Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

    The Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced the appointment of Mesfin Tasew Bekele, as Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, effective March 23, 2022. Mesfin has been a successor to the former CEO of the Airline group, Tewolde GebreMariam whose early retirement request due to health issues has been approved by the board. Mesfin has 38 years of experience in airline management and operations in the areas of aircraft maintenance and engineering, procurement, information technology, flight operations, capability development, capacity building, development of corporate strategies, airline operation management, and corporate leadership. He earned Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Open University in the UK, MSc degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Communications Engineering from Addis Ababa University, and BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Addis Ababa University.    

Commencing their India market activation, Ajman Department of Tourism Development has announced Intrepid Marketing and Communications as their representative, who will be implementing all sales, marketing and communications initiatives in key target markets. Ajman Department of Tourism Development is venturing into the evolving Indian outbound market for the first time to capitalize on the upcoming travel season and accelerate footfalls to the smallest city of the United Arab Emirates. Ajman Tourism Development Department, will be penetrating their reach in the wedding, MICE and luxury FIT segments in India through sustained activities assisted by Intrepid Marketing & Communications. On the appointment of its India representative, Khadija Turki, Director of Tourism Development and Marketing, Ajman Department of Tourism Development, said, “We are ecstatic to set foot in the India market as we are aware of the country’s unique travel appetite and look forward to welcoming our guests seeking an exquisite getaway. India is an exciting yet a complex market for several factors and we are thrilled to work with Intrepid Marketing and Communications team and collectively derive the best methods to establish and expand our presence. The team will be endorsing our products and itineraries across key segments and markets and provide their core insights to make Ajman one of the fastest emerging destinations amongst outbound Indian travellers.” Acknowledging the latest addition to Intrepid Marketing & Communication’s growing portfolio, Madhuri Verma, Director, said, “We are stoked to introduce Ajman Department of Tourism Development to India and promote the city’s diverse tourism aspects amongst the travel trade community. Although UAE has been an established destination, Ajman as a destination is relatively new and hence will be exciting for both agents and travellers. We …

Finnair – Finland’s flag carrier airline – has added Mumbai as a new destination in Summer 2022 and announced scheduled services between Mumbai and Helsinki starting July 2022. The new launch makes Mumbai its second destination in India. Finnair will operate from Mumbai and Helsinki three times a week, i.e., on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, connecting the Indian travellers smoothly to and from Finnair’s vast network.  Finnair connects customers to almost 70 destinations in Europe and five destinations in the US; Seattle, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. When flying to Europe or the US via Helsinki, customers can enjoy the compact and uncrowded Helsinki Airport, where all the gates and services are located under one roof, in one terminal building. Helsinki Airport has recently gone through an extensive renewal, offering Asian travellers a smooth and easy transit to other destinations in Finnair’s network. Finnair will be operating the Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft for this route. With strengthening economic ties between India and Europe, the launch of new route signifies the growing importance of the region. Desmond Chacko – General Manager, Finnair said, “As the world opens up to travel, it is an opportune time to expand operations and enable better connectivity for our customers. After Delhi, Mumbai is a major airline hub in India and is home to leading global businesses. Our new services will enable both business & leisure travel from the region as global economies gradually recover from the impact of the COVID-19.” The Mumbai flights will be available for sale at Finnair.com and at travel agents starting April 05th, 2022.

The Switzerland Travel Experience (STE) 2022 brought together over 60 leading travel agents and tour operators from across India associated together with 21 partners from the Swiss tourism industry including destinations, hotels, attractions, public transportation, mountain excursions, and other related companies, at its annual event held in Goa between March 14-17, 2022. In the wake of the tourism sector emerging from its most challenging years, Indian tourists are increasingly looking at Switzerland as a preferred travel destination. According to the main tour operators, there has been a 40% increase in enquiries from Indian travellers for Switzerland. This is not only because of the plethora of activities available in the scenic country like adventure, sports, culture, food but also because of the multiple experiences it offers for all types of travellers be it solos, couples, families as well as the adventure seekers. The rise in interest can also be attributed to Switzerland’s longstanding reputation as one of the cleanest countries in the world, and additionally, because the country has been keeping up with the needs of today’s traveller for authenticity, proximity to nature and considerate consumption as part of their Swisstainable sustainability strategy. Multiple safety measures put in place during the pandemic like the ‘Clean and Safe Label’ which promotes strict protection plans laid down by the government and boosts the guests’ confidence in Switzerland as a travel destination have also led to great confidence in the country among Indian travellers. “As the borders opened up, confidence in travel returned with the acceleration in vaccination programs making travellers seek out new experiences to make up for the many months spent under restrictions. This has led to pent-up demand among travellers who have been waiting for …

Dame Judith Macgregor, Chair, British Tourist Authority (BTA), has said that with travel to UK from India resuming, the MICE business and group travel will also resume soon. “The Indian travel trade representatives I met in Dubai also want that. We are partnering with a many people to put out good messages focused on the MICE market. We had MeetGB recently and there are a number of great locations across Britain to hold events,” she said.  

Travel has completely transformed post pandemic. It is important to focus on innovation and developing new sustainable products. The true focus lays on creating innovative products and experiences for travellers and consumers. So, 63% of travel and trade professional are keeping an eye on building product and services which are fundamental for businesses, says Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research at Euromonitor International.

IHCL announced a framework to drive its sustainability and social impact measures under Paathya. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India, G Kishan Reddy, said “Sustainable and responsible tourism is the way forward and the Government of India is already working in this direction. The government and the industry together are exploring ideas, solutions, and strategies to face the environmental and societal challenges. I applaud IHCL for its holistic approach of Paathya and for leading the path for the sector.”

Kerala Tourism launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot ‘Maya’ to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in the state. Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said “Maya will serve as a virtual travel assistant for tourists to ask and get complete information they need for a hassle-free travel experience in the state”. 

Fortune Hotels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, has signed two new operating agreements for hotels in popular leisure destinations of Kalimpong (West Bengal) and Kufri (Himachal Pradesh). With this addition, the group enhances its brand-print in the country and further boosts its leisure portfolio and inventory.

ForwardKeys has revealed that Tickets for travel to key APAC destinations are on the rise. And it is India leading the way forward. India has recovered 80% of 2019’s level in the week of 5th March 2022. “The success behind India’s reactivation is the fact that India had announced in advance its reopening plan for this year, generating awareness and interest,” says Nan Dai, Market Analyst at ForwardKeys.