Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

WOW air, Iceland’s low fare transatlantic airline, has launched its operations in India with flights from December 7, 2018 at an introductory fare of Rs 13,499 one way. The airline will fly direct, five times a week between New Delhi and Keflavik airport in Iceland and would further connect to multiple destinations in North America and Europe. The price varies in different configuration of seat options, ranging from WOW basic, WOW plus, WOW comfy and WOW premium. A one-way ticket to Iceland, US, Canada and London in economy category called WOW basic will start from Rs 13,499 (including taxes) while the business class fares termed as WOW premium will be priced from Rs 46,599 onwards (including taxes). The airline will deploy the most modern long-haul aircraft, Airbus A330neo for the route from New Delhi. Skúli Mogensen, Chief Executive Officer and founder of WOW air said, “Our launch is in sync with India’s aviation growth story and we look forward to being part of it with our very affordable fares to North America and Europe on board brand new Airbus A330neos. It is also a major milestone for WOW air as we are now connecting Asia with our extensive network in North America and Europe, making Iceland a global hub.”  

Lemon Tree Hotels has recently announced the formal opening of Lemon Tree Hotel, Banjara Hills, its fourth hotel in Hyderabad. The hotel is strategically located adjacent to CARE hospital, in close proximity to major commercial hubs and popular malls. It is easily accessible from RGIA Airport, and is only a 45 minutes drive from Hyderabad Railway station. The hotel is conveniently located near popular tourist places like Birla Mandir, the Necklace Road and a short drive from the Secretariat, the Assembly and various heritage sites like Charminar, Mecca Masjid and Golconda Fort. Commenting on the launch, Vikramjit Singh, President, Lemon Tree Hotels said, “A very demand driven micro-market with immense business potential, Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre of importance. We look forward to welcoming our discerning guests here. With this opening, Lemon Tree Hotels further strengthens its footprint in the city.” Lemon Tree Hotels, Banjara Hills will have 85 rooms and will cater to travellers looking for value-for-money accommodations in Hyderabad. Each room has been tastefully decorated and suited to meet the specific needs of a business traveller with a full sized working desk and an ergonomic executive chair, to make business-on-the-go productive. With this new opening, Lemon Tree now holds a cumulative inventory of 663 rooms in the city.

In a historic moment, Ajeet Bajaj from Skal International Delhi recently summitted Mt Everest and unfurled the Skal flag on the summit of the highest mountain peak in the world. His daughter Deeya reached the summit a few minutes before him. History was also created as this was the first father-daughter duo to have climbed the highest peak together. Skal Delhi and all the members joined together to send congratulation messages to this dynamic duo for their fantastic feat.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has said that mega projects being implemented in the UAE are reinforcing the country’s profile globally as a model for sustainable growth. HH Sheikh Mohammed’s remarks came as he approved the ‘Dubai Cruise Terminal’ as the main hub for cruise tourism in Dubai. He also attended the signing ceremony of a strategic partnership agreement between Meraas and Carnival Corporation & plc that aims to transform Dubai into a major regional maritime tourism hub. Under the agreement, signed by His Excellency Abdulla Al Habbai, Group Chairman, Meraas, and Arnold W Donald, Chief Executive Officer, Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest leisure travel company, the companies will collaborate across several strategic areas including port development, terminal management and new cruise development opportunities at Dubai Harbour and the broader region. Dubai is set to become central to Carnival Corporation’s operations in the region. The agreement mandates Carnival Corporation to assist Meraas in ensuring the cruise terminal meets the highest international standards of the cruise industry, while the relevant authorities will be responsible for security, immigration and customs. The agreement highlights Meraas’ support for Dubai Tourism Vision 2020, which aims to attract 20 million visitors a year to the emirate, and strengthens the company’s contribution to Dubai Plan 2021, the strategic roadmap to establish Dubai among the world’s best cities.  

Marriott Hotels hosted its South Asia Market Place at Westin Gurgaon. Representatives from a total of 53 hotels across the region were present at the event with 120 customers for one-on-one meetings. The customers included travel trade, MiCE agents as well as corporates. Hema Hariramani, Area Director, National Sales- India, Marriott International said, “We started this concept last year. The first edition of  South Asia Marketplace was held last year in November and we started with JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity. We saw overwhelming response over there and the latest edition happening at Westin Gurgaon for the first time again is bigger and better, because we have changed the format a little bit. Last year we started with the trade in the morning and then we went on to one-on-one meetings, which was only for two hours. However, after doing a survey and customer feedback as well as discussion with internal partners, we were told to have more time for one-on-one meetings, and hence we have extended the time for the same to three and a half hours and everybody has liked this format and has been well received. We will make more changes in it next year and hope to make it bigger and better.”

Tourism Fiji will have a refreshed Matai specialist programme with enhanced tools for agents with a more dynamic interface that will be launched soon. Revealing this is Seema Kadam, Country Manager – India, Tourism Fiji, who adds, “We are already in the process of doing a lot of trade and consumer engagement programmes via our key stakeholders, and through conducting  trade trainings and trade famils. We are also keen to work on B2C platforms like radio, television and host bloggers and travel journalists on a famil which will help spread awareness about Fiji’s offerings.” Fiji started the year with the announcement of its Brand Ambassador actor Ileana Dcruz and the appointment of Kadam as the Country Manager for India. “The focus for 2018 is both on driving awareness of the destination through the B2C medium as well as driving conversions with our trade partners. We have a comprehensive trade calendar planned to achieve this in 2018,” she adds.

Yatra Online, Inc and Chrome River Technologies, Inc a global provider of expense management and supplier invoice processing software, have announced an agreement to deliver streamlined, integrated expense automation solutions for companies based out of India. Yatra will resell Chrome River EXPENSE as part of an integrated travel booking and expense management solution with Yatra’s Self Book platform. Chrome River EXPENSE will empower Yatra’s corporate customers to better enforce expense policies, provide an optimal traveler experience, and reduce wasteful spend. Commenting on the partnership, Dhruv Shringi, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Yatra Online, Inc said, “As we continue to grow in the corporate travel segment, we are teaming up with Chrome River, to further drive efficiencies in travel bookings by automating the expense management process. The depth and reach of its network and solutions is unparalleled in the industry. Our technology platforms complement each other, and together we will offer services best suited to the needs of Indian travellers to ultimately enhance their travel booking experience. We look forward to growing with Chrome River.” “India is one of the fastest-growing business travel markets, and corporate travel spending is increasing at 12 per cent per year, which is more than double that of the U.S. and almost five times the growth seen across Europe. This growth, combined with a need for many Indian companies to improve business processes in areas such as travel booking and expense management, offers an excellent opportunity for Chrome River and Yatra,” said Alan Rich, CEO, Chrome River.

Nirupa Shankar, Director, Brigade Hospitality, has become the Face of the Future. As an entrepreneur, Shankar has been instrumental in launching five hotels, with 12 more in the pipeline. She has been associated with the company for eight years and has tremendously contributed to its growth. Apart from hospitality, she oversees the office of Public Relations and Innovations for the group. She recently completed a triathlon, half marathon and swimmathon and is also trained as a six sigma Black Belt. Her industry experiences are strongly underscored with education; she is an Economics graduate with a Master’s degree in Hospitality.

Vivek Kumar, Managing Director, Clarks Brij Hotels, Pride Hospitality and Brijrama Hospitality, also bagged the DDP Trailblazer award. An astute businessman and philanthropist, with the mind of a creative thinker, Kumar comes from a family steeped in retail, textile and hospitality. In 1935, his grandfather established one of the first five-star group of hotels in India, as well as the Indian Textiles Company. He diversified his grandfather’s company into unchartered territories by establishing a manufacturing unit and has been instrumental in the establishment of renowned global retail brands.

Ronaldo Colaco, Owner, Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa, Bengaluru received the DDP Trailblazer award. An NRI based in Dubai, Colaco started his career in Oman in 1975 as an accountant and then moved on to become a financial controller. He also held some key positions in the past; he was Commercial CEO for a consortium of three multinational corporates based in Greece, Germany and Italy. Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, he is also a pioneer in providing infrastructure facilities for the public. Many MNCs and corporates have followed his footsteps to carry out their CSR activities. In 2015, Colaco was awarded the International Recognition Award for Leadership in Service Excellence from the office of The Prime Minister of Australia.