Category Archives: Agents

In the wake of Omicron, 95% of international bookings and 80% of domestic bookings have been postponed or cancelled said Sunil Gupta, Chairman Northern Region, IATO. “We have been severely impacted by the surge and Omicron, it is disheartening since we work hard on bookings and itineraries and everything suddenly cancels” he added. 

Tourism & Events Queensland, in conjunction with Tourism Australia, has specially produced tutorial guides on how to capture the best ‘Night’, ‘Action’ and ‘Landscape’ photography shots. These tutorials (a series of 3 x 2mins videos) are produced in association with Queensland’s content creator Jesse Lindeman. To inject a bit of fun, the State Tourism Organisation is running a photography contest only for its India-based trade partners. The first 25 qualified entries will win a A$20 Amazon vouchers. In addition, the top three winners will also win one of Jesse’s exclusive Queensland print (framed).     The contest is open to all outbound travel trade staff based in India. However, the participant will need to register as an Aussie Specialist Program (ASP) agent in Tourism Australia’s online portal. It is easy. All the staff need to do is to login (or register if he/she is not yet an ASP agent) to learn from a few easy tips explained in the tutorials. Each participant then submit his/ her your own favorite photo(s) to Diksha Singh (dsingh@tourism.australia.com) by 28th January 2022. Participant may choose to submit his/her photo under any of the below categories (note : please indicate chosen category in their email headline): (A) Night (B) Action (C) Landscape He/she can submit up to 3 photos per category. There is also the flexibility to submit across ONE, TWO or all THREE categories. Winners will be announced at the Queensland ‘Scenic Rim – ‘Top 10 destinations to visit in 2022’ webinar on 4 February 2022 at 11am IST. Do register your seat at this webinar: Webinar Date: 4 February 2022 Time: 11 AM – 12 PM IST Register here for the webinar

The events industry in India is all set to get a new address with the latest offering from Swosti Group – Swosti Premium Beach Resorts, the first five-star premium luxury beach resort at Sipasurubuli, Puri. The property that comes equipped with facilities to host mega conferences and elaborate wedding ceremonies, boasts of large open-air landscaped lawns. The 125 luxury rooms (including 5 premium luxury long suites on the 12th Floor) offer a no-obstruction view of the sea. The centrally air-conditioned property boasts of more such state-of-the-art facilities. Each banquet hall will be attached to an open-air lawn. For the young and young-at-heart, there is also a game zone at the food court area to make sure there are enough activities to keep the guests occupied. A state-of-the-art wellness spa and gym will also be made available at the resort to ensure fitness and wellness are at the top of everyone’s mind. And the basement comes equipped with ample parking space to be able to host large weddings and conferences. Having provided employment to more than 1200 people with offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and associated offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, Swosti Group under the leadership of J K Mohanty has been promoting the tourism sector of Odisha successfully since 1981. The new Swosti Premium Beach Resorts will give direct employment to 375 people and indirectly employ around 700 people, including all vendors. Emphasis will be given to the local people who have experience in the hospitality industry or have done courses in hotel management from Swosti Institute of Management & Social Studies. Apart from Swosti Grand, Swosti Premium at Bhubaneswar and Swosti Palm Resort at Gopalpur-on-Sea, Swosti Chilika Resort …

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Pune Chapter recently organised a fruitful meeting in Pune for about 60 members. The meeting was led by Chapter Chairman Sunil Uttam and Secretary Sameer Kulkarni. Pune sales heads of all five domestic airlines along with leading international Emirates’ were present at the event.

Sejoe Jose, MD, Marvel Tours and Chairman – IATO Southern Region, has said that they have started new villas called Moksha Villas. “We have as Marvel Tours moved into the hospitality sector as well In fact, now we have several villas around Kerala, which is giving us a lot of business. Hence, 2021 made me put new hat to survive this crisis. We hope that in 2022, things start getting better for us, as well as the industry at large.”

The IPO consists of a fresh issue of Rs 900 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of Rs 1,200 crore by its existing shareholders and promoters. The proceeds from the fresh issue will be used for the company’s growth, strengthening of its platform by adding new buyers and suppliers, for strategic acquisitions and investments towards inorganic growth. Axis Capital, Credit Suisse Securities India, Jefferies India, and JM Financials are the book running lead managers to the issue. TBO is a global travel technology company focused on providing a range of travel services to its buyers (travel agents, TMCs, Super Apps and tour operators) across the world. The company have also constituted a stellar board of independent directors.

Nasir Shah Chairman – IATO Jammu & Kashmir Chapter, has shared that they J&K Tourism has plans to conduct a roadshow in Thailand in March-April if international flights start by that time. “We have seen from our partners in other countries that they are ready and as soon as flights start, they will start coming back to Kashmir. We have a roadshow in Thailand planned in March-April, but it now depends on restarting of international flights,” he said.

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) ordered a temporary suspension of the Thailand Pass for all new TEST&GO and Sandbox applications (except Phuket Sandbox), effective from 22 December 2021, citing the rising number of Omicron variant cases in the country. However, travelers can travel to Thailand via Phuket. Phuket remains open for Indian travelers under the Phuket Sandbox scheme. Under this program, travelers will only need to do a PCR test and wait in the hotel until the result is received. If tested negative, they can then move around in Phuket. The second RT PCR test will be done on the 5-6th day post which they can travel to other parts of Thailand after completing seven days of stay in Phuket (No Quarantine required) or return to their home country within 7 days.  Cholada Siddhivarn Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai office says we are happy to welcome Indians to Thailand. However, we have just altered the entry rules for people entering our country from different entry points except for Phuket. The step comes in after the rise in new variant cases. We believe it is better to take necessary precautions while we still are ready to welcome travelers from different parts of the world. She further added, “Travellers wanting to travel to Phuket can register for Thailand Pass under the Phuket Sandbox program and Happy Quarantine. The TAT India team will work closely with the travel trade partners to assist them with client queries and help them serve the clients better.”

Aastha Bhargava, Head – MICE Outbound Contracting, Zenith Holidays, Parth Satpathy, Director, 5D Global Travel Solutions, and Pooja Vyas Panchal, Manager, Shreeji Travels are the fourth week’s three lucky winners for successfully subscribing to Singapore Tourism Board (STB) India’s WhatsApp Channel.     Every week STB India is giving away exciting prizes to its new subscribers. One can easily subscribe to this WhatsApp channel by clicking on this link http://bit.ly/stbindia and stand a chance to be the next winner. STB India’s WhatsApp channel provides updates on Destination Singapore in a more direct, swift and timely manner for the travel trade. Win exciting prizes by subscribing to STB India’s WhatsApp Channel: Subscribe to Singapore Tourism Board India’s WhatsApp Channel and stand a chance to win prizes every week. Get real time updates on Destination Singapore and STB’s initiatives. Subscribe by following 3 simple steps: Click this link (http://bit.ly/stbindia) to fill the form Send the prefilled WhatsApp message Save STB India’s contact card or number  

Seera Group, the region’s leading travel and tourism company, is transforming its portfolio to create the largest travel business in the Middle East with the integration of its diverse verticals under the umbrella of Almosafer. Almosafer will serve as the single umbrella travel brand under Seera Group managing not only consumer travel but also dedicated corporate & government services. Further, Seera’s travel services in the UAE will now also come under Almosafer for further expansion across the region. Earlier, these two services were under elaa and tajawal, respectively. The strategic business integration is part of Seera Group’s transformation journey to enhance its business footprint, enhance customer service through advanced digital technology, and to strengthen operational efficiencies and enhance financial performance by optimising resources and leveraging the strong synergies of the different business units. As one cohesive brand with leading digital and consumer technologies, Almosafer will continue its investment in omnichannel products and services in an effort to enhance the overall customer experience in travel management for corporate & government entities in the Kingdom, as well as creating seamless travel experiences for customers across the Middle East. Majed Alnefaie, CEO, Seera Group, said: “Seera is synonymous with the Kingdom’s transformational journey, playing an instrumental role in driving Vision 2030 and aiming to fast-track the revival of tourism in Saudi Arabia. Our shareholders are of utmost importance to us and with this move, we are leveraging our biggest success story with opportunities to grow further – driving business objectives and sales. Adaptable, innovative, digitally driven, Seera will continue to transform, evolve and grow to meet market, customer and partner needs. The integration will address market fragmentation and help us continue to build …