Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

A survey conducted by SOTC Travel to understand the M!CE plans of key corporates in India reveals that 39% of the respondents said their M!CE budgets would remain unaltered. This spells well for the M!CE sector which is directly influenced by the business health of corporates. The survey also suggests that 32% of the respondents pegged August to September as the right time to restart discussions and operations on M!CE, more than half (or 55%) felt the right time for this would be between October and December.

Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation & Silk Route Development, UNWTO, has said that the Indian stimulus package follows the same trajectory as other global stimulus packages, and instead of being disheartened about not having a specific tourism stimulus package, the industry should reach out to the government and share what in the existing package doesn’t work for them. “The industry should pitch for moratorium on interest and lowering of interest rates. They should look at firms which were left out and ensure that everybody should get access to loans. We need to look at the existing package and see what provisions are pinching us and tell the government that it is not catching the sensitivity of the tourism sector. If we can say that, I am sure that the government will be happy to consider the request,” commented Billa while speaking at the ‘Saving Airlines & Allied Industries – Saving Jobs’ webinar. He added that most stimulus packages across the world are sector-agnostic, and that the industry should carefully assess the existing provisions and propose the changes that are specifically required for the tourism sector.

Cross Hotels & Resorts is holding an exclusive webinar for the Indian travel trade today (May 25) at 2:30 pm IST. To attend the webinar, please register on this link https://event.webinarjam.com/register/113/1n728ak9 or contact Harish Chhetri at 9650196521 or sales@crosshotelsandresorts.in. The keynote speaker is from Thailand – Yui, Group Director of Sales, Cross Hotels & Resorts. The webinar will be an informative session for the trade and will elaborate on one of the leading hotel chains in SE Asia – Cross Hotels & Resorts.

Saint Lucia has announced plans to begin reopening the island’s tourism industry in phases starting on June 4. Among their many precautions, visitors will have to take a coronavirus test before arriving. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis prepare to welcome tourists.

The Bahamas is targeting July 1 in its latest plans to reopen its borders for international travel, depending on the circumstance. Its resorts, airports and seaports are currently finalising health and safety protocols that will be necessary for them to provide for a re-opening.

Spain will allow tourists to return from the end of June. Many Spaniards were able to meet up in small groups and have a drink on restaurant terraces. In Valencia, masked waiters laid out tables. Churches and cathedrals in some areas of Spain have been open at 30% capacity for a week.

Greece has started welcoming visitors to the Acropolis. Italians enjoyed their first meal out in two months as the bars and restaurants opened for business. St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican also opened with physical distancing in place. In Venice, gondoliers wearing face masks ferried visitors along the Grand Canal.

The Seychelles’ international airport will reopen for commercial flights in June. However, the reopening will make no immediate difference as the island nation’s main markets are still under no-travel orders. Seychelles will also be closed to cruise ships until 2022 and the islands will have to rely on air travel only.

Hardeep Sing Puri, Minister, Civil Aviation, has announced that they will be starting flights on one-thirds of the routes approved in the summer schedule of 2020 from May 25. The minimum and maximum fares for all the flights on these routes will be capped depending on the duration of the flight, which is divided into seven bands. He shared that the fare for the busiest route Delhi-Mumbai would be between Rs. 3500-Rs 10,000 and there will be three buckets in which seats will be allocated by the airline where they cannot exceed the prices in the first bucket by more than half of the price range of the rate capping.

Jatin Khanna, Market Vice President- North India, Bhutan and Nepal at Marriott Hotels India, has said that while technology is on the rise in the COVI- era and would be a predominant factor in creating guest experience once the crisis over, hotels should strive towards maintaining a balance between technology and interaction of guests with employees. Speaking at the 3rd TravTalk Digital Conclave, he said, “Hotels should create a good balance where the guest journey is complete and there is minimalistic social impact. We need to create a balance between technology and our human guests’ interaction with the employees. I think technology is here to stay, which will help us in the coming times.”