Tag Archives: Chief Executive Officer

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), Virginia USA, has inducted Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Chief Executive Officer, Ramoji Film City, into its Asia Pacific Government Relations Subcommittee. IAAPA represents facility, supplier, and individual members from 99 countries and Jalnapurkar would be serving the committee for the year 2017. Jalnapurkar brings with him a rich experience of 20 years in the field of theme parks and amusement industry and is also the only Indian to be selected for this prestigious position. He is the Director of IAAPI and Education Subcommittee of Education at Asia. “India offers a tremendous opportunity to increase the number of amusement destinations. Beyond the metro cities amusement parks are accessible to a much larger community. With this objective we aim to work with the national/ state governments to create much better entertainment avenues for the people. I am honored to be a part of IAAPA and hope that I will be able to contribute to its mission,” said Jalnapurkar. In 2017, the Asia Pacific Government Relations Subcommittee will world towards creating an advocacy effort that supports key global, regional and local initiatives. It will also formulate a three-year tactical plan to increase understanding and awareness of the amusement parks and attractions industry in Asia Pacific region.

AVIAREPS has launched Aviacollect, an online payment solution that allows small to medium offline airlines, hospitality brands, including standalone hotels and resorts, DMCs and providers of travel services, such as visa application, ground transportation, airport lounge access, car hire, attractions, sightseeing and travel insurance, to economically extend their international consumer and travel agent sales networks around the world. Aviacollect was launched in response to the urgent business development needs of many small to mid-size tourism related companies to extend their sales distribution channels and presence internationally, in a manner that respects their unique brand, and is cost effective to ensure a return on investment given limited resources. The payment solution can be used as a white label solution for AVIAREPS clients, allowing them to accept payments in targeted countries with local bank connections and in local currencies. Edgar Lacker, Chief Executive Officer, AVIAREPS, says “For over 20 years AVIAREPS has seen the great potential of many small to mid-size aviation and tourism entities to expand their services overseas, however an economic solution for that was not always possible. Thanks to today’s technology and a great AVIAREPS innovation team, a solution is finally at hand! Through Aviacollect, and AVIAREPS’ global network of self-owned offices, our clients can now not only present their brands in a way that is directly relevant to the targeted markets, but comes with the in-market expertise and know-how of our sales and PR professionals on the ground to help spread the sales points of that brand.” Aviacollect is also tailored to the needs of consumers and local travel agents seeking an online one stop information and payment platform, as visitors to the site can book all types …

Air India launched its first direct flight from Delhi-Madrid at a gala ceremony in Delhi, which was graced by P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister, Civil Aviation; Pankaj Srivastava, Director-Commercial, Air India; I Prabhakara Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport; Ignacio Ducasse Gutierrez, Tourism Counselor, Embassy of Spain in India and Director, Tourism Office of Spain in India, Mumbai; and other dignitaries from the travel and tourism industry. Madrid is Air India’s ninth European destination and 42nd international destination. Srivastava addressed the gathering and said, “The nine-hour flight would be able to cut down the flying time to Madrid by 4-5 hours, and would offer further connections to South American countries like Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Chile.” The thrice a week flight with a  B787 Dreamliner, offers a convenient departure at 1425hrs from Delhi and arrival at Madrid at 2020hrs. From Madrid the departure time is 2150hrs and arrival in Delhi at 1110hrs the next day.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has revealed that it will not be pursuing the previously-announced Powai hotel project anymore. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, “We are not pursuing the Powai hotel anymore as we are invested more in the upcoming property in Mumbai and other areas around Mumbai greater area. We have signed a new hotel which will be coming up next to the Mumbai International airport. The hotel is currently under construction and the civil structure is almost been built out and we expect the hotel to open in the next two years. Mumbai is a very important market for us and also the places close to Mumbai city. This year we opened a resort in Karjat, we already have an operating hotel in Alibaug. We look forward to adding more destinations in and around Mumbai and in the Maharashtra region.”

TIRUN announced the longest-ever Singapore cruising home porting season in Asia on Royal Caribbean International cruise line’s Ovation of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, and Voyager of the Seas. This deployment by Royal Caribbean will run for nine months till next June 2017 with 64 sailings and is expected to take 200,000 guests to ports in Southeast Asia. The sailings will increase Royal Caribbean’s capacity in 2017 in the region by 30 per cent over 2016. Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive Officer, TIRUN, said, “After an immensely successful semi-chartered cruise to Singapore by Voyager of the Seas, it is great news for Indian cruise enthusiasts that Singapore is now going to witness the longest-ever home porting by three of Royal Caribbean’s most magnificent ships. This means more options, more itineraries and more choice along with well-curated Indian delicacies and experiences onboard for vacationers. In addition, attractions such as themed cruises will enhance the propensity of Indian travel-lovers to consider cruise holidays as the ideal way to quench their thirst for exotic vacations with unbridled luxury.”

Ramesh Marwah has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA) to better administer UFTAA and offer regular support to members. He will endeavour to create increased connect between members as well. This was informed by UFTAA to all its members through a formal circular. Commenting on his position, Marwah said, “I am very excited and proud to be a part of UFTAA-the illustrious global federation which is also celebrating its golden jubilee this year. Every initiative will be in the direction of retaining confidence of travel agency associations in UFTAA; making UFTAA a global platform for knowledge, learning and networking and also maintaining free flow of communication to ensure UFTAA remains first point of contact when any issue props up in any part of the industry worldwide.” He is a proven professional with about 40 years experience of serving in various leadership positions with reputed organisations including international airlines, Italian DMC, global OTAs, etc.

Wadia Group-owned airline GoAir can now fly to international routes by early next year as GoAir receives the government’s approval to fly to nine countries including Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhastan. The approval for the Mumbai-based carrier which has been operating for over a decade, comes more than two months after the Government eased the overseas flying norms for Indian airlines. The nine countries include Iran, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. “We have got approval to fly to nine countries. We expect to start international operations from the next summer schedule,” GoAir Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told PTI. Generally, the summer schedule commences from the last Sunday of March and extends to the last Saturday of October every year. GoAir would be the first Indian private carrier to fly to any CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). CIS countries for which the carrier has got flying nod include Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Azerbaijan. Only in June this year, GoAir saw its fleet rise to 20 planes with the induction of first A320 neos. Around the same time, the government decided to do away with the 5/20 rule and replaced it with 0/20 norm as part of the new civil aviation policy.

Radisson Blu has opened the first phase of its 102-key ‘Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Karjat’ located in the sub district of Raigad in Maharashtra. This is the Radisson Blu brand’s 29th addition within Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s portfolio in India. A popular weekend destination, Karjat is a two-hour drive from Mumbai and Pune and the resort offers 360-degree views of the Sahyadri mountains. Speaking on the occasion, Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said, “We are excited to to launch this upper-upscale resort. This resort’s opening reinforces our commitment to enhance the brand’s portfolio and further expand our presence in resort destinations throughout India. With its unparalleled resort experience and commitment to excellence, we are confident Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Karjat will be a shining success.” The resort’s owner, Debasish Chakraborty, noted, “Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Karjat offers a beautiful balance between modern design and enveloping natural beauty. It is a first-of-its-kind luxury offering in an upcoming destination, complete with great connectivity, service excellence and quality standards befitting the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. We are excited to introduce this property to a range of discerning guests.” The resort will tap couples, families, adventure-seekers, wellness enthusiasts, wedding party guests, and business travellers.

The Cathay Pacific Group has announced that its’ wholly owned sister airline Dragonair is to be rebranded as Cathay Dragon. The two will remain as separate airlines, operating under their own licences. The rebranding will see a new livery created for Cathay Dragon that features a Cathay-style brushwing logo. This livery will appear for the first time on one of Cathay Dragon’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft in April and will be progressively introduced to the rest of the airline’s fleet. By more closely aligning the two brands, this rebranding will capitalise on Cathay Pacific’s high international brand recognition and leverage on Cathay Dragon’s unique connectivity into Mainland China – one of the world’s fastest-growing business and leisure travel markets. The Cathay Pacific Group will launch a major international advertising and marketing campaign later this year to promote recognition of Cathay Dragon and the benefits this rebranding will bring to passengers. Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific, said, “We are very proud of what we have achieved together. Cathay Dragon is a brand that will be recognisably part of the Cathay Pacific Group for our customers from different parts of the world. The rebranding will enable us to capture the fast-growing passenger flows across the two carriers by creating a more seamless travel experience. We are building on what is a true Hong Kong success story that has made our city a leading international aviation hub and gateway to and from Mainland China markets. This rebranding will sharpen our competitive edge by offering an attractive Cathay-led brand package that carries the assurance of a consistently high-quality customer experience,” Algernon Yau, Chief Executive Officer, Cathay Dragon, said, “We can assure our customers that Cathay Dragon will …

AirAsia X has announced the commencement of its new direct flight connecting New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur. The inaugural flight will land at the New Delhi international airport on February 3. “As part of our efforts to expand our flight network and to provide enhanced connectivity for our guests in the region, we are pleased to announce that we have started operating direct flights connecting New Delhi & Kuala Lumpur,” a statement from the airline said. The airline will be celebrating the inaugural flight on February 4 in New Delhi. Benyamin Ismail, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia X Berhad will be making this special announcement at the celebration of the launch of this sector along with H.E. Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad, High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, in the presence of Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of state for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation and Dato Fam Lee Ee, Board of Director, AirAsia X. To celebrate the recommencement of New Delhi from Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia X offered an all-in-fares from as low as INR 7990 one way for the booking period Nov 23-29, 2015, with a travel period from February 3, 2016 until February 5, 2017.