Category Archives: Agents

Malaysia has finally lifted sanctions on its border on 1st April 2022, marking the end of travelling restrictions into the country. Leveraging this new development, Tourism Malaysia has decided to embark on its first roadshow to six major cities in India from 18th until 30th April 2022, after more than two years of hiatus. The roadshow kicked off in Delhi, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The mission is headed by Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of the International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) together with Malaysia’s tourism fraternity which consists of three Malaysia-based airlines, 22 travel agents, four hoteliers, and four product owners. India remains and has been one of the top market sources for Malaysia and has contributed 735,309 arrivals (+22%) in 2019. Apart from its objective to instil confidence among Indians to feel safe to visit Malaysia once again, the roadshow aims to provide a platform for the industry community to bounce back and steer the tourism sector back to its former glory, if not better. “This is the right time to be back in India, and planning for this roadshow is very opportune. The resumption of scheduled international flights from India coincides with the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders,” said Manoharan. “We are thrilled and enthusiastic to welcome Indian travellers back on exciting, new value-driven and action-packed itineraries to witness the best and latest of what Malaysia has to offer. There is so much to explore after two years, especially with the newly opened outdoor theme park, Genting SkyWorlds, the wedding venues such as refurbished Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, Desaru Coast situated on Eastern Coast of Johor, Lexis Hotels and Resorts at Port Dickson …

Palladium Hotel Group the internationally renowned Spanish hotel chain represented by Global Destinations in India recently hosted exclusive cocktail dinners for their top 50 priority travel and trade partners in Mumbai and Delhi. The evenings were graced by The Consul General of Spain Fernando Heredia Noguer along with The Director of the Tourism Office of Spain in India, Elisa Robles in Mumbai, while Delhi saw the presence of Deputy Head of Mission, the Embassy of Spain, Montserrat Momán Pampillo and Incharge of Consular Section, Embassy of Spain, Helana Escorial Lopez in attendance. Sandra Polo Canudas, Asia & ME Commercial Director Palladium Hotel Group presented insights on Palladium’s hospitality and newly established regulations for hassle-free travel for Indian visitors. She touched upon Spain re-opening borders, all ready to welcome Indians back. The guests were acquainted with the gamut of brands under the Palladium Hotel Group and were informed about the upcoming projects & developments in Spain. The evenings were full of sparking conversations with the travel fraternity exchanging tête-à-têtes over cocktails. The events presented an opportunity to reconnect with travel & trade partners in India to showcase the diverse brand portfolio the hotel group has to offer. Canudas said, “After 2 years of meeting virtually it is delightful to meet our key Stakeholders in-person. India continues to be one of our focus markets for Outbound travel. We look forward, to continue increasing our footprint in India and to further our brand presence. With international travel now open, we are ready to spoil our Indian visitors with an array of experiences, fantastic cuisine, and stunning vistas!”

The travel agent fraternity of Andhra Pradesh welcomed RK Roja Garu, the new Tourism Minister for Andhra Pradesh. K. Vijay Mohan, President of Tours & Travels Association of Andhra (TTAA), as well as ADTOI Chairman for Andhra & Telangana, said, “We look forward to working closely with the new minister for promoting tourism sector in the state.”

The Department of Tourism of Rajasthan Government on Wednesday signed an MoU with the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) for organizing the Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart (RDTM) 2022. The MoU was signed between the Director of Tourism, Nishant Jain and the President of FHTR, Apurv Kumar in the presence of Principal Secretary, Tourism, Gayatri Rathore. She Rathore said that the objective of the MoU is to promote Rajasthan as the most favourable tourist destination nationally and informed that the second edition of RDTM will be organized from July 22-24, 2022 at Birla auditorium, Jaipur.

SriLankan Airlines has geared up for a busy Summer 2022 by increasing the number of scheduled flights by 40 per cent to match pre-pandemic levels and meet the growing demand for air travel as the industry continues to recover. The frequency increases will come into effect across SriLankan’s network of online destinations with the start of the airline’s summer flight schedule. The new schedule will facilitate smoother operations for the airline and offer customers greater flexibility, convenience and connectivity. One of the most significant changes is in SriLankan’s operations to India, which were scaled down considerably at the height of the pandemic. India recently reopened their skies for commercial passenger flights after two years of closure. In celebration of this encouraging development, SriLankan will be nearly doubling the number of weekly flights to India to over 100.  Other planned frequency increases to cities in the Indian Subcontinent include the operation of an extra weekly flight each to Gan, Maldives and Lahore, Pakistan. SriLankan is further planning to match the weekly number of flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Muscat and Seychelles in the Middle Eastern and African regions to its pre-pandemic level of operations. Frequencies to certain destinations in the Far East and Oceania would also be gradually increased in the coming months. Daily flights have already been introduced to Kuala Lumpur, while daily flights will be operated to Melbourne by May and to Bangkok and Jakarta by July of this year. Further, an additional weekly flight has been scheduled for Narita starting from July 2022. New destinations are also part of the plan and commercial passenger flights to Seoul, Korea are to be launched in May 2022. SriLankan Airlines earns …

Sharing new developments at Asego, Dev Karvat, Founder & CEO, Asego, revealed, “We are about to launch our all-new tech platform which will allow our partners to issue policies on-the-go in just 3 clicks. Furthermore, we have moved to a multiple underwriter model which will provide our partners more flexibility and freedom to customize products and services as per their customers’ needs.”

Flying Konkan Devgad Zipline is the first of its kind adventure sport activity along the coastal region of India, was launched and thrown open to public earlier this year. Co-founded by  IT engineers turned entrepreneurs, siblings Vaishnavi Joil & Srikant Joil  introduces coastal ziplining to the Indian population as a unique adventure activity along the coast, offering breathtaking views of the pristine coast, and thrilling break from the niche ‘water sports’ category. Over the past decade, the popularity of adventure sports tourism has seen an upward trend among tourists of all age groups and backgrounds. Among them all, ziplining is one of the most popular, safe and adventurous activity so far, for those seeking an adrenaline rush but in a comparatively safer set-up, while taking in the natural beauty of the destination.  And while India currently has several ziplining options, including popular locations in Rishikesh and some in Rajasthan, Goa and even in Maharashtra, the Indian coast has so far remained isolated to ziplining. But Flying Konkan Zipline is changing all of that! A true labor of love, the Flying Konkan Zipline was conceptualized as a curious idea in 2016, and finally took shape and materialized in January 2021, after years of meticulous research, planning, permissions, paper work and several trials. However, the pandemic and the lockdown in 2020, was a pivotal point in the way the venture would shape out eventually. Speaking about the journey and the vision, Vaishnavi Joil, Co-Founder, Flying Konkan Devgad ZIpline, said, “Devgad has been our family native and we have spent several summer vacations as children, relishing in the mangoes and exploring the beach. However, during the lockdown when we moved here to work …

With Indian outbound travel market getting ready to reopen and travel around the world again, KTO New Delhi, Shinhan Bank and Utazzo Travel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote a one of its kind savings cum deposit plan called “Let’s Go Korea” for Indian travellers to plan their dream holiday to South Korea. The plan allows travellers to invest for their future trip to Korea and receive exclusive offers on their Korea travel bookings from Utazzo Travel. The customers can invest in monthly instalments ranging between INR 2,000 to INR 100,000 with Shinhan Bank for a duration of up to 1 year. The Shinhan bank offers an attractive rate of interest of 5.75% * per annum that can be availed at the end of the deposit period. The buyers of this monthly saving cum recurring deposit plan are entitled for exclusive discounts and money back offers provided by Utazzo travel. As the exclusive travel agency partner, Utazzo Travel will curate multiple packages at attractive rates, valid till December 31, 2023. The buyers will be provided with a special 10% discount and 5% cash back on the South Korea package cost & a voucher worth INR 25,000 for other future bookings. Not just this the package buyers will receive an exclusive photo shoot in South Korea. The customers need to enroll for the Let’s Go Korea plan with Shinhan bank and fill a Google form to avail these exclusive offers. One lucky winner from the package Korea package buyers will also receive a free stay for two at a 5 star hotel in India. The list does not end here, Korea Tourism Organization will also be providing a special …

Outrigger Hospitality Group announced 31 March that it has acquired the newly renovated five-star Maafushivaru Resort in the Maldives – adding another premier beach property to its expanding global portfolio. The luxury resort has been renamed Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort and is located on a private island in the pristine South Ari Atoll region, a 25-minute seaplane flight from Malé – offering convenient access and breathtaking views for arriving guests. The resort is comprised of a collection of 81 luxury villa styles including beach, pool and duplex accommodations, as well as coveted overwater bungalows and more. “There are few destinations that evoke higher levels of relaxation, elegance and seclusion than the Maldives. This resort is the perfect addition to our array of global beachfront properties,” said Jeff Wagoner, President and CEO of Outrigger Hospitality Group. “With travel on the rise, we look forward to welcoming our global guests to the Maldives and curating unforgettable Outrigger Signature Experiences that allow visitors to appreciate Maldivian culture in an iconic beachfront setting.” Located in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is classified by many world travellers as the ultimate luxury beach destination. Known for its uninterrupted views of white sandy beaches and a seemingly endless turquoise lagoon, the Maafushivaru Resort has recently undergone an extensive modernisation and is poised to be among the Maldives’ most sought-after vacation destinations. Outrigger will leverage the knowledge of General Manager, John Allanson, who has served the brand previously and has three decades of hospitality leadership experience. In his new role, Allanson will spearhead the transition of this property utilising The Outrigger Way philosophy. This ethos has allowed the brand to expand across the globe without compromising its values …

Lotus Destinations, as the Preferred Sales Agent of Carnival Cruise in India takes great pleasure in conducting a Carnival Cruise webinar for the travel trade highlighting safety protocols, new fleet introductions and new itineraries to Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Australia and more, today at 3PM IST. Attendees will also get a chance to win exciting prizes. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.