The 2nd Indian Lighthouse Festival in Odisha highlighted the growing importance of lighthouse tourism in India. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal dedicated key maritime projects and announced significant developments aimed at transforming lighthouses into major tourist attractions. Two new lighthouses on Odisha’s coast, at Chaumuck in Balasore and Dhamra in Bhadrak, were unveiled, along with the inauguration of a new lighthouse in Gujarat’s Kalwan Reef and port-related projects in Odisha. A key focus of the festival was the empowerment of coastal communities to preserve and promote these iconic structures, ensuring that lighthouses continue to serve as…
Author: Disha Ghosh
Air India will start daily, non-stop services between Bengaluru and London Heathrow from October 27, 2024, thus connecting London Heathrow to all three hubs of the airline in India. The new flights will replace Air India’s currently served Bengaluru-London Gatwick route and increase the frequency between Bengaluru and London from 5x weekly to 7x weekly. The non-stop service, to be operated using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft with 18 flat beds in Business class and 238 spacious seats in Economy, will add capacity to London Heathrow by 3,584 seats a week, inbound and outbound. Air India currently operates 31x weekly…
Post the merger of Air India and Vistara, the experience offered by Vistara will continue for customers. Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India and will be identified by a special four-digit Air India code beginning with the digit “2”. For instance, UK 955 will become AI 2955, helping customer identify them while booking on www.airindia.com after November 12. The routes and schedule operated by Vistara aircraft will continue to be the same, alongside the Vistara in-flight experience that includes the product and service such as menu and cutlery on the Vistara aircraft. It will also be serviced by…
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a landmark report at its Global Summit in Perth, Western Australia, highlighting how Indigenous tourism is projected to contribute USD 67BN to the global economy by 2034. The report showcases the sector’s role in driving economic growth, particularly in remote regions, and its vital contribution for cultural preservation and community empowerment. Indigenous tourism is rapidly emerging as a key economic driver. It creates jobs and economic value in remote areas. It promotes and protects Indigenous people’s cultures, languages and lands. And gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience and learn about…
Visa announced the International Travelers’ Pick 2024 in association with Tripadvisor at the 54th Annual Convention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). The curated list showcases and commemorates the top-rated hotel and restaurants for and by travellers visiting India. In the presence of Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Government of India, unveiled Visa and Tripadvisor’s International Travelers’ Pick 2024. Commenting on the initiative, Shekhawat said, “Pleased to launch the Visa-Tripadvisor “International Traveller’s Pick 2024” sticker at the FHRAI 54th Annual Convention in Goa yesterday.…
A new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed that business travel is set to surpass pre-pandemic levels this year, faster than previously predicted, to reach a record USD1.5 trillon. The rise of remote working during the pandemic had a disproportionate effect on corporate travel, compared to leisure travel, with virtual platforms replacing face-to-face meetings. Last year, leisure travel was just 2.9% behind the 2019 peak, whilst business travel continued to struggle, remaining 5.4% behind. But as business leaders re-emphasised the importance of face-to-face interaction, business travel is now back and is set to exceed 2019…
A total of 519 deals (comprising mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and venture financing deals) were announced in the travel and tourism sector globally during January to September (Q1-Q3) 2024, which was a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 11% over 583 deals announced during the same period in the previous year, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database also revealed that the volume of M&A deals decreased by 6.8% during Q1-Q3 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, while the number of venture financing deals was down by 25.2% YoY. Meanwhile,…
India and Mauritania have signed several Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), to strengthen the diplomatic ties between the two countries. The MoUs were signed in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on Wednesday. It is the first visit by an Indian President to the African country. She arrived in Mauritania on the second leg of her three-nation visit to Algeria, Mauritania, and Malawi from October 13 to 19. The MoUs include an agreement for consultations between the foreign ministries of both the countries, according to an official statement. This agreement will promote bilateral relations in…
Japan’s tourism sector has been booming in 2024, with visitor spending reaching a record-breaking USD 39 billion in the first nine months of the year, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The weak yen has played a significant role in driving this surge, attracting a larger influx of international tourists. By September, visitor expenditures had already surpassed the previous annual record of 5.3 trillion yen set in 2023. Tourism spending is now positioned to become Japan’s second-largest export sector, trailing only behind the automotive industry, and surpassing electronic components. On average, tourists spent around 223,000 yen…
Malaysia Airlines and IndiGo have entered into a strategic partnership through a new code-share agreement. Following a memorandum of understanding in April 2024, Malaysia Airlines and IndiGo sealed a code-share partnership. This move stands as a key development in the aviation industry, connecting two vital economic regions in Asia. Through this agreement, Malaysia Airlines will now add its MH flight code to multiple IndiGo-operated routes. This expansion grants Malaysia Airlines passengers access to seven new destinations across India, including Kolkata, Varanasi, and Goa. The integration of services under this code-share agreement significantly enhances the travel experience, offering more seamless connections…
