Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) welcomed Wesgro from South Africa as its newest government member. It is the official Tourism, Trade & Investment Promotion Agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. The announcement was made by Dr. Mario Hardy,  CEO,  PATA at the Association’s annual Aligned Advocacy Dinner in London, UK on Monday November 7, 2016 where the guests included Inge Dykman, Head of Leisure Tourism and Trade, Wesgro. Their aim is to promote the city and its five surrounding regions: the Cape West Coast, Cape Overberg, Cape Karoo, Garden Route & Klein Karoo and the Cape Winelands to the domestic and international markets. “As PATA continues to strengthen the tourism links between the continent of Africa and the Asia Pacific region we remain committed to helping destinations in Africa attract greater numbers of international visitors,” said Dr. Hardy. “Wesgro will surely benefit from our in-depth research and insights, human capital development programmes and our busy calendar of conferences and marts as they look to develop a responsible, sustainable and profitable destination.” Tim Harris, CEO, Wesgro said, “The Asian market is extremely important and valuable for Cape Town and the Western Cape’s tourism, trade and investment strategy. PATA provides an excellent platform for us to directly engage key stakeholders in this market, learn from them and make Cape Town and the Western Cape a more attractive and accessible destination for them.”

Spreading its wings to Uttarakhand, RARE Destination & Experiences has added Soulitude’s two properties to its portfolio — Soulitude by the Riverside, Chanfi and Soulitude in the Himalayas, Gagar. Soulitude by the Riverside, Chanfi is a small seven suite boutique getaway set amidst an organic farm and carefully planted vegetation of flowering and fruiting trees. The property is just under an hour’s drive from the railhead in Kathgodam. Soulitude in the Himalayas, Gagar, on the other hand is over an hour from the Riverside including the walk up to the ancient bridge in Chanfi Village. The ten rooms and suites of Soulitude in the Himalayas are distributed in two similar looking blocks with sloping roofs, decks and brief terraces, that seem quiet in sync with the hills around, scooped into steps for farming.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Tourism and Culture (I/C), Government of India, inaugurated the Incredible India pavilion at World Travel Market London 2016, along with Vinod Zutshi, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, and Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of State for Tourism & Culture, Government of Odisha. Dr. Sharma also launched the official website of Incredible India Global Tourism Mart, scheduled from Feb 1-4, 2017, in New Delhi. India is also looking to reposition its tourism offer. During the press conference organised by India Tourism at WTM, Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism India, said that his government was prioritising tourism by investing in the public infrastructure in order to facilitate specific tourism investments from the private sector. Some key areas which India Tourism will focus on include India’s luxury portfolio stretching from the royal fortresses to Goa and Kerala offering ‘barefoot’ luxury. MOT has also identified cruise tourism and MICE as two niche products available in India for 2017, said Zutshi. The e-Tourist Visa scheme which was introduced to 113 countries globally in August 2015 will be further promoted by India Tourism as a major incentive for travel in 2017. The Ministry is hopeful that the lesser-known but stunning regions off the beaten track will be the next port of call for travellers who have enjoyed the Golden Triangle. For India Tourism UK, North East Indian region will be in special focus and be greatly promoted. India’s long-standing relations with the UK will be focus of much festivity in 2017, the year that marks the 70th anniversary of Independence. Plans will be announced later in 2016 but are set to witness some famous British faces who are known for their love of …

The AgentExperience platform is built on the base Konnect.travel platform provided by QuadLabs and supports the IATA/IATAN ID Card program. With an IATA/IATAN ID Card travel agents are recognised around the world for being a travel professional and important distributor of travel products. In return travel suppliers provide benefits and incentive programs to ID card holders. The AgentExperience site showcases the various benefits, offers and promotions provided by global travel suppliers for the business or leisure travel of the registered IATA/IATAN ID card holders. The new AgentExperience provides travel suppliers enhanced functionality in promoting benefits and incentives programs, as well offers suppliers and ID Card Holders the opportunity to complete the booking process on AgentExperience. The new AgentExperience is offered in Canada first and will soon be available for more than 120,000 ID Card Holders worldwide. Major suppliers around the world have participated in this travel solution to distribute their content and real time inventories. Konnect.Travel provides functionalities for travel agencies to manage their customers, bookings, enquiries and will also facilitate the payments between travel agencies and suppliers. “We are delighted that IATA has selected the Konnect.travel platform to launch its new AgentExperience site for travel agents and suppliers. We are confident that this will evolve to become a global distribution channel for multiple suppliers around the world” said Gaurav Chiripal, CEO of QuadLabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. “We are excited to partner with QuadLabs for the new AgentExperience platform. The new site will bring more benefits to the IATA/IATAN ID Card holders and the suppliers. We are happy that in leveraging on the Konnect.travel solution, we can offer ID Card Holders not only the possibility to book travel for themselves …

The runway of Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) will be upgraded in a phased manner in certain parts, involving closure of the runway, and in other parts, partial closure of facilities without any impact on airport operations. The closure will be applicable between 10.30 am to 5.00 pm from February 19-April 30, 2017. The balance activities will be carried out subsequently, with minimal impact on airport operations. In early February the runway will be closed for the rehearsals and show timings for the Aero India 2017. The closure of the runway for the upgradation work has been planned and aligned to this so as to commence work during this period. These works have been necessitated in order to support the growing air traffic at the Bengaluru Airport. The runway upgradation will include building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET) to increase runway capacity. Currently, the runway has the capability of handling 38 air traffic movements (ATM) per hour, the additional RETs could increase the ATM capacity to 48 per hour. In order to enhance the capacity of the runway, BIAL has decided to go ahead with the building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways during the above period, so as to complete the activity before the onset of monsoons in May. This decision has been arrived at in consultation with all its key stakeholders including Domestic & International Airlines, Air Traffic Control and the Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

Emirates Airline customers flying to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can now apply for a visa using their mobile devices. In a first-of-its-kind initiative in visa application, applicants anywhere in the world can use the mobile app, launched by Dubai Visa Processing Centre (DVPC), to complete the entire visa application process for UAE visa using mobile devices. The transactional app involves one-time profile creation, and allows data and document upload, payment and service delivery. Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, VP (India & Nepal), Emirates, said, “The launch of the mobile app will allow our customers in India an even more convenient way to apply and complete their entire visa process through their phones. At Emirates, we are always looking for initiatives to enhance our customers’ experience online.” Vinay Malhotra, COO-South Asia and DVPC, VFS Global, added, “We are in a constantly evolving environment in terms of developing best-in-class technologies, and with this app, we aim to deliver exceptional levels of service and enhanced convenience for travellers. The DVPC mobile app will serve as a one-stop shop for UAE visa applicants, offering users an end-to-end platform for UAE visa applications.” Smartphone and tablet users can download the free DVPC mobile App from Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store. Customised versions of the app are available for iOS and Android devices. Through the app, passengers can apply for the 96-hours, 30-days or 90-days single entry visas, based on their Emirates itinerary. Customers may apply up to 4 international working days in advance of their Emirates flight departure date.

World Travel Market London 2016 is all set to open today at ExCeL-London. India Tourism is the Premier Partner for WTM London 2016, as it looks to promote the diverse tourism product the country offers. The Indian contingent is being led by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister for Culture and Tourism (I/C), Government of India; and Vinod Zutshi, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India. Most of the Indian states are participating and some state chief ministers and deputy CMs are also attending WTM. An Indian Exhibition Centre at the Reed Exhibition Centre is going to be dedicated to India and Indian-based programmes for the three days of WTM.

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced a major fleet and network expansion in Europe and the Indian Ocean in 2017. This will see the airline introduce a second Airbus A330 aircraft, commence non-stop services to Düsseldorf, Durban, and increase its existing network to Mumbai. Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said, “The addition of a second wide-body A330 to our fleet is set to open up significant growth opportunities, enabling Air Seychelles to extend its network footprint in Europe and the Indian Ocean region. In addition to flying to Europe, the Airbus A330 will be used to increase capacity on the airline’s five-per-week regional services to Mumbai, Johannesburg and Mauritius which are currently operated on a narrow-body A320. The introduction of a second wide body A330 will facilitate the upgrading of capacity on Mumbai on Saturdays, Johannesburg on Thursdays and Saturdays, and Mauritius on Sundays, increasing the combined seat capacity on these routes by 23 per cent. This development will allow Air Seychelles to allocate an Airbus A320 to launch flights to Durban, the second point served by Air Seychelles in South Africa, offering 14,171 seats to and from Seychelles each year as well as quick connections over Seychelles to Düsseldorf and Mumbai.”

Mega Maldives Airlines, is all set to start its thrice a week flight between Delhi and Male on November 15.  The airline has introduced an inaugural offer for this flight at a price of Rs 22,990 for the round trip. “We are thrilled with the positive response both in India and in Maldives to our new services to India. The resort and hospitality community of Maldives is clearly throwing open their doors to an excited and dynamic Indian market,” said George Weinmann, founder and Chief Executive Office, Mega Maldives Airline. “The Maldives is consistently ranked among the world’s best tourist destinations. It is also increasingly popular with Indian tourists with over 52,000 guests arriving in 2015, and growing at almost 20% per year in recent years.” As the first non-stop service between the two capital cities, Mega Maldives Airlines provides significant advantages to what is available in the market. At a journey time of just 3Hrs 40Min (outbound) and 4Hrs and 20Min (Inbound), this is the fastest and only non-stop connection between the two cities, cutting journey times on other existing flight options by between 2-8 hours.

PATA India Chapter, in cooperation with Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, conducted its business development roadshow in six European cities from October 17-27, 2016, which was attended by nearly 80 Buyers from the market. Air India & Jet Airways have contributed to augment the connectivity between important European cities and India. The roadshow started in Helsinki (Finland) on October 17, and moved on to Stockholm (Sweden) on October 18, Copenhagen (Denmark) on October 20, Vienna (Austria) on October 24, Prague (Czech Republic) on October 26, and concluded in Warsaw (Poland) on October 27. PATA India Chapter’s Executive Director, Runeep Sangha, said, “We are more than satisfied with the response we have received from the European market. Since last year we have covered European Countries and hope to firmly establish ‘Share of Mind’. Scandinavia represents a high end long haul market and the interest shown by Travel Agents and Tour Operators from Helsinki, Stockholm & Copenhagen is encouraging. Vienna, Prague & Warsaw are emerging European source markets and demonstrate keen interest in India. The Indian Ambassadors in the Helsinki & Prague spoke to the participating Buyers and assured them of their fullest cooperation to not only facilitate travel to India but also partner in promotional activities. Similarly Consular staff in Stockholm, Vienna & Prague supported the Roadshows with their presence and assurance. At the event, India was represented by 14 sellers including Airlines, State Tourism Boards, Ayurveda Resorts and Destination Management Companies. Dr. U.S. Mishra, Additional Director India Tourism, Amsterdam, and Mr. Jitendra Jadhav, Additional Director, India Tourism, Frankfurt, made significant contribution to the hosting and coordination of these Roadshows were also present in their respective markets. The event brought …