Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Ministry of Tourism is shifting its overseas office in Paris to Moscow, revealed Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism. On being asked if there will be another office in France, she revealed that there will be another office in Frankfurt, Germany to manage promotions in the region.

Switzerland Tourism will conduct a webinar on Wednesday, 6 October, 2021, focusing on the vibrant city of Zurich. The cosmopolitan city located in the heart of Europe, is a melting pot of culture, and is a buzz with activities and experiences, day and night. This captivating webinar will take viewers live to Zurich and give them a glimpse of its popular highlights and attractions. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532

Welcoming visitors from around the globe, His Excellency Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, inaugurated the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on October 1st. The opening was attended by General Commissioners from GCC participating countries as well as a number of dignitaries, officials and partners. Following the inauguration, His Excellency toured the Qatar Pavilion which highlights the country’s achievements across various fields, showcases the most pioneering projects that are being developed in accordance with the National Vision 2030, and spotlights Qatar as the upcoming host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also visited the pavilions of participating GCC countries, where each country’s most prominent achievements were showcased. The Qatar Pavilion was designed by internationally-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, who represented a modern interpretation of the four elements presented in the Coat of Arms of Qatar. Its architectural composition draws inspiration from the two crossed and curved swords, encompassing a Dhow and island with two palm trees, that are at the core of the national emblem of the state of Qatar. Santiago Calatrava said, “We are honoured to have been chosen for the design of the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2020. Our relationship with the State of Qatar and its people lies very close to our heart. The Qatar Pavilion’s design draws inspiration from the four elements represented on the Coat of Arms of Qatar and pays tribute to the nation’s cultural heritage.” The coinciding pair of buildings of the Qatar Pavilion consist of two main galleries of exhibition spaces. Gallery 1 serves as an introductory space and invites visitors to explore the past, present, and future of Qatar through visual arts, sound …

Sharing details of the safety precautions taken by the destination, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, South African Tourism, says, “We continue to prioritise visitor safety by promoting socially-distanced, safe holidays in natural settings. We have devised bio-safety systems at all private game lodges and national parks, shopping hubs, restaurants and accommodation facilities.” This will be highlighted during its virtual roadshow from 20th to 22nd October.

Deloitte, in its Global State of the Consumer Tracker analysis, divulged wave 22, indicating a consumption revival in India.Decreasing number of COVID-19 cases and an aggressive vaccination drive have brought in a new surge of confidence amongst Indian consumers. Latest findings reveal that the Indian consumer is ready to spend more on discretionary items, feels safe about returning to work place, wants to spend on travel and is less hesitant about in-person events and activities—all of which are positive trends for India’s economic revival.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, has said that in the first week of October, we will be taking a domestic FAM tour on the Buddhist train from Delhi to Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Varanasi and then coming back to Delhi. “The idea is to showcase the IRCTC Buddhist train as a product and these destinations as important part of the Buddhist circuit and beyond. Hon. Minister will also be present in the Varanasi leg of the journey,” she updated.

Alison Cryer, Founder & MD, Representation Plus, has said that the industry needs to innovate and come up with new experiences to meet the new needs. “The modern global traveller is much more conscious than before,” she added while speaking at the PATA India webinar recently. She also advised that regular communication from the industry as well as the tourism boards is expected by UK tour operators when it comes to destination India.

Oyo Hotels have filed for a local listing, seeking a valuation of $10 billion to $12 billion that could be the first for a hospitality firm since 2019. The initial public offering (IPO) comes as travel restrictions are being alleviated worldwide and the tourism sector sees a rebound, with stuck-at-home people heading out on vacations. The offering will consist of a fresh issue of shares of up to 70 billion rupees and an offer for sale of as much as 14.30 billion rupees, as per a copy of its draft red herring.

French hospitality major Accor is launching a full-service 120-room Novotel property in Chandigarh, with an outdoor plunge pool, a gymnasium and multiple meeting, wedding venues, that marks addition of 21st Novotel in India. “India presents substantial opportunities to grow our midscale brands. We believe that Novotel will be an ideal brand for the Chandigarh market as it caters to both corporate and leisure travellers. We are excited to enter a new market which further bolsters our position in North Indi,” said Puneet Dhawan, Senior Vice President of Operations, India and South Asia, Accor.

A group of 18 inbound Tour operators from Delhi undertook a Trip to Dholpur and Ramsagar Lake with an appeal to the government for opening up Tourist Visas and regular international flights. People from the tourism and hospitality industry travelled to Dholpur in Rajasthan from 15th to 18th September to make an appeal to the government to initiate issuance of tourist visas under the banner of “Unlocking International Tourism”. Beginning of this month, the government announcement to extend the ban on international flights by another month put further jitters in the inbound tourism market from India. Already hit by the pandemic, the tourism industry has been suffering for more than 18 months now leading to massive job losses in the industry and multiple tour operators and hotels shutting shop. It is estimated that the tourism industry in India contributes to almost 10% of the GDP and more than 8 million livelihoods. As vaccination across the globe keep increasing by the hour, more countries are opening up borders to the people, especially the double vaccinated population. Multiple countries in Europe are now accessible to fully vaccinated Indians enabling them to restart travel to foreign destinations. However, the same has not been offered to tourists wanting to come to India as e-visas remain suspended, even though the government has indicated that the same would start soon. Around 25 people made their way to Dholpur in Rajasthan and also met 4 time Member of Parliament and a hospitality industry stalwart himself, Mr. Dushyant Singh. Dushyant Singh assured everyone that the government is working hard to come out with the new guidelines to reopen international travel towards India. Sanjay Razdan, Director – Razdan Holidays …