Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Mr. Sharma has a vast experience of more than 15 years in the field of finance. He has successfully developed the financial infrastructure of many hospitality chains and implemented business process improvement initiatives, including streamlining requisition procedures and consolidating facilities to improve bottom-line results, without compromising quality. He has extensive experience in taxation, reviewing MIS, designing business reports, finalizing books and balance sheets, budget forecasting, and experience of software implementation with Pre-Opening properties. He has a proven track record in controlling outstanding inventory. He has grown in the hospitality sector from scratch and specializes in handling budget to mid-segment to luxury properties. In his career he has worked as a financial controller with Country Inn and Suites by Carlson Chain, Royal Orchid, Ashiana Housing Ltd, and many other premium brands. He will be responsible for managing the financial infrastructure of Clarks Collection. Also, his primary accountability will be towards managing MIS, keeping track of revenues, and managing outflows and inflows of all the properties. Mr. Sharma, shares, “Being a part of Clark’s legacy is an honour in itself, I am looking forward to making a concrete contribution that results in the development of a robust financial infrastructure, streamlining the taxation and managing the profitability of the properties. Many new checks, processes, and initiatives, will be implemented in the coming days.”  

Cyprus Airways tickets can now be issued in India by their Direct Sales Agent, Girisons Airways, located in Mumbai. In 2018, Cyprus Airways achieved a significant milestone by successfully passing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Cyprus Airways continues to uphold its long-term goal—to be a catalyst for tourism growth in Cyprus and a beacon for local travellers, offering a world of possibilities. Our commitment to expanding horizons remains steadfast as we embark on this thrilling journey together. Based at the vibrant Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus Airways operates with a passionate team of over 150 professionals. Cyprus Airways flights are operated on Airbus combination of A320 and A220 aircraft, offering Economy Class seats and Business Class Seats ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable journey for every traveller to Europe, Middle East, and beyond. In our current summer 2024 schedule we operate flights from Larnaca to various European destinations such as Rome, Milan, Zurich, Paris, Barcelona, Brussels, Prague, Athens and various Greek islands such as Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu, Crete, Thessaloniki etc. We have also started operations to DUBAI thrice weekly. Indian travellers can now visit Cyprus for 2 to 3 days during their European holidays. This add-on program can easily be adjusted because they can purchase a return Cyprus ticket which can start in one European city and end in another city- for example they can do Rome-Cyprus-Paris. In this way passengers can same time and money for the Rome to Paris sector.  

One of Fiji’s most luxurious and top independently owned/operated resorts, the award-winning Yasawa Island Resort & Spa, Fiji, recently announced the completion of a million-dollar renovation, according to Director/Owner James McCann. The six-month renovation will be completed this month. With only 18 spacious bungalows, a small group of Fijian villagers as its neighbors, and 30 minutes by private air transfer from Nadi International Airport, the secluded Resort has reasons to celebrate with a stunning new renovation of its public space as well as the exterior/interior of villas.

It’s always important to bring a few essentials while travelling but equally important are some key smartphone apps for an easier and more efficient travel experience. Here are 6 apps that cover important aspects of travel such as navigation, itinerary organisation, language translation, currency conversion, and weather forecasting.   TripIt TripIt organizes all your travel plans in one place. Simply forward your confirmation emails for flights, hotels, rental cars, and more to TripIt, and it will create a detailed itinerary for you. It also sends you real-time alerts for flight delays, gate changes, and other important updates. It keeps you updated in real-time and offers convenient sharing and integration features. TripIt provides insights into your travel habits, including the number of miles you’ve travelled, the number of countries visited, and more. You can access your TripIt itinerary offline too.   Google Translate Another essential app apart from Google Maps is Google Translate. It helps communicate with locals by translating text, speech, and even images. It supports over 100 languages and offers offline translation for when you don’t have internet access. Whether you need to translate signs, menus, or written instructions, you can simply type or paste the text into the app, and it will provide a translation in your desired language. It also has an instant camera translation feature such as street signs, menus, or documents.   Weather Underground This app provides hyper-local forecasts, interactive radar maps, severe weather alerts, and crowd-sourced reports from weather enthusiasts, ensuring you’re prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws your way. The app features interactive radar maps that allow you to track weather patterns in real-time. This can be useful for monitoring approaching storms, assessing …

After launching its maiden overseas services to Doha this month, Akasa Air, CEO, Vinay Dube plans to start flights to Kuwait, Riyadh and Jeddah by the end of October this year. Stressing that Akasa Air is “financially solid,” Dube said the airline aims to be among the world’s top 30 by 2030. In the summer schedule that spans from March 31 to October 26 this year, the airline will increase its weekly domestic departures by 14.30 per cent to 903.

Speaking during the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Round Table Discussion, Subhash Goyal, Chairman, ICC Tourism Committee, said, “As Tier I cities are already well connected through aviation, India needs to promote other domestic hubs like spiritual circuits, wildlife parks, islands, and the locations that are famous for Medical Tourism, which is a 5 trillion-dollar industry. Hence, the Aviation Ministry needs to develop these routes for better connectivity and access as it can boost the inbound numbers in India.”

With the impending peak season, Harmandeep Singh Anand, MD, Jagsons Travels, says that to avoid last-minute rush for visas and prevent visa shopping, travel agents must guide their clients on when to apply for visas, depending on the country their wish to travel to. “Every year during peak season there is a lot of traffic for European destinations and Indian travellers tend to decide their holidays very last minute and expect their visas within a short span of time. However, visa as such has never been a problem if one applies in advance. Most of the embassies have increased their time when you can apply for a visa. For instance, you can apply for a Schengen visa as early as six months in advance! We see a lot of rush starting from March onwards. Next month will be super peak which leads to a lot of visa shopping. None of the European destinations had a challenge; they only had a restricted number of visa that would be issued. If you look at Italy, it has made it simpler in terms of repeat visitors to Schengen territory in the last eight years where they have opened up additional appointment slots. So agents must guide their clients in terms of applying for visas,” he shares.

In a significant step, India airlines are bracing up for an increased flight frequency in the upcoming summer schedule, beginning from March 31 by operating 24,275 weekly domestic flights. According to the DGCA, the number of weekly departures is set to rise by 2.30 per cent compared to the ongoing winter schedule, where scheduled carriers are operating 23,732 flights.

Addressing PATA International Conference on Women in Travel in Bohol, Philippines, Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, PATA, shared, “There should be equality, parity and equal representation for all tourism stakeholders including women. PATA is committed to advancing the role of women in tourism.”

InterGlobe Air Transport, GSA for Manta Air organised roadshow in partnership with Kandima resort, RIU Hotel and Niyama Islands for the travel fraternity in Bengaluru to showcase the product and highlight the benefits of flying with Manta Air to Dhaalu Airport in Maldives. The event was attended by 60 agents.