Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

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 …

Arvind Singh, Secretary, MOT, has revealed that the Ministry has come up with the first draft of a national strategy and roadmap for sustainable tourism with a focus on adventure and eco-tourism. “The national strategy will include a certification scheme and capacity building, and we are also thinking of a system of assessing the states and ranking them as we have done in many programmes like ‘Ease of Doing Business’,” he said.

German carrier Lufthansa has announced that it has lifted the ban on passenger flights to India, and will operate 10 weekly flights from Germany to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Netherlands, too, has lifted the ban on passenger flights from India that had come into force on April 26 this year. The European Union’s (EU) list of ‘safe countries’, however, does not include India yet.

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), in a letter to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), has suggested making necessary changes in the vaccination guidelines to include banquet halls in hotels as venues for mass immunization of the corporate sector. FHRAI has stated that banquet halls in hotels are better equipped than schools, colleges, or community halls for the purpose.

Johan Lundgren, the CEO of easyJet, does not believe the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus to be particularly damaging to Europe’s summer travel season for the year. While the UK continues to impose travel restrictions for most destinations that are said to have had cases of the Delta variant, some other European countries are also following suit. Lundgren has added that the industry’s survival could be at risk if it had to endure a second summer of restricted travel.

In a recent Tweet, Madhya Pradesh Tourism (MPT) Hotels & Resorts has stated that it is now ready to welcome guests back to its properties, wholly committed to providing them with completely sanitised rooms, and a safe & hygienic environment. MPT offers a wide variety of accommodation choices to suit every taste and budget.

Indiatourism Hyderabad, in association with RBVRR Women’s College, Hyderabad, recently organised a webinar on Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) certification course. Students from two other colleges in Mumbai also joined in. A section of the webinar session focused on the behavioural techniques, grooming, etiquette and common knowledge about the culture of international tourists.