Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is doing its bit to encourage the youth to join the industry. TAAI’s UP Chapter recently signed an MoU with the Department of Business Management, Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University in Ayodhya to offer training, placements and even internship to students of MBA in Tourism Management. The MoU has been signed for three years.

MoCA is in talks with various others ministries – Home Affairs, Health, and External Affairs – for restarting the tourist visa. It has also revealed that AAI will privatise 6-10 more airports April onwards. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA, says that the government will look to club profitable airports with loss-making ones during the sale process.

Just like international marketing campaigns, domestic marketing campaigns of MOT will be specific to every region across the country. Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, says, “What is of interest to a 20-year-old or someone older can be different, hence, even for travelling within India, the basic principles of marketing and promotion will be followed by us.”

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, in a written reply to a query raised in the Rajya Sabha, said that MOT spent more than Rs124 crore in the last three years on media campaigns for tourism promotion in the country. Between 2017 and 2020, campaigns in the print media, television, online, radio, theatres and via SMS were run.

Maharashtra’s tourism department has announced 20 mini festivals across six regions of the state – Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Amravati and Nagpur – in Feb and Mar. An amount of Rs100 lakh has also been earmarked for organising these festivals that will provide tourists an opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage tourism of Maharashtra.

Asia Travel Show (ATS), from March 15-16, will see select buyers from South Asia – India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – in attendance. They will be a mix of travel agents, corporate and M!CE buyers, as well as wedding planners.

 A delegation of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), led by association President Pronab Sarkar, recently met Arvind Singh, the new Secretary – Tourism, Government of India. IATO welcomed him and took the opportunity to discuss some of the issues that have been plaguing the tourism sector, such as SEIS, MDA, etc. Secretary Singh assured the delegation of his intervention and positive action.

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply to a query in Rajya Sabha said that the government is not considering any proposal to provide a special incentive to the tourism sector to overcome COVID impact. When asked about details for planning such an incentive, the minister said, ‘does not arise’ to the query.

The Ministry of Tourism is giving financial assistance to MOT and UT Tourism department approved tourism service providers in J&K and Ladakh for undertaking promotional activities including participation in international and domestic travel marts/fairs/exhibitions/road shows and undertaking online promotion/sales tours overseas to give boost to the tourism sector in the region, said Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.

Air travel can get expensive as the prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) have increased by 3 per cent in a recent revision. This is the 5th increase in ATF prices in the last two months amid rising international crude oil prices. The price of ATF in Delhi has increased by Rs 1304.2 per kl to Rs 53795.41 per kl.