Category: News

The domestic market of India continues to perform strongly, again registering double digit growth over the year to February, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). China and Russia topped the growth chart with 11.4 per cent and 10.1 per cent year-on-year growth rates respectively. This marks the 54th consecutive month of double-digit domestic RPK growth for India. A generally solid economic backdrop, combined with continued growth in the number of airport pairs have all contributed to this sustained growth performance. RPK is a measure of passenger volumes. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said annual growth in industry-wide RPKs eased ... Read more

The Korea tourism organisation (KTO) has signed an MOU with Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) to boost outbound traffic numbers from India to South Korea with a special focus on MICE. With this MOU, otoai will prioritise South Korea as a Focus Country for 2019. A book, titled, ‘Indian Friendly Restaurants in Korea’, was released on the occasion. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of Tourism Travel Mart being held in Mumbai. Nine DMCs and four regional tourism organisations were participating in the mart apart from Korea film commission and Seoul film commission. “India has always been an ... Read more

Grand Mercure Mysore has completed 3 years of successful operations on 8th April, 2019. The event was marked with numerous engaging activities organized at the hotel for guests and patrons. Marking the landmark occasion, the hotel team performed a surprise flash mob in an effort to engage the in-house guests and onlookers to become part of the celebrations. The surprise event turned out to be a remarkable celebration, compelling people from varying age groups to revel in the spirit of the moment. This was followed by a cake cutting ceremony. Grand Mercure Mysore celebrated this event with full gusto, and ... Read more

Cinnamon Life is all set to present the record-breaking and multi-award-winning ‘Matilda the Musical’ for the first time in Sri Lanka from 5th to 9th June at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Colombo. One of the best-selling shows of all time, Matilda the Musical is an exhilarating, nostalgic and heart-tugging story based on the popular book by world-renowned author, Roald Dahl. In collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and GWB Entertainment, it is a feel-good, upbeat musical that explores themes of friendship, willpower, family and determination with its uplifting storyline, loveable characters and toe-tapping tunes. Telling the powerful tale ... Read more

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, will take place between June 8 and September 8. The registration for the yatra began on Tuesday and applicants between 18-70 years of age can apply till May 9. Applicant should possess an ordinary Indian passport valid for at least six months as on 01 September of the current year. The yatra is through the routes of the Nathu La and the Lipulekh passes. The route through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, which involves some trekking, is estimated to cost about Rs 1.8 lakh per person and will be conducted in ... Read more

Ajith Nair has been appointed as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Leela Raviz Kovalam. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading and improving all aspects of sales and marketing communications, promoting brand strategies and providing the best Leela Raviz hospitality to the guests. Ajith has been in the hospitality industry for over 17 years. Prior to joining Leela Raviz Kovalam, he was with Accor Hotels. Ajith is a lover of literature, a sportsperson and a music enthusiast. Ajit’s hands own acquaintance being from Kerala’s renowned traditional hospitality clubbed with his International experience will take Leela Raviz ... Read more

The Israel Ministry of Tourism said it has become the official culture travel partner of the third edition of ITB China, set to take place from 15 – 17 May 2019, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center. Israel as the “land of creation” combines modernity and innovation with thousands of years’ old tradition and history. “This is the second consecutive year that Israel Ministry of Tourism is taking part in ITB China and we are proud to enhance our collaboration with the organizers and become culture travel partner at ITB China 2019! Israel is well known in ... Read more

Dubai International Airport’s (DXB) runway will be closed for repair work between April 16 and May 30. In view of this, Air India and Air India Express have announced a change in airport for some of their flights during the runway renovation period in Dubai International Airport. Some of the flights will be affected during the Dubai runway closure and operate out of the Sharjah International Airport, reported Gulf News. Affected flights are- AIR INDIA: Daily direct flights from Mumbai (AI 983) and Chennai (AI 906) to Dubai, daily flights in the route Visakhapatnam/Hyderabad/Dubai/Hyderabad/Visakhapatnam (AI 951/952) and the Bengaluru/ Goa/Dubai/Goa/Bengaluru flights ... Read more

Hospitality firm OYO said it will be scaling its executive stays offering SilverKey to 19 cities across the country by the end of 2019. SilverKey hotels are currently operational in 10 cities such as Kolkata, Gurugram, Delhi, Noida, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram, OYO said in a statement. The company has identified corporate travel segment as a key engine of growth for the year and has stepped up engagement in this segment, it added. It also aims to increase the number of SilverKey hotels to 400 with over 8,000 rooms by the end of 2019, OYO said. The ... Read more

AirAsia will start its inaugural Ahmedabad route – starting May 31, 2019, with special all-in promotional fares exclusively for AirAsia BIG members from Rs 4,999 one way. Guests can take advantage of the convenient flight schedule with early morning arrival and evening departure, which gives them more time to spend in Bangkok. Ahmedabad is the ninth Indian destination for AirAsia Thailand (carrier code FD), after Kochi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Gaya (seasonal). Book from 9-21 April 2019 for travel between 31 May 2019 and 4 February 2020 on airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app. “India is a ... Read more

Emirates has been awarded Best First Class in the world at the 2019 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards for Airlines. The airline also clinched several other awards including Best Regional Business Class Middle East, Best First Class Middle East and nabbed the overall Travelers’ Choice Major Airline honour for the Middle East. TripAdvisor has awarded the world’s top carriers based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for airlines by TripAdvisor flyers, gathered over a 12-month period. Emirates’ First Class experience has defined premium travel introducing product innovations like private suites, the in-flight Shower Spa, the Onboard Lounge and ... Read more

Emirates has resumed its operations to Zagreb for summer, serving the route until 26 October 2019. Its partner airline, flydubai will then begin to operate during the winter season. The strategic partnership between both airlines ensures capacity is deployed to best serve customer demand. Flight EK 129 will depart Dubai at 8:30 am and arrive in Zagreb at 12:35 pm local time, utilizing a Boeing 777-300ER. The return flight, EK 130 will depart Zagreb at 15:25 pm and arrive in Dubai at 23:00 pm local time. Due to the planned upgrade works on the southern runway at DXB, from 16 ... Read more

The Pride Group of Hotels, which manages 14 Hotels and Resorts across the country announces the inclusion of “Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot” as the 15th property under the Pride Umbrella. The resort is conveniently located on Rataiya Road, Ishwariya, Rajkot. It is well connected through rail, road and air to all major cities. Pride Resort and Convention Centre Rajkot will bring in a True Indian Touch in the hospitality industry in the city and will soon become the preferred venue for leisure & business travelers, conventions and events. “We are extremely pleased to unveil Pride Resort and Convention ... Read more

Karnataka Tourism will be organising Karnataka International Travel Expo 2019 from August 25-27 in Bengaluru. The travel expo will feature around 350 international and domestic buyers interact, network and do business with exhibitors and stakeholders from the state. The event is supported by major travel trade and hospitality associations such as ADTOI, ATOAI, IATO, TAAI, SKAL, FICCI, Karnataka Tourism Forum, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), among others. “Karnataka International Travel Expo 2019 or as we call KITE in short, has been one of the long-standing demands of our private stakeholders in tourism. The need was to ... Read more

Effective June 05, IndiGo will fly daily non-stop from Mumbai to Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. Effective July 05, the airline will connect Mumbai with Dammam through daily direct flights (Subject to regulatory approvals). Additionally, IndiGo is temporarily adding approximately 20 new departures each from Mumbai and Delhi in a phased manner from April 15, 2019. This is an effort to make it easier for customers to find affordable fares during the busy season. “We are strengthening Mumbai as a key travel hub for domestic and international connectivity from India. We are pleased to announce Jeddah and Dammam as our 17th ... Read more