.com/ which is subject to verification and approval of the Public Health Authority. A valid travel & health insurance policy to cover COVID-19 related quarantine, isolation or treatment. There will be no quarantine requirement, minimum stay nor restriction on movement upon entry into Seychelles. Conditions for stay for children up to age 17, regardless of their vaccination status, will be as for the parent/guardian they are accompanying. However, all visitors will still be required to adhere to other public health measures put in place in view of the pandemic which will include wearing of face masks, social distancing, regular sanitisation and washing of hands. Visitors are advised to refer to the Department of Tourism travel advisory at: http://tourism.gov.sc/.

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 …