Tag Archives: Managing Director

SLW, a golf management company, in association with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched Thai Golf Pass, a reward and loyalty programme to offer Indian golfers a seamless golf experience in Thailand. Every Indian golfer who plays golf in Thailand will receive points depending on the services used from the service providers. Anil Dev, Managing Director, SLW, stated, “Indian golfers can be a part of this amazing rewards programme whenever they tee off in amazing Thailand. A number of quality service providers like Thai Airways, Cox & Kings, Callaway and a number of golf courses, resorts and hotels have come together to partner this initiative.” “As India is a leading market for Thailand, we have launched Thai Golf Passport to ensure value added services. This will help golfers to enjoy the game in their favourite destination and help us in connecting with the golfing fraternity in India,” said Isra  Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand. The Thai Golf Passport was launched in New Delhi by Stapanaseth along with Vani Kapoor, leading Indian golfer; Gajendra Panwar, Vice President, Cox & Kings and Prashant Singh, General Manager, Callaway Golf India.

The Hyderabad edition of Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) will be conducted from June 28-30. Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS, announced the new dates at the first edition of GPS this year in Nagpur, which is going on till January 17. Hyderabad is the latest city to host GPS this year, taking the total count of the cities to eight. The event is dedicated towards Tier-II, and Tier-III cities in the country to empower agents in these cities.

Sharing its operational plans from Colombo, IndiGo has announced that Colombo will become its eighth international destination effective January 20, 2018 with daily direct flights from Chennai and Bengaluru. With these new flights, the airline will also offer connections to and from Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and other major Indian cities. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “It gives us immense pleasure to add Colombo to our growing network, which will not only help us cater to the growing tourist potential of the city, but also provide affordable travel options to the Indian workforce who can now look forward to visiting the city more frequently. We are also delighted to partner with Hemas as our GSA partner in Sri Lanka for our sales and distribution services.” Malinga Arsakularatne, Managing Director, Hemas Leisure Travel Aviation Group added, “We welcome IndiGo to Sri Lanka and it is indeed our great pleasure to embark on this exciting partnership. We are confident that the team at Hemas Aviation would deliver the growth ambitions of the airline. We look forward to a long-lasting and a win-win relationship with IndiGo.”

The Nijhawan Group has been appointed as the Tourism Representative in India for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commenting on this partnership, Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group, added, “With Indian nationals looking for newer experiences and destinations, the demand for relatively new entrants like Bosnia and Herzegovina is only poised to grow. It is an exciting time for outbound tourism, and the Indian traveller will only benefit from this trend. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is a new destination in the Indian market, we will actively work with the trade community to enhance their knowledge about the destination as well as help them in curating exciting itineraries for their clients since the country is a treasure trove of history.” Dr. Sabit Subasic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to India, said, “Bosnia and Herzegovina is predicted to be, according to World Tourism Organization, one of the fastest growing tourism destinations of the world in the period till 2025. And that prediction is getting confirmed and visible. Bosnia and Herzegovina is already known as a very attractive tourism destination and many tourists from all over the world come to this country. From India, however, we would like to welcome more tourists since we see potential in this market. Therefore, we decided to develop a strategy and promote Bosnia and Herzegovina as a tourism destination for Indian tourists.”

The Park Hotels enters Jodhpur with the launch of its second hotel in Rajasthan – ‘Zone by The Park’. With 90 guest rooms, the latest Zone by The Park Jodhpur is located at the city centre in close proximity to popular tourist destinations such as Umaid Bhawan Palace and scenic Kalyana Lake. The city airport and railway station are minutes away from the hotel making it convenient for the guests. Zone Jodhpur boasts of 7,600 sq. ft. banquet hall with a spill over 14,000 sq. ft. outdoor lawn for large weddings, exhibitions, social gatherings, celebrations and conferences. The hotel has two restaurants and a discotheque. Speaking at the launch, Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels said, “We are extremely delighted to launch our second property in Rajasthan, especially in Jodhpur as it is a discerning tourist’s destination with a reflection of history. The hotel is designed to meet the requirements of the price-conscious, design-conscious urban traveller. Witnessing the success of Zone Jaipur, we are confident that this hotel will play a key role in strengthening the brand. We are certain that the hotel will appeal to customers with its design and format.” Zone Jodhpur has 90 rooms in three categories at an average tariff of Rs. 3,000 – Rs. 7,400 per night. Zone by The Park is present in Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chennai ORR, Raipur, Bengaluru with upcoming hotels in Pondicherry, Igatpuri & Goa. The brand will have 17 properties by the year 2020; this will be about 1,500 keys in the next 4 years.

At the sixth edition of Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) Nagpur two new products will be launched—RainbowCTM and Trip38—informs Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS. A new membership card ‘GPS 10X Membership’ will also be launched at the show. The card will allow its holders to avail discounts on various products and services across India. “This will be a virtual card which would not be required to be carried physically but will be stored on the cardholder’s smart phones. Currently, GPS has a following of over 15,000 travel professionals across India and this would be a good opportunity for hotels, restaurants and FMCG industries to offer discounts to the GPS members. Those enrolling for GPS membership will have a full year access to the GPS App at no additional cost. All new tie-ups, offers and benefits would be available to the registered members. Exhibitors not only in India but overseas will also be able to promote their services and products to the Indian travel trade through the App and through the RainbowCTM platform. Trip38 would be a travel assistant tool for the agent’s client database,” says Anand.

Situated in the commercial hub of Goregaon in Mumbai, Radisson Mumbai Goregaon recently opened its doors to the financial capital. The hotel is surrounded by shopping districts, entertainment centers, tourist attractions, corporate set-ups and located in proximity to the international airport. “We are pleased to announce the opening of Radisson Mumbai Goregaon as this hotel marks an important addition to the Radisson brand family in a key gateway city. The Balwa Group are astute hoteliers and we are looking forward to expanding our relationship with the group,” said Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We are confident and delighted to be working with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. We are committed to offer a differentiated experience at Radisson Mumbai Goregaon and epitomise the business tradition of our city,” said Hussein Balwa, Managing Director, Balwa Group. Radisson Mumbai Goregaon features 98 contemporary rooms with modern amenities. The rooms are spread across three categories namely, superior, business class and suite. All rooms are equipped with amenities including free Wi-Fi, 42-inch LED TV with premium channels, and coffee and tea making facilities. With wellness as a brand pillar, the hotel features facilities such as an in-house spa, salon and a rooftop swimming pool.

Pride Hotels has entered into a tie-up with the Prabhukrupa Reality Group for the management of Ananya Resort, Puri. The resort will now be known as Pride Ananya Resort. Prabhukrupa Reality Group and the owners of Ananya Resort are also planning to develop a convention centre, two new beach resorts, besides other hospitality projects in the future. Located close to Jagannath Temple, the hotel offers a Deluxe, Superior, Premium rooms and Suites, gym, business centre, swimming pool, convention facilities and two board rooms. A new wing of 28 premium rooms was inaugurated during the launch. This takes the total inventory at the resort to 84 rooms. Speaking at the inaugural function, SP Jain, Managing Director, Pride Hotels, said “Odisha has a number of pristine beaches, awe-inspiring temples, picturesque country side, lakes, bird sanctuary and wildlife, which have a tremendous potential for tourism. Pride Hotels is running and managing hotels and resorts on a pan India basis and has an extensive sales and marketing network spread all over the country.”

Amit Sankhala, Managing Director, Encounters Asia, has been awarded the DDP Face of the Future title. Having explored wildlife and remote cultural experiences from around the world, he worked with the best photographers to capture magical moments. With a legacy to uphold in wildlife conservation, his grandfather was the first director of Project Tiger which established the tiger reserves of India. Today, Sankhala runs safari camps in Central India and puts together out of the ordinary experiences, to showcase the best that the country has to offer and to be able to use tourism as a medium to support wildlife conservation and community partnerships.

The Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) recently-released report ‘2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook’ offers an in-depth look at the cruise industry’s overall global economic impact as well as the trends impacting cruise travel in 2018. Joel Katz, Managing Director, CLIA Asia, said, “With an annual source market growth of more than 40 per cent, Asia is emerging as one of the most significant cruise destinations and cruise source markets in the world. Cruising is expected to capture a much larger percentage of the Asian population in the near future, which could catapult Asia’s share of the global market.” As part of the 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, CLIA forecast nine top cruise travel trends for the coming year. As per the report, travel agents continue to see a steady demand from consumers in planning and executing holidays. One of the trends reported in the study indicates that the next evolution of experiential travel sees travellers taking a step further to seek ‘transformational’ experiences. Some upcoming cruise itineraries include the opportunity to indulge in local cuisine, guided tours through small villages and even visits inside private homes.