Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Investing in a sound domestic tourism plan with healthy airline promotions and tour operators in sync has its merits, claims ForwardKeys in a presentation at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, South Korea. Giving an example of China, the presentation mentioned that China reached pre-pandemic domestic arrival levels as early as September 2020, even with the pandemic in flagrant, thanks to teaming up its national public holidays with airline deals for couples (two for one offers) and the introduction of tax-free perks for shopping holidays to Hainan.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced passenger demand performance for June 2021, which shows total demand for air travel in June 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 60.1% compared to June 2019. The pandemic resurgence weighed also on passenger recovery in India and Japan – with both markets reporting RPKs only at ~30% of the pre-crisis levels.

G Kishan Reddy, Cabinet Minister, Tourism & Culture, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, shared that around 21.5 million people working in the sector lost their jobs during the nine-month period from April 2020-December 2020. He said that a significant number of jobs were lost in the tourism sector once the lockdown was implemented. “About 14.5 million jobs during Q1, 5.2 million during Q2 and 1.8 million jobs during Q3 were expected to have been lost as compared to estimated 34.8 million jobs in the pre-pandemic period of 2019-20 [direct jobs],” he shared.

PATA’s webinar ‘Asia Pacific Tourism Forecast’, is set to be held today at 12.00 pm. During this webinar, participants will get to meet Liz Ortiguera, the new CEO of PATA, who will share insights on the future of travel & tourism around the world, with a focus on Asia Pacific. Also, Prof John Koldowski, School of Tourism, Leshan University, China, and a renowned tourism analyst will share indepth analysis on the forecast for Asia Pacific Tourism. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bku5hVW-TRq5f_SiqmD5IQ.

Gurpal Singh Chahal (IAS), Deputy Commissioner – Ferozepur District, Government of Punjab, informed that recently Punjab Government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore for developing light and sound show at the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala Border. The Indo-Pak Retreat Ceremony at Hussainiwala Border is a popular activity and can be witnessed from as close as 100 feet from the Zero Line. If developed and marketed properly, this can outshine the retreat ceremony at Wagah Border.    

Amadeus’ latest Travel Trends report says that Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are still the most searched destinations in India in 2021, the same as 2019. Mani Ganeshan, its Head of R&D, Asia Pacific, says, “This suggests that Indian travellers are looking to explore closer to home, albeit cautiously. However, in 2021, the travellers’ duration of stay is lengthening which tells us the desire to travel never falters, and that travellers are creatively making the most out of their travel and taking advantage of the new hybrid working model we are seeing unfold.”

Regional aviation in India – in terms of independent regional and commuter airlines – remains very fragile. Eight carriers have failed in the last 10 years, with more exits likely in the near term. The regional aviation system needs a complete overhaul to ensure that regional carriers have adequate capitalisation, a well-structured business plan and qualified management. These are critical for the viability of the sector. It is now or never for fundamental, structure reforms, CAPA India says.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the launch of the first official Public Profile for a tourism board on leading social media platform Snapchat – giving potential travellers the chance to explore everything that the capital of the UAE has to offer in a new and immersive way. Public Profiles give brands the ability to have an organic presence on Snapchat, housing all their unique content in one discoverable place. Acting as a portal to unlock everything the region has to offer, the Visit Abu Dhabi Public Profile will provide subscribers with exclusive travel information for Abu Dhabi, showcasing the wide variety of things to do during a stay in the emirate, whilst bringing the beauty of the destination to life in an interactive new format. At a time when travel is slowly opening up, the new official Public Profile is ideal for those planning an upcoming trip to Abu Dhabi, offering a glimpse of the destination from the comfort of their own homes – and phones. There will be a wealth of content to explore, be it uncovering the beauty of Al Ain via the Highlights section or simply experiencing the capital in real-time via Stories or Community Snaps. Public Profiles were launched by Snapchat in 2020 and have had great success in bringing a brand’s story to life. The move from DCT Abu Dhabi marks the launch of the first official tourist board profile and it’s likely other tourist boards will follow suit as they look to welcome tourists back. Social channels have been a popular vehicle to engage potential travellers – inspiring wanderlust by making global destinations accessible to …

The Directorate of Tourism, Jammu is now trying to promote a little-known destination in the UT called Kishtwar. Rupinder Brar, Additional DG, MoT, said that Kishtwar is blessed with beautiful geaography and rich culture, and has immense potential with regard to several types of tourism, ranging from nature to ethnic tourism. She said, “We need to work with the local administration and develop connectivity to the destination, hospitality units workforce quality and marketing strategy for Kishtwar. We are planning roadshows and other promo activities to promote the region extensively.”

According to a Reuters news report, Singapore is looking to allow quarantine-free travel for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from September, when 80% of the city-state’s population should be inoculated. Singapore will establish travel corridors with countries or regions where COVID-19 is under control, and those who are vaccinated may not have to quarantine or may be allowed to isolate at home. The city-state will also review whether to loosen curbs in early August.