Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Ashwani Lohani, Former CMD Air India and Chairman of the Railway Board, has joined as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for GMR Group’s Services Business (which includes railways). Lohani had recently joined as the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Board. The latest move could be a good news for GMR, as it was looking at expanding its wings in the Railways sector by showing its interests in the private train project, station redevelopment plans and dedicated freight corridors (DFC).

Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has decided that provisional certificates can be issued in favour of all categories of Tour Operators (Inbound, Domestic, Adventure) / Travel Agencies / Tourist Transport Operators who have submitted fresh applications, complete in all respects and have also made the required payment for grant of recognition as a new case. This has been done at this time, when physical inspection of office premises of applicants is not being undertaken by the Inspection Committee headed by the Regional Director, India tourism Offices in India. The Provisional Certificate would be valid for a period of six months from the date of submission of complete fresh application or till the time of actual physical verification / inspection and subsequent final decision of the Ministry with reference to grant of recognition, whichever is earlier. However, such Tour Operators/ Travel Agencies / Tourist Transport Operators who are issued  Provisional Certificates, shall not be eligible for any financial benefits under MDA or any other scheme of the Ministry, till such time a final decision regarding grant of  recognition is taken by the Ministry.

The Selling Happiness webinar, powered by TravTalk, is all set to be held today at 11 am. The hour-long session will help agents understand how to make the best Indian itineraries inclusive of Yoga, wellness, spirituality, Ayurveda and meditation. To register, log on to https://event.webinarjam.com/register/153/yy8npbg9 or email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +919650196532.

Tornos, an established name in the tourism industry since the last 26 years, has become the first travel company of Ayodhya. Having worked and researched extensively on the revival of Ayodhya as a tourist destination, it now sets a foot in Ayodhya by coming up with its office in this temple city and will provide all travel related services to incoming tourists. Specialising in immersive travel experiences, Tornos has been associated with projection of Ayodhya internationally. ‘Mokshdayni Walk’ and ‘Ram Vivah’ have been company’s most innovative tourism products based on Ayodhya which were till now being operated and managed from Lucknow but now with its own set up in Ayodhya, these would be operated locally, bringing down its cost and making these more affordable. Tornos is looking at providing employment opportunities to locals and to come up with many more immersive travel experiences to showcase this deserving destination to the world. Prateek Hira, President && CEO, Tornos has been involved in the conceptualisation and of Ayodhya’s much-celebrated Diwali event, ‘Deepotsava’ that has been Uttar Pradesh government’s calendar event and draws a lot of attention. He says, “Ideal tourism should benefit local communities the most and the best local experiences can only be delivered by locals, so we decided to set up our office in Ayodhya. I am seeing Ayodhya coming up as one of the finest tourism destinations in the coming years and my confidence is renewed when our Prime Minister himself has taken it up so seriously. Ayodhya can be seen as a sought after tourist destination and both state and the central governments are possibly seeing tourism to be Ayodhya’s main economic driver.” In the time when travel …

In its webinar, ‘Reinventing the Airport Business Model in India’, CAPA India said that the current crisis must force a re-think and re-invention of the airport business model over the next five years. To increase aero and non-aero revenue, airports need to attract more non-stop, long-haul and wide-body services. Post-COVID, passengers may prefer non-stop flights instead of flights via a hub. CAPA India also talked about the need to reinvent the approach to route development, which should be more holistic and include forward bookings, travel search trends, consumer survey and travel trade research. 

Nepal is set to resume its international flight operations from August 17, after a four-month suspension due the global COVID-19 crisis. In fact, the country will also resume its domestic operations, and all flights will strictly follow the health and safety protocols that have already been developed.

FHRAI has launched the ‘Work For Our Staff’ campaign for its members to support around 4500 hospitality professionals in more than a dozen cities. With direct 100% compensation being provided to staff by business partner Eureka Forbes, FHRAI and regional member establishments will be able to help staff survive this crisis and give them an opportunity to earn and return to work once this enforced and sustained lockdown is over. Nomination will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

Powered by TravTalk, the Selling Happiness webinar on Tuesday, July 28, at 11 am will help agents understand how to make the best Indian itineraries inclusive of Yoga, wellness, spirituality, Ayurveda and meditation. To register for the hour-long session, log on to https://event.webinarjam.com/register/153/yy8npbg9 or email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +919650196532.

Faraway Tree, a B2B operator specialising in holidays packages to the Andaman Islands, will conduct one-of-its kind virtual tour for the trade today at 11am, followed by an extensive product update. One lucky couple can win a 6N/7D holiday worth Rs 80,000. To register, contact Jaspreet Kaur on 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

In the APAC region, while Northeast Asia has taken the major brunt of the crisis with bookings being down by 83%, South Asia has been significantly less impacted and most of the countries in the region on an average 50 to 60 per cent behind 2019 levels, reveals ForwardKeys.