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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opened Cochin International Airport Limited’s new integrated international passenger terminal for commercial operation. The Chief Minister lauded the CIAL, the country’s first airport built under PPP model, which has scripted a new chapter in aviation history by becoming the first in the world that completely operates on solar power. The Chief Minister received passengers and crew who arrived at the new airport Terminal 3 via a Jet Airways flight from Muscat to Kochi in the evening. The first flight which arrived at the new terminal was received by ‘water salute’ as per tradition. The foundation stone for the project was laid in Februrary 2014 by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in view of growth in passenger traffic through CIAL.  The terminal, having a built up area of 15 lakh sq ft, was inaugurated in February last year. It is having a peak hour capacity of 4000 passengers, according to a CIAL release. Vijayan also inaugurated the the 4.3 km long four-lane road connecting the airport and National Highway at Athani near Aluva and also the expansion of the CIAL’s solar power capacity from 15.5 MW to 21.5 MW. (Source: PTI)

TIRUN, the exclusive India representative for Royal Caribbean International announces the news of the global cruise line’s newest addition, Symphony of the Seas, the world largest cruise ship. PortMiami’s Terminal A, will herald the arrival of what will be the most astounding cruise ship in size and luxury that the world has ever seen. She and Oasis-class sister ship Allure of the Seas, each with a bold and unexpected lineup of thrilling experiences that have revolutionised the cruise industry, will unite in November 2018 to offer island-hopping adventures through the Caribbean from the Magic City and add Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis to other marquee Oasis-class ports of call. Symphony’s inaugural year of Europe and Caribbean itineraries are now available to book; Allure of the Seas’ 2018-2019 itineraries will open for sale later in the month. Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing said, “We are delighted and absolutely thrilled to share the news about Symphony of the Seas with Indian cruise enthusiasts, the fourth in the widely-celebrated category of Oasis-class cruise ships led by Royal Caribbean. Symphony of the Seas will claim the title of the world’s largest and most adventure-filled cruise ship, offering more and latest amenities, innovations and thrilling experiences even than her newest sister ship Harmony of the Seas. It’s the absolute, unparalleled best that the line has to offer and no other ship in the world comes close. With best-in-line services, impeccable amenities on board and sheer grandeur for visual appeal, Symphony will really make for the ultimate holiday experience as far as discerning Indian guests are concerned and will enhance their propensity to opt for cruise vacations like never before.” The 26th ship in …

Ezeego1 has introduced a new alliance program calling out entrepreneurs for franchise partnerships across India. Ezeego1’s unique franchise/ business partnership program aims to give entrepreneurs an opportunity to own and operate a franchise successfully, leveraging the brand’s knowledge and expertise. Commenting on this new program, Neelu Singh, CEO & Director, Ezeego1 said, “We continue to build on our success of introducing innovation in our franchise network programs. Our new franchise partnership program is a great opportunity for qualified individuals to own a business and be involved in the core of the activities while taking benefits from Ezeego1’s collective market expertise. Ezeego1’s management experience, training and support lay a solid foundation, upon which a franchise owner can build and sustain a successful business, at low costs.” Ezeego1‘s growing franchise network is dedicated to the success of all its franchises and partners, and provides them with the right tools to make it big in the business of travel. Ezeego1 has many benefits to offer such as authority to use the Ezeego1 brand, guidance and support for helping make the business successful, marketing programs for helping drive traffic to stores, training programs for staff, good margins, and end to end travel solution products.

Jet Airways will increase its daily flights to 650 from 600 starting end of March. The airline informed that it will launch new, direct services to Madurai and Bagdogra from Mumbai from March 26. Jet will also connect Jaipur with Chandigarh; Dehradun with Srinagar, and Bengaluru with Kozhikode with non-stop flights apart from its services linking Bengaluru with Lucknow via New Delhi and Mumbai with Srinagar via Dehradun. The carrier will also add 12 additional frequencies on its existing routes across its network which include a 7th daily flight between Mumbai and Goa as well as Delhi and Lucknow. Apart from this a fourth frequency between Chennai–Tiruchirappalli and a second frequency between Delhi and Bhopal is also expected to begin operations soon. The airline will also introduce two additional services on the New Delhi–Patna route. “Our planned network enhancements this summer will offer our guests much more by way of choice, connectivity and convenience. We look forward to welcoming all our guests to experience the joy of flying to brand new city pairs like Mumbai and Madurai,” said Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways.

Lords Hotels & Resorts has signed up its 27th hotel property at Sasan Gir in Gujarat. Presently run as Vishal The Greenwoods, the hotel will come under the Lords Hotels & Resorts banner and will begin operations under the new management this month. One of the closest hotels to The Gir National Park, Vishal Lords Inn – Gir Forest offers an unparalleled locational advantage to tourists visiting the park. Located at a close proximity to the Madhuvanti Dam, the premium property offers seventy-two keys to stunningly spacious villas, luxurious suites, and plush rooms. Some of the other amenities include a mini theatre, swimming pool, game zone, a well-furnished restaurant and above all a great view of the Gir Forest. The discerning guest, the hotel houses an Ayurveda spa and even a shopping arcade. The launch of this hotel follows the opening of a hotel property in Bharuch which the hotel chain had signed up last year. The addition of this property makes Lords Hotels & Resorts the largest and the most dominant hospitality chain in the state of Gujarat. “Being the only region in Asia that is home to lions, Sasan Gir enjoys a round the year tourist inflow including foreign tourists. The region is a dry deciduous forest however the hotel has been developed in absolute contrast to its surroundings. With plantations of several trees and exotic plants, the infrastructure will provide the guest with a green and clean environment while in the hotel premises. The hotel also co-ordinates lion safari options for the guests. While the services and amenities will be at par with any other hotel in the neighbourhood, the tariffs will be much more economical,” says …

In a bid to educate the travel trade about Nanjing’s diverse tourism offerings, Outbound Tour Operators’ Association of India (OTOAI) organised a workshop in association with Nanjing Municipal Tourism Garden Bureau. Through a series of presentations, the main highlights in the Ming dynasty’s home, such as the ancient philosopher Confucius’ temple, Ming Great Wall, Linggu Temple, to name a few, were shown to the gathering along with other details about the destination. Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI said, “We are promoting various regions instead of the whole country in order to give elaborate information on the destination. Nanjing is China’s ancient capital and is replete in history and culture. It can cater to a wide variety of travellers and would make for an ideal break, thanks to the array of products it has to offer.” Additionally, Xia Jun, Deputy Director, Nanjing Municipal Tourism Garden Bureau said, “We received around 10,000 Indians last year and would like to see more Indian tourists visiting the region. Nanjing is best visited during autumn and is famous for its history as well as cuisine. We are hoping for a direct connection between Nanjing and New Delhi to start soon which will definitely give a boost to the numbers,” she commented.

BLS International has announced the opening of their first Spanish Visa Application Center (VAC) in Chennai. After winning the global contract from the Government of Spain in December, 2016, this is the 3rd Spanish Visa Application center opened in India, after New Delhi and Mumbai. The company currently operates 78 Spain Visa Application Centers spread across 37 countries. In future that the center will offer value added services like SMS service alert, photocopy service and convenient courier services to the applicants. Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, BLS International Services, shares, “BLS International has always endeavored to offer first-class services to its customers. We charge the applicant a nominal fee under the umbrella of word class services given in return to them. Our dedicated and pro-active staff is always ready to cater to the needs of the applicants. We aim to revolutionize the Spanish Visa application experience and the newly launched center in Chennai is yet another milestone. Since the commencement of the operations on the 19thDecember 2016, we have processed in excess of 200 applications per day across India and expect the numbers to grow by 20 % this year. With the opening of new centers in India it will further strengthen ties to the South market for both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BLS International. We are looking at processing approximately 1.8 million applications annually through our global network.”

To make Delhi a world class tourist destination, the Government of Delhi is preparing a tourism policy and master plan for promotion of tourism and tourism infrastructure for Delhi Tourism. For this, the Delhi Government has earmarked a total expenditure of Rs 119 crore for Tourism sector in 2017-18. This includes revenue budget of Rs 69 crore and capital budget of Rs 50 crore. An amount of Rs 117 crore is earmarked for implementation of various schemes, programmes and projects under Tourism sector. With aim to promote Delhi as a film shooting destination, the Delhi Government has proposed to introduce “Single Window Clearance Mechanism” for film making facility so that the legal formalities to shoot in the city can be completed by visiting only one Government Office. “Smooth system is being developed for granting permission to Film Producers and to provide them with consolidated information on guidelines for shooting and to make film shooting a hassle free experience,” said Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM, Government of Delhi, in his annual Budget speech for 2017-18. A Soft Adventure Park at the Garden of Five Senses has also been developed as an eco-friendly project to attract more visitors to garden which is surrounded by a sprawling lush green garden which provides a mystic ambience to the adventure park. The government has also planned to develop the Riverfront of River Yamuna and make a World Class Ecological River Front of 5 km upstream of Wazirabad. “This will create a place that allows people to connect with nature and the River Yamuna. It will also help spread awareness about the importance of the River and its protection and mobilise people towards the improvement of the …

To give a boost to the Civil Aviation Operators, the Government of Delhi has proposed to reduce the VAT rate to 1 per cent from existing 25 per cent on their purchases of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) in Delhi. Revealing this in Budget for 2017-18, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said those who have opted to operate under Regional Connectivity Scheme i.e. RCS (Udan) and will ply the fights on RCS routes (involving Delhi) between an identified pair of origin and destination airports/helipads can benefit from this tax cut.

The International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT), to be held from June 8-10, 2017, will have  an line-up of technology industry experts from across the globe to deliberate on the paramount role of technology in giving a fillip to the travel and tourism industry through interactive engagements with customers and providing excellent products and services. The three-day event, to be held at Le Meridien Hotel, Kochi, is organised by the Association of Tourism Trade Organisation (ATTOI). “Technology is all around us and the world of travel and tourism is no exception. Through technology, such as social media, tourism operators could engage their customers and enable them to share their experiences. So it is high time to get updated and be adaptable and fluid to the changes in the sector,” said ATTOI President Anish Kumar P.K. The seven experts who will be attending the brainstorming meet this year to share their insights are Andre Chow (Singapore), Billy Taylor (New Zealand), Christopher Tock (Malaysia), Donna Mortiz (Australia), Lauren Cleland (USA), Nicky Kriel (the UK) and Pierre Marechal (Belgium).