Tag Archives: Memorandum of Understanding

Air India, India’s leading global airline, and Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment, have entered a global partnership for Air India’s Flying Returns (FR) loyalty programme. Effective 08 May 2024, Flying Returns members will earn Reward Points when they buy tickets to Merlin Entertainments’ Madame Tussauds across nine locations around the world. Two more Madame Tussauds locations will be added for the offering in the coming weeks, thus covering all worldwide locations of the popular tourist attraction. The partnership is powered by GlobalTix, Asia’s leading travel technology company, which enables the booking transactions. Air India’s Flying Returns members can earn up to 16 FR points per INR 100/USD 1.2 spent across participating Madame Tussauds locations. As part of an exclusive launch offer valid on bookings made until 25 June 2024 and visits completed until 30 June 2024, Flying Returns members can earn double Reward Points at five Madame Tussauds locations, namely Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, London and New York. During the limited period, Flying Returns members will also get a complimentary entry for one child (2-11 years) accompanied by two adults at select Madame Tussauds locations. Air India and Merlin Entertainments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a ceremonial event held at the iconic Madame Tussauds Dubai during the on-going Arabian Travel Market 2024. Flying Returns members can earn FR Reward Points on tickets to the participating Madame Tussauds locations by purchasing their tickets here: https://airindia.tickete.co/partner/madame-tussauds-flying-returns-air-india/ Dominique Sidley, Global Trade Strategy Director, Merlin Entertainments, stated: “We at Merlin Entertainments are excited about this partnership with India’s leading airline, Air India, and to welcoming the ‘Flying Returns’ members to our incredible attractions across the globe. India is a …

An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, (MPTB) and The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) in Bhopal today to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in research, promotion and tourism development in Madhya Pradesh. MPTB and IATO agreed to assist each other to promote tourism to the state by organizing travel visits to destination of Madhya Pradesh; Organizing familiarization trips of Madhya Pradesh; Marketing & Awareness through all possible means; Exchange of publication, reports and other academic materials; Co-organize Travel and Tourism trade events/exhibitions; and Promoting Tourism Destinations through Media and PR. MPTB shall provide Madhya Pradesh Tourism specific brochures and publicity materials to IATO which IATO will share with its large membership base and foreign tour operators through its members in order to promote tourism destinations in Madhya Pradesh and rural tourism destinations. IATO will also  share the information with potential investors in IATO membership for Capital Investment subsidy for creation of Tourism infrastructure and to establish Tourism Projects etc. by way of investment and interest subsidy with an intention to promote investment in Madhya Pradesh. IATO will also share the information with the foreign tour operators through its members regarding Madhya Pradesh Film Tourism Policy and motivate foreign filmmakers through FTOs to shoot films in location of Madhya Pradesh and get all the available benefits. The MoU was signed by Mr. Sheo Shekhar Shukla, IAS, Managing Director – Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) and Mr. Rajiv Mehra Mehra, President – Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO).  Shri Vivek Shrotriya, IAS, Additional Managing Director- MPTB, Mr. Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director- MPTB, Mr. Ravi Gosain, Vice President – IATO and Mr. Mahendra Pratap Singh, Chairman – …

In its ongoing effort to strengthen the hospitality and tourism industry, especially in these times of a pandemic, Ministry of Tourism has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Cleartrip and EaseMyTrip. The tourism ministry says that more such MoUs will follow in the near future.

Airbnb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Through the partnership, the Department of Tourism and Airbnb will collaborate to boost tourism and create positive travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors in Maharashtra. Under the MoU, the parties agreed to promote tourism in Maharashtra through Airbnb’s global platform, expand the network of quality homestays in Maharashtra, and provide skills development workshops for hosts on hospitality standards, jointly conducted by Airbnb and Department of Tourism within the next six months. Airbnb also announced a first-of-its-kind revenue sharing agreement with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), whereby Airbnb will share a portion of its booking revenue in Maharashtra with the MTDC. The MTDC will support the partnership by identifying high-quality homestays and helping hosts to list on Airbnb. “Tourism is a key pillar for the State of Maharashtra and we are committed to increasing the number of global travellers to the State who could benefit our local communities. In a bid to attract foreign tourists, we have announced 2017 as “Visit Maharashtra” year. As our alternative accommodation partner, we look forward to working with Airbnb to achieve the goals of the Visit Maharashtra campaign, said Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SilkAir in the presence of Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala. The initiative is to jointly promote tourism to Kerala from priority markets like Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and Singapore by conducting roadshows and other special marketing programs in the selected cities. “Department of Tourism has been looking for more opportunities to spread words about the legacy of Gods own Country across all the global markets and to further increase the tourist footfall in Kerala in the coming years. I expect the agreement with SilkAir will benefit Kerala Tourism in terms of more tourists from the four significant markets with the help of its wide network and reputation as a quality service provider,” said Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala. Commenting on the association, P Balakiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala said “This MoU with SilkAir will allow us to strategically attract more travellers from the four specific markets to enjoy the unique local experiences here in the state of Kerala- God’s own country. This agreement will also bring direct and indirect benefits to many sectors of the economies of both the countries.” “SIlkAir offers high-quality service and with their help under this mutually-beneficial MOU, we look forward to welcoming their passengers with impressive hospitality,” he added further. This MOU will cover a series of joint activities including brand advertising and promotional campaigns, tactical and digital marketing, familiarization trips, trade fairs, joint roadshows and product development. The joint activities are expected to help boost visitor numbers from Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and Singapore to Kerala. …

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian and the UK to ease restrictions on the number of scheduled flights between the two countries. Limits on flights from key Indian cities including Chennai and Kolkata have been scrapped, allowing for a greater range of flights for passengers while providing a boost to trade and tourism for the UK and India. The agreement also opened all destinations in the UK for Indian carriers for code share flights, and reciprocally the UK carriers can also operate code share flights to any International Airport in India, through domestic code share arrangements. According to Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, said “The increase in number of flights between the UK and India is encouraging news for our businesses and tourists. We already enjoy strong ties with the UK and we welcome such continued association which in the long run will not only encourage business activity, but also people-to-people contact. I am sure that this agreement will bring direct and indirect benefits to many sectors of the economies of our two countries.” Tourism from India makes an important contribution to the UK economy. In 2015, there were 422,000 visits from India to the UK, bringing more than £433 million to the economy. Lord Ahmad, Aviation Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “India is one of our closest allies and key trading partners and this new agreement will only serve to strengthen this crucial relationship. We are unlocking new trade and tourism opportunities which will boost our economies, create new jobs and open up new business links. This is great news for both the UK and India and is yet another sign that …

V.M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turismo de Portugal. The MoU was signed by Dattaraj V. Salgaocar, Chairman of VMSIIHE, and Luis Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal, in the presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa who is presently in Goa on a state visit. The knowledge exchange programme between the two countries will see a collaborative effort in the fields of research, trainings, teaching-learning methods and other aspects in the near future. The MOU valid for 2 years, mutually agrees to conduct student training and teacher mentoring modules in addition to institutional support. The MoU focuses on a shared vision, to encourage and develop the training and qualification of human resource personnel working in the field of tourism, as well as to coordinate and execute professional training for students and faculty. Professor Irfan Mirza, Director, V.M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education, said, “Together we can collaborate and enhance the quality of education we offer to our students. At our institute we offer a unique curriculum, internationally trained faculty and world class infrastructure to prepare the students for the ever changing needs of the hospitality industry. Our goal is to make this institute the center of excellence for the hospitality industry in India and we believe we have come one step closer to that goal with the signing of this MoU.”

Air India and VietJetAir have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) over their proposed cooperation on flights between India and Vietnam. Under the terms of the partnership, VietJet and Air India will both commence direct flights between the two countries with the first route to be Ho Chi Minh City-Delhi Int’l. Moreover, both airlines will also cooperate in the expansion of their sales distribution capabilities, the implementation of tourism and trade promotions between Vietnam and India; and the exchange of expertise through collaborative personnel training. “We are very delighted at the agreement with Air India,” VietJetAir Vice President Dinh Viet Phuong said “We hope that Air India’s aviation experience and capabilities will help Vietjet to better our access to India – a potential market with a young and dynamic population of more than 1.2 billion people. The cooperation is also expected to contribute positively to a higher development of partnership in economy, trade and tourism between Vietnam and India.” The move comes amid warming ties between India and Vietnam. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hanoi in September he and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, signed twelve MOUs covering the sectors of defence, space, IT, health, mutual recognition of standards, and cybersecurity.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in various areas of airport operations, including security, passenger experience, cargo, airport development, consulting and training. The MoU was signed by Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, and Hari Marar, BIAL’s President for Airport Operations, on the sidelines of an industry event in New Delhi. This MoU is the first of its kind that IATA has signed with an Indian airport. One of the highlights of the MoU could see IATA and BIAL implementing trials of new technologies and processes, and testing concepts at Bangalore International Airport. “This will place Bangalore International Airport in the forefront of airport operations. These trials will ensure that global best practice solutions can be appropriately adapted to the Indian environment, and will provide guidance for rolling out the implementation to other Indian airports,” said Clifford. The IATA Fast Travel initiative, Passenger Facilitation program and Smart Security are among the initiatives being considered as part of the MoU. “An important objective of the MoU is to promote the efficient development of civil aviation in India to meet growing demand. By 2035, India’s passenger traffic is forecast to exceed 400 million passengers, more than double that of today. The industry will support 19 million jobs and $172 billion of India’s GDP. But for this potential to become reality, India’s airports need to have the necessary infrastructure capacity while implementing efficient processes that embrace the latest technologies,” said Clifford.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Africa Travel Association (ATA), a division of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), to strengthen the tourism links between Africa and the Asia Pacific region. Both the organisations have agreed to cooperate in a number of areas including market intelligence and proprietary research; conferences and events; advocacy themes and grass-roots development through Chapter networks. ATA will also contribute content for the PATA monthly Visitor Economy Bulletin and for the dedicated PATA website on sustainability. PATA will be seeking to use the good offices of the ATA to strengthen further its presence throughout the continent. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority recently became the first government member from Africa to join the PATA. Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA said, “I am very pleased that there is shared determination within our organisations to forge this new MoU into a worthwhile partnership that produces tangible and mutually beneficial benefits for ATA, PATA and all our members. The demand from source markets across the Asia Pacific to visit tourist destinations in Africa is unprecedented. We look forward to helping ATA and the nations of Africa as they bid to maintain a balanced and sustainable approach to managing even greater numbers of visitors to some of the world’s most famous attractions and landmarks.” Stephen Hayes, President & CEO, CCA, said, “We believe an active MoU with PATA is important to strengthen tourism to Africa. The potential for tourism in Africa is enormous and it offers very significant opportunities for business as well as environmental awareness. We couldn’t ask for a better partner.”