Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

After the success of its convention, TAFI has announced it will offer online courses on its website. Ajay Prakash, TAFI President, says, “TAFI has tied up with a company to provide a 100+ skilling courses on various subjects. This includes soft skills and education on specific topics. This will be offered on our website free of cost to all our members. The integration is happening right now and these courses will be online soon. These are some of the things we will be building upon. A convention happens every year or two but what you learn and discuss during the event needs to be taken forward and that is what we want to. I do hope our members take advantage of this.”

Pre-pandemic, New Zealand welcomed 67,000 Indian visitors. What is remarkable about this, says Gregg Wafelbakker, GM, Asia, Tourism New Zealand, is that number had doubled in five years. “This translates to almost a 15% compounding annual growth rate. As we look forward, obviously we start from a low base. We have a target audience in India. We look at an audience of those who have New Zealand as their top five preference country and there’s 12.3 million of those. And we know that 12.3 million of 1.4 billion people may not seem a lot but certainly for us that is our audience. And 64% of that audience has New Zealand as the number one preferred destination for a visit,” he says.

Jordi Cerdo, Chief Strategy Officer, TUI MM, has said “Traditional partnerships are the successful base on which TUI MM will continue to focus and digital solutions with global partnerships will be the growth engine for the future.”

Switzerland is a popular travel destination and offers numerous activities and experiences to visitors throughout the year. Through this webinar, we will showcase the unique offerings of some of our popular products: BLS Interlaken, Aletsch Arena, Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, Swissminiatur and FoxTown. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

ITA Airways is now available on BSP (India), and ready for sale by IATA travel agencies across India. The flag carrier of Italy will start non- stop flights from New Delhi to Rome effective 4 December 2022.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is pleased to announce the introduction of its A350-900 medium haul wide-body aircraft on the Hyderabad to Singapore sector. It will operate daily flights between Hyderabad and Singapore, with the A350 services operating every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The inaugural service SQ 523 will depart from Hyderabad International Airport at 2310 hrs on 30 October 2022. The Airline will continue to operate its B737-8 narrow-body services through the remainder of the week. Sy Yen Chen, General Manager India for Singapore Airlines, said, “We are delighted to enhance our services to Hyderabad with our wide-body A350 aircraft. This is a significant milestone for us as it reinforces our commitment to the market, more so after SilkAir’s integration with Singapore Airlines a year ago.” “In line with the company’s commitment to product and service excellence, the Airbus A350 medium haul aircraft, combined with our award-winning inflight service, will provide enhanced comfort to travellers from Hyderabad. Furthermore, the introduction of a wide-body aircraft on this sector also opens up a wider range of opportunities and capabilities for SIA Cargo,”  Chen added. Speaking about the launch of SIA’s A350-900 operations, Pradeep Panicker, CEO,GMR Hyderabad International Airport said, “Over the past few months, GMR Hyderabad International Airport has witnessed a significant growth in international passenger traffic. This is an indicator of a rebound in international travel post the pandemic. Travellers are exploring exotic destinations; there has been an uptick in the student traffic pursuing academics in international shores; business travel has resumed. The festive season has contributed to the footfall in the passenger profile of Visiting Friends and Relatives. Singapore is one of the most sought after destinations from Hyderabad. With …

High Commissioner of India to UK Vikram Doraiswami has laid out steps that are being taken to ramp up capacity and address the difficulty in getting an Indian visa by travellers from Britain in a video message on Twitter.

Through this webinar, Switzerland will showcase unique offerings of some of its popular products: BLS Interlaken, Aletsch Arena, Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, Swissminiatur and FoxTown. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland. Write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. 

Travelers understand the power of their money and make choices that align with their own worldview. Travel advisors have an opportunity to help people connect with a trip that validates their own values.   According to recent Expedia Group research, most people (90%) look for sustainable options when shopping for travel, but many (70%) feel overwhelmed about how to be a more sustainable traveler. Advisors who understand sustainable travel can be an invaluable source for those actively seeking guidance about how to make more responsible travel choices. The rise in sustainably can be a benefit for traveler providers, too. Nearly two-thirds of travelers (59%) are willing to pay more to make their trip more sustainable.  Plus, nearly half (49%) will choose a less crowded destination to lessen the impact of over tourism.  Expedia Group is proactively tracking travelers’ opinions about sustainability and will continue to publish additional research results to its Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) members. Environmental protection is not the only personal value shaping travel. The healing effect of travel is also important for many who are searching for a sense of contentment and mental well-being. Whether it’s reconnecting with old friends, a nature retreat, a spa or digital detox, traveling for mental health is on the rise. In fact, Expedia Group research reveals that more than a third of travelers (36%) say they would trade a pay raise for more vacation days. Finally, travelers value their financial safety. The uncertainty of the pandemic made flexibility and the ability to get a refund the most valued consideration when purchasing travel, even more than price. One in four people most value the ability to get a full refund across …

Naveen Kundu MD, EbixCash said that India needs to reposition itself as the biggest MICE destinations in the world. India is trying to demonstrate the government’s intention to market the country as a tourist destination in the world.