Suman Billa, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, emphasised on the critical need to address supply shortages in order to keep up with the increasing demand in the tourism sector. At the 18th CII Annual Tourism Summit 2024 in New Delhi, Billa acknowledged that economic growth, rising incomes, and broader aspirations have driven this demand, but cited an imbalance with the current supply of hotels and tourist infrastructure. In his address during the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ session, Billa proposed a three-pronged strategy aimed at enhancing supply and leveraging the sector’s opportunities. He advocated for the Ministry of Finance…
Author: Disha Ghosh
It’s that time of the year when most of the Indian travel trade bodies are headed to their annual conventions. Early in October, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) concluded their 39th Annual Convention in Bhopal. And only last week, the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) were headed to Tawang for their Convention that was scheduled from December 3 – 8, a long six-day affair, and now, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) is headed to Vietnam next month for the same. Trade body annual conventions are a great platform to get a good peek into where…
SriLankan Airlines recently celebrated the seventh anniversary of its Melbourne-Colombo route, launched in 2017. Since then, the airline has successfully connected many Sri Lankan expatriates and students to Melbourne, while providing seamless travel options for tourists travelling between Melbourne, Sri Lanka and beyond, particularly destinations across India. With steady growth in traffic, including tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, the Melbourne-Colombo route has become popular among travellers visiting friends and relatives or vacationing between Australia and South Asia, strengthening cultural and economic ties between the two regions. The route is also one of SriLankan Airlines’ top performers, both as a direct…
The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Tuesday approved the state’s first-ever tourism policy — Telangana Tourism Policy 2025-30 — a comprehensive framework to attract investments, create employment and increase the state GDP, while facilitating ‘safe tourism’. Introducing the tourism policy in the Assembly, Tourism & Culture Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said that the tourism sector was grossly neglected in the last 10 years. He also noted that the tourism sector witnessed losses during the last 10 years. The tourism policy is also aimed creating infrastructure like tourist attraction projects close to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, dry ports along the proposed Regional…
Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency organised the 6th edition of the very prestigious Ambassador’s Travel Awards in Mumbai on 12th December after a hiatus of 5 years and under the patronage of His Excellency Thierry Mathou. These awards were instated in 2015 under the high patronage of the Ambassador of France to India and powered by VFS Global for all its subsequent editions. This year, the awards received an added impetus with the collaboration of La Vallée Village – member of the Bicester Collection. The objective behind the awards is to recognise and reward a selection of travel…
From December 25, 2024, West Air will launch the Lhasa ⇌ Chongqing ⇌ Singapore international route. The opening of this route will promote cultural exchanges between western China and Singapore. It is also the first international route to be added since the official renaming of Lhasa Gongga International Airport. The route will be operated by an Airbus A319 with three round-trip flights per week. The outbound flight number is PN6425, operating on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, departing from Lhasa at 17:40, arriving in Chongqing at 20:30, departing from Chongqing at 22:50 (23:00 on Mondays), and arriving in Singapore at 03:55…
Antara Cruises is set to introduce new itineraries into the Sundarbans. This voyage, titled “The Call of the Mangroves” on board MV Ganga Vilas, will offer a blend of natural splendour, cultural richness, and wildlife exploration. The Sundarbans, a Ramsar Wetland and Tiger Reserve, is home to a wide array of wildlife, including Estuarine Crocodiles, over 370 Bird species, various Reptiles, Mammals and the Royal Bengal Tiger. Travellers will have the chance to witness these wonders up close while also engaging with local communities to learn about sustainable practices and conservation efforts. Raj Singh, Founder & Chairman, Antara Cruises -…
Sabre Corporation has signed a new agreement with Garuda Indonesia. The airline will use fare management solutions from Sabre to enhance its pricing management capabilities, streamline operations, and reinforce its competitive positioning. By adopting Sabre’s advanced solutions, Garuda Indonesia aims to support its broader transformation strategy and address critical challenges in fare management. “We’re thrilled to welcome Garuda Indonesia to the growing list of airlines that trust Sabre’s proven fare management solutions,” said Rakesh Narayanan, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Travel Solutions Airline Sales. “The addition of Garuda Indonesia to our airline partner portfolio, alongside other recent signings,…
VFS Global has joined hands with not-for-profit VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, to support its innovative Dynapath project and empower youth through skilling programmes, thereby enhancing employability in Vietnam. As part of this initiative, VFS Global will support VinUniversity in implementing a proof of concept at its Visa Application Centre in Hanoi. To ensure the success of this endeavour, VFS Global will provide funding to implement and subsequently scale the initiative to other locations, thereby promoting sustainability and raising awareness for future environment friendly and sustainable initiatives. The Dynapath project by Nguyen Thao Van, Tran Dinh Le Hoang and Pham Gia…
Malaysia has achieved its target to welcome 1 million Indian tourists between January to November 2024. A total of 1,009,114 Indian visitors were recorded, representing a remarkable 47% growth compared to the same period is 2019, prior to the pandemic. This also marks an impressive 71.7% increase compared to 2023, reaffirming Malaysia’s appeal as a preferred destination for Indian tourists. “The introduction of free visa entry in December 2023 has proven to be a transformative initiative, driving a significant increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting Malaysia. This policy has opened up new opportunities for travel and played a…