Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Tour Fox invites the Indian outbound travel trade to attend a webinar about their exclusive offers on April 16th at 3 pm. Attend the webinar to stand a chance to win a ticket to Switzerland! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. To sign up for the webinar, click here.

IHG has added yet another Holiday Inn Express hotel to it Karnataka portfolio with the opening of Holiday Inn Express Bengaluru Bommasandra. The hotel is located along the national highway with easy access to major corporate hubs, Electronic City – Jigani – Bommasandra Industrial Area. Being the only international branded hotel in the vicinity, Holiday Inn Express Bengaluru Bommasandra will drive increased footfalls from corporate segments. Top Companies such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, HP, Siemens Biocon, SKF, HCL and many more are located within 7 Km radius. The hotel is 25kms from the city center and is 20kms away from the bustling MG Road. Designed to deliver memorable experiences through its warm and welcoming service, and contemporary design, Holiday Inn Express Bengaluru Bommasandra is the perfect destination for guests with diverse needs to enjoy a world-class hospitality experience that the brand is known for. The hotel is actively committed to responsible tourism and deploys the use of the IHG Green Engage System, an innovative online platform that provides means to measure and manage impact on the environment.

The Thai government’s target of 3.5 trillion Baht in tourism revenue this year, with the aim of earning even more in the coming years, will be achieved through five strategies. The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, stated that these strategies align with the government’s policy to transform Thailand into a global aviation hub, capable of handling more than 150 million air travellers annually by 2030. 

Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President, EMEA & APAC – GBTA, said, “Business travel spends coming from India is around USD 33 billion per year. This is set to grow by 12% in 2024. We see a rise in blended travel with 79% of business travellers from India extending their work trips for leisure. This figure is much higher than that for APAC, but they are similar to global figures.” 

Ravi Gosain, Vice President, IATO said, “Last-minute cancellations are causing problems for the clients. Around 20-25% passengers are facing issues with last-minute flight cancellations and increased airfares of alternative flights due to last-minute bookings. Although Vistara is refunding or offering adjustments to other flights, the itineraries of our passengers are being disrupted. Vistara should inform passengers at least 10 days in advance of flight cancellations. We are not currently recommending Vistara for booking to any of our passengers.”

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi is set to deliver Tourism Strategy 2030, which aims to attract over 39 million visitors by 2030 and contribute AED 90 billion to the UAE GDP. This comprehensive strategy will also create 178,000 new jobs, increase hotel room supply to 52,000, and boost international overnight visitors to over 7 million. 

Air India partners with Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) to develop Bengaluru as a premier aviation hub for Southern India. The MoU will generate over 1,200 new job opportunities for highly skilled individuals in the state. Bengaluru is highly attractive as a destination market as well as a connecting hub.

MakeMyTrip expands its operations to over 150 countries including major travel markets like the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and France. The travel platform is all set to adhere to multiple international compliances, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

“NIMA Members and other M!CE operators sitting in tier II, III cities are contributing a lot to the M!CE business. Business from these cities has increased by 15 – 20 per cent as compared to 2022 – 2023,” says Gajesh Girdhar, Founder & National Coordinator, NIMA (Network of Indian M!CE Agents).

The Gujarat tourism department has set aside ₹200 crore to develop special tourism zones (STZ) in the state. These projects will include Dholavira, Shivrajpur, Sir Creek and border areas of Banaskantha, which will be developed as greenfield and brownfield projects in collaboration with private sector.