Category Archives: Associations

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the winners of the PATA Gold Awards 2020. The winners were announced during the Online PATA Gold Awards Presentation as part of Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020, taking place from September 23-27. Kerala Tourism, India received the PATA Gold Award 2020 Grand Title Winner in Marketing for Education and Training for its “Human by Nature Print Campaign”. Also, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka won the PATA Gold Award 2020 for its campaign, “Script Your Adventure” in the Marketing Campaign (State and city – Global) category.  The PATA Gold Awards 2020 attracted 121 entries from 62 organisations and individuals worldwide. The winners were selected by an independent judging committee of 16 personalities from various destinations.

International Tourist Arrivals drop by 56% in 2020, from that of 2019, which recorded 1.5 Billion arrivals across the world, revealed UNWTO. In Asia-Pacific, this drop was 60%, in Middle East 52%, while in Africa it was 47%. Europe saw a percentage decline of 58% in arrivals, and for US it was 47%.

Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2020, will be held virtually this year. To be held from 23rd-27th November, KTM Virtual 2020 will be an online buyer-seller event. The flagship inbound event of ‘God’s Own Country’ is usually held biennially in Kochi, Kerala.

Speaking at the PATA India Chapter’s webinar ‘Europe-The New Order’, Margreet van Egmond, Director Spain, Travel Marketing Concept (TMC), has said that travel agencies and associations across Spain are asking for one focal point for information on India. “In India, many regions have different protocols when people enter, and hence agencies are asking for one focal point, so that people can go to one destination, which has all the inputs, which is very important,” she revealed.

Oakwood Premier Prestige Bangalore in association with the Karnataka Tourism Forum and Indian Motorcycle Riders Group organised a Biker’s Rally from Bengaluru to Mysuru recently. The rally was flagged off from the Oakwood property in UB city. It is aimed at reviving tourism, instil confidence and showcase Indian roads as safe provided all safety measures are followed.

TAFI has requested the GST Council and the Finance Ministry to review the refund of GST on air ticket refunds, and extend the date applicable for refund GST till March 31, 2021 due to the delay in total refunds by airlines. It said that as per rule, if tickets are not refunded till September 30, 2020, then GST will not be refunded and customers will end up losing 5% in the economy class ticket and 12% in business class of the ticket value. TAFI has also filed a case in Supreme Court for airline refunds and the next hearing is on September 23.

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, met with the GST Commissioner to push for TCS. “We have already shared a document with the GST Commissioner on behalf of FAITH and I went personally also yesterday to give a letter to withdraw TCS, which is scheduled to be applicable from October 1. Also, we are wanting to discuss the GST reseller model, which has been approved, but it still needs to be implemented and it hasn’t come from the Government as a circular. So we are also following up on that,” she said.

PATA India will conduct a webinar on September 17, 2020 at 3pm IST titled ‘Europe: The New Order’ to bring a European perspective on tourism. It will have key international as well as Indian thought leaders sharing their perspectives. Market expectations and opportunities from countries like Austria, Benelux, Germany, Spain and Switzerland will also be tabled.

During a webinar hosted by FHRAI, Suman Billa, Director, UNWTO, said, “UNWTO estimates a drop of 50-60% in the international tourist arrival this year. It will take 2-3 years to bounce back. To survive, we will have to create a domestic market. We also need harmonisation of protocols in each state.”

Rajesh Mudgill, Hony. Secretary, IATO has informed that Ministry of Tourism has proposed a new category called green shoots or stand-ups for granting recognition to start-ups. “Anyone starting a new business will be able to apply for MOT recognition without any specific capital or turnover requirement. This can earn them a provisional recognition valid for 3 years,” he said.