Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Qatar Airways Group confirms that after 27 years of remarkable service, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive – His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, will be stepping down from his current position effective 5 November 2023, and will be succeeded by Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer as Group Chief Executive for Qatar Airways.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved a proposal to grant free visas to travellers from seven countries – India, China, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia – with immediate effect as part of a pilot project till 31 March. Tourists from these countries are now entitled to free visa.  

VisitBritain launches their new website visitbritain.org for related news, insights, and resources for tourism and business events professionals. The website is a re-branding to help promote Britain’s tourist destinations and various attractions for the travel trade industry.

Air Astana, Kazakhstan national carrier, Kazakhstan Tourism Board & Kazin Dmc, join hands to launch a highly subsidised FAM trip to Almaty. The initiative is targeted towards agents from India who have not visited Kazakhstan in the past, providing them with tools to promote the destination to Indian clients. The fam trip is scheduled from 6-9 December 2023 and is priced at 29999/- per person, encompassing the award winning hospitality of Air Astana and the mesmerizing sights of Almaty.

The 5th OTOAI Convention 2023 is set to take place from 24-27 November in Nairobi, Kenya. Speaking about the significance of this convention, Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, emphasised that members will gain experience and valuable opportunities during and after their visit. This will help promote it in an improved way and be able to generate better revenue.

Samir MC, Managing Director, Fortune Park Hotels said, “We are excited to share that this year has been fantastic for us. We are thrilled to share that we have plans to open another eight to ten hotels in diverse destinations across the country in the next few months.”

In an exclusive interview with Kapil Goswamy, Managing Director, Trans India Holidays Pvt, shares, “There is a lot of potential in India’s inbound tourism, but it has not reached to pre pandemic levels due to lack of visibility in international market and high airfares.”

Ebix Sports, a sports division of EbixCash, is an official travel agent for ICC Cricket World Cup. Naveen Kundu of EbixCash travel servcies says, “We sell tour packages which includes a minimum of two-night, travel package, and an ICC match ticket.”

Abhishek Sonthalia, MD, Turtle Down Under, mentions that in the month of August 2023 there were 7,195 visitors coming to New Zealand from India. It is 191.3% return of arrivals as compared to August 2019 in an exclusive interview.

Discussing the LGBTQ+ tourism sector, ForwardKeys highlights reports from Out Now Consulting which states that the sector could potentially contribute up to 218 billion dollars in revenue annually, accounting for 10% of global travellers as reported by World Tourism Organization.