Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed the need to embrace innovation and grow and direct investment into the sector in order to drive its positive transformation. “With tourism having bounced back from the biggest crisis in its history, now is the time to channel our energy into building greater resilience against any future shocks,” he said. “At the same time, we must ensure tourism’s growth benefits people everywhere, above all by expanding access to education and job opportunities and harnessing the power of new technology.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reveals a significant recovery of India’s Travel & Tourism sector, with domestic tourism playing a pivotal role. The data shows that whilst domestic tourism is driving the recovery of the sector in India,  international travel spend remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, the sector’s contribution to India’s GDP reached just over INR 19.13TN in 2023 – almost 10% ahead of 2019 levels. Employment in Travel & Tourism grew by 10% to reach just under 43MN, 8% more than in 2019. Domestic visitor spending was 15% ahead of 2019, reaching INR 14.64TN however international visitor spending remained more than 14% behind 2019 last year – INR 0.4TN less being spent by international visitors last year than in 2019. Such strong growth in domestic visitor spending is evidence that domestic visitors have led the sector’s path toward post-pandemic recovery. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said; “India’s Travel & Tourism sector is bouncing back with remarkable vigour, driven by a surge in domestic tourism.

During ‘Explore Maldives’ Roadshow organised by Manta Air in Bengaluru, Ahmed Maumoon, Deputy CEO, Manta Air, highlighted the initiative airline is taking to entice Indian traveller. He said, “Manta Air is promoting Bengaluru – Dhaalu route with exclusive fare between US$ 350-400 until September, which saves almost US$ 500-700 of an Indian traveller. Along with that, we are partnering with resorts in Maldives to provide a tailored package wherein customers receive 2-3 night stay with our resort partners in addition to air ticket at affordable rates. This strategy promotes the destination along with the airline. We are currently focusing on strengthening on our current route and will continue to monitor the Indian market. If the passenger load continues to be stable, we may start new route from Chennai and other cities in South India.”

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, along with Kempinski Hotel Muscat, Zahara Tours, and SalamAir, invites the Indian travel trade to attend a webinar on the destination and the product offerings. Get valuable insights and updates for your clients today at 3pm IST. Join the webinar and stand a chance to win exciting prizes! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is set to organise a multi-city B2B roadshow in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad this July. Titled ‘Singapore Tourism Board Roadshow 2024. Holidays Made in Singapore’, the event features 50 exhibitors representing hotels, attractions, airline, cruise lines and destination management companies. Notably, seven of these exhibitors are participating for the first time, including the city’s famed family-friendly attraction Museum of Ice Cream, and Disney Cruise Line, which has made Singapore its exclusive Southeast Asian homeport for five years starting next year. India is a major tourism source market for Singapore, with direct flights from 17 cities within a 4 to 6-hour range. Since the resumption of international travel in 2022, Indian tourists have been drawn to Singapore’s evolving range of offerings. In 2023, many new hotels, attractions, and lifestyle experiences have emerged, offering more activities and venues for India’s travel agents and planners to consider when crafting holiday itineraries, MICE programmes, and wedding celebrations. STB’s global campaign, “Made In Singapore”, showcases the city as a destination of unique and unexpected experiences. In line with this, the 2024 multi-city roadshow is themed “Holidays. Made In Singapore” to equip the Indian travel trade community to promote Singapore as a differentiated destination for various consumer segments. As part of the B2B roadshow, STB is also hosting two curated business matching platforms between Singapore wedding suppliers and Indian planners in Ahmedabad and Kolkata, important source markets for Indian wedding celebrations. Featuring eight venues, hotels, aviation and cruise partners, and DMCs, these networking events build on STB’s continuing efforts in India to spotlight Singapore’s unique selection of wedding venues and experiences, including a partnership with celebrated couturier Rahul Mishra, and the …

Ahsan Shervani, Vice President, Star Hotels, shared insights into the company’s growth, expansion plans, and strategic focus on the domestic travel market. Shervani Hotels, the brand operated by Star Hotels., currently boasts four properties, with ambitious plans for further expansion. Shervani, an integral part of Star Hotels, oversees the operations of Shervani Hotels. The brand, which currently includes four distinct properties, aims to cater to both business and leisure travellers. With a strong presence in Uttarakhand and recent expansions into other regions, Shervani Hotels is poised for significant growth in the Indian hospitality sector. “Currently, we have four hotels under our portfolio,” Shervani explained during an exclusive interview at their Hotel in New Delhi. “This is a boutique 30-room business hotel, primarily catering to business travellers, with facilities like a conference room, a boardroom, and a banquet hall.” Shervani Hotels’ flagship property, Shervani Hilltop in Nainital, features 48 rooms, an in-house restaurant, and a unique specialty cafe called the Nursery Cafe. “The Nursery Cafe is a greenhouse setup where we serve food and beverages as well as sell plants,” Shervani added. “It’s a big part of our charm, offering little souvenirs that our guests can take home.” The two newest additions to the Shervani portfolio are in Jim Corbett National Park and Mukteshwar. “Our Jim Corbett property has 48 rooms and a large banquet hall accommodating up to 300 people. In Mukteshwar, we have Te Aroha by Shervani, Mukteshwar, a boutique 18-room property with additional cottages for larger groups.” Focusing on the travel trade, Shervani emphasized the importance of both offline and online partnerships. “We participate in various trade shows and have strong relationships with travel agents. About 40-45% of …

Sailing from Singapore in 2025, the one-of-a-kind Disney Adventure will offer families throughout the region the ultimate holiday at sea. The first Disney Cruise Line ship to homeport in Asia will be a destination itself, sailing on three- and four-night voyages designed with magical days at sea and filled with immersive storytelling and captivating entertainment like only Disney can do. “We’re bringing the magic of Disney Cruise Line to Asia for the first time ever, and we want to give our guests the cruise relaxation and Disney fun they can only experience aboard one of our ships,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager, Disney Cruise Line. “When they set sail on the Disney Adventure, guests will find incredible, immersive areas that bring the worlds of Disney, Pixar and Marvel to life in ways like never before – and these uniquely Disney experiences will inspire families to reconnect, recharge and make unforgettable memories that they’ll cherish forever.”

The first BRICS Tourism Forum, which brought together over 600 leading experts, business and government representatives from the BRICS countries, has solemnly concluded in Moscow. As part of the business program, 12 commercial agreements were signed among representatives of the tourism business sector. The creation of the BRICS Tourism Cities Club was also announced. On June 21, the BRICS Tourism Forum ended in Moscow – it was the first meeting of the working group to develop practical actions, with participation from all 9 member countries. The initiative to create this platform was first put forward by South Africa in 2018, and finally created under the Russian presidency in BRICS this year. The ideas expressed during the discussions will, in the future, form the basis of the concept of developing co-operation in the fields of innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and co-operation at a city level. Representatives of the participating countries’ tourism businesses held b2b negotiations that led to the signing of the first 12 commercial agreements. Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of Russia, expressed confidence in the success of tourism development as a significant economic sector for the BRICS countries. He added that in Russia this year more than 90 million tourist trips were expected in the country, which was 30% higher than the pre-Covid figures. “The geography of trips is expanding – foreign tourists are travelling to Russia more often. The growth of foreign tourists’ movements in the first 4 months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, amounted to 50%”. Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of the Economic Development of Russia has launched a program to promote the tourist product of Russia under a …

Clarks Safari proudly announces the opening of its flagship property, Clarks Safari Haridwar, strategically located in the heart of the city. This luxury property features 22 well-appointed rooms, designed to cater to spiritual travelers, corporates, and families seeking a comfortable stay at competitive rates. Spread over more than 9000 sqmt Clarks Safari Haridwar offers a range of amenities and facilities, ensuring a comprehensive and enjoyable stay for all guests. The property boasts four banquet halls with a combined seating capacity of 500 Pax, making it an ideal venue for conferences, product launches, and corporate events. For entertainment, the resort provides a bowling alley ( 2 Lanes), Arcade games Parlour (8 games ) Digital Archery , board games room, pool tables (2) , Air Hockey , T.T tables (2) , Play stations each having 2 seating and a ball pit for toddlers . Health enthusiasts can enjoy the gym, swim in the heated swimming pool, Zumba and yoga classes, squash court, long tennis court, and skating rink, Nett Cricket pitch , Box Cricket & 2 badminton courts In order to cater to the gamers and the tech savy travelers, the Arcade  game Parlour has all the latest collection of video games. The property offers a plethora of staying options, spread across categories, each room will be furnished with all the amenities, such as a safe box, seating area etc. They also have a state of the art equipped conference room, targeting corporate for organizing conferences, product launches, dealers meet, etc. Various experiential will be curated targeting different sets of audiences. Apart from solo travelers, and families, the brand is heavily eyeing the wedding segment for hosting small events, corporate, and MICE. …

Recognising the crucial role played by qualified tourist guides in adventure tourism in India, the Ministry of Tourism has stated that it will prioritise the enhancing of training and certification of these guides, through nationally accepted certification process. It encourages individuals to upgrade their skills through its Incredible India Tourist Guide (Adventure) certification programme conducted by the Indian Institute of Travel & Tourism Management (IITTM).