Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

South Australia witnessed a positive leap in expenditure by Indians with an 87 per cent increase for the year ending December 2016, reaching AUD 28 million. According to the latest International Visitor Survey results released by Tourism Research Australia, Indians spent an additional AUD 13 million in the state compared to the previous year. Maintaining a healthy growth, the total expenditure has been on an upward trend with an average increase of 15.8 per cent over the last three years. Speaking about the results, Dana Urmonas, Regional Director (India & Southeast Asia), South Australian Tourism Commission, says, “Over the last year we have seen many more Indians signing up for experiences and breaking away from touristy activities. South Australia offers a cool blend of abundant wildlife, picturesque beaches and landscapes and brilliant food and wine, so travellers can really enjoy the best of Australia in one state. India is among our top 10 source markets and we hope to continue attracting more visitors and sustain the momentum built.” A recent Consumer Demand Report released by Tourism Australia shows that Indians travelling to Australia are looking to enjoy world class beauty and nature, family friendly activities and beaches and marine wildlife. South Australia, which ranks high on these factors, has been steadily moving up the consideration set with Kangaroo Island ranking number 3 among the most considered Australian destinations, after Sydney and Melbourne. Activities such as the RoofClimb over the iconic Adelaide Oval, swimming with dolphins at Glenelg, walking among sea lions at Seal Bay, food and wine experiences at Jacobs Creek or Seppeltsfield and premium stay at the 7-star rated Southern Ocean Lodge are unique to the state.

Star Cruises has announced the new homeport deployment of SuperStar Gemini to Laem Chabang in Thailand. It will be based in Laem Chabang International Terminal beginning 17 December, 2017 through to 27 April, 2018. Ang Moo Lim, President, Star Cruises, said, “We are excited to announce Star Cruises’ return to The Land of Smiles with the deployment of SuperStar Gemini at Laem Chabang. Our long history with Thailand stretches all the way back to 1995 when we first called upon Phuket and,today, we are proud to be able to call Laem Chabangour new home come 17 December this year. Thailand has the largest number of tourists of all ASEAN countries and the two airports of Bangkok serve more than 85 million passengers every year,” added Ang.“This is a perfect location for fly-cruise passengers and we will work closely with inbound agents to package cruises with land vacations – providing tourists yet another reason to visit Thailand.  We will make Bangkok the “Gateway to IndoChina” due to its superior air and tourist infrastructure.” During her deployment, SuperStar Gemini will embark on three-night cruises to Sihanoukville and Ko Samui, departing every Sunday, two-night cruises to Sihanoukville, departing every Wednesday, and two -night cruises to Koh Kong Island, departing every Friday.

In a latest development regarding agency commission, Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Cathay Dragon has withdrawn its IATA commission to travel agents applicable for any/all tickets issued in India. It will go from five per cent to zero commission with effect from May 1, 2017. In a letter signed by Rajesh Menon, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager, South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways and Cathay Dragon, to all its trade partners, reasons, ‘Market dynamics for the aviation industry have changed in the recent times and has resulted in making the operating environment for our airline very challenging. The projections for the aviation industry and for our airlines remain to be volatile in the future.’ All tickets issued prior to May 1, 2017 will be eligible for a five per cent IATA commission. It adds, ‘We request you to kindly make a note of the change in commission structure and the effective date as this change might require a change in your business model too.’

British Airways has introduced its most technologically advanced aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Mumbai-London route. Mumbai is the second route after Delhi to benefit from the airline’s latest aircraft. Commenting on this Robert Williams, Head of Sales- Asia Pacific and Middle East, British Airways, said, “Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the latest aircraft in our fleet which is slightly different to 787-8 aircraft. The 787-9 is 20 feet longer and incorporates our first class cabin with just 8 seats. Together with our World Traveller economy class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, Club World business class and the exciting new First class product we have all four cabins on the new aircraft flying people overnight from Mumbai into London. The 787 is fast becoming the principle aircraft of the British Airways fleet for the next generation.” A total of 42 787s are destined to join British Airways, becoming the mainstay of the airline’s fleet. Currently, British Airways has 12 A380 aircraft which have joined the fleet recently. Starting from 2018 British Airways will be making changes to its short haul flights in UK or flights flying into Europe from London. The airline also looks forward to welcome the A320, A321 and  A350 aircraft soon.

The Ministry of Tourism will host the Grand Finale of “Smart India Hackathon” on April 1-2, 2017, in Kochi, Kerala, featuring 53 teams comprising of 230 students from technology institution/engineering colleges across the country. The Smart India Hackathon is being held across 26 cities in the country including Kochi with the involvement and support of 29 government departments. This Hackathon is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resources Development organised in collaboration with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and i4c and is aimed to help institutionalise the model of harnessing the creativity and technical expertise of youth in technical institutions. The Hackathon for Tourism sector, to be held at the Mar Baselios Institute of Technology and Science [MBITS], Kothmangalam, Cochin, will focus on the use of technology to solve problem statements pertaining to Tourism Sector posed by Ministry of Tourism such as Safety & Security of Tourist, Path breaking technological solutions that would catapult India as a leading tourist destination, Museum Commentary etc. The problem statements pertaining to tourism sector were given directly by the Ministry of Tourism based on the industry requirements which will be used to challenge the students for developing innovative digital solutions. The newly developed solutions/technical products will be evaluated by experts and prizes shall be distributed for winners, 1st runner up and 2nd runner up. After the event, the Ministry of Tourism will prepare a plan of action for integrating the products/software which has come out this hackathon into the Departmental functioning.

SpiceJet, Alliance Air, and three other airlines have emerged winner in the first round of bidding and 43 airports in India are set to get flights under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, revealed Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Civil Aviation Minister, Govt. of India. Apart from SpiceJet and Alliance Air, the other three airlines awaiting license include Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Turbo Megha. Airports Authority of India (AAI), the implementing agency, will issue Letter of Awards for 27 proposals received under RCS-UDAN. A total of 13 unserved airports will get flights under the scheme, and the total viability gap funding that the government will provide will be around Rs. 200 crore. Raju also said that the total seats on these routes will be around 13 lakh and the scheme will be active in the next 4-6 months.

Qatar Airways may order 100 new jetliners before the end of this year to power its push into India, chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said. The Persian Gulf carrier is confident that a new aviation policy mapped out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will permit 100% foreign ownership of a domestic airline, Al Baker said Monday in London. Qatar Airways is briefing lawyers in India and will seek formally to establish the new airline soon, with a tender for aircraft to follow. “It could be this year,” the CEO told journalists after addressing the Qatar-U.K. Business and Investment Forum. “It depends how fast we can arrange our application.” Al Baker revealed last month that he planned to set up an Indian carrier with a fleet of 100 narrow-body jets, breaking into a fast-growing market where local rules previously prevented full ownership by foreign airlines. He said at the time that the Qatar Investment Authority could fund the venture, leaving Qatar Air to run it, though it’s not clear whether such an arrangement would avoid the curb. Source: Bloomberg

Government of Jharkhand, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a tripartite MoU for development of Deoghar Airport in Deoghar district of Jharkhand. The existing Deoghar Airport will be developed for operations of A-320 and C-130 aircraft. Signing of MoU took place in a ceremony held at the CM residence. The Govt. of Jharkhand has acquired 600.34 acres of land which will be handed over to AAI apart from the existing 53.41 acres Deoghar Airport land. DRDO, Jharkhand Govt. and AAI will provide Rs. 200 crores, Rs. 50 crores respectively to develop, operationalise and maintain the airport. The time frame given to develop and operationalise the Deoghar Airport is two years. Chief  Minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das,  Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha,  Minister of Transport, Govt. of Jharkhand C.P.Singh,  MP Ram Tahal Chaudhaury and  MP Nishikant Dubey graced the occasion. Dr. Guru Prasad Mahapatra,  Chairman AAI,  Rajbala Verma, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Jharkhand, Amit Khare, Development Commissioner, Govt. of Jharkhand, Sudhir Raheja, Member Planning AAI, Sanjay Jain, RED (ER), AAI, H. S. Chaudhry, Additional Director of DRDO, Anil Vikram, Airport Director, Ranchi, senior officials of State Govt. of Jharkhand and AAI were also present on this occasion.

Indian passport holders with a valid American visa or a Green Card can avail visa on arrival in the United Arab Emirates. The entry visa will be issued upon arrival as per the decree approved by the UAE Cabinet. The decision aims at advancing the UAE-India relations in economic, politics, and trade. It contributes to achieving UAE’s vision to be the leading country in attracting global tourism. “Citizens of the Republic of India who are holders of normal passports with a six-month, or more, valid green card or visa issued by the United States of America shall be granted entry visas to the UAE from all ports for a period of 14 days, subject for a single renewal for the same period upon payment of applicable fees,” an official statement said. The number of Indian tourists coming to the UAE last year reached about 1.6 million Indian tourists, and there were about 50,000 UAE tourists who visited India in the same year. There are about 143 flights a day between the UAE and Indian cities, at a rate of 1000 flights per week. The UAE-India trade has grown to around $60 billion per annum as per the latest figures, making India the second largest trading partner of UAE. The UAE exports to India totaled $27 billion while Indian exports to UAE totaled $33 billion. India is investing about $70 billion in the UAE through 45,000 Indian companies, while the UAE is investing $10 billion in the Indian sectors of energy, metallurgical industry, services, technology and construction. A number of UAE companies invest and operate in India such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (ADNEC), Emaar, …

Louvre Hotels Group is all set to announce the launch of its fifth property- the 110-room Golden Tulip Suites, Gurgaon, in Delhi NCR region. Golden Tulip Suites Gurgaon is in close proximity to the main Gurgaon city and to the international airport. The location of the hotel provides easy connectivity to Faridabad, Delhi and Gurgaon. The hotel also boasts two meeting rooms well equipped with state of art technology and conference facilities for all corporate functions. Golden Tulip Suites Gurgaon offers world class facilities and services for both leisure and corporate clients, with a fitness center and a swimming pool, the property promises a premium product available at an attractive price bands. Gwalapahari as a location is away from the  hustle and bustle of the city traffic with  an easy access to the business centers of the region, Golden Tulip Suites Gurgaon will provide an array of facilities and services to take away the best spots. The hotel is right opposite TERI Golf Course and is at a walkable distance from the ASF IT SEZ in Gurgaon. The other four properties in Delhi NCR by Louvre Hotels Group are Golden Tulip Chattarpur, Golden Tulip Vasundhara, Golden Tulip Hari Nagar and Golden Tulip Galgotia’s.Louvre Hotels Group is a subsidiary of Jin Jiang International Holdings Co., Ltd. one of China’s largest tourist and travel conglomerates. Vimal Singh, Managing Director, Golden Tulip Hotels and Resorts, South Asia said, “The launch of our second property in Gurgaon is a strategic decision of the group to expand our brand presence in the  Delhi NCR region. In Gwalpahari, Gurgaon, there is a requirement of quality accommodation and our property promises to deliver the international standard of …