Tag Archives: Lucknow

After the recent news of Regional Transport Office (RTO) warning travel agents in Uttar Pradesh to obtain registration licenses within 10 days, Siddharth Yadav from the Assistant RTO (ARTO) Enforcement Office in Lucknow has clarified that this license is required only by those travel agents who are into car and bus rentals. Air ticketing agents do not fall under their purview. Interestingly, registration of travel agents and tour operators is part of the tourism policy passed by Uttar Pradesh but which is yet to see the light of day.

The Adani group has won the bid to operate five out of six airports put up for privatisation by the government. It was the highest bidder for the Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Jaipur airports, a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said. The bid for the Guwahati airport will be opened on February 26. AAI chose the winner on the basis of “monthly per-passenger fee”. The official said the bids put by Adani group were “very aggressive” as compared to other bidders. The five airports would be handed over to Adani group after completion of formalities, the AAI official said. A total of 32 technical bids were received from 10 companies to operate six airports currently under AAI’s management. In November last year, the government had cleared a proposal for managing six AAI-run airports on public-private partnership (PPP) basis. The Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports received seven bids each. Those at Lucknow and Guwahati received six bids each. Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram received three bids each. The move to manage the six airports on PPP basis, according to AAI, is part of an initiative to provide world-class infrastructure and services to stakeholders. Source: PTI

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) is set to organise its next conclave in Lucknow on February 16, 2019. Set to be held at Taj Mahal, Lucknow, the conclave will be inaugurated by Justice D P Singh, Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Solid Waste Management Monitoring Committee. The theme of the conclave ‘Environmental Concerns of Hospitality Industry’ is chosen to promote ecotourism by adopting environment-friendly practices. Dr Anita Bhatnagar Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Food Safety and Drug Administration Dept., Govt of Uttar Pradesh; Anurag Yadav, Secretary, Urban Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and I K Kapila, Advocate & Solicitor, Techno-Legal Environmental Consultant will be gracing the event as guest speakers. The topics for discussion during the upcoming HRANI Conclave – Applicable SWM and plastic waste disposal rules and role of stakeholders in effective implementation of plastic and solid waste management – aim towards spreading awareness on the environment-friendly practices that hotels can adopt.

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced another Taj-branded hotel in Lucknow, in partnership with Luxus Hospitality. With this addition, IHCL will now have three hotels across two of its brands in the city. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “We are delighted to partner with Luxus Hospitality. This signing is aligned to Aspiration 2022 with its focus on aggressive domestic growth. The company is optimistic about Lucknow as it is an important centre for governance, business, culture and tourism.” The Taj-branded hotel will be located at Vibhuti Khand, New Gomti Nagar Centre with close proximity to key corporate parks, institutions and recreational facilities. It will comprise 185 spacious guest rooms, an all-day diner, a specialty restaurant, a bar, a wellness area and banqueting facilities. Amit Singh, Director, Luxus Hospitality, said, “We are proud to partner with The Indian Hotels Company Limited for its iconic Taj brand and bring their famed hospitality to Lucknow.”

SMA Sheeraz, Managing Director, Sheeraz Tours won the Face of the Future title. Through his 20-year long association with the industry, Sheeraz has earned the goodwill of various domestic and international tourism boards and airlines. As the founder of Sheeraz Tours in Lucknow in 2007, he has helped scale the company to new heights and has become one of the most trusted travel companies in North India. He is also the Director of Tripshapers.com, a B2B online portal company, where he plays an instrumental role in showcasing the Uttar Pradesh region as a potential outbound market from India.  

IndiGo has operated its inaugural flight to Allahabad from Bengaluru on November 15. The flight was welcomed at Bamrauli Airport by Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, Minister of Stamp and Court Fee, Revenue, Civil Aviation with the Uttar Pradesh government, and team IndiGo at a ceremony. Allahabad-Bengaluru is the sixth RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN) route and the 60th destination on IndiGo’s network. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “Allahabad is a key market for us and the fourth strategic launch in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur on IndiGo’s network. We are strengthening our network from the state and hope to create more affordable, point-to-point connectivity for our passengers. IndiGo will continue to offer an on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and affordable flying experience always.” Both corporate and leisure customers who wish to plan their travel can book tickets via our official website. The introduction of these flights will bring Allahabad closer to the other cities of India with all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 2500.

In a bid to further enhance its flight connectivity from Uttar Pradesh, IndiGo has announced Allahabad as its 60th destination after the successful launch of operations to and from Gorakhpur. The airline will now operate flights between Allahabad and Bangalore effective November 15, 2018. From Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad will be the fourth city IndiGo will be connecting from, after Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur. The introduction of these flights will bring Allahabad closer to the other cities of India with all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 3620, bookings for which are open with immediate effect. William Boulter, Chief Strategy Officer, IndiGo said, “Allahabad is a key market for us and the fourth strategic launch in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur on IndiGo’s network. We are strengthening our network from the state and hope to create more affordable, point-to-point connectivity for our passengers. IndiGo will continue to offer an on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and affordable flying experience always.”

In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for creating digital museums at stations using QR code, Ministry of Railways has recently made ‘digital screens’ operational at 22 stations as an innovative low-cost solution to spread awareness among public about the heritage of Indian Railways. Being initiated on a pilot basis, the project aims at showcasing the legacy of Indian Railways through one to two minute-long movie clips on digital LED screens at the entrance gate of railway stations and also at different comfort areas. The short films will showcase heritage buildings, locomotives and much more to make people aware of the rich heritage of Indian Railways. For now, the screens have been set up at New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Howrah, Sealdah, Jaipur, Agra Cantonment, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Varanasi and other railway stations. In addition, QR code based posters on Railway Heritage are also being displayed at these stations. Passenger can scan the QR code on their mobile to view a streaming video on their mobile on various facades of Railway heritage.  

Marking a milestone of being the first airline to launch Lucknow-Goa and Lucknow-Pune sectors to its network, IndiGo has announced the introduction of its maiden flights effective July 2018. IndiGo will operate a daily non-stop flight between Lucknow-Goa-Lucknow and Lucknow-Pune-Lucknow respectively. Continuing the low-cost carrier’s expansion in the domestic skies, IndiGo’s average daily departures will now be 25 flights out of Lucknow to 13 destinations. The introduction of these flights will further strengthen the airline’s operations, and will provide enhanced connectivity between Lucknow and other key cities with all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 3999. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of these two sectors from Lucknow, which will further provide more flexibility of choice to our customers. We are providing affordable fares on these new routes for 6E travellers. It is our constant endeavour to provide the best travel experience to our customers, as IndiGo continues to offer them on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and an affordable flying experience always.”

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the investments for expansion and upgradation of integrated terminals at Chennai, Guwahati and Lucknow airports by Airport Authority of India. Airports Authority of India has been assigned for the project with a total estimate of about Rs 5,000 crores to modernise, upgrade services, build new terminal buildings or upgrade the new terminals in Chennai, Lucknow and Guwahati. Jayant Sinha, Minister of Civil Aviation, made the announcement regarding the approval of the investment by Cabinet and assured that work for it would begin at the earliest.