Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Misha Gambetta, Director India for Switzerland Tourism, speaks about the India market and says that there are clear signs of a market that is not only recovering strongly after the pandemic, but with new trends. “There are now more individual travellers interested in staying longer in Switzerland, discovering new destinations and hotels, for a more active and quality holiday. The Indian market is strong, in buzz and oriented towards young, quality tourism,” he says. Switzerland Travel Experience India has just concluded where 23 Swiss partners had the opportunity to meet more than 450 Indian buyers during a week-long marathon in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, informed that there were 74 airports in the country in first 65 years, but now 149 airports/heliports/water aerodromes are now functional. He added that the viability gap funding provided for UDAN scheme has helped 1.3 crore people travel by plane. “It is the government’s endeavour that by the year 2030, India will have 42 crore people travelling by aeroplane,” he added.

Around 160 aircraft in India are currently grounded, the majority due to supply chain challenges, reveals CAPA. This figure could cross 200 aircraft by 31-Mar-2024, or close to 25% of the projected fleet on the register as of that date. This is undoubtedly compromising traffic growth in the short term. Despite these constraints, domestic traffic in the first 8 months of FY2024 is up around 20% yoy, and international by around 25%. Both are expected to exceed their pre-pandemic highs this year. A performance that reflects the resilience of Indian aviation. However, with supply chain risks expected to continue into FY2025, there could be a further impact not only on traffic, but also on financials.    

Key representatives from Tourism & Events Queensland along with Department of Tourism, Innovation & Sport, are in India this week to meet with aviation and trade partners. India is its fifth largest international tourism market and Queensland predicts that by 2032, India will contribute $408 million in international overnight visitor expenditure to the Australian state. The mission began in Mumbai and has so far included industry panels, roundtable discussions, a market update and industry networking events. Tomorrow the mission continues in New Delhi.

With the fifth edition of the Emirates Travel Agents Cricket Tournament 2023 underway, the teams are getting for the final match that will be held on Sunday, December 10 in Mumbai. It is one of the most awaited cricket tournament for agents and frontline staff over the past few years and this year saw a total of 18 teams and over 400 registered players/agents. The prizes include eight trophies, Man of the Match award for Semi Finals and Finals, Best Batsmen, Best Bowler, and Player of the Tournament. Thomas Cook was the winner of the last tournament.

FootprintsWorldwide, known for its expertise and professionalism in the travel industry in India, will now serve as the sales and marketing partner for Luxury Links Golf Tours in India. As one of the leading representation company in the region, FootprintsWorldwide will offer exclusive golfing tours across some of the most unique golf destinations in England, Scotland and beyond to clients in India. Commenting on the partnership, Tom Barton, Director of Luxury Links Golf Tours, says, “We are delighted to appoint FootprintsWorldwide as our partner in India. Their deep understanding of the luxury market in India, coupled with their commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, makes them the perfect partner for us.” Mamta Pall, Founder & CEO, FootprintsWorldwide, commented, “For those of you who are looking at curating golfing tours for clients across England, Scotland and beyond, do reach out to us.”

The last edition of Global Panorama Showcase in 2023 has commenced in Guwahati. Harmandeep Singh, Managing Director, GPS, said that there is a need to sell ancillaries for travel agents in the Northeast to compete with OTAs and other service providers. 

Minister of State Gen. (Dr) V. K. Singh (Retd) outlined MoCA’s initiatives for carbon neutrality in Indian airports, standardizing carbon accounting, advising operators on emissions mapping. Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru attained ACI’s Level 4+ Accreditation, becoming carbon neutral, while 66 airports operate on 100% green energy, as per his Rajya Sabha statement.  

Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI said, “We are now offering 100-plus online courses for free to our members– from how to be a better travel consultant, how to be an effective counter staff and many soft skills. It is rich in content, and we hope our members will take advantage of this”. TAFI has also tied up with another firm to provide 100+ skilling courses on various subjects.

Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy shared in Lok Saha that Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India haven’t yet rebounded to 2019 levels. In 2022, 85.9 lakh foreign tourists visited, contrasting with 3.14 crore in 2019. Figures dropped significantly in 2020 and 2021 to 71.7 lakh and 10.5 lakh, respectively.