Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI said that they have written to the major European consulates asking them to resolve the visa issues on priority since it has become a damper in the revival of travel. They have asked them to add any additional staff if required without any delay so that the tourism can get back. 

Airlines have been informed by Bureau of Immigration – Ministry of Home Affairs at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, that all passengers must carry a printed copy of paper/online visa for presentation at immigration clearance. Soft/digital copy of visas are not accepted.

Resorts World Cruises has officially been launched on board the flagship brand Genting Dream. Colin Au, CEO and Executive Director, Resorts World Cruises said, “We are super excited to officially launch Genting Dream under the Resorts World Cruises brand. We are keen to explore Dubai as a market and will be soon exploring more opportunities to take the Asian cruising experience to the global markets.” Michael Goh, President, Resorts World Cruises said, “We are thankful to all the partners and industry friends for their consistent support and confidence in us. We look forward to your continued support to take Resorts World Cruises to new heights and new markets, together!”

From July 1, companies providing incentives such as foreign trips, cars, gold coins or gift items exceeding 220,000 to their dealers and distributors, will need to deduct tax at the rate of 10 per cent. This comes after a new Section was added in the Finance Act. 2022.

Compared to May 2021, India’s bookings have grown by 178 per cent even though the country witnesses high cost of travel, revealed RateGain Travel Technologies in their monthly PULSE survey of May 2022, which show Travel Demand has no impact of global inflation.

Choice Hotels International is closing down its operations of its wholly owned subsidiary, Choice Hotels India, which is now being taken over as master franchise by Suba Group of Hotels, based out of Mumbai. Suba Group of Hotels has properties across the country and also includes brands like Click and 1589.

Gaurav Dogra, Hon. Secretary, TAAI-Northern region, has stepped down from his position to focus on his company Plan Your Holiday. Dogra has been in this position since 2017 and was the Treasurer of the chapter before that. Currently, the TAAI-NR team is headed by Neeraj Malhotra, who revealed that the term for the team will be over in 2 months and elections are due for the new team.  

Mike Barrera, VP, Product Management, Low-Cost Carrier Segment, Sabre said that LCCs need to prioritize choosing a technology partner which offers security and reliability; ensuring their chosen technology is easy to use and train, especially given staff shortages and high turnover rates in the current travel industry; and selecting best-of-breed technology that has scalability and modularity so offer management systems can interact seamlessly with order systems. 

PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera, said “Safety, wellness and smooth travel experiences are top of mind as needs for post-pandemic travellers.  It’s important to provide clarity in processes and deliver good customer support in the face of ever-changing circumstances. Recognition should go to all the travel and tourism staff that are enabling efficient and great travel service delivery and experiences in the face of all these challenges. We need to respect and applaud their efforts as the backbone of the industry through these challenging times.” 

Air India recently started permitting Indian travel agents to issue tickets on their Canada route. Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI said “It was an unfair decision earlier and I think they have finally realised that agents are an intergral part of the airline booking process and I’m glad that Air India has finally woken up to this. Let’s hope that Air India will continue to be proactive and will keep the agents’ fraternity involved and engaged as they go forward embarking on trying to revive Air India.”