Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

ATOAI’s active membership criteria has been revised. “We want people who’ve been actively involved in adventure travel, have their own equipment, guides, and manage adventure activities themselves, while those who promote adventure travel through operators continue to be in the associated group. The genuine active members are those who have their own operations.” stated Vaibhav Kala, Vice President, ATOAI.

The MOT, in alliance with FICCI, will host a series of events to showcase and promote Incredible India, at Dubai Expo 2020 from January 3 to 14, 2022. The Ministry will highlight and promote India’s tourism potential. Discussions and presentations will be held during these ten days, as per the calendar of events finalised by the Ministry and the industry partner FICCI.

As per press release by Hotel Association of India, The room rates have mostly returned to pre-covid levels at leisure locations. 2022 will be a year of hope, survival, and subtle recovery for the hotel industry in India. “Our industry is alive to the new trends that will shape the future—like use of technology, digitalisation, sustainable practices and increasing productivity in business,” stated M.P.Bezbaruah, Secretary General, HAI.

The Goa govt. has decided, not to implement a night curfew for the time being in order to protect the tourism industry during the Christmas-New Year festival season. Pramod Sawant, CM, stated, “As a tourism destination, imposing an immediate night curfew is not realistic. We’ll need some time. Tourists have been urged to exercise extreme caution.”

TravelBullz added Destination India in its product portfolio for B2B travel fraternity. The launch package with WelcomHeritage Elysium, Shimla included a one-way helicopter ride, which has never been done in the past in the Indian domestic market. The aim and focus is not only to bridge the gap between the supply chain and our B2B partners and making Domestic Hotels and packages available for all of India on one platform but also to focus on niche products in each destination. With the help of technology, the agents will be able to book multi-city, multi-state packages with one click and instant confirmation without having to call various hotel/vendors. Currently the domestic product is very fragmented at a regional level and the focus is to make all hotels, transfers, tours and multi-city packages available at the most competitive prices under one login for the B2B agents. The Dynamic Packaging Module will play a big role in how the B2B fraternity makes bookings for the domestic product and is expected to be a game changer.

Since 22 December travel agents across the country have been unable to access Air India’s inventory on the GDS while the flights can be seen on the airline’s website. Attempts to contact senior management have proved futile, attributing the problem to a ‘technical issue’ . “Such disruptions, coupled with zero communication to the trade further erode Air India’s credibility,” said Ajay Prakash, TAFI President. “We’re all waiting for the House of Tata to take over the reins of the Airline and we hope that the new management will work more closely with their trusted trade partners – the Travel Agents who have supported the national carrier at all times,” he concluded.  

G Krishan Reddy, Union Minister For Culture, Tourism And Development Of North Eastern Region holds interactive meeting with various tourism stakeholders of Goa along with Department of Tourism, Goa, to discusskey issues pertaining to promotion of tourism in the state and various developmental initiatives & welfare programs of the government. Shripad Y. Naik, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism Govt. Of India was also a part of the meeting.

In its 249th EC Meeting on 23rd December, 2021PATA India Chapter announced that Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, will remain as Chairman. Apart from that Jatinder Taneja, MD, Travel Spirit International was re-elected unopposed as the Vice Chairman; as well as Vikram Madhok, MD, Abercrombie & Kent as Hon. Secretary. SanJeet, Director, DDP Publications, remains Hon. Treasurer and  Runeep Sangha will continue as Executive Director, PATA India Chapter.

Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has claimed that they are bringing out new hotels almost every day. He informs, “We just signed a contract for another Taj Wellington Mews. We signed another property in a resort in India. We are very much on track to deliver one hotel a month, which can also become 1.5 or 1.3 hotel a month, owing to the lockdown or construction bans because of pollution.”

Puneet Dhawan – Senior Vice President – Operations, Accor India & South Asia, has said that they want to focus on expanding their luxury and premium brands portfolio in India. “Also, we look forward to some of our much-awaited new openings like Novotel in New Delhi City Centre and Jodhpur, an ibis in Mumbai Thane and another in Hebbal, Bangalore,” he said.