Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group has confirmed that his company is reviewing its AirAsia India partnership with Tata Group. “We are in discussion with TATA group right now on whether to put money to continue business in India or expand to ASEAN. There will be some announcements soon,” he said during a CAPA Live session.

To motivate stakeholders to promote tourism destinations in the country, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has modified the guidelines of the Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) scheme for the promotion of domestic tourism. The new guidelines has made availing the scheme simpler with liberal norms and more financial assistance to eligible stakeholders such as tour operators, hotels and aggregators.

Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo while speaking at CAPA Live said the airline expects to reach 100% of its pre-COVID domestic capacity in early 2021. “We are only flying 20% of our old international capacity right now, IndiGo aims to recover to 100% of its pre-pandemic international capacity by the end of 2021,” he said.

On Day4 of Russian Expo Days (RED), participants can attend live sessions on Kamchatka, Tula, Vladimir regions and St. Petersburg. At 10:30 am IST, at the session titled ‘Kamchatka: a magical journey to active volcanoes, geysers and untouched nature’, one can get information on tours, accommodation and prices. There will be a prize at the webinar. At 1pm IST, the webinar titled ‘Tula region presents active, cultural and gastronomy tourism in the region’ would allow one to find out why it is the land of craft masters, museums and natural wonders. At 3:30pm IST, one can attend webinar titled ‘Russian towns of the Golden ring and cultural routes for your tourists in the Vladimir region: a place of dozens UNESCO World Heritage sites’, while at 5:30pm one can attend ‘Saint Petersburg you never knew before: New Holland Island, eco parks, art clusters and other locations that will surprise tourists’ webinar. Attending all live sessions can make you win a fam trip to Krasnaya Polyana Resort in Sochi. Free registration at russiadays.travel.  

Meghalaya is going to open its doors for tourists from December 21 for the first time since entry restrictions were put in place in the state in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Registration would be made mandatory through a dedicated app of Meghalaya Tourism.

Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Vice Chairman, Indian Association Of Amusement Parks And Industries (IAAPI) met Aaditya Thackeray, Tourism Minister of Maharashtra, to request him to allow the reopening of amusement parks immediately in Maharashtra and also submitted suggestions for a stimulus package for revival of this industry. Thackeray has assured its reopening in the next unlock notification.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) is seeking a sector-specific loan restructuring plan from the government. It says that in order to save the industry from imminent collapse, loan extensions should be given to the sector on similar lines as those given under the Prime Minister’s scheme for loans below Rs 25 crore for SMEs and MSMEs.

Confirming the news about the air bubble arrangement between India and Nepal, Narayan Podayal, Delhi Station Master, Nepal Airlines, says, “The air bubble is in place and we are in planning stage regarding the flight frequency and health document requirements. The date for resumption of flight will be announced soon.” Duration of quarantine for passengers is also under discussion.

After conducting a series of webinars for the trade recently, Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Representatives, Tourism Ireland, says, “We look forward to welcoming Indian customers to Ireland when borders re-open. They will discover heart-warming moments and spectacular sights in Ireland. Indians can visit Ireland and UK on a single visa under the British Irish visa scheme.”

Discover Qatar, the destination management subsidiary of Qatar Airways, has announced the launch of its first expedition cruise series around Qatar’s coastline. They are designed for seasoned and adventurous travellers, provide an opportunity to observe the largest gathering of the world’s largest living fish – the whale shark – in the Al Shaheen marine zone.