Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Sachin Kurve takes charge as Secretary of Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand and CEO, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. Kurve is a 2003 batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre and has held several senior key positions spanning close to two decades including key positions in the Government of Uttarakhand and Maharashtra. During his tenure, he took responsibility as the District Magistrate of Rudraprayag, Tehri-Garhwal in Dehradun, and Haridwar and as the Director and Additional Secretary, Panchayati Raj Department, and also as the Additional Secretary to the Governor. In early 2015, he moved to Maharashtra on deputation wherein he held several key positions including District Collector, Revenue and Forest Department in Nagpur and Mumbai Sub Urban. Other prime positions include his role as the Secretary to the Chief Minister, Secretary to the Governor, and Investment Commissioner, Industries. In the middle of September 2020, he shifted back to Uttarakhand and took up the charge as Secretary, Industries and Excise, positions which he still holds along with food, civil supply & consumer affairs with his current role as secretary of Tourism and CEO of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board.

Sandeep Raghav has been appointed as the Director (Business Development) for the India market. He has over 20 years of experience with international hotels. Working with brands such as Taj Group, Radisson UK Hotels, Jumeirah Group, Frasers Hospitality Singapore, Starwood Hotels, Marriott Hotels and Conrad Maldives has given him immense exposure to the luxury segment to handle FIT and group business from India. He is a seasoned hotelier specialising in luxury leisure and MICE segment for various outbound destinations. He has been a key element for their team goals. Raghav loves cricket, music and travel. He is a team player and goal-oriented in his actions.

Addressing the various stakeholders present at the 7th National Tourism Investors Meet 2022, Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, stressed on collaboration between tour operators and airlines for marketing Indian destinations. She said, “The government is working to increase the number of airports in the country to 200 by 2024 from 140 airports. Aviation and tourism are complimenting sectors. Air connectivity needs to be in tandem with what the tourism sector is doing.”

Ministry of Tourism has been supporting 46 identified tourism routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme 3.0 through the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to the Airport Authority of India, to improve connectivity and boost tourism in the country.

International tourism continued to recover from the COVID-19 crisis at a strong pace in January-March 2022. Destinations welcomed almost three times as many international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) as in the same period of 2021, with Europe leading the rebound. International arrivals increased 182% year-on-year in Q1 2022 to an estimated 117 million international arrivals compared to 41 million in Q1 2021. Of the extra 76 million international arrivals, about 47 million were recorded in March.

As per an ICRA report the hotel industry witnessed a healthy start to FY2023, with 56-58% occupancy in premium hotels in Q1 FY2023. It was up from ~40-42% in FY2022 and closer to pre-Covid occupancy of 60-62% in Q1 FY2020. Pan-India ARR stood at ~Rs. 4,600 – 4,800 in Q1 FY2023, as against Rs. 4,200-4,400 in FY2022. It still remains at a 16-18% discount to pre-Covid levels on an average, although a few high-end hotels and leisure destinations witnessed ARRs spike to higher than pre-Covid levels in the last few months.

Costa Cruises is presenting exclusive offers to its travel partners for the first time ever on its 2,3,4 nights cruises ex Dubai and Abu Dhabi from December 2022 on its flagship Costa Toscana. It will highlight these offers in its webinar today at 3 pm. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. Registration link:- https://event.webinarjam.com/register/417/k68xntp1

After a gap of four years, The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) announces its Convention at Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia this September from 20th to 23rd 2022. The theme of the convention is BUILD  BACK  BETTER. Elaborating on the theme, President Ajay Prakash said, “As we seek recovery post-COVID, it is vital that the tourism industry does not forget the lessons of the Pandemic. As one of the biggest global industries, the power of tourism to shape the world is phenomenal. It can be a powerful force for doing good, not only for the stake holders but for the entire world. Build  Back  Better encapsulates the resolve to rebuild tourism in a more responsible and sustainable manner.” 

Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt of India stated that the government is working to increase the number of airports in the country to 200 by 2024 from the current 140 airports. She further stated that aviation and tourism are complimenting sectors. “Air connectivity needs to be in tandem with what the tourism sector is doing,” she added. 

India’s international education segment is witnessing unprecedented growth, rapidly surpassing pre-pandemic levels by approximately 35%. In a strategic intent to target this high growth potential, Thomas Cook (India) Limited – India’s leading omnichannel forex services company has launched an attractive contest with a host of assured prizes for students. Every month, three lucky winners get a chance to win flight tickets to their study destination; with one student winning a pair of bluetooth earpods daily. Additionally, every forex transaction comes with special discounts on select partner brands. The Study Buddy contest is live across Thomas Cook India’s hybrid omnichannel network (online forex store, call center, or extensive retail presence – over 100stores in 65 cities across India) till September 30, 2022.