Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Greece and Iceland have decided to open its borders for COVID-19 vaccinated travellers or who have antibodies, or test negative. All tourists will be subject to random testing. While Iceland opened its borders from March 18, Greece will allow vaccinated travellers from May 14.

Gaurav Seth, Head of Trade Sales- India Outbound, Merlin Entertainment Group, shares VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is a brilliant idea to create destination awareness. “We will be giving two tickets each for London Eye and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum to the winners,” he revealed. Register on http://bit.ly/VisitBritainCricketCarnival or contact vartik.sethi@ddppl.com or +91 83684 28139.

Türkiye has announced it rolls out a tourism employee vaccination registration program for tourism employees in coordination with The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Health and Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA). The Program has launched within the scope of ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ to welcome international travelers for the upcoming tourism season and to ensure the health and safety of tourism employees and its residents remains its utmost priority. Since the launch of ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ in June 2020, Türkiye has been following stringent health and safety guidelines and taking all steps necessary to ensure it continues to be safe. Following the opening of the tourism season, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism started to work on inclusion of the tourism sector employees into the vaccination program in order to ensure that the tourism services in the country remain open throughout the year. The vaccination program will be meticulously carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor. Within the scope of the program, first of all the employees of accommodation facilities, restaurants, tour guides, travel agencies who is registered under the ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ will be vaccinated. In collaboration with The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and The Ministry of Health recently launched a platform where tourism facilities can register their employees for vaccination. The platform covers all key players of the tourism industry within the Safe Tourism Certification Program including the accommodation facilities, dining facilities, tour and transfer vehicles and tour guides. Official representatives of touristic facilities will be able to register their current employees. As part of continuing effort to fight against COVID-19 and further enhance …

Ankush Nijhawan, MD, Nijhawan Group, an avid cricketer himself, reveals that he had a great experience when in 2019 he got to witness India play Australia at the Oval and India play Pakistan at Old Trafford. “I think it’s a must for everybody to watch cricket in the UK. The VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is exciting, especially because people can play it on an App, and technology is something everybody is used to today.” To play, register on http://bit.ly/VisitBritainCricketCarnival or contact vartik.sethi@ddppl.com or +91 83684 28139.

Dan Whitehead, Senior Business Development Manager, Premium Ticketing and Corporate Accounts, Lancashire Cricket, Emirates Old Trafford, shares that the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is a fantastic initiative and the lucky winner of this contest will get a special hospitality package for one full day at the Century Lounge of Emirates Old Trafford. “The winner can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and also enjoy the test match from an elevated balcony viewpoint or a reserved seat in the grand-stand below,” he said. To win, register on http://bit.ly/VisitBritainCricketCarnival or contact Vartik Sethi on vartik.sethi@ddppl.com or +91 83684 28139.

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has signed a 2-year long MoU with the Educational Tour Operators Association (ETOA). The plan aims to develop tour products for schools, universities and other educational institutes for international field trips and study tours. “I am excited to work with ETOA to make South Korea the No. 1 choice of Indian schools and universities for their international field trips. Korea is one of the safest countries in the world and also one of the global leaders in technology and manufacturing. It is the ideal destination for students to know and learn about the future. By the end of our MoU team next year, I am confident we will have a fully developed self-sustaining Korea travel product category,” said Young Geul-Choi, Director, KTO New Delhi office.

Sharing an update on where the India market stands in terms of arrivals, VisitBritain CEO, Sally Balcombe says, “At the moment India is 16th in volume and the eleventh-biggest market in terms of spend for us. But the really important thing is that you are growing fast. We know we are the second-most popular destination in Europe for the India market. Indians spend a lot of money here and stay a longer time – 56% more time than others on an average. Your growth trajectory will take you into our top 10 international markets very soon!”

The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia is the world’s most ambitious luxury tourism development, offering an exclusive experience of unparalleled diversity for discerning global travellers. The Red Sea will welcome its first guests by the end of 2022 and will attract 1 million overnight visits per year by 2030. It will be an exquisite sanctuary offering luxury experiences, customised to the needs of each visitor. Smart technology will deliver innovative, tailored services from the moment visitors begin to research their trips to the time they return home.

Switzerland Tourism has launched a special ‘100% Women’ campaign is aimed at attracting women travellers to holiday in Switzerland, especially for outdoor activities and mountain sports. Along with a six-month 100% Women Peak Challenge, the NTO will present around 230 offers and events that are geared towards women where all experiences are led by women and include mountaineering tours, different city and cultural tours, majority of which have been newly conceived, especially for this campaign.

Sunil VA, Regional Vice President, ISC and APAC, Oman Air, has shared that it’s the perfect time to have this kind of an event and it’s a great start since there are many cricket enthusiasts in the trade who have gone through a lot in the last 7-8 months. Register on http://bit.ly/VisitBritainCricketCarnival or contact Vartik Sethi on vartik.sethi@ddppl.com or +91 83684 28139.