India’s inbound tourism paints a very gloomy picture ahead. In the absence of adequate promotion, initiatives and funding, the inbound recovery was far from satisfactory the last year. However, and to the industry’s absolute chagrin, 2024 has been no different so far, probably even worse than the last year, amidst some clear indication that we would likely miss the bus in 2025 as well. Furthermore, as if a host of unfriendly measures like shutting down overseas Indian tourism offices, discontinuation of scheme that earned the inbound operators incentives on the foreign exchange they earned, among others, were not enough, the…
Author: Disha Ghosh
Having recently taken over as Business Head-Sales for India at Sharaf Travel Group, Leena Brahme’s focus lies in promoting the MSC brand in India, and growing the of Pegasus Airlines and DrukAir Holidays Bhutan line of businesses. She spoke to Disha Shah Ghosh about her new role and the possibilities of hosting large groups on the MSC ships. Q. Enumerate on your new role at Sharaf Travel. My role as Business Head Sales-India entails and encourages me to increase business on MSC Cruises as the core of Sharaf Travel India. MSC offers weekend getaways to full-fledged family vacations – a…
Aimed at facilitating event organisers and corporate entities, and growing destination’s incentives share, ‘Hong Kong Incentive Playbook’ offers over 100 authentic HK experiences and 40+ innovative team-building ideas, along with new funding schemes, professional planning, advisory support, and more. Hong Kong is renowned for its world-class business events and incentives offerings, and it’s recently launched captivating incentives programme ‘Hong Kong Incentives Playbook’ has only made it far more attractive for corporates and incentives organisers. The programme’s offerings include, from curated authentic experiences and team- building activities to funding schemes and professional planning and more, all aimed at enhancing organisers and…
Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency recently organised the 6th edition of its annual B2B showcase Explore France at the JW Marriott in Goa from October 7 to 11. A delegation of 23 key stakeholders representing the diversity of France’s touristic offering interacted with 50 members of the Indian travel trade fraternity over 2 days of pre-scheduled meetings and also interacted with trade media representatives. An approximate of 1,100 meetings took place over these two days enabling the partners and agents to understand the evolution of travel trends and discuss potential business opportunities. This evolutive edition of the showcase…
EaseMyTrip continues to reward its shareholders with a 1:1 bonus share issuance, marking the third such announcement in recent years EaseMyTrip.com has approved the issuance of 1 (one) bonus equity share for every 1 (one) fully paid-up equity share, as per the decision of the board meeting held yesterday. The bonus shares will be issued from the company’s available reserves as of March 31, 2024. This move highlights EaseMyTrip’s commitment to rewarding shareholders, following two successful bonus issuances in 2022. Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip, commented, “This bonus issuance reflects our gratitude to shareholders and underscores our confidence in…
Indonesia has significantly tightened its visa regulations, escalating penalties for tourists who violate immigration laws. Previously, visa-related offences carried lighter sentences of six months to a year, but under the new rules, violators could face imprisonment of up to 20 years. This marks a stern move by the government to enforce compliance and safeguard the immigration system. The Indonesian Department of Immigration has also launched “Operation Jagratara,” aimed at clamping down on unlawful activities by tourists. As part of this operation, the government has already deported 400 individuals for visa violations this year. The initiative includes the deployment of 125…
Sabre Hospitality, a division of Sabre Corporation is now the primary reservation platform for Lotte Hotels & Resorts. This migration marks a major milestone for Lotte Hotels & Resortsas they transition to the advanced capabilities of Sabre’s SynXis Central Reservation System (CRS). The strategic move will streamline reservation processes and distribution capabilities across the LOTTE portfolio, while enhancing retailing opportunities, and supporting their growth ambitions in South Korea and internationally. “We’re laser focused on enhancing the end-to-end experience for our guests, which is why we chose to deepen our alliance with Sabre Hospitality,” said Jaehwan Kim, Chief DX Officer of…
As the Centre is working to bolster infrastructure development across the country, the MICE industry has observed growing demand from the corporate sector to host their MICE activities in the Northeast region. MICE tourism, an acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, refers to a type of business travel that brings together large groups for specific purposes. According to industry players, corporates are increasingly choosing the Northeast destinations for their MICE activities, with a noticeable surge in such events. The primary reason for this enhanced interest is the region’s unique and largely unexplored natural ecosystem, they say. “One tourism segment…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the new airport at Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa on October 21, an official said on Saturday. As per a release issued by the state government, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla reviewed the preparations for the inauguration on Friday. Union and state ministers, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, will be present at the inauguration programme in Rewa on October 21, it stated. During the review meeting, Shukla gave instructions to officials and took stock of the stage and other arrangements at the venue. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted an operating licence to…
A new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals that Oceania’s Travel & Tourism sector could inject an additional USD 112 billion to the region’s economy by 2034, bringing the total contribution to a record-breaking USD 336 billion. According to the report, in collaboration with VFS Global and launched at WTTC’s 24th Global Summit in Perth (Boorloo), Western Australia, this boost could also support an extra 1.1 million jobs, raising the total employment in the region supported by Travel & Tourism to 3.5 million by 2034. The report, “Unlocking Opportunities for Travel & Tourism Growth in Oceania”,…
