Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Switzerland Tourism will conduct a webinar on Thursday, 30th September, 2021 with Interlaken Tourism. Interlaken is an extremely popular and sought after holiday destination, as well as a hub for adventure activities. The webinar will give attendees an insight into the various tourism offerings available in and around Interlaken for Indian guests across the year. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), announced that the MOT has launched the Responsible Traveller Campaign on the occasion of World Tourism Day. “The campaign will be activated throughout the country, with some part of it already active on social media. It is important that the development through tourism is sustainable, responsible and inclusive. This crisis is an opportunity to rethink about the sector and its contribution to the people and planet,” he said.

Ministry of Tourism is set to organise the next Northeast India International Travel Mart (NEITM or ITM) in Nagaland from 28-30th November, 2021. “It will be a physical event, and is scheduled just before Hornbill Festival, as suggested by the Minister. The idea is to benefit from the energy of Hornbill. Since the festival starts from December 1, ITM will be on 28-30th November and preparations are afoot for that,” she concludes.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels has announced the signing of a heritage hotel – Zone Palace Phalodi in Rajasthan under its upscale social catalyst brand, Zone by The Park. Popularly known as the ‘Salt City’, Phalodi is a town in Jodhpur district, famous for its rich culture, whose history can be traced back to the 15th century. The hotel is undergoing a phased upgradation and will be all set to welcome guests this winter season. Vikas Ahluwalia –General Manager and National Head –Zone by The Park Hotels said, “We are extremely delighted to add the unique heritage hotel to our brand, strengthening our commitment towards Rajasthan and Domestic Tourism, and bolstering our presence along with Zone by The Park Jaipur and Zone by The Park Jodhpur. We are raring to welcome guests and offer a slice of Zone hospitality in the region again.”

InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) have announced an agreement with EaseMyTrip, to provide seamless access to ITQ’s travel commerce platform – Travelport (1G). The agreement is worth $10 million as advance revenue from ITQ. Sandeep Dwivedi, COO, ITQ, says, “With this agreement, new channels of growth and expansion will open up. Our agreement along with the commitment to innovate and offer cutting-edge technologies will bring greater developments for both companies in the future.”

Sharing plans for the India market, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism, says, “The fact that we are seeing a huge uptake for travel with forward bookings is evidence of the potential India has. To tap into the millennial market and families, we have some high-end activations in the pipeline.” The NTO will conduct its first-ever virtual roadshow from Oct 20-22, 2021.

Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is targeting last-mile connectivity through Viability Gap Funding to MoCA under RCS UDAN scheme, revealed Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism. “We are also discussing with the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways for improving road connectivity to important destinations,” he added while speaking at the World Tourism Day celebration.

In an attempt to revive tourism and reboot the travel business in the eastern part of India, the Skål International Kolkata elected its new management team for the next season 2021 – 2023. Skål International clubs worldwide consist of travel and tourism industry company owners and decision makers, thought leaders and industry influencers at the highest level. At present India has 14 Skål International clubs which work very closely under a national leadership team with all the global tourism entities in support of their members’ good business. At its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Kolkata on September 23, the new Skål International Kolkata committee re-elected Sk Sanjeev Mehra as the President, Sk Amin Asghar as the First Vice President, Sk Punam Arora as the Second Vice President, Sk June Mukherjee as the Secretary, Sk Jay Saraogi in Membership Development, Sk Pramod Lunawat and Sk Avanti Chattoraj as Auditors, Sk Sreemoyee Mitra in PR & Communications, Sk Avijit Sarkar in CSR and Sk Ritu Jolly in charge of Young Skål. With an ambitious objective ahead to bid for the Skål World Congress in 2024, the new team will now work towards bringing the world travel community in the city of joy. Sk Manav Soni, the past President of the club is now the Skal IPP and represents Skal at the international level. The Skål International India President Sk Carl Vaz was present in the occasion held at the Taj Bengal Hotel and expressed his confidence that the young and dynamic Skål International Kolkata team will not only take the club to a newer height but will also make a significant contribution to the overall sustainable tourism industry revival. Skål International …

Under the banner of AlUla Moments, AlUla’s events calendar published today highlights four festivals including Winter at Tantora which is back by popular demand and celebrates heritage, AlUla Skies, AlUla Arts and AlUla’s Wellness Festival.  The festivals will offer curated experiences of art, culture, music, nature, wellness, equestrian, gastronomy and astronomy. The events will include free and ticketed experiences, with tickets and information available at experiencealula.com. The four distinct festivals will commence on 21 December and run through to 30 March against the backdrop of AlUla’s many timeless wonders. Musical performances will also be back in AlUla with Maraya taking centre stage again as the venue for regional and international acts starting from this October. Winter at Tantora, the very first music and arts festival in the Kingdom returns – now in a six-week format. A stunning Candlelit Symphonic Concert at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra will set the tone for the festival season as the opening event.  Equestrian events will include the eagerly awaited new haute couture horse fashion event, Ikmah Fashion Calvary, the return of the competitive Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Race and the oh-so-chic AlUla Desert Polo. A new Citrus Festival will celebrate AlUla produce and the Harrat Observation Deck with Back to Black restaurant will offer stunning sunrise and sunset views of AlUla from the top of the Harrat Uwayrid. Archaeology and cultural workshops will be introduced at the heritage sites, there will be live immersion shows at AlUla Old Town and in the oasis. Winter at Tantora will run from 21 December to 12 February. From February 2021, the AlUla Arts festival will bring together exhibitions and encounters created by …

Inclusive tourism must be the way forward, especially after COVID. Currently, tourism only benefits a very small marginal section of the society and the community in large is totally left out. It’s not just for COVID times, but for other times as well, there should be an inclusive approach, starting from the government, and I am sure it will have sustainability. For inclusive tourism, it’s the people of the land who should be stakeholders in the activity of tourism, and not remain just menial employees. In fact, whenever a new destination is being developed, it would be the ideal space to work on this, in the right earnest. Also, if all hotels localise their purchase, it would help the local economy. Hotels can do partnership with the local communities or help the local government where there could be activities to support.