Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

SriLankan Airlines adorns one of its aircraft with customized livery to reaffirm its status as the official airline of the much-awaited ‘Raid Amazones 2022.’ Raid Amazones 2022 is an annual sporting event in which a large number of French female athletes compete in a number of sports and activities against the backdrop of an iconic tourist site. Every year, the event highlights an attractive tourist destination by highlighting inherent elements such as its ecological beauty, residents’ way of life, and culture, which are publicly displayed to the world through worldwide media following the athletes on their tour. The event’s 20th edition will take place in the areas surrounding the iconic Sigiriya rock fortress, which are rich in ecological beauty, cultural heritage, and authentic Sri Lankan village life. The first leg will be held from March 13 to 23, 2022, and the second leg will be held from March 27 to April 6, 2022. The event is likely to attract over 550 participants, including athletes and officials.

SriLankan Airlines adorns one of its aircraft with customized livery to reaffirm its status as the official airline of the much-awaited ‘Raid Amazones 2022.’ Raid Amazones 2022 is an annual sporting event that features a large number of French female athletes competing their way to victory through multiple sports events and activities against the backdrop of an iconic tourist destination. Every year, the event highlights an attractive tourist destination through inherent features such as its ecological beauty, citizens’ way of life and culture, which are prominently showcased to the world through global media that follow the athletes in their trail. The 20th edition of the event will take place in the areas surrounding the iconic Sigiriya rock fortress, rich in ecological beauty, cultural heritage and attributes of authentic village life in Sri Lanka.  The first leg will take place from 13 – 23, March 2022 and the second leg is scheduled from 27 March – 6 April 2022. Over 550 participants are expected to join the event, including athletes and officials. The SriLankan aircraft with the special livery features iconic Sigiriya, the vibrant and unique backdrop of this year’s event. This aircraft will be deployed to bring in athletes and officials from Paris to Sri Lanka for the event and would also continue to fly to many of the airline’s other destinations in its scheduled operations, thus portraying Sri Lanka’s stature as a sports and adventure destination. SriLankan Airlines, a forerunner in the country’s tourism promotion endeavors, expects this to inspire many discerning travellers from France to explore Sri Lanka in the future, supported by the airline’s direct connectivity between the two countries.

To provide further updates on the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Singapore and India & Sri Lanka, Singapore Tourism Board will be organising another round of webinar exclusively for the Indian & Sri Lankan travel trade. The ‘Welcome Back to Singapore’ webinar will be held today at 11:30am IST/SLST. The virtual session will also touch on Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight operations and the customer experience at Changi Airport and Jewel Changi Airport. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. SIA operates daily flights from four Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) points in India and Sri Lanka: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Colombo. In addition, SIA operates non-VTL flights from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. SIA recommends customers to check that they have selected a VTL flight before they book. SIA’s VTL POINTS TO SINGAPORE Country City Flight Number Frequency India BOM SQ423 7x weekly DEL SQ403 7x weekly MAA SQ529 7x weekly Sri Lanka CMB SQ469 7x weekly

Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary General, UNWTO, has said that had it not been for domestic tourism, a lot of countries wouldn’t have survived. Hence, she advises, “Domestic tourism must remain at the heart of the strategy, with international and regional strategies complimenting it and not becoming replacements to that strategy.”

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met with Jyotiraditya Scindia, Civil Aviation Minister, representatives from travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors to discuss various banking-related issues. Travel, tourism and hospitality sectors are among the worst hit due to the COVID pandemic. The industry leaders from these sectors have been pitching for financial support from the government.

Building on its extensive recovery efforts in India , South African Tourism is all set to host their biggest, independent travel trade initiative in India – their annual Roadshow. This in-person roadshow will be the first mega-event post-pandemic and will travel to the 4 Indian cities of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai from 07th to 11th March 2022. Capitalizing on the massive growth potential offered by the Indian outbound traveller segment, the approximately 20-member South African trade delegation will take the opportunity to educate and enable Indian trade partners to sell the destination holistically, responsibly and safely. In addition to experiences, representatives from accommodation establishments, destination management companies, South African Provinces, SMMEs and women-owned companies will showcase their product and services, while engaging Indian travel and trade associates.

Oman has a plethora of exciting activities to enjoy during the colder months, as well as tranquil beaches to cool off on during the scorching-hot summer months. While the Gulf area is commonly associated with skyscrapers and five-star resorts, Oman remains one of the prized Arabian pearls that can reconnect one with the diverse traditions and customs of a civilisation that extends back hundreds of thousands of years. More and more people are flocking to Oman to discover what makes this country so special, including marine life off the southern coast of Dhofar Province, a wealth of rich history to discover in Muscat, mountains and deserts to discover, and a paradise of extravagant festivals to discover. Oman also has a terrific infrastructure that is excellent for visitors and is a safe place to visit solo or in groups. Experience Oman’s diverse heritage Ancient mosques, forts, and tombs tell the narrative of the battles, beliefs, and people who shaped this distinct region of the Middle East. The majority of these architectural marvels are open to the public all year and are among the most spectacular relics of the pre-modern Islamic world. Many breathtaking ancient sites adorn the country’s historic cities. Their roots reflect Oman’s many influences and layers of history, with some going back to the Sassanid Empire, the last Persian Empire kingdom before the emergence of Islam. Five Omani sites have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Despite the extraordinary developments that have happened in Oman over the years, the country has remained committed to its traditional arts and crafts. A variety of customs, ranging from music and dances that differ by location, are still widely practiced today. …

As per GlobalData, COVID-19 has accelerated the need for companies in the travel and tourism industry to rapidly invest in digital strategies, including the global online travel market, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% between 2022 and 2025 to reach $765.3 billion. If companies do not engage in a strong digital strategy, their competitors will gain a larger portion of the market, warns the analytics firm 

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has greenlighted the proposed ‘Thai-Indian Air Travel Bubble’ arrangement, a decision which now awaits Cabinet approval. In line with the ‘Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters’ marketing campaign, TAT is focusing on further building the Indian market with a particular emphasis on special interest groups with high spending; such as, weddings and honeymoons, golf, millennials, and digital nomads. Among the activities include familiarisation trips and business events.  

Standard Chartered announced it has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to launch IATA Pay in India. IATA Pay, which is already available in several European markets, is an airline industry payment platform that brings optionality, convenience and an enhanced experience to consumers when purchasing tickets directly from participating airlines. The service leverages the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), a domestic real-time payments scheme in India, thereby enabling consumers to instantly pay for airline tickets from their bank accounts.