Tag Archives: GB Srithar

VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions appoints GB Srithar as the Head of Tourism Services effective 01 February 2024. Srithar joins VFS Global from Singapore Tourism Board (STB), where he spent over 27 years in a career that spanned multiple functions, including Human Resources, Organizational Development, and International Marketing. He notably served as the Area Director for South India & Sri Lanka and was instrumental in leading the International Marketing and Brand Campaigns teams at STB’s headquarters. His last role as the Regional Director saw him responsible for STB’s regional marketing, tourism development, and trade partnership work across India, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Srithar will support our Client Governments by offering specialised services in Travel, Trade, and Tourism Services. This support will add value and enable these governments to achieve their strategic goals of boosting tourism and trade in their respective countries. According to Zubin Karkaria, Founder and CEO, VFS Global, “GB Srithar is a valuable addition to our team, bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a proven track record. His expertise positions him to lead our efforts with our Client Governments to promote travel, trade, and tourism from key source markets.” GB Srithar, Head, Tourism Services, speaking about his new role said, “I am very pleased to join VFS Global – a very prestigious brand and global leader in its field. VFS Global gives me an incredible opportunity to leverage my experience on a global scale working with our Client Governments to promote and add value to Travel, Trade and Tourism Services in both established and emerging markets.’’ This appointment is very much in line with …

Singapore is all set to have three new tourist attractions in a few months, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director-India, Middle East & South Africa. “Three new attractions are going to come up in Singapore, which travellers coming from India can experience soon. First is Museum of Ice Cream, for which Singapore will be the first-ever international location after US. It will open later this year. The second is Asia’s tallest Slingshot, which will be a new thrill-ride concept, and will be opening later this year in Clarke Quay area. Finally, the Sky Helix Sentosa, which will be Singapore’s first open air panoramic attraction, offering visitors scenic views of Sentosa and our southern island waterfront area. This is due to open in 2022,” he revealed.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is set to connect virtually with Indian stakeholders through CruiseWorld India 2021 on April 6, 2021, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East and South, STB. Themed ‘Charting our Pathway to Cruise Recovery’, the event will bring together key cruise lines and cruise agents stakeholders, highlight the safe, gradual resumption of cruise operations in Singapore and provide destination updates.

GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board, has revealed that the theme of the STB India Virtual Tradeshow 2021 will be ‘Charting Our Pathways to Tourism Recovery’ which, according to him, will heighten or hasten the pace for increased partnerships and alliances among NTOs and their partner friends.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in its communication with travel trade at the STB India Virtual Tradeshow would focus on the preparations that have taken place in Singapore, as they gear up for a travel restart sometime next year, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia- Singapore Tourism Board.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB)’s upcoming Virtual Tradeshow (to be held on 12th, 15th, 19th and 21st January for South, North, West and East India, respectively) aims to have profound interactions with the travel industry from each region. GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, ME & South Asia, STB, says, “With the intent to have deeper and focused dialogues, including pre-scheduled meetings, the roadshow will be held by region.”

GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board, has revealed that they are expecting 40+ Singapore tourism stakeholders (comprising attractions, DMCs and hotels) to network and re-engage with the travel trade in India at the Singapore Virtual Tradeshow. The virtual event is scheduled on January, 12th, 15th, 19th and 21st for South, North, West and East India respectively. “Themed “Charting Our Pathways to Tourism Recovery”, we will present latest developments in Singapore and share information on some of the product enhancements by the stakeholders with safe management measures in place,” he said.

STB India Roadshow 2021, a 4-day roadshow will see tourism stakeholders from Singapore engage with travel agents and tour operators from India from different regions on different days. GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia- Singapore Tourism Board, calls out to the travel trade saying, “The theme of the roadshow is – Charting our Pathways to Tourism Recovery’. The dates are spread out so that we can engage by region and we can have a deeper and more engaged conversations. It is going to be our way of reconnecting with Indian travel trade early in the year.” On 12th January, 2021, the roadshow will be for South India; on 15th January, 2021 for North India; on 19th January for West India and for East India on 21st January.

Singapore welcomed a record 160,000 cruise passengers from India in 2018 (a 27% increase over 2017), establishing India as the top source market for cruise visitors, revealed GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, International Group, Singapore Tourism Board. He added, “This was possible only with the strong and relentless support from partner-friends like you, making Singapore a must-visit cruise holiday destination and hub.” Talking about the Cruise Tourism Performance in 2018, Srithar said, “2018 was a good year for Singapore’s tourism sector. Singapore welcomed 1.44 million visitors from India to Singapore in 2018 (a 13% increase over 2017’s visitor-ship). Specifically, for cruise, total passenger throughput was at a high of 1.87 million (a 35% increase from 2017). The higher passenger throughput was due to the year-round deployment of Genting Dream and extended sailings from Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.”

With a track record of hosting Asia’s most prominent events, Singapore continues to deliver innovative solutions for the transfer of knowledge, ideas and connections to drive new possibilities for the MiCE sector in Singapore. Kicking off its first MiCE-focused event for 2019 in India, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) organised a MiCE thought leadership seminar in Mumbai with the theme ‘Meetings & Incentive Travel to Singapore – Forging New Possibilities’. The programme included a presentation by Gokul Bajaj, Head — Sales and Partnerships, Cvent, a cloud-based enterprise event management platform. This was followed by a panel discussion on how the MiCE industry can leverage technology to better engage audience. The panelists included Bajaj, Aikta Tyagi, Vice President & Head — Special Events, Amway India; SD Nandakumar, President & Country Head — B2B, SOTC Travel. The discussion was moderated by GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board. A team-building activity focusing on Lego Serious Play, conducted by Ludovic Odier, CEO, Outdoor in Asia, highlighted innovative, high-impact and experiential team engagement activities possible in Singapore for M&I travellers. The attendees were updated on new MiCE venues, incentive schemes provided by the STB and diverse and exciting array of experiences available in Singapore for M&I groups. The programme was well-attended with 150 Indian travel agents and 40 Singapore stakeholders representing hotels, airlines, attractions, Destination Management Companies (DMC) and cruise operators. Speaking on STB’s efforts to showcase Singapore as a destination of choice among the MiCE travellers, Srithar said, “India continues to be a key source market for MiCE travellers to Singapore. Thanks to the support of trade intermediaries and corporates, we have witnessed a healthy growth in …