Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

The General Authority of Civil Aviation, UAE has suspended all inbound passenger movement to the UAE from India until July 6, 2021. This excludes UAE nationals. Passengers are advised to reschedule their tickets for travel at a future date. Dubai’s Emirates had earlier said that passenger flights from India would remain suspended at least until June 30. The suspension of incoming passenger traffic from India to the UAE began on April 24. It was extended on May 4 by the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) in light of a deadly second wave of Covid-19 currently affecting India.

On 3rd June 1971, Singapore Airlines made its maiden foray into Mumbai, completing 50 years of operations since then. Over the last 50 years, we have achieved several key milestones in Mumbai. Owing to the pandemic, Singapore Airlines continues to have zero passenger flights out of India, and a lot of international borders are still closed for regular passenger traffic. Unfortunately, it is in this sombre and uncertain environment that Singapore Airlines ushered in the Golden Jubilee of its Mumbai operations.

Reacting immediately to the fire incident that occurred at the Bhawan in Katra yesterday, KB Kachru, Member of Board of Trustees, Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, J&K, says, “At around 4.00 p.m. on 8 June a fire incident took place at Bhawan. The fire hydrants were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control by 4.25 p.m. No person has been injured in the said incident. There has been no hindrance to the yatra. The Yatra to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji is progressing smoothly.”  

Uzbeksitan Airways has appointed Aeroprime as its PSA (Passenger Sales Agent) for India. Aeroprime will be responsible for the airlines’ sales, reservations, customer service and ticketing. Abhishek Goyal, Executive Director, Aeroprime stated, “We are honoured to be working with Uzbekistan Airways in India. Our appointment is a perfect reflection of Aeroprime’s specialised offering of localised expertise and networks, which gels perfectly with the airlines’ philosophy and vision. The airline will be supported by international best practices of Aeroprime, to expand their market share and sales in India.”

EbixCash Private Limited is progressing towards its prospective IPO, reveals Robin Raina, Chairman, President & CEO Ebix Inc. The company has appointed S Ravi, as a new independent director to the EbixCash Board. Ravi is presently serving as the Chairman and Director of Tourism Finance Corporation of India. “As the Chairman of Tourism Finance Corporation of India, he also has a thorough understanding of the travel industry. All of these attributes are extremely valuable to his role on the EbixCash Board as we chart our next cycle of growth and progress towards the prospective IPO,” said Raina.

Sunjae Sharma, Vice President & Country Head – India, Hyatt, confirms, “As a result of no funds forthcoming from Asian Hotels (West) Ltd, the owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai, to sustain the operations of the hotel, a decision has been taken to temporarily suspend all operations for Hyatt Regency Mumbai. The hotel will remain closed until further notice. Future reservations through Hyatt booking channels will remain temporarily unavailable. We are working closely with the hotel’s owner to resolve this situation.”

Korea Travel Expo, to be held from 22-24 June 2021, will mimic a real-life exhibition, says Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office. “It is a 3-day event, and the 1st day we have reserved for ‘by invite only’ buyers who we would be inviting personally. The next 2 days are open for all Indian travel agents who want to meet our Korean exhibitors. The platform offers the option of both pre-scheduled meeting as well as on-spot meetings by visiting the exhibitor booth as you would do in a physical exhibition. While people wait for their meetings, we will also have an interactive fun page where people can get interesting Korea related information, watch videos and participate in quiz/activities to win exciting prizes. We have kept everything very practical and business focused and avoided having any preloaded or live presentations or too many interactive features, which at times slows down the interface.” points out Choi. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Jatinder Taneja, Vice Chairman, PATA India Chapter, has said that they will wait for some time before planning any activities for the association, and said that the Government should do the same. “They need to plan a roadmap for inbound tourism and probably they need more time for the same. Unless covid numbers are controlled and vaccination drive is fast we can’t expect international arrivals,” he added.

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its webinar series exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade with one-hour webinars in June-July. The next one will be held on Thursday, 10 June at 3pm IST and will focus on Valencia. Those who attend all three webinars and participate in the educational quiz stand a chance to win Amazon gift vouchers. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Liz Ortiguera, the CEO of PATA, has said that travel recovery is being driven by a complex range of factors, from varying market policies regarding virus control and containment to local citizens’ sentiments on vaccine take-up. “In the travel industry, a ‘duty of care’-based approach in delivering services and products will support a more sustainable recovery,” she explains.