Category Archives: Agents

Kamala Vardhan Rao, IAS, CMD of ITDC, has stressed on the need to encourage responsible tourism and how the state of Kerala can referred as a case study for the same. He said this while addressing government officials and tourism experts at an event recently. Rao also spoke about the success that can be achieved via expansion of hotels, better connectivity and availability of skilled human resources while keeping sustainability as a focus. He also shared insights on the strategy and work required to develop India as a tourism destination.

Sundance Mountain Resort has announced that construction will begin in the coming months for changes that will be in place for the 2021-2022 ski season. The new additions are: two new ski lifts and the retirement of the Rays lift, upgrades to snowmaking, more parking, renovations to the Creekside building. Resort leaders said one of the new lifts will be a seven-minute, high-speed quad to Mandan Summit at the resort. The lift will provide access to slopes for experienced and intermediate skiers, as well as mid-station unloading for routes easier for beginners. An additional fixed-grip lift will also be constructed to provide better access to the backside of the summit. The resort stated this lift will be used to provide more access to that area in the summertime. The resort is open during the non-snow season months with multiple outdoor activities available, including ziplining, mountain biking and hiking. The resort announced it will also build a ‘snowmaking reservoir’ which will help collect water for snow guns. The tools are used to create snow so a resort can open sooner if needed. The resort will also add 125 to 150 new parking spots to help address busier ski days. “We are excited for what these improvements mean for the future of Sundance Mountain Resort,” said Chad Linebaugh, the resort’s president and general manager. Of course, the biggest change in Sundance’s 52-year-old history is new ownership. Robert Redford had owned the facility since founding the resort in 1969 but sold it to Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners late last year. The legendary actor said that he selected the new owners because they shared his values and promised to maintain the resort’s …

The Globus family of brands has launched a new touring style called ‘Choice Touring by Globus’ which offers travellers 13 new itineraries in Europe and North America. Sharing more details on this is Varesh Chopra, Regional Director – India, Middle East & South Asia for the Globus family of brands, who says, “Our streak of innovation continues. We just introduced 6 domestic vacations for travel within India under the brand of Monograms India Discoveries. And now we are gearing anew with yet another innovation. With the introduction of Choice Touring by Globus, we’re giving travelers a whole new way to cure their curiosities. On these new, special itineraries, they can choose from a menu of memories while still enjoying everything they love about a perfectly planned tour.” In addition to providing guided sightseeing at the must-see sights, Choice Touring by Globus presents YourChoice Excursions: A selection of curated experiences in key and off-the-beaten-path destinations – included in the package price – so travellers can tailor their tours.

ForwardKeys’ air ticketing data has revealed that domestic air travel in the first week of March 2021 has bounced back to 84% of 2019 levels. “Although the path to recovery has been bumpy but the air traffic levels have increased in a calibrated approach. Back in the lowest month of April 2020, domestic passengers were at 14% of 2019 levels but approching April 2021, situation is certainly improving.”

Mumbai-based KKR World has been appointed as the India representative for BLS Interlaken Cruises. KKR World is a business venture of Kunal Kothari, former Head of Rail Europe India, and represents products like Rhaetian Railways (Glacier Express, Bernina Express) and Railtour Suisse, since 2019. Sharing this news is Niklaus Hotz, Sales Manager for BLS Interlaken Cruises who says, “We were looking for an experienced new partner to consolidate our market presence in India despite the challenging circumstances. KKR World represents already a supplier portfolio that fits perfectly with our product. Like this we can bundle knowledge and improve the quality in the consultation process for our customers. BLS Interlaken Lake Cruises wants to be ready to welcoming international guests as soon as borders reopen again. Therefore, we think it is very essential to keep in touch with relevant accounts in our key markets even in difficult times. Our ] objective is to increase the number of Indian visitors enjoying a cruise with BLS on Lakes Thun and Brienz during their visit to Interlaken.” BLS Interlaken Lake Cruises, operational since 1913, on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland, operating hourly scheduled cruises from spring to autumn. During the winter season, BLS operate individual cruises on Lake Thun, such as the popular winter steamboat excursion on the paddle steamer Blümlisalp, welcoming around 1 million boat passengers and are therefore one of the biggest tourism operators in the Bernese Oberland. It not only operates scheduled cruises but also organises special culinary cruises, such as the Fondue Chinoise Cruise and the Lake Thun Brunch Cruise.

IATO President, Rajiv Mehra has said that WhatsApp groups for efficient communication with all members are getting ready and he is hopeful that the first group will be functional in next 72 hours. “It takes time since manual feeding of all numbers has to be done to add members in the group. The data work is being done at the moment and it should be done very soon,” he said. The WhatsApp group for efficient communication with members was one of promise made by the new IATO President.

TravelBullz has signed up Bangalore Classic Tours and Travels as GSA for South Indian market for enhancing reach and expansion across South India. The move will allow travel partners to increase their product portfolio and earn more revenue with the advanced B2B booking engine provided by TravelBullz. Bangalore Classic founded by Amarnath N is serving the industry since 1983.  

Sharing details of the recent group tour that her company conducted successfully, Benazir Nazar, CEO, Akbar Holidays, says, “Our commitment to the client to operate a group of such size was a tough decision during these times. Our operational team in India made sure that visas and COVID tests were done on time, and we even managed permissions to operate charters.”

Travel Consul’s global survey with travel advisors shows that the length of stay for international trips has more than doubled between October 2020 and February 2021. While in October last year, the length of stay was anywhere between 1 to 7 days, this year in February, the same ranged between 8 to 14 days.

Swiss Travel System launches a new e-learning platform called the ‘Swiss Travel System Excellence Program’ for travel agents where they can learn everything about Swiss public transport. Gain knowledge and win attractive prizes with Heidi and Peter as they take the travel trade on a learning journey through the new Swiss Travel System Excellence Program. Sign up by 31 March, 2021 and four lucky winners will win Bucherer watches worth €400 each. Register at https://elearning.mystsnet.com/?utm_source=traveltrendstoday&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=stsexcellence2021