Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its Group Company, SOTC Travel have launched an AI-powered platform to help customers plan their customised holidays, check availability and book – in minutes. The platform has been deployed with sellers initially. Over the next few months, end customers will have direct access to the platform via the company websites thomascook.in & sotc.in and the company apps. Creating a customised travel programme has traditionally been an arduous task for holiday experts: from the discovery-research stage to creating an itinerary and then pricing and booking. This involves coordination with several disparate sources, with multiple external suppliers…
Author: Disha Ghosh
The Lok Sabha has passed the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which seeks to modernize India’s aviation sector by replacing the 90-year-old Aircraft Act of 1934. This new legislation aims to streamline business transactions in the aviation industry, making it one of the key initiatives as India’s civil aviation sector continues to be among the fastest-growing in the world. The Aircraft Act, 1934, which had undergone 21 amendments over the decades, will be replaced by this Bill, which is designed to address existing inconsistencies between various aviation regulations. The new Bill introduces a logical regulatory framework with clearly defined chapters…
The tourism sector has the potential to resolve 50 per cent of the country’s employment challenges with the right government support, Lemon Tree Hotels Chairman and Managing Director Patanjali Govind Keswani has said. Delivering his address at the first National Conclave on India 2047, organised by IIM Calcutta, he said India’s tourism sector is on the verge of hitting the inflexion point, reports PTI. Keswani pointed out that several countries have seen that the tourism sector contributes as much as 15-20 per cent to their GDP and account for 25 per cent of employment. Expressing disappointment over the government’s approach…
The Kashmir region has experienced a surge in tourism, with footfall increasing by over 15% since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Speaking at the 25th Annual National Convention of the Tourist Guides Federation of India, held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Shekhawat emphasised the robust growth in domestic tourism across India. He noted that popular tourist destinations are witnessing unprecedented crowds and stressed the need to redirect both domestic and international tourists to lesser-known, offbeat locations. Shekhawat highlighted lavender cultivation in South Kashmir as…
Rohan Khaunte, Goa Tourism Minister, recently met with the Union Minister for Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with Secretary Tourism, Sanjeev Ahuja, IAS & Director-Tourism, Suneel Anchipaka, IAS to discuss a range of topics aimed at enhancing tourism outcomes in the state, including plan as the first state in India to adopt Regenerative Tourism. A key focus of their discussion was the enhancement of international connectivity to Goa, which is seen as essential for attracting more global tourists. The Goa Tourism Minister stressed the importance of increasing direct international flights, and improving connections to major global cities, which would help…
Mulubhai Bera, Tourism Minister of Gujarat has said the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad has the potential to change and uplift the country’s tourism industry, and has urged to develop similar facility in the state. He was attending the Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. He said, “Modern film production and mass communication techniques are being used in the Ramoji Film City. I urge Ramoji Group to build a film city like in Gujarat as well. I have talked to officials there and the conversation turned out to be positive.” Entrepreneurs associated with the tourism sector…
The recent imposition of a 12.5% VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) at Bagdogra Airport has sparked concern among tourism stakeholders in North Bengal, leading to a formal appeal by the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The HHTDN, representing key players in the region’s tourism industry, has requested the state government to reconsider the VAT decision, emphasising its potential negative impact on the local tourism economy. Samrat Sanyal, GM, HHTDN, highlighted that the state’s earlier decision in 2013 to waive VAT on ATF at Bagdogra led to a significant increase in flight services,…
Oman Air has resumed three seasonal routes for winter; Zurich (starting 5 October), Malé (starting 27 October) and Moscow (starting 29 October), with fares starting from just OMR 88. With direct flights from Muscat to over 40 destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Indian Subcontinent, Africa and the Middle East, and more frequencies than any other airline, guests can enjoy unmatched choice and convenience. Oman Air is also looking into increasing frequencies on its most popular routes, which will be announced soon.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has received passenger fees totalling about INR 2,032 crore till June this year from the private partners operating six airports that were leased out in 2019. The airports at Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram have been leased out to Adani group under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) since 2019. “Private partners of these airports have paid approximately INR 2,032 crore to AAI as Per Passenger Fee (PPF) till June 2024. “AAI has also received an amount of approximately INR 2,758 crore from the private partners of these six airports in the form…
The inclusion of Bagdogra Airport in the list of India’s “point-of-call” (PoC) airports marks a significant milestone for international connectivity in North Bengal. This designation allows Bagdogra to host international flights without requiring prior approval from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), making it easier for airlines to operate directly from the airport. This development is particularly important because Bagdogra, located just 14 km from Siliguri, serves as a key gateway to the region. With around 60 daily flight movements and approximately 8,000 passengers passing through the airport each day, the addition of more international connections could significantly boost…
