Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Sriperumbudur-Oragadam, Chennai’s upcoming industrial and automobile belt, saw the opening of its first international hotel – Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur. This marks AccorHotels’ sixth property in Chennai and seventh in Tamil Nadu. Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur features 100 guest rooms, including six suites. The hotel is located 45-minute drive from Chennai International Airport and an hour’s drive from the historic monuments and beaches of Mahabalipuram. Neeraj Govil, Chief Executive, SMP Management Group said, “We have a long standing association with Chennai and hence, it was quite logical for us to commence our association with AccorHotels from Chennai. We are privileged to partner with AccorHotels in bringing Mercure, the first international brand to the new and fast-growing industrial corridor of Oragadam.” “It is a proud moment for us to announce our first Mercure in Sriperumbudur. The opening of the hotel marks yet another milestone for AccorHotels’ expansion and growing brand presence in the country,” said Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer, India & South Asia, AccorHotels. “Chennai is an important market for us as it enjoys the unique positioning of being a business hub with a rich cultural heritage. The launch of this hotel has made us the largest hotel operator in Chennai with six hotels and a combined inventory of more than 950 rooms. We are well represented in the Tamil Nadu market with brands like Novotel, Mercure and ibis.” said Cassé.

Charting out expansion plans to connect more Tier-II and III cities, AirAsia India has set a target to commence flights to overseas destinations by January 2019, according to Amar Abrol, Managing Director and CEO, AirAsia India. The airline inducted its 16th aircraft and announced the addition of Nagpur and Indore to its list of destinations. “Our strategy is that once we get to 20 planes (operating in domestic operations) we will start flying international. Mostly, it will be to South East Asian countries,” Abrol shared. Stating that 27 per cent of the people who fly with AirAsia were flying for the first time ever, he said, “So, we are opening up Indian skies. And we are getting lot many more Indians to fly for the first time.” The plan is to connect more and more Tier-II and III cities in India, wherever A320 can go and also start flying international after crossing 20 aircraft, he said. Source: PTI

The Republic of Uzbekistan has introduced a simplified procedure for issuing tourist visas for citizens of 39 countries including India. Citizens of these countries now should not submit tourist voucher or invitation letter to receive visa. Consular offices of Uzbekistan will issue visas for citizens of these countries within two working days. Travellers from India no longer have to show LOI (letter of invitation) but simply apply for a visa at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Delhi. From July 2018 onwards, tourists can apply for visas online (E-visa) and collect it on arrival.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the signing of an agreement between the French Ministry of Culture, represented by Minister Francoise Nyssen and the French Heritage Foundation (Fondation du Patrimoine) represented by its president, Guillaume Poitrinal, relative to the use of government funds that will be generated by a new lottery known as the Heritage Lotto. Signatories also included Stéphane Bern (popular history & heritage Radio and TV show host) and Stéphane Pallez, CEO of ‘Française des Jeux,’ France’s national lottery authority. In the next three years or more, the drawing of the Heritage Lotto will take place during the European Heritage Days and proceeds will go to the French Heritage Foundation and will be earmarked for the restoration of architectural treasures throughout France. The inaugural drawing will be on September 14, 2018 one day before the European Heritage Days (Journées Européennes du Patrimoine) to be held September 14 and 15, 2018. A scratch-off game will also be offered. Last September, the French President enlisted Stephane Bern’s assistance in identifying and listing France’s imperiled architectural heritage and help find novel ways to finance their restoration. One of these solutions was to create a new lottery, which was voted into law on December 28, 2017. The French National Lottery estimates that the Heritage lotto will raise between 15 and 20 million Euros. Additional funding managed by the French Heritage Foundation will include corporate sponsoring and crowd funding. Stephane Bern will head the committee that will select among the 1800 restoration projects inventoried by the French Heritage Foundation and by the French Ministry of Culture that will receive financial aid from the special fund. Applications for funding are taken online by the Ministry …

ExploreGB 2018, the two-day flagship event which brings together Britain’s travel trade with international buyers from key inbound markets, kicked off at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle on March 1. ExploreGB brings together 310 suppliers and 287 hosted buyers along with 16 international media from 40 countries. From India, 23 buyers are participating at the event. Delivering the welcome address, Carol Dray, Commercial Director, VisitBritain, talked about Newcastle Gateshead being a modern city with a fantastic art scene and some first-class conference facilities. The year 2017 has seen great growth numbers from long haul markets for Britain with the growth being driven by holiday visitors, while business visits have seen a decline of -4 per cent.

The much-awaited revamped ‘Incredible India’ website, which was announced on World Tourism Day on September 27, 2017, is likely to be launched in the next three weeks, revealed Meenakshi Sharma, Additional Director-General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. “We have launched a beta-version of the website recently for trial and are awaiting suggestions. Once that is done, we will be replacing the current website with the new one. The new website is more dynamic and interactive. Also, we will be updating the website after every two months and showcase a new theme.”

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has announced their biennial election, which will be held at The Ashok, New Delhi on April 28, 2018. Akshay Kumar, Vice Chairman, Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism and Hospitality will preside over the election as returning officer. Kumar had conducted the elections in 2016 as well, when the current team was elected. The protocols and nominations for the elections shall start in one week.

Oman Air has deployed the new Boeing 737 MAX on its recently launched Delhi-Muscat route. The new B737 MAX is equipped with 12 new Business Class seats with large 17-inch touch screen monitors and all the amenities needed for the busy road warrior such as individual power and USB points. The 150 seat Economy Class cabin will also undergo a significant refresh with new interiors, 10.2-inch Thales Gen V touch-screen monitors, high power USB outlets for each triple seats and individual USB outlets for every guest. H.E. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Chairman, Oman Air, said, “The Boeing 737 MAX is at the forefront of aviation technology and amongst the most efficient planes in the sky today. Oman Air has put an order of 30 MAX aircraft and this is the first aircraft delivery of this order.”

Having witnessed a robust growth of 42 per cent in tourist arrivals and overnights from the Indian market in 2017, VisitFinland has reinstated their focus in the India market through the appointment of Sara Sodhi Juneja based in New Delhi to head VisitFinland activities in India. Dr. Jukka Holappa, Trade Commissioner for Business Finland India, shared, “Sara brings a wealth of her hospitality and tourism experience to this important strategic role and we are delighted to welcome her to head VisitFinland in India. Aligning with the growing potential of India market and our global expansion strategy, VisitFinland has decided to foray again into the Indian market”. Juneja shared, “My role will focus on developing our strategy devised for the Indian market and strengthening relationships with the travel trade to increase visitation and length of stay by Indians in Finland. In parallel, we will also work in close collaboration with the Indian media as communication is an integral part of our strategy. The key focus for 2018 is to encourage the Indian travel trade to increase their knowledge of Finland. For the same, we will organise roadshows and Fam trips throughout the year to give the Indian travel trade and media a first-hand experience of the destination.”  

Oman Air has withdrawn its IATA commission for travel agents applicable for all tickets issued in India, effective March 1, 2018. According to a statement released by the airline, the commission will be reduced from one per cent to zero per cent. All tickets prior to March 1 will be eligible for 1 per cent IATA commission. Earlier, Jet Airways and Etihad have also have withdrawn IATA commission for agents.