Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER, along with State Tourism Ministers Ajay Bhatt and Shripad Yesso Naik, held a meeting to review various upcoming & ongoing projects of Ministry of Tourism, New Delhi. Senior officials of the ministry were present.

Effective 1 June 2022, IATA Commission on all tickets issued using South African Airways paper for international, regional and domestic travel, will change from 3 per cent to 0 per cent for the Indian Market, revealed the airline. The same will apply on for all codeshare flight tickets issued on South African Airlines paper. It has been communicated by South African Airways to IATA and all GDS’ to update all systems accordingly.

Hotel Association of India (HAI) has urged Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, Jammu & Kashmir and highlighted the recent unfair and adhoc raids, imposition of fines and threat of legal action on member hotels in the State. HAI pointed out that these impromptu actions by the state government were motivated by complaints of exorbitant prices and service deficiencies from tourists.

Thailand is now open and restrictions have eased for Indian visitors! To update the travel fraternity on the SOPs for travel to Thailand, Akbar Holidays along with Tourism Thailand, will conduct an exclusive webinar on Monday, May 23 at 3PM IST. The session will also focus on Thailand packages. To sign up, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

India has been focusing on confidence-building strategies post-pandemic to intensify its tourism sector in the Middle East region that has been one of its major targeted markets. Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism said that India is focusing to ease the difficulties that were created for the tourists due to the spread of the coronavirus which impacted the world economy severely. “The Ministry has also been focusing on confidence-building strategies post- pandemic,” she said.

Resorts World Cruises, a new Asian luxury and lifestyle cruise brand will have its global debut in Singapore on 15 June 2022 with the Genting Dream. With its inception, Resorts World Cruises aims to position itself as the leading and best cruise line in the region for Asian and internationally sourced passengers, providing diverse international experiences, which can also be customised by the passengers. The 18-deck 150,695 gross tons Genting Dream can accommodate 3,352 passengers, with a generous space ratio of 45 gross tons per passenger, the most spacious ship in Asia. And with 1,600 crew, she will have the best service with the most crew per passenger compared with any other ship in the region. “The Palace” is a ‘luxury ship-within-a-ship’ at the top deck with 142 suites, including its own exclusive restaurant, bar, sundeck, spa, gym and other facilities with butler service. Genting Dream will cater to a wide Asian demographic that will provide an international cruise experience exceeding its peers. Resorts World Cruises is a brand extension of Resorts World, a global brand with 46 properties in 8 countries spanning 4 continents, welcoming over 80 million visitors a year and served by more than 30,000 employees. The latest Resorts World property, the US $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas opened in June 2021, the newest integrated resort and the only one to be built on the Las Vegas Strip after more than 10 years and features a 26,000 sq. feet Singapore-inspired Zouk Nightclub, the latest and most exciting nightlife attraction in Las Vegas. Resorts World Cruises is supported by a management with over 5 decades of international hospitality experience and close to 3 decades of global cruise …

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announces the new PATA Executive Board. Peter Semone has been formally endorsed as the Chair of the Association’s Executive Board. PATA also elected 6 new members: Benjamin Liao, Forte Hotel Group; Suman Pandey, Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure; Tunku Iskandar, Mitra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd; SanJeet, DDP Publications; Luzi Matzig, Asian Trails, and Dr Fanny Vong, Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM).

Union Tourism Minister, G. Kishan Reddy has said that river cruise industry could become a new tourism avenue in India in the coming years. He stressed the vast potential of the river cruise industry in the country. Aligning in the direction, he also invited domestic and international tourists to ‘Come, Cruise in India.’ According to him, the Government is currently working towards a comprehensive Indian National Tourism Policy and cruise tourism will be a priority sector. With Government initiatives like the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, tourism-related infrastructure is also being developed with a focus on shipping, river tourism, and forest and wildlife tourism.

G Kamala Vardhan Rao, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, has said that the 3 Ts, as far as Tourism is concerned – Trade, Technology & Tourism, the mantra for the 5 Trillion economy. Speaking at the International Cruise Conference 2022, also said, “The promotion of coastal tourism through beach tourism, lighthouse tourism, and cruise tourism will help communities.”

Rohan Khaunte, Minister of Tourism, Goa, said the state is trying to position itself as a tech-tourism state by attempting to sell sun, sand and software. “Goa has all the potential in port, air, road; we will look at more infrastructure support through the Sagarmala projects”, he said.