Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Over 15 top Regional Tourism Boards, Attractions and DMCs of Korea are confirmed to exhibit at the Korea Travel Expo, to be held from 22-24 June 2021. This will include representatives from Seoul & Busan tourism boards, Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau and Lotte World with its collection of theme park, aquariums and observatory. Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office, says that currently there are 16 confirmed exhibitors. “My office will also have a virtual booth so that makes it a total of 17 as of now. The exhibitors are a mix of Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs), DMCs and Tourist Attraction. Regions represented by RTO’s are Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Jeju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. In DMC’s, some of them are participating for the first time in the India market and are excited to meet Indian buyers. For tourist attractions, we have the famous Lotte World, which will have a 3-people team and showcase their array of Theme-Park, Aquariums and Observatory. They are also exhibiting in India for the first time. In fact, 1/3rd of the delegation is coming to explore the India market for the very first time or after many years,” he adds. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email Jaspreet at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Former Civil Aviation Minister and Rajya Sabha MP, Suresh Prabhu has requested the Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri to issue passports to fully vaccinated persons as has been done in other countries. In a letter shared on Twitter, Prabhu said that it is necessary to allow fully vaccinated persons to travel freely so as to restore normalcy.

During an online presentation organised by Indiatourism Mumbai on Recognition of Tourism Service providers by Ministry of Tourism, D Venkatesan, Regional Director (West & Central Region) Indiatourism Mumbai highlighted the importance of being a recognised tourism service provider and also enlightened the participants about various benefits that a travel agent is entitled to, on being recognised by MOT.

Focused on driving more sustainable travel in South Asia, TOFT India has launched the internationally recognised Travelife programme to help drive up tour operation standards in India’s tourism sector. “All TOFT current DMC members will gain free access to a range of online tools that they can use,” said Ritu Makhija, Manager Sustainability at TOFT India.

Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara has said that his airline  is focussing on a leaner cost-structure as well as exploring newer avenues to supplement earnings. He also said that Vistara aims to have 70 planes by 2023. He further said that full service carriers look to be relevant more in the current scenario due to less density of seats in the cabins. Vistara currently has a fleet of 46 aircraft.

A delegation led by TAAI AP and Telangana Chairman Nagesh Pampati met Telangana Tourism Minister, V. Srinivas Goud and submitted representation seeking a revival package for the tourism industry. The minister has assured government support in reviving the sector. The delegation urged the minister and sought his support to advise the banks to offer tourism industry interest-free loans upto Rs 25 Lakhs to be repaid back in the next three financial years.

The Tripjack team has yet again proven their commitment to empower travel agents across India with robust technology solutions with the launch of its new product called Tripjack Rail. Sharing this update is Hasan Patel, Director, Tripjack, says, “We are very happy with the progress we have made together as a team, and even after the lockdown we have put our head down and worked hard to deliver the best for our agents. Tripjack Rail is by far the best product available for agents. We have focused on building a seamless user experience which allows us to be the first travel company to have an end-to-end mobile booking solution for trains. Agents can now book unlimited IRCTC train tickets, get instant cancellation & refund facility, and increase their income. We encourage all partners to sign up on tripjack.com for the trains product, and you can start your flights, hotels, rail, insurance, and visa business in less than 2 days. We at tripjack are very excited for the bright future ahead, and look forward to growing even faster as we enter the recovery phase post-pandemic. There’s a lot more to come from us, so stay tuned.”    

The tourism industry has lost another stalwart in Dr. Ankur Bhatia. He was the Executive Director at Bird Group. Bhatia passed away of a cardiac arrest. He was 48. A prolific and outstanding leader, Ankur Bhatia led the group’s strategic thrust to create multiple drivers of growth that made a significant and growing contribution to the company and industry at large. He also shaped and implemented blue ocean strategies that strengthened the overall brand proposition and accelerated a leap in core business value by exploring new growth avenues for building uncontested market leadership. Dr. Bhatia brought in the Amadeus brand to the Indian sub-continent in 1994.      

ANA Holdings has partnered with leading game studio JP Games to launch ANA Neo which is an interactive virtual platform that will bring the joy of travel and unique online shopping opportunities to audiences worldwide. Key to the platform is the ‘Sky Whale’ where users will be able to travel and access interactive activities and other environments within ANA Neo. The service is scheduled to launch in 2022, and it will be a welcome sight in an age when COVID-19 has accelerated digitization while curtailing travel opportunities. ANA Neo harnesses the latest breakthroughs to forge new bonds between people and cultures. “ANA Neo will open up the joy of travel to a much broader audience and provide users with an unrivaled experience,” said Mitsuo Tomita, president and CEO of ANA Neo. “Complete with realistic recreations of famous tourist sites and unprecedented shopping options, ANA Neo will help people explore the world from the comfort of a connected smart device. As the first global airline to launch this type of platform, we are excited to open up new possibilities and new experiences for people.” “Much like travel, virtual platforms are an excellent way to connect with people and experience new things,” said Hajime Tabata, chief producer of ANA NEO and Chief Executive Officer of JP GAMES. “ANA Neo is a bold new reimagining of a virtual platform, leveraging the latest breakthroughs to create an immersive digital world that captures the wonder of travel and lets families and friends tour them together.

AirlinePros international is pleased to announce a partnership with Dex Group, an established name in India’s Travel & Tourism industry, with over 50 years of experience in Indian Aviation. This is extremely complementary to our existing network and significantly expand our presence in key cities across India. As the aviation industry makes a slow restart, partnerships are key to ensure sustainable growth, to provide superior results in terms of increasing revenues and reducing costs for all our existing and potential clients. Achma Asokan, CEO commented “Our vision to be the most trusted and innovative network for servicing the aviation industry involves global partnerships as the DNA that runs through our raison d’etre. Our local partners bring to AirlinePros International the opportunity to connect innovative ideas, cultural diversity, expertise and professionalism to add unparalleled value to AirlinePros, our Global Partners and Clients. We have been exceptionally fortunate to have continued our global expansion throughout the pandemic, adding many new relationships. So, our global teams are prepared and ready for the “Aviation Restart and Resurgence Phase.” Our India operations are particularly special due to the huge untapped potential that exists and the immense strengths of our partner, DEX Group, having been pioneers in the industry in India.” Ramesh Marwah, Director Dex Group commented, “We are proud to partner with AirlinePros and are extremely happy to join strengths with one of the most professional & globally recognized aviation network group. As a long-established business with a pan India presence, the opportunity to work with a global organization is a perfect fit for us both. For Dex Group to partner with AirlinePros seemed like an opportune move as our two organizations share similar values …