Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) elects PATA India Chapter to its board to represent 28 Chapters around the globe. The Ministry of Tourism has also been elected to the PATA board. PATA will officially announce the same after their general meeting to be held in May 2024 at Macau.

Maharashtra’s CM Eknath Shinde announced that a 320-acre international central park will come up in Mumbai. The Royal Western India Turf Club has agreed to offer 120-acres of land of Mahalaxmi Race Course to BMC. Additionally, the state govt has 200-acres of reclaimed land of the coastal road in Worli, which will be used to build a big theme park.

Hilton ties up with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) to host Hilton guests. Chris Silcock, president, Global Brands and Commercial Services, Hilton, said, “This partnership will grant Hilton customers access to a community of high-end boutique hotels in exciting new luxury travel destinations.”

South African Tourism Roadshow 2024 to commence its multicity roadshow in India on 11 Feb from Jaipur. The other cities include Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The roadshow will share its redefined approach to enable the trade partners to tap into India’s growing outbound market.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkiye and Turkiye Tourism & Promotion Agency successfully concluded a mega six-city India Roadshow. In collaboration with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), this roadshow spanned six prominent cities of India including New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad. The event witnessed a resounding response from the travel trade fraternity. It collectively saw participation from over 1200 members from India’s Tourism Industry and was designed to foster successful business interactions between the Indian travel trade community and Turkiye Tourism officials. The roadshow not only saw participation from TAAI members across the country but also from India’s most renowned MICE Agents and travel brands including Thomas Cook, Makemytrip, SOTC, and FCM. The event kicked off its first leg in New Delhi on January 30th, and saw the esteemed presence of Mr. Onur Gözet from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as, Turkiye’s Ambassador to India, H.E. Mr. Fırat Sunel. The Roadshow assembled 29 distinguished suppliers from Turkiye, including Tour operators, Hoteliers, and Indian restaurants. The roadshow comprised impactful B2B sessions, facilitating invaluable interactions between these stakeholders and the Indian Travel Trade Community. The event was designed to unveil the latest travel trends emerging in both countries, offering participants a unique opportunity to network and establish valuable connections within the travel fraternity. The aim was to create a platform that not only promotes Turkiye tourism in India but also further the collaborative sentiment between both the countries. Enhancing the celebratory ambiance of the roadshow, lucky draws were also held in each of the six cities. Mr. Onur Gozet, Deputy Director General of Promotion in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said, “The success …

Stephanie Tanpure, Vice President Sales, Sands Resorts Macao said, “There is a rising preference for sustainable travel options within the Indian traveller community, yet the opportunity for growth is something to watch. We see cost as a deterring factor, as eco-friendly and community driven components may come with higher operational expenses. Perceptions are changing though and a wider choice of sustainable options are entering the market. This alone will increase accessibility and we will start to see more and more traction towards sustainable travel choices.”  

Prateek Hira, Chairman – IATO Uttar Pradesh Chapter shared, “90% of the bookings we are receiving are Ayodhya-centric. We have never experienced such an influx of queries before. The hype surrounding the Temple has attracted both domestic and international travellers who are keen to visit the city.” 

Announcing the new focus of VisitBritain, its CEO Patricia Yates said that it will use the power of these platforms to tell the stories that will encourage travellers to explore more of Britain. “It’s a great industry to align with. The new campaign titled ‘Starring Great Britain’ will be released around early summer globally including India. We will work through the destinations that we want to promote through this. For instance, West Midlands is the background for the show Peaky Blinders. We need to also persuade the operators to put more such products into the itinerary and sell it,” she said. 

Nasir Shah, Chairman – IATO Jammu & Kashmir Chapter shared, “In January, there was nearly a 50% dip in tourism due to the absence of snowfall. However, by the end of January, when snowfall resumed, we witnessed a surge in both domestic and international tourists, particularly for adventure activities. As a result of this influx, the winter games, which were postponed earlier, are now scheduled to be held around the second week of February.” 

Commences sale for daily flights connecting Srinagar and Mumbai Akasa Air, India’s fastest-growing airline, announced the addition of Srinagar as the 20th destination to its expanding network. Starting 1st March 2024, the airline will operate daily flights between the financial capital – Mumbai and Paradise on Earth – Srinagar catering to the growing air travel demand between these two cities. This network expansion is a significant milestone as it marks the airline’s entry into the state of Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening its domestic presence in the northern part of the country. Travellers can book flights starting February 2, 2024, on Akasa Air’s website www.akasaair.com, Android and iOS app or through multiple leading OTAs. Srinagar, often called a ‘Paradise on Earth’, has witnessed a consistent increase in travel demand over the past years. The launch of operations on the route will cater to a blend of business and leisure travellers and will bolster connectivity, trade, and tourism in the region. With this launch, Akasa Air seamlessly connects Mumbai to 13 cities across India. Commenting on the announcement, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, “We are thrilled to announce operations from Srinagar – our 20th destination in the network. Known for its picturesque mountains and enchanting valleys, Srinagar has witnessed an uptick in domestic and international tourism and our flight launch will further boost economic activity in the region. Akasa Air is in growth mode and has achieved a milestone of adding 20 destinations to our network in just 17 months of operations, becoming the fastest-growing airline in the history of Indian aviation.” Commenting on the launch, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience officer, Akasa Air …