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The Union Cabinet has approved leasing out of Airports Authority of India (AAI) land measuring 4050 sq. mtrs. to Assam Industrial Development Corporation for Centre for Perishable Cargo at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati. This will be utilised for setting up of Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) and its future expansion at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBI Airport), Guwahati. The land is to be leased by AAI on a token licence fee of Rs.1/- per annum for a period of seven years subject to signing of Lease Agreement. After expiry of initial period of seven years, the future lease period will be made afresh as per AAI policy in-vogue. North Eastern Region (NER) in India is rich in flora and fauna. Revenue from export of agriculture and horticulture items will improve economic conditions of NER. There is a need for promotions of perishable cargo export from this region, which will generate employment opportunities directly or indirectly. Facilities for air upliftment of perishable cargo from Guwahati are required to be more effective. Therefore, it has been decided to lease land measuring 4050 sq. Mtrs. to AIDC, by AAI for setting up of CPC and its future expansion at LGBI Airport, Guwahati.

Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, recently visited Shanghai in a bid to attract Chinese investment in India’s tourism sector. Close to 20 prominent investors participated in the event which was a part of roadshows being conducted in different parts of the world to promote participation of investors’ at the forthcoming Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit scheduled  to be held at New Delhi from September 21-23, 2016 being organised by MOT, in partnership with Tourism Finance Corporation of India and the CII. The Summit will bring together more than 20 Indian states unveiling a large bouquet of projects close to around 1000 in number, both of core infrastructure and those specific to various themes of tourism be it hospitality, medical, MICE, Buddhist, entertainment and cruise tourism etc, the Secretary informed the Chinese investors. He also said that what makes this Summit unique is that it would see a large no of B2G meetings and states would offer single window for foreign and domestic investors interested in picking up their tourism sector projects in the true spirit of ease of doing business. Zutshi also pointed out that never was there a more favourable time to invest in India than now with strong macro-economic indicators and the current government’s commitment to investment facilitation like never before. Several members who were present from the Chinese side expressed their interest in attending the Summit in now Delhi next month and appreciated the preparation of the Indian Government in attracting Tourism specific foreign investment.

Seychelles records 62 per cent increase in tourist arrivals from India during January-July 2016, compared to the same period last year. This surge in the arrivals can be attributed to the India tourist office’s increasing focus on educating and hand holding the trade to better promote the destination, increase in Air Seychelles daily flights from four to five times a week, special efforts from the hotels and DMCs to tap the India market and increasing efforts to reach out to the customer through association with Bollywood and other avenues. Sherin Naiken, CEO, Seychelles Tourism Board, said, “We are thrilled with the way India market has responded to our efforts. We have seen a phenomenal increase in arrivals since we opened office three years ago. However, this is not the time to bask in the current successes and relax. As we enter the pre-honeymoon and festival season we will double our efforts to reach out to both travel trade and consumers. We are fortunate to have supportive partners like Air Seychelles, the DMCs and the hotels who walk with us hand in hand in going the extra mile to support the India travel trade. As a result, owing to its diversity, we have been able to position Seychelles as a destination which is meant for all – families, couples, small groups, celebrations and MICE.” New hotels have opened in the Seychelles in the past one year giving tourists more options. Carana Beach Hotel, the 40 chalet four-star property in North Mahe, opened its doors to guests in April 2016. It is the only resort in its category to boast of in-villa plunge-in pools. Dubai-based H Hotel and Resort Management Company opened …

GMR Airports, the company that runs Delhi and Hyderabad airports, has won the bid to develop and operate a new airport in North Goa. “GMR Airports, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure has won the international competitive bid for development and operation of Mopa Greenfield Airport in North Goa,” as per BSE release. The company is going to built this airport on BOT (Build Operate Transfer) model and the concession period for the said project will be 40 years with a possible extension of another 20 years through a bid process. The letter of award is expected to be issued within 60 days, while signing of concession agreement will be done within 45 days from the date of issuance of award letter.

In a bid to promote Railway related education and research Ministry of Railways has been taking significant steps in setting up Centres of Railway Research (CRR) in collaboration with premier Educational Institutions of India. Formal MoUs for setting up such centres have already been signed between Ministry of Railways and University of Mumbai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee. Another Fifth Center for Railway Research is also in existence in IIT Kharagpur. These Centers for Railway Research are working to contribute immensely towards providing solutions for utilization of Railways assets in a more cost effective manner and its various processes towards complete customer satisfaction. To expand the areas of research further, Indian Railways have also set up the Malaviya Chair at IIT BHU, Varanasi for development of proper materials for use by Indian Railways. In addition, a ‘Chair on Sustainable Mobility’ has also been set up at TERI University, New Delhi. Railways Research arm viz., Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) based at Lucknow is coordinating with all the CRRs and chairs. The areas of research have also been earmarked for these different CRRs based on the core competencies of the different institutes. The assigned areas of the CRRs include: CRR,  IIT Roorkee: Civil Infrastructure of High Speed Rail, Bridges and structures, Track management system, Environmental Engineering, Rail wheel dynamics, etc. CRR,    IIT Kanpur : Geo-Tech Engineering, Advanced Fuel efficient systems, Fire Safety Management, Advanced electronics, High speed Rolling stock design, Advanced Signalling and Fog vision etc. CRR,    IIT Madras : Structural Health Monitoring of Railway Infrastructure, Intelligent  transportation, Computer vision and imaging, reliability engineering, energy management etc. CRR, Mumbai  University: Research related to Heavy Haul Technology, High-Speed Technologies, Energy …

According to a Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) study, Maharashtra has attracted highest investment from private investors in building facilities for tourists and visitors till June 2016. “Maharashtra attracted investments worth over Rs 15,500 crore of the outstanding investments worth over Rs 93,400 crore attracted by the hotel and tourism industry in India as of June 2016,” stated the ‘Domestic Tourism: Tap the Treasure,’ study conducted by ASSOCHAM’s Economic Research Bureau. The study said domestic tourist visits in India can increase from over 143 crore in 2015 to over 227 crore by 2020. While Maharashtra attracted investment proposals worth more than Rs 15,547 crore, Gujarat recorded Rs 13,542 crore, followed by Karnataka (Rs 11,049 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 89,26.4 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 8,207 crore) corresponding to 61.3 per cent of the outstanding investments. The remaining 16 states out of the major 21 states received Rs 36,150 crore worth proposals as of June 2016. The report also revealed that these investments would mainly cater to domestic tourists who have multiplied from 6.6 crore in 1991 to 143 crore in 2015. Big tourism projects are expected in the Mumbai-Pune zone, followed by the Konkan, Nashik, Ajanta-Ellora and around tiger reserves in Vidarbha. (Source: Times of India)

Nashik will be developed as a mega tourist destination under the Visit Maharashtra plan 2017. Jaykumar Rawal, Tourism Minister, Maharashtra, Government of India, said that Nashik Circuit, comprising tourist spots in the region, would be promoted under the 2017 plan and the idea of ‘Visit Nashik’ would be publicised on the lines of Visit Maharashtra. He also assured of making air service available through small airlines and the gap payment will be borne by the Union and state governments. Various tourism options were also discussed like ropeway at Saptashrungi Gadh, promotion of medical tourism in the state, dam tourism, wine tourism and agro tourism promotion including the controversial boat club. “The chief minister announced 2017 as Visit Maharashtra year. He wants to give number one priority to tourism. We are trying to attract tourists not just from India but from abroad. We can promote Nashik in Visit Maharashtra project. Our tagline Maharashtra Unlimited can also be applied as Nashik Unlimited. We will develop a circuit here,” said Rawal. He further revealed that Nashik Circuit will include travel from Mumbai to Igatpuri, Trimbakeshwar, Bhandardhara, Bhavali, Hathgad, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur, Nandur Madhyameshwar, Saptashrungi, Chandwad, Nashik, Trimbakeshwar in a planned manner. “We can have Godavari Aarti every evening like Ganga Aarti. Nandur Madhyameshwar Bird Sanctuary is of international importance. We will also resolve the problems with respect to Gangapur Boat Club and will start it soon,” said Rawal. (Source: Times of India)

Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India to have an understanding for smooth execution of various projects for development and creation of tourist facilities and amenities in and around centrally protected monuments/sites in Maharashtra. This is the first MOU the Archaeological Survey of India has signed with any tourism board in India. The MOU was signed by Dr. K.H. Govinda Raj IAS, Managing Director – Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Sharad Sharma, Additional Director General (ASI Delhi) in presence of Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister Tourism; Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra; Valsa Nair Singh IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra and other officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)Mumbai and Aurangabad Circle. MOU was signed in a meeting at Trident BKC on 23rd August, 2016. Government of Maharashtra shall arrange requisite funds for all the projects from Central Financial Assistance (CFA), State Govt. agencies, Corporate Social Responsibility Fund (CSR) of Private Companies or through Public Private Participation (PPP). ASI shall not have objection for any kind of fund raising by Govt. of Maharashtra. Initially, the tenure of this agreement shall be 10 years. The agreement shall be extended for further period of on mutual consent of the parties mentioned herein. Rawal said, “This is great step to develop infrastructure for the use of tourists in and around centrally protected monuments and sites under jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Maharashtra. As per the policy of PPP declared and promoted by   Govt. of India, Director, Govt. of Maharashtra or MD, MTDC shall explore the possibility of PPP …

The Skål Club of Bombay has received the ‘Club of the year’ 2016 award at the Asian Area Congress held in Singapore on July 2016. Director Jason Samuel and Asian Area Secretary Arun Raghavan attended the event and accepted the award from Asian Area President Robert Sohn.

Thomas Cook Tours (TCT)’s Centre of Learning, also the education and training vertical of Thomas Cook (India), intimated its holding company that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Sharad Nautiyal, General Manager Training, representing the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Limited and Smeeta Gulvady, Vice President & Head, Centre of Learning, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. in the presence of Hari Ranjan Rao (IAS,) Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. Under the MOU, Thomas Cook’s Centre of Learning will impart training programmes – ‘Explore Madhya Pradesh’ via engaging learning modules to over 660 travel agents, covering 20 cities (Kolkata, Noida, Gurgaon, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Pune, Nasik, Nagpur, Mumbai, Goa, Raipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin and Bengaluru) in the next two months. A qualifying evaluation will be followed post the training session and top 2 winners from amongst the 660 travel agents across 20 cities will be hosted for a 2 nights/3 days hotel stay by Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Limited.