Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

WTTC forecasts the total contribution of Travel and Tourism to India’s GDP will more than double from USD234 billion in 2017 to USD492.2 billion in 2028. Besides the direct contribution of travel and tourism to national GDP, the sector’s induced contribution increased 6.6 per cent per annum between 2012 and 2017, while indirect contribution grew at 7.5 per cent during the period, CAPA India’s Inbound Tourism Report reveals. The sector can support job opportunities in rural opportunities in rural communities — where they are needed the most, especially in developing countries like India. Additionally, for developing economies, travel services were consistently the lead contributer towards service exports between 2006 to 2016.

Over 80 per cent CEOs from leading hospitality firms in India believe that the sector will see robust growth in the coming years, according to a latest report titled ‘Hospitality insights from the Indian CEO’s desk’ by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PWC. Eighty-three per cent CEOs believe that revenues from business travellers will grow significantly over the next few years. Although MiCE has not been a significant contributor to the Indian hospitality sector so far, this trend is likely to change with better planning as well as improved infrastructure. On the other hand, few CEOs believe that leisure travel will keep pace with growth seen in business travel and MiCE.

Over 50 per cent Indian travellers want to stay connected while travelling compared to other APAC travellers. According to Amadeus’s Journey of Me Insights report, only 43 per cent of APAC travellers want to keep up to date with what is happening in the world. Besides, 46 per cent Indian travellers want to stay updated with work/business as compared to 32 per cent APAC travellers. The report further reveals that 43 per cent Indian travellers want to use apps to meet new people using travel and social apps compared to only 28 per cent across APAC, while 47 percent Indians want to be able to use convenience apps in comparison to 34 per cent in APAC. Indian travellers are committed to their work, open to meeting new people, but also looking for convenience while travelling.

Tour operators and travel agents can now create customised tour itineraries for their clients with complete ease with Jumbo Online. This Spanish online company has recently signed on Global Destinations to push its product to the trade here in India. Speaking about this is Pranav Kapadia, Founder & Director, Global Destinations, who says, “Jumbo Online is a global online system and we will be promoting them to the trade here in India. Once registered on this site, agents will get their individual logins and they can start creating itineraries by booking whatever their clients require – hotels, transfers, sightseeing, etc.” Jumbo Online also owns Eden Incoming in Italy. Their core advantage, Kapadia adds, is their good and competitive rates across the board, whether it is hotels, sightseeing or transfers, specially in certain parts of the world like Latin America, Europe, and the US. “Agents can build an entire package on this system and can pay online or offline. Some agents have already registered on the site after knowing about them through our EDMs.”

India and the Maldives have decided to launch a passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between Kerala’s Kochi and Male, the capital of Maldives, via Kulhudhuffushi atoll in a bid to strengthen connectivity between the two countries and boost tourism. On his recent state-visit visit to Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih have asked officials to expeditiously work towards starting the regular passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between the two countries. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two sides for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea. The distance between Kochi and Male is about 700 kms, and between Kochi and Kulhudhuffushi atoll is 500 kms. Addressing the Maldivian Parliament, PM Modi said, “I am particularly happy that we have agreed upon a ferry service between the two countries.”

IndiGo is set to enter the China market by launching new flight between Delhi and Chengdu, which will become the airline’s  19th international destination. This will be the first non-stop service between Chengdu to India, and will be effective from September 15, 2019. The aircraft on the route would be an Airbus 320, with a capacity of 180 seats. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “This is truly a milestone moment for all of us at IndiGo. “India is witnessing a much higher growth rate with respect to aviation and currently the India-China route is underserved by Indian carriers. With our plan to operate non-stop daily flights to this Chengdu we are providing the much needed connectivity between the two destinations. China is a market with immense potential and holds prominent trade, cultural and tourism values. We hope to further strengthen this relation by announcing our entry into China.”  

Speaking on the launch of Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign by NTB, Suraj Vaidya, National Coordinator, Visit Nepal 2020, says, “We will be conducting the first Nepal Tourism Investment Summit in January 2020. We are doing it as a strategy to bring Nepal back in the forefront. Also, about the Visit Nepal Year 2020- the last one was held in 2011, and since then, probably the world knows Nepal through a very negative picture. It is just not the numbers that we are looking at from India, but also the products. We want to show much more of Nepal, primarily, beyond its conventions- Mt. Everest and Lumbini.”

Discussing InterGlobe’s aggressive plans for the Indian market, JB Singh, President and CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, says, “We are looking to develop a second ibis in Goa which will be an ibis Styles. In fact, we are also looking for sites to develop a third property there. We are going to start a new project in BKC, Bandra Kurla, which will be a 150-200 room project. We are looking at developing more hotels in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.  

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) launched the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign in New Delhi on June 12. The event has been organised to help Nepal receive two million tourists by 2020. Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Tourism Board was present at the event. Commenting on the increase of more than 25 per cent in tourist arrivals from India in 2018, SanJeet, Director, Buzz Travel Marketing India, says, “The Indian market continues to be one of the most important contributors of international visitors to Nepal. Over the years, there has been a steady increase in both MiCE and FIT movement to Nepal from India, a trend that led to the double-digit growth in arrivals in the previous year. Friendly relations between the two South Asian nations and Nepal’s growing focus on tourism from India have helped cement the bond even further.” Nepal is also set to add 4000 rooms in the four and five-star categories, in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara. A number of international hotel chains, including Hilton and Marriott, are expected to operate properties in Nepal in the coming years. These positive developments coupled with the innovative approach of the government and the tourism board are sure to make 2020 a riveting year for tourism in Nepal!

Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) has entered a tripartite agreement with SNCF (French National Railway Company) and AFD, a French agency, to support the railway station development programme in India. Under this agreement, AFD will provide in-kind grant financing of up to 700,000 Euro through French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs and Connexions as a technical partner, to IRSDC. This will impose no financial liability on IRSDC or Indian Railways. The agreement was signed in the presence of Suresh Angadi, Minister of State of Railways, Government of India; Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Government of France; Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India and other senior officials.Speaking on this occasion, Angadi said, “India and France have a strong and long-standing prosperous partnership in the railway sector. French Railways (SNCF) in the past has been associated with Indian Railways in conducting a speed upgrade study for Delhi-Chandigarh section and development of Ludhiana and Ambala stations. I am sure that this effort will go a long way in further strengthening Indo-French cooperation and will help Indian Railways in positioning its stations to world-class standards.”