Category: News

IndiGo Airlines has announced the cancellation of some flights to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi from March 17, in view of travel restrictions arising out of the corona virus scare. “Owing to the suspension of visas for all foreigners with exception of diplomatic passport holders, Indigo will be cancelling some of its flights (as mentioned above) until the travel restrictions are lifted. The airline said it would be refunding the entire amount to the impacted passengers,” the airline said in a statement.

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) has urged the central government to take steps that will help the tourism industry to tide over its cash crunch, in the light of the coronavirus outbreak. In a meeting with the tourism ministry, a 10 member multi-association team discussed a series of steps that could revive the sector. The ADTOI team requested the ministry to provide a complete GST tax holiday for the travel and hospitality industry for the next 12 months. It has called for a 6-9 months’ moratorium on all principal and interest payments on loans and overdrafts. ... Read more

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stepped up calls for government support, warning that the travel meltdown could lead to many of the airlines facing steep losses within the next two months. IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac said the risk of further bankruptcies will depend on the intensity and the duration of the coronavirus crisis. Talking to news agency Reuters, he said if the drop is as significant as seen now, the industry will see difficulties. Airlines are demanding relief from charges related to aircraft parking and overflight fees, which is essentially a fee for airspace usage. Many carriers ... Read more

Private airport operators have requested that a moratorium be placed on revenue sharing for at least three months. The private airports are required to share their revenues with the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), as per the prevailing norms. The operators have also suggested that they be allowed to levy a fee on air tickets to cover the costs incurred towards deploying additional resources for screening travellers. The Association of Private Airports Operators (APAO) has told the Civil Aviation Ministry that the corona virus scare has adversely impacted the non-aero revenues due to reduced sales at F&B and retail ... Read more

Disney has closed the Walt Disney World, its flagship theme park resort in Orlando, Florida, because of the corona virus pandemic. The company also announced the closure of Disneyland Paris and the suspension of all new departures with the Disney Cruise Line. The company also said it was closing the Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The virus, which has spread worldwide, has now shuttered the gates of all eleven Disney theme parks across North America, Europe and Asia. “In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of our ... Read more

Travelers who were all set to reach Bengaluru to attend some key music events may be disappointed. The corona virus outbreak has pushed American pop artist Khalid’s Asia tour to a later date. The event was supposed to take place this month. The Bangalore Open Air, a rock and heavy metal music festival, that was to be held on March 21 has been shelved. Other city-based bands have also cancelled gigs. An Austrian pop singers’ concert to be held on the weekend at Windmills Craftworks will not take place. And then, the government has asked for weddings and sports events ... Read more

Russia’s Sheremetyevo wins best large airport of the year award The Russian airport of Sheremetyevo has been picked as the best large airport in Europe in 2019, according to a survey by the Airport Council International’s (ACI) airport service quality programme. This is the second consecutive year that Sheremetyevo has led the survey in the category of airports serving more than 40 million passengers per year. The award will be presented at the ASQ Awards ceremony in September as part of the third Global Summit of the Airport Council International (ACI) in Kraków, Poland. Sheremetyevo Airport has consistently led the ... Read more

The solidarity of the tourism sector and the individual tourists is a key factor in minimising the spread and impact of COVID-19, the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have said. UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili has stated that the COVID-19 outbreak is first and foremost a public health issue. “UNWTO is following the lead of WHO, with whom we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship.” Pololikashvili is in Geneva, leading a high level delegation to the WHO’s headquarters to further advance the two agencies’ coordinated response to the COVID-19 outbreak. He added that the ... Read more

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has clarified that the Singapore Ministry of Health has not issued any health advisory that requires travelers from India to have yellow fever vaccinations. STB in a press note on Wednesday said that a circular dated February 27, purportedly from Air India, has been making the rounds stating “yellow fever vaccination requirement for travelers to Singapore”. The circular further claims that it is a directive from the Singapore Ministry of Health. STB’s regional director GB Srithar said, “I am in touch with the senior management of Air India to verify the authenticity of the circular ... Read more

Schools to engage only authorised tour operators The Kerala government has provided fresh directions for schools while undertaking study tours and industry visits, keeping in mind some of the undesirable practices that have crept into the system. The state education department has said that all schools including the CBSE and ICSE institutions have to ensure that only recognised tour operators are used for the purpose. In a press release, the department has said that the responsibility of such trips will be have to be met by the heads of  the respective schools. The arrangements of such visits will have to ... Read more

Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people, announces the launch of a new unique in-app user experience, Festival Mode, in India. Users can add a badge to their profile highlighting their planned festival destination. From there, they have the ability to match and chat with other users attending the same event before they arrive. Festival Mode will begin rolling out on Tinder starting November 19th and users will have access to event-specific badges. After festivals including EDC Las Vegas, Bonnaroo, British Summer Time and EDC, Orlando, Festival Mode will have its debut in India with Bacardi NH7 ... Read more

Renowned for its wildlife-driven holidays and adventure capabilities, South Africa received yet another vote of confidence as the Best Family Destination (International) from Indian readers of one of the most prominent travel magazines in the world. “Family dynamics in India are similar to those in South Africa; hence we recognize and understand the value of vacations that offer opportunities to rejuvenate while strengthening relationships. At South African Tourism, we have done away with cookie-cutter holidays, and one-size-fits-all itineraries as every family seeks unique and distinctive experiences. Utmost emphasis is placed on the quality and quantity of experiences we can offer ... Read more

In an aggressive bid to make deeper inroads in Europe, Kerala Tourism conducted a string of high-energy road shows by participating in World Travel Market (WTM) London 2019 in November and showcasing its formidable eyeball-grabbing products in the emerging markets of Scandinavian countries Denmark and Finland. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran led a high-profile official delegation, comprising prominent trade partners like hoteliers, resort owners, tour operators and service providers from the state, to WTM London and roadshows in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Helsinki (Finland). At WTM London, Kerala Tourism set up a spectacular pavilion over 120 sq.mt area with the ... Read more

Al Qana, the new social culinary and entertainment destination developed by Al Barakah International Investment (BII) in Abu Dhabi, today revealed “The Bridge Wellness Hub”, one of its seven destinations. “The Bridge” is an integrated lifestyle wellness hub that has been carefully designed to be a disruptive space within its industry. The construction of the concept has commenced already and will open its doors for the first time in Q4 2020 to coincide with the grand opening of Al Qana. The uniqueness of “The Bridge” concept comes from a combination of two ideas. One space that bridges all aspects of ... Read more

Kerala has received the 2019 award for ‘Best Honeymoon Destination’ under domestic category by Travel and Leisure India and South Asia Magazine, boosting the efforts of the state to add new products to its tourism portfolio to attract a wide spectrum of tourists. Travel+Leisure India’s Best Awards 2019 were presented at an impressive function at ITC Maurya, New Delhi on Friday evening. Bollywood actress Dia Mirza was the host. Manoj TC, Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism, New Delhi received the award. The awards were given to international and domestic tourism departments, hoteliers, destinations, facilitators, service providers, and trendsetters at the function, ... Read more