Category: News

SpiceJet has launched eight new non-stop international flights from Mumbai and Delhi. The airline is the first Indian LCC to connect Mumbai with Riyadh and Dhaka and Delhi with Dhaka and Jeddah. Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, earmarks SpiceJet’s 10th international destination and the fourth station in the Middle Eastern market. The flights to Dhaka and Jeddah are effective from the last week of July while the flight to Riyadh will commence on August 15, 2019. SpiceJet will service Mumbai-Riyadh-Mumbai, Mumbai-Dhaka-Mumbai, Delhi-Dhaka-Delhi and Delhi-Jeddah-Delhi with daily non-stop flights. The airline will deploy its 168-seater Boeing 737-800 aircraft on ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Estonian World The Confederation of Indian Industry is organising the Seventh Edition of Kerala Health Tourism from 3-4 July at Hotel Le Meridien, Kochi. The Kerala Health Tourism will mainly have 3 components – an International Conference, Exclusive Medical Exposition and B2B Meeting. The event will provide an interactive platform during which practitioners and leading experts in the Medical Tourism sector will share, discuss and construct strategies for future growth and innovation. The event is expected to be attended by more than 400 delegates for the conference (national & international) and above 1000 visitors for the exhibition. The ... Read more

Indian citizens will soon be able to carry chip-enabled e-passports with advances speciality features. The government is in the process to roll out advance security feature in passports, said External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on the Passport Seva Divas. “We propose to pursue the manufacture of e-passports on priority so that a new passport booklet with advanced security features can be rolled out in the near future,” said the minister. Promising that MEA and the department of posts would have a Passport Seva Kendra in every Lok Sabha constituency. “Both our ministries (MEA and Ministry of Communications) are completing the ... Read more

In an effort to ramp up Indian outbound tourists visiting Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism in collaboration with SriLankan Airlines, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and inbound tour operators has introduced attractive packages, specifically targeting India, the number one source market, to revive the industry that had a temporary setback due to the recent incident. The package offered includes discounted airfare, accommodation, transport and more, ranging from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. This package is unique to India and can be availed across Sri Lankan Airlines’ network covering 12 cities in India with 123 weekly flights. ... Read more

Qatar Airways and Emirates recently announced their recent launch of new year round services between Portugal and India. Seven times weekly services in summer 2019 and five times weekly service in winter 2019/2020 by Qatar Airways to Lisbon. Four times new weekly services by Emirates to Porto along with its on-going double daily flights year round to Lisbon. Travellers will have direct access to Qatar Airways’s and Emirates’ global network via Doha and Dubai respectively. Qatar Airways will start its new route from its global network from Doha to the capital of Portugal- Lisbon. There will be seven times weekly ... Read more

VFS Global has opened Italia Tourist Information Centre in Bahrain. In addition to applying for an Italian visa at VFS Global Visa Application Centre, travellers heading to Italy from Bahrain now have access to a wealth of information at the newly inaugurated Italia Tourist Information Centre located in Manama. VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, also launched The Little Book of Italy travel guide at the opening ceremony, in the presence of H.E Domenico Bellato, Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom of Bahrain, on June 16, 2019. With the launch ... Read more

Though Africa remains a market where hotel real estate investment is typically dominated by development, increasing transactional activity is providing much needed liquidity. However, when it comes to hotel investment in Africa, as with anywhere in the world, various factors and influences are impacting acquisition trends and cycles. “Of these factors, currency fluctuations are but one,” said Daniel Trappler, Vice President Transactions & Capital Markets for specialist hospitality and tourism consultancy firm, HTI Consulting. “Political and economic stability, the threat of terrorism, oil and commodity prices, accessibility and visas; all these remain central issues for tourists, commercial travelers and investors ... Read more

The Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain has opened-The Fern Residency, Satara in Maharashtra. This takes the tally to 61 hotels managed by the company. Commenting on the opening of the hotel, the COO of the company, Suhail Kannampilly said, “We are increasing our presence in Maharashtra very rapidly and people of the state are responding to our hospitality in a very positive manner”. The Fern Residency, Satara is a 60-room hotel offering contemporary accommodations, a finely-designed roof top restaurant with 2 banquet halls and a gym. The hotel is situated on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway, ... Read more

Summer Escapes by Cinnamon opens a window into an interactive and engaging environment for children to explore their talents, learn new skills and create wonderful memories while becoming well-rounded individuals. Besides teaching a unique skill set, each camp will also help children unleash the leader within, learn how to be team players, think creatively and out-of-the-box, become more confident and independent with participating in fun-filled activities, games, excursions and lessons. The camps will also be facilitated by local and international experts, who will be devoted to bringing out the best in each child and giving them valuable one-on-one input and ... Read more

“Yoga is discipline, dedication, and it has to be followed throughout your life. Yoga is beyond the distinction of age, colour, caste, creed, creed, cult, rich-poor, province, frontier. Yoga belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to yoga,” he said. “Yoga is ancient and modern. It is constant and evolving. For centuries, the essence of yoga has remained the same. Healthy body, stable mind, spirit of oneness. Yoga provides a perfect blend of knowledge, work and devotion.” The Prime Minister was speaking on the fifth edition of the International Yoga Day. The event began in Ranchi’s Prabhat Tara ground at 6 ... Read more

TikTok, the world’s leading platform for short-form mobile videos, announced the India edition of its global in-app travel campaign, #TikTokTravel. The local in-app campaign #YehMeraIndia showcases India as a key global travel destination by inviting TikTok users to share their travel moments with the world. As part of the campaign, Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) launched their official account on TikTok and will be leveraging the platform to promote the state’s tourism. “We are thrilled to be one of the first state tourism boards to come onto TikTok and be part of #TikTokTravel and #YehMeraIndia. We truly believe that TikTok as a ... Read more

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal has said that World Food India 2019 will be the biggest gathering of all global and domestic stakeholders in Food Processing Sector. Speaking to media she said WFI 2019 will be held from 1-4th November 2019 in New Delhi and will position India as Food Processing Destination of the World. The Minister chaired a meeting with various stakeholders of WFI 2019 including the associated Ministries and Departments, CEOs of major food processing companies and Industry Associations. This was followed by a second meeting with the Ambassadors/High Commissioners of leading food processing/food ... Read more

In conjunction with the International Day of Yoga, The Flag Island, One of the popular leisure, tourist and family destination in the United Arab Emirates, will curate a special yoga event on 22 June, 2019. The event will be held from 05:30 p.m. to 07:00 p.m., in collaboration with Fitness First, Sharjah Triathlon, and Indian Association Sharjah. The activity is aimed at promoting awareness about yoga and its benefits for physical, mental and psychological health. Many other activities are also organized in the Flag Island this summer. With women’s run sessions and roller skating available, children, youth as well as ... Read more

For an impressive ninth consecutive year, Protea Hotels by Marriott has been named South Africa’s Coolest Hotel Brand in the Sunday Times Generation Next Survey for 2019. This coveted recognition further re-enforces the brand’s deep understanding of a rapidly evolving market and its growing traction in South Africa. “Designed for the progressive yet pragmatic traveler seeking a high-quality travel experience, Protea Hotels by Marriott has been redefining and leading the evolution of travel in a highly competitive and dynamic market exceeding guest expectations consistently,” said Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “We are ... Read more

JetPrivilage, an award-winning loyalty & rewards programme, part of the Etihad Aviation Group has unveiled its latest consumer campaign, which reiterates that the reward currency, JPMiles, is “More powerful than ever”. The brand campaign seeks to educate all – about the innumerable opportunities for members through its platform for earning and redeeming JPMiles across airlines worldwide, any hotel booking across the globe, every time one shops online or at a store, using any of its –co-brand cards, at hundreds of restaurants or thousands of petrol pumps. The campaign remains true to the brand ethos of fulfilling aspirations by creating an ... Read more