Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri said,”Out of the 705 routes awarded under RCS-UDAN version 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, 174 routes are operational till date.” As per the data presented by Puri, IndiGo has been awarded total 32 networks under UDAN scheme. Ministry of Civil Aviation had launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN scheme on October 21, 2016, to facilitate and stimulate regional air connectivity and making air travel affordable to the masses. The data said that SpiceJet has been awarded total 50 networks, and the budget carrier has started flight operations on just the half of them. Out of total 705 routes which have been awarded by the Centre under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN, 174 routes have become operational till date, Rajya Sabha was told on Wednesday. Based on their assessment of demand on particular routes, the airlines submit proposals at the time of bidding under UDAN scheme from time to time.

India received 10.6 million foreign tourists in 2018-19 compared to 10.4 million in 2017-18. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India stood at US$27.7 billion in 2018-19 compared to US$28.7 billion in 2017-18. The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2018-19 in Parliament recently. The Survey states that, “Tourism sector is a major engine of economic growth that contributes significantly in terms of GDP, foreign exchange earnings and employment. In India, the Tourism sector had been performing well with Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) growing at 14 per cent to 10.4 million and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) at 20.6 per cent to US$28.7 billion in 2017-18. However, the sector witnessed a slowdown in 2018-19. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in 2018-19 stood at 10.6 million compared to 10.4 million in 2017-18. The growth rate of FTAs declined from 14.2 per cent in 2017-18 to 2.1 per cent in 2018-19. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism stood at US$27.7 billion in 2018-19 as compared to US 28.7 billion in 2017-18. The FEEs declined from 20.6 per cent in 2017-18 to -3.3 per cent in 2018-19. Outbound tourism increased in recent years, with the number of departures of Indian nationals from India, that stood at 23.94 million in 2017 as against 21.87 million in 2016, with a growth rate of 9.5 per cent in 2017. This was more than double the foreign tourist arrivals in India.”

Srilankan Airlines will now operate 18 flights a week between New Delhi and Colombo. Vipula Gunatilleka, CEO, Srilankan Airlines said, “The additional flight is the result of consistent growth in traffic flow between North India and Sri Lanka. I am sure this step will further enhance our reach into the Indian market.” Currently SriLankan Airlines operates a double daily flight from Delhi to Colombo. After the new addition, it will fly 4 times a week on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between the two capitals. This would make a total 8 flights a week flying on Delhi-Colombo route. In total , SriLankan Airlines has 127 departures in a week from across India to Colombo.

Indian tourists don’t have to convert the Indian rupee while shopping at Dubai duty free outlets as the currency will be be accepted at all three terminals of Dubai International Airport and at Al Maktoum Airport. While travelling abroad, residents of India are allowed to carry Rs 25,000. Earlier, Indian travellers had to convert the Rupee into Dollar, Dirham or Euro. However, the change will still be given in Dirham. The Indian rupee has become the 17th currency to be accepted for transaction at Dubai Duty-Free since its opening in December 1983.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has spent Rs 1,687.06 crore and Rs 1,986.04 crore during the years 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively under its plan scheme on tourism sector. The budget estimate under the plan scheme for the sector during the financial year 2019-20 is Rs 2,075.12 crore. The Ministry has taken several initiatives to boost tourism in the country and this budget will be spent on activities that include activities such as organisation of the annual global tourism mart for India in line with major international travel marts being held in countries across the world, organisation of biennial International Buddhist Conclave, organisation of annual international tourism mart for promotion of tourism in North Eastern states, promotional activities in overseas markets through its India tourism offices, conducting roadshows and ‘Know India’ seminars, etc. This was revealed by Minister of State (I/C) for Culture & Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel. The tourism sector contributed an estimated (direct + indirect) 5.06% to the Gross Domestic Product of the country during 2016-17. The estimated share (direct + indirect) of jobs due to tourism was 12.38% during 2017-18. An estimated additional 13.92 million jobs (direct + indirect) were created due to tourism during the years from 2014-15 to 2017-18.

The Global Panorama Showcase has kick-started in Ahmedabad. Revealing the schedule of its 2019 season, EDWIN will be held in four destinations, Leh, Zanzibar, Oman and Europe during the month of September and October 2019. Making the announcement during the inauguration of GPS in Ahmedabad, Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS informed that they chose the city of Ahmedabad for a very special reason. “We started GPS ‘On the go’ from here and have got tremendous response from travel trade here. EDWIN is really popular in Gujarat as we got maximum number of participants for the programme from the western state. We also have highest number of 10X members from here, which makes GPS Ahmedabad the perfect city to make this announcement,” he said. “We have received constant support from a number of travel trade associations of Gujarat in organising GPS in Ahmedabad and making it a success. Going forward , Ahmedabad will also become the first GPS city with auto-check in facility in coming future. No check-in booths will be required at the show and all the check-in will be done by kiosks. I am proud to say that GPS is the only paperless digital travel event in the world, he further said. The two day B2B show started in Ahmedabad on Wednesday with half day of knowledge sessions, termed as KIT (Knowledge, Inspiration, Training) Talk and half day of B2B meetings. The day 2 will have full day B2B meetings between, exhibitors and buyers from different regions of Gujarat.

MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based privately-owned cruise line, celebrated a key milestone by welcoming its 20 millionth cruiser on board the Miami-based MSC Seaside since it started operating purpose-built cruise ships in 2003. Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO, said, “Reaching our 20 millionth cruiser is truly a milestone achievement for MSC Cruises, and a representation of how far we’ve come while building a global brand that serves guests from over 170 nationalities across five continents. With our capacity set to triple by 2027, we will continue to raise the bar in two main areas, on board and ashore, offering our guests a unique experience each time they sail with us. MSC Seaside is the perfect example of this: she is one of the most innovative ships at sea in terms of design as well as onboard experience. She also features the latest and some of the most innovative environmental technology at sea.”

Ministry of Defence has exempted the landing and parking charges for civil aircraft operating from IAF airfields under Regional Connectivity Scheme for 32 airfields and 5 Advanced Landing Grounds. In Joint user airfields, civil apron maintenance is done by Airport Authority of India and remaining airfield area (Runway and taxi tracks) maintenance is done by Indian Air Force. The details of exemption given with respect to the airfields/ALG is given below: 1. Adampur 2. Jammu 3. Agra 4. Jorhat 5. Ambala 6. Kalaikunda 7. Awantipur 8. Kargil 9. Allahabad 10. Kanpur (Chakeri) 11. Bagdogra 12. Pathankot 13. Bareilly 14. Pune 15. Bidar 16. Sarsawa 17. Bikaner (Nal) 18. Silchar 19. Bhatinda 20. Srinagar 21. Car Nicobar 22. Tezpur 23. Chandigarh 24. Thanjavur 25. Gorakhpur 26. Uttarlai 27. Darbhanga 28. Along (ALG) 29. Gwalior 30. Passighat (ALG) 31. Hashimara 32. Tuting (ALG) 33. Hindon 34. Walong (ALG) 35. Jamnagar 36. Ziro (ALG) 37. Jaisalmer

The LaLit Suri Hospitality Group is coming up with its new property in Ahmedabad. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director, LaLit Suri Hospitality Group, says, “We are currently building a new LaLit property in Ahmedabad. It’s situated on the bank of Sabarmati River and should be ready in about 18 months from now.” The hotel will most likely open by next year end and would be the first LaLit hotel in the state of Gujarat.

Odisha Tourism recently concluded its Mumbai roadshow where over 150 tour operators participated. The next leg of this roadshow will be held in various cities like Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad etc. Commissioner cum Secretary Vishal Dev highlighted key offerings of Odisha across segments such as heritage tourism, ecotourism, ethnic tourism, and spiritual tourism. He emphasised the importance of these segment in terms of enhancing the state’s global brand image.