Category: News

Travelstart continues its growth trajectory in Africa in terms of a deal to wholly acquire the Club Travel Group. The acquisition will boost Travelstart’s offering by adding Club Travel’s established complementary corporate and franchise divisions, creating a formidable full-service African travel group. “We love Club Travel because like us they have a long history in discount travel,” said Travelstart’s CEO Stephan Ekbergh. “Travelstart is strong in the consumer segment and we want to bring consumerization to the corporate and government sectors, where Club Travel is an emerging star.” “Travelstart shares a common mission which is to make travel easier for ... Read more

Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar has said the practice and propagation of Yoga has led to “Healthy life, Healthy living, Wellness and Prevention of Disease”. Yoga is one of India’s gifts to the world and has become the mantra of New India. Under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Yoga has been universally acknowledged by the United Nations and is now practiced globally around 200 countries on 21st June every year. Acknowledging the positive role & responsibility of media in disseminating the outreach of Yoga in India and abroad, the Minister said the Ministry of I&B has ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi practicing yoga Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the main event of International Day of Yoga 2019 celebrations to be held at Prabhat Tara, Ranchi, Jharkhand on 21st June, 2019. Approximately 30,000 people are expected to participate in the main event. On 13th June, there will be a Curtain raiser to the main event at Ranchi, which will be attended by several State Dignitaries, besides the Yoga Organisations and Yoga Gurus. Ministry of AYUSH is the nodal Ministry for observation of International Day of Yoga across the country. The ministry has successfully organized several programmes during ... Read more

Air travel will become a bit costlier as the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has decided to increase the aviation security fee (ASF) from Rs 130 to Rs 150 for Indian passengers from July 1 onwards. For international passengers, the ASF will be increased from 3.25 USD to 4.85 USD from next month, an MoCA document stated. “The ASF for domestic passengers will be levied at the rate of Rs 150 per embarking passenger,” said an Ministry of Civil Aviation order. “The ASF for international passengers will be levied at the rate of USD 4.85 or equivalent Indian rupees per ... Read more

The European Union Council has announced that travellers in need of a Schengen Visa will need to pay a higher visa fee starting from January 2020. The changes come after the European Union Council gave the final nod to an updated Schengen Visa code on 6 June. The new EU Visa regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Six months after, it will come into force and start applying to all third-country nationals that need a visa to the Schengen zone. The Schengen visa fees will increase for 33.3% from 60 euros to 80 euros ... Read more

JPMiles, the reward currency of JetPrivilege, has become even more compelling with the launch of a unique platform ‘Select Flights’. Members can now earn JPMiles across airlines worldwide to any destination, on any flight and for all seats booked on this platform. JetPrivilege, the award-winning loyalty & rewards programme, part of the Etihad Aviation Group, has introduced the offering ‘Select Flights’, powered by EaseMyTrip.com, one of India’s leading online travel aggregator. Members can also book flights for their loved ones, family or friends, and earn JPMiles for their entire booking. Commenting on this development, Manish Dureja, Managing Director, Jet Privilege ... Read more

National Geographic Traveler is constantly in search of qualities that make for an unforgettable travel experience and this year, Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) was named to Traveler’s data-backed index of the 28 friendliest neighborhoods in the United States in its June/July 2019 issue. New data from the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board shows that nearly 30 per cent of all visitors to Los Angeles – and more than 3/4 of all international visitors – include DTLA on their itinerary, cementing the neighborhood as a “not-to-miss” L.A. experience. They also give it five stars: 93% of visitors surveyed said they ... Read more

Vacationing with friends and family still a priority for Indians according to Travel Tours Leisure Travel Survey 2019. Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions has released its first Outbound Travel Survey for 2019 before the start of the busy summer travel season. The Survey was conducted individually with more than 1200 respondents within the age group of 25-65 years across 8 key cities in India who had booked international travel recently on the platform. “The Travel Tours Leisure Travel Survey 2019 gives us a unique insight into the travel preferences of the discerning Indian Traveller. With ... Read more

The Green team of Meluha, The Fern, an ecotel hotel at Hirandani Powai, Mumbai organized a poster competition on the theme beat air pollution on the occasion of world environment day. All the departments from the hotel participated in the competition. The team explored their artistic creativity to depict the theme in myriad ways. The highlight of the event was the entirely edible poster made by the kitchen team from white chocolate and food colors. “For us at The Fern hotels, environment sensitivity is a way of life.These kind of competitions inculcate an environment awareness among the staff and help ... Read more

Online travel agency Travelcheck has launched in South Africa. The new company is a privately funded venture and offers flight and hotel bundles, online booking for all major airlines, and more than 300 000 hotels around the world. Travelcheck.co.za differentiates from other online booking websites with a dynamic packages feature which enables travellers to custom create holidays. Pre-defined packages are available to book should travellers desire recommendations. “We are excited to launch Travelcheck in South Africa,” said CEO, Odette Faling. “Travellers can save up to 25 per cent by booking flights and hotels in a bundle rather than reserving these ... Read more

To mark World Environment Day, Emirates gave its old advertising billboards in South Africa a new lease of life, transforming the PVC Flex material into hundreds of reusable bags. In an effort to spread the message of sustainability and make a positive impact on local communities, the advertising banners collected from across South Africa, were given a second life – the heavy-duty, PVC Flex material was upcycled to produce school bags that were donated to students of Emfundisweni Primary School in Alexandra. A total of 517 square meters of PVC Flex material was collected and sent to Johannesburg, where Emirates ... Read more

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Ibiza, Spain’s biggest catwalk of Resort collections, has concluded its third edition with fashion and music as major protagonists. For a third year, the event brought together the new cruise collections of big names in the Spanish fashion world, such as Alvarno, Andres Sarda, Juanjo Oliva, Robertodiz and The 2nd Skin Co. and the Dutch designer David Laport. Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel -The Club, the nerve centre for Ibiza’s summer life, was the spectacular new setting for the event, giving the parades a new dimension. The shimmering light of the Mediterranean, the magic of Ibiza’s nightlife, and ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism, Oman successfully conducted roadshows in Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai on 27th, 29th and 31st May 2019 respectively, to strengthen its outreach among the travel trade fraternity in India. In an effort to retain the growth momentum of Indian arrivals into Oman, the Ministry along with destination management companies, hotels, attraction operators and Oman Air, the national carrier connected with over 200 notable travel & tour companies. The interactive platform with prefixed meetings allowed trade partners and travel agents to network and learn more about the diverse product offerings and experiences that Oman has to offer. The ... Read more

Prahlad Singh Patel has assumed charge as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in New Delhi today. The five-time MP, Prahlad Singh Patel represents Damoh Lok Sabha Constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He has previously been member of several Parliamentary Committees in the 16th Lok Sabha. The 59 year old Minister takes interest in a wide range of social and cultural activities including preservation of Indian culture, development of rural areas, farmers’ welfare and promotion of sports. Addressing media persons, soon after taking charge, the Minister said that the Ministry will work to fulfill ... Read more

The Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain has opened- The Fern Residency, Karad in Maharashtra. This takes the tally to 60 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, Karad is a 42-room hotel offers everything which a discerning business traveller is seeking. The property boasts of elegant accommodation in two different categories Winter Green and Hazel ... Read more