Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Costa Cruises will be starting operations in India with the launch of their premier cruise Costa Serena, for India sailings. The cruise is also looking to extend the season until 10th January 2024, with one itinerary to Maldives-Mumbai-Cochin-Maldives-Mumbai. Alessandro De Masi, Consul General of Italy in Mumbai, also mentioned that the cruise will offer 100 per cent customisation for Indian guests. 

Online visa application platform Atlys has raised USD 12 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India) and Elevation Capital. The funds raised will be used to expand the platform’s product offerings for travellers, attract customers, and further strengthen the team through talent acquisition.    

Clarks Collection, a premium brand, falls under the Clarks aegis, Plans to increase pan By the end of this fiscal year, India will have added 10 new properties. They already have four properties located in Baroda, Ahmedabad, Somnath, and Bhavnagar. The brand is extensively present in Gujarat and now wants to open properties in the rest of India, majorly focusing on Ajmer, Udaipur, Kumbalgarh, etc. Clarks Collection will cater to business travelers, upscale tourists, and experiential-seeking travelers. As a part of a strategic move, the group will open properties with a minimum of 300 rooms, along with a conference hall, restaurant, and other key facilities needed by business travelers. The hospitality chain works on the principle of “Value for money”, where guests are provide convenient facilities and amenities, at affordable prices. The properties have big lawns, and state-of-the-art conference halls to conduct offsite training, corporate get-togethers, workshops, dealers meet, etc. The Cube under Clarks Collection, Ahmedabad, is the signature property with a hundred keys. It is spread over an area of 350 acres, with a man-made lake inside the property. The property has a theatre with a seating capacity of 50 Pax. It is good for those who want to spend their whole day, in a luxury setup while enjoying different activities on the resort. Along with the restaurant, the place will have different options like live music, Zorba ball, snooker parlor, pool party, drum circle, and many more. Clarks Collection Somnath is targeting business and spiritual travelers. The property has 50 rooms spread across three categories. They have an in-house banquet hall spread over 5000 sqft, a vegetarian restaurant providing Satvik food, a gym, and a spa on the …

Learn more about the largest cruise ship in domestic waters – Costa Serena – and its sailings ex Mumbai and Cochin in November and December 2023 at this exclusive webinar on September 21 at 3pm. It will highlight specially curated itineraries for a truly international experience with an Indian touch. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Sharing news that his state entered top 10 list of foreign tourist arrivals, Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Principal Secretary (Tourism & Culture) & MD, MP Tourism Board, says, “Madhya Pradesh is in the top 10 state for foreign arrivals in 2022 as per MOT report. It is therefore essential to understand the needs of these tourists. The tourism department is dedicated to communicating and promoting the offerings of the state to foreign tourists and stakeholders and at least 8-10% of the total budget has been earmarked for international promotion.”

Speaking in New York at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit, Ajay Prakash, National President of TAFI, stated that 2023 marks the midpoint in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the celebration of the International Day of Peace 2023 coincides with the UN Summit to mark this milestone. He takes over as the Global President of IIPT.  

Launching the new Goa Taxi app, Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant, said, “Over the last four years, it has been our goal to develop innovative technology in various sectors in order to increase happiness index of tourists in Goa. Our goal is to attract quality visitors rather than numbers. It would also assist in decreasing accidents and keeping women safe while traveling. I encourage everyone to use the Goa Taxi App.”

The 40th IATO Annual  Convention is set to be held in Puri, Odisha in September 2025 informed Rajiv Mehra, President – Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). He added that the proposal was accepted by the Odisha Government Tourism Department. This will be IATO’s third convention in Odisha. Mehra also informed that the 33rd IATO Annual convention held in 2017 in  Mayfair Convention Centre, Bhubaneswar, and it was a very successful convention and was attended by about 900 delegates from all over the country. He also informed that Puri will be a very attractive destination for IATO members and we expect about 1000 delegates to join for the convention. He thanked Aswini Kumar Patra, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Odisha and Odisha Tourism for accepting IATO’s proposal. IATO will soon announce the venue for 39th IATO Annual Convention which is also being finalized.

As travelers take to the skies once again, digital travel platform Agoda offers the most popular domestic and international flight destinations so far in 2023.  In India, the most popular international destination is Dubai, followed by Bangkok, Bali, Singapore and Hanoi. The ranking shows a clear preference for Southeast Asia, with four of the destinations falling in that category. Domestically, Indians are taking off for New Delhi and NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune, rounding out the top five. Based on Agoda’s booking data, four of the five most popular international flight destinations are nestled in Southeast Asia, with Bangkok in first place. Singapore in second, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City in fourth, and Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur in fifth also represent Southeast Asia. Seoul, South Korea splits the top five, coming in as third most popular international flight destination. “Many factors contribute to the popularity of Southeast Asian cities”, said Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President of Supply, Agoda. “These cities represent five bustling metropolises, with rich culture and history, an exquisite culinary scene, and unique nightlife. Even with airlines expanding their routes and fleets, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll see these amazing destinations ranking high for years to come.” Agoda has built a global reputation as an online platform for booking hotels and holiday homes, but has seen an increase in flight bookings since the platform launched in 2019. Currently, more than 1,30,000 flight routes can be booked on Agoda.  

The ATOAI will organise its seminar combined with an adventure tourism roadshow tomorrow at The Park New Delhi from 9am to 5.30pm. the event will include sessions on best practices and selling adventure travel. It will also offer buyers an opportunity to meet authentic sellers and network with them. To register, visit https://forms.gle/8FGiGDasqHGjxaHG6_