Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

In an exclusive interaction with TravTalk, PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, said that during their meeting with the Tourism Minister, he suggested that MOT bring out a comprehensive study on domestic tourism so that trade members are aware about hotels, transporters, communication and infrastructure in a particular state, to help avoid chaos and confusion.

Airline & travel management company InterGlobe Air Transport (IGAT) has launched its new user-friendly brand website to refurbish its digital presence and address the need of the hour.  The new website has been revamped to address the need of the current business landscape and is in-line with the company’s mission to provide its customers with the resources and tools to understand the experience and gain knowledge about the company’s three decades in the business. The website is designed to deliver a smooth experience by enabling efficient navigation between passenger services, cargo services, car rental and other pages. InterGlobe Air Transport has worked with Multia – the design division of Multiversity Group to completely revamp its website – www.interglobeairtransport.com.

A new report by McKinsey & Company states that in addition to table-stakes safety initiatives, brands must differentiate themselves and re-engage their travellers with visible, communications-based cues, such as notifications about health status of destination city and personalised notes on importance of testing and other safety measures.

After successfully organizing & operating a number of repatriation flights in last two months, bringing back thousands of stranded Indians home, CapaJet has announced that it would be operating new flights beginning 19th August targeting key routes in South East Asia & Pacific. These flights will be operating from Jakarta, New Delhi, Port Moresby, Nadi and will touch down in Delhi, Singapore & Jakarta. These flights will operate in accordance with the directive released by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Civil Aviation India to bring back stranded Indians in the country. The first flight will be between Delhi, Singapore & Jakarta on 19th August followed by another Jakarta-Delhi flight on 22nd August. While online bookings have already started and tickets are selling fast, there are limited seats available. All the necessary approvals to run these special flights have been granted by the authorities of relevant countries. The flight from Port Moresby to Delhi will depart on the 23rd of August while Nadi-New Delhi is scheduled for 24th August. CapaJet is committed to providing high-end service and comfortable flying experience to its flier. To ensure this, the company has selected Singapore Airlines and Garuda Airlines to operate its long-haul Asia and APAC repatriation mission. CapaJet has emerged as a preferred repatriation carrier in last few with months and we have received overwhelming praise for its past flights. Komal Seth, India Representative – CapaJet said, “At CapaJet, we are constantly engaging & collaborating with various governments to ensure that stranded citizens from around the world reach their home. All our missions have been very successful so far and these upcoming flights targeted in the pacific & Southeast Asian …

With the aim to educate the travel trade about the eight big cats, wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, a Kolkata-based tour operator Time Travels is conducting a 35-series live webinar starting from August 10. The hour-long webinars with have 35 experts from nine countries speaking on their area of expertise. Supriya Khaitan, CEO, Time Travels  and Co-Founder of FOMONoMore, says, “We created a big team of experts from all walks of wildlife who wished to address the need for conversations, and this led us to establish FOMONoMore.”

PATA India Chapter requested the Minister of Tourism that since all states have different SOPs and quarantine rules, there is a need to develop on the One Country One Rule concept. Runeep Sangha, Executive Director, PATA India Chapter said, “The MOT website should be one point of authentic information for tourists, and if there are any changes, they should first be intimated to MOT, who can update its website accordingly before they are put into the public domain. We also told them that tourism is a perishable commodity, and if the moment is gone, the opportunity is gone, and the result is that you lose revenues which will never come back. Therefore, it’s important for related ministries to understand that and work together with MOT as one. Another point we made was that there are over 50 NTOs that are jostling for the attention of FTOs, so we should focus on FTOs, work hand-in-glove with them for promotions and incentives and if we do that =, our returns will be better. In advertising, we should focus on travel trade media rather than mainstream media, because the rate of response to travel trade media will be much higher than that in mainstream media. On domestic tourism, there should be commonality of rules and regulations between states, and they should provide relief to people who go on domestic holidays. Instead of twice in a block of 4 years, they should make it every year.”

VFS Global has launched online appointment booking service for COVID-19 sample collection, in association with certified medical laboratories, in Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi, in response to the evolving travel guidelines and consumer convenience. Similar offerings will be extended to customers in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune in the coming weeks. This service is offered in association with a network of certified medical laboratories approved by the Government of India and having all due accreditations for swab collection for COVID-19. Customers in Delhi, Kochi and Mumbai can book appointments on VFS Global’s website (https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/indiacovidtest.html) and provide samples at designated associate medical laboratories from 10 August 2020. ‘At Your Doorstep’ services are also offered in Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi, that enables sample collection from the safety and comfort of a customer’s home. Samples are collected by trained medical professionals from associate medical laboratories and the reports directly sent with full confidentiality to the registered email address of the customer. Who can avail this service? The COVID-19 RT-PCR Sample Collection service is open for all and is not limited to travellers. The service can be availed by those who may or may not be exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (strictly as per local regulations of various states), and only with a doctor’s prescription in Delhi and Kochi. A dedicated help desk is also provided for VFS Global customers next to select VFS Global Centres to assist with this service. Speaking about the service, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, and Americas, said, “We believe a convenient and reliable pre-departure COVID-19 sample collection/testing solution can become a catalyst in the recovery process of international travel …

TAAI President Jyoti Mayal was given an exclusive opportunity and invited on 13th August 2020 to have a Joint Meeting with Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri. Suggestions were taken on: – Creating Demand & Supply for the growth of domestic tourism in India. – Opening of routes as per demand & study in Udaan scheme for destinations in North-East India, Khajuraho, Orchha, Dehradun & more. – Better use of International Airports. – Helicopter charters. – Opening up of skies for Domestic as well as international routes. Discussion on airline refunds was made along with other points including challenges of the trade due to pandemic and changes required to enhance the business of travel and tourism by agents. Both the ministers along with Director General Tourism Meenakshi Sharma and ADG – Rupinder Brar and Dy. Secretary, Civil Aviation Usha Padhee were present in the meeting, who assured full support and encouragement to the trade.

Under the air bubble scheme of the India and UK governments, Virgin Atlantic has announced to restart passenger flight to India from London Heathrow starting 2nd September from Delhi and 17th September from Mumbai. The airline plans to operate 3 flights a week from Delhi and four flights a week from Mumbai on 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Virgin Atlantic have put in place additional measures at the airport and onboard to ensure the health and safety of its people and customers. On the development, Alex McEwan, Commercial Manager India, Virgin Atlantic commented, “This year marks 20 years of flying between UK and India and we’re delighted to resume our passenger services to this beautiful country. We know many of our customers will be excited to reunite with friends and family and we are looking forward to welcoming them on board, taking to the skies safely in true Virgin Atlantic style. The health and wellbeing of our customers and crew remain our number one priority and our teams have been working tirelessly to implement new measures and evolve our experience so customers can feel confident to book and fly with us. This includes social distancing at the airport and onboard wherever possible, meticulous cleaning of the aircraft and individual Health Packs for all customers, containing medical-grade face masks, hand sanitizer and surface wipes.” The airline will be offering a simplified hot food service in all cabins, redesigned to limit interaction, enclosed and controlled from preparation in a COVID-safe, monitored environment to the moment it is served. Economy and Premium Economy customers will now enjoy a “Fly safe, eat well” meal box, which incorporates a choice of two hot meals, cheese and biscuits and …

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened first Holiday Inn of new Gurugram in Sector 90 of the city. Combining business and comfort, the new hotel is equipped with 263 rooms & suites. The hotel will be the first Holiday Inn in New Gurugram & its prime location offers easy accessibility to Manesar, Southern Periphery Road, Dwarka Express Highway & the city centre. The hotel is located approximatively 45 minutes from Indira Gandhi International Airport, 30 mins from Gurugram’s railway station & 30 mins from Huda City Centre Metro station. Holiday Inn Gurugram Sector 90 favours proximity to the industrial hub Manesar and extends towards Binola, Bhiwadi, Bawal & Pataudi. The hotel is an ideal weekend getaway destination for Delhi NCR residents and offers a convenient stopover for tourists covering the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. “Holiday Inn Gurugram is the perfect place to create memories,” said Nitinn Sharma, General Manager of Holiday Inn Gurugram Sector 90. “We are excited to welcome our guests and bring them closer to experiencing the world-class facilities. Business and leisure travellers alike can expect their work and comfort needs to be met with all the essentials available at their fingertips.” Guests can enjoy a restful night’s sleep, with each contemporary guestroom offering a refreshing overnight recharge, complete with all the essentials guests need available right in their rooms. Guests can feel right at home in their rooms with multiple charging points, tea and coffee facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi at a standard speed designed to provide a home away from home. Viva- All Day Dining, also featuring a Bar & Lounge, serves Asian, Indian and Western cuisine during all three meal periods with both …