THAI Smile Airways continues expanding international routes by launching Jaipur – Bangkok flight to underscore its aviation standards and excellent service. The new flight aims at accommodating those targeted groups who are looking for convenient travelling from a full service airline, while opening a new window of adventure for the Thai passengers to explore the Pink City of India. It also offers exclusive travelling experience for Indian passengers with the best services. The A320-200 Airbus will fly directly from Jaipur to Bangkok where passengers can continue travel connections to other cities in Thailand and other countries conveniently. The service flight operates 4 flights a week and starts on January 5, 2023 onwards. Thamanoon Kuprasert, Acting Chief Executive Officer of THAI Smile Airways, a subsidiary airline of THAI Airways International Public Company (THAI), stated that “We are proud and ready to reintroduce the another route to India, that is between Jaipur – Bangkok. This is to underscore our proactive strategy in expanding international routes while encouraging passengers from both countries to explore the new travelling experience. Apart from being the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, with more than 3 million of populations, Jaipur is globally recognized as the Pink City of India. There are plenty of interesting tourist attractions, especially for the art and cultural activities and resources. Opening this new route is to answer to the demands of the Indian tourists who love the charming of Thailand. The excellent services are provided by our flight attendants who are committed to serving the passengers with humble and smile, which is the unique of Thainess that is recognized worldwide.” Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand …

Global Destinations will now assist the Outrigger team on further increasing brand awareness and sales amongst Indian travelers and the travel fraternity for its collection of premier, award-winning beach resorts across Thailand, Mauritius and the Maldives. Outrigger prides itself on its world-class hospitality rooted in local culture and has some of the most iconic locations such as Bel Ombre nature reserve in Mauritius, South Ari Atoll Maldives and Koh Samui Beach in Thailand. With a range of new offerings, openings and refurbishments over the last six months across Fiji, Maldives, Hawai‘i and Thailand, Outrigger Resorts & Hotels is a must-visit accommodation option for those wanting to escape to a tropical getaway. Sean Dee, Chief Commercial Officer, Outrigger Hospitality Group comments: “India is an important source market for Outrigger’s properties in Thailand, Mauritius and the Maldives and we are pleased to collaborate with Global Destinations on this expanded role.” He added, “Outrigger is constantly striving to elevate its brand with new properties, technology and amenities – we look forward to welcoming more guests from India and providing them with authentic experiences in iconic beach resort destinations.” Pranav Kapadia, Founder, Global Destinations comments “We are delighted to be working with Outrigger Hospitality Group as their India partner. Over the last year, we have been privileged to work with Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort and do some good work, so to work along with their Thailand and Maldives resorts is a fantastic opportunity for us at Global Destinations.” He also highlighted,” Outrigger Resorts & Hotels are looking at steadily increasing their footprint in India and we aim to achieve this for them by building a strong brand presence as well as taking their sales …

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India participated in FITUR from the 18th to 22nd of January in Madrid which is one of the world’s largest international travel exhibitions. In cognizance of the situation after the pandemic, This participation is significant to step up the recovery of inbound tourism to pre-pandemic levels. The Ministry of Tourism took a space of 253 sq. meters, with over 30 participants co-exhibiting with the India Pavilion to participate in the Exhibition. The India Pavilion was graced by the presence of the King and Queen of Spain and was formally inaugurated by His Excellency, Mr Dinesh K. Patnaik, Dr Abhay Sinha, DG SEPC, Indian Ambassador to Spain, Mr Mohammed Riyas, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Kerala, and Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Inauguration of the India Pavilion was done with Ribbon Cutting followed by Indian cultural performances and Yoga sessions. After the inauguration, the Indian delegation and participants went around the India Pavilion and booths of various participating states and tour operators. The participation was coordinated by Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC). During the day, Incredible India organized various Culture Performances, Yoga Sessions, Mehndi and Bollywood Dance Performances. The Indian Delegation led by Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism participated in key business meetings with senior leadership from Melia Hotels International, Palladium Hotel Group, Expedia Group, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cushman & Wakefield, and the Indo-Spanish Chambers of Commerce. These meetings facilitated by the dedicated Industry Development & Investment Promotion (IDIP) Division at the Ministry of Tourism managed by Invest India, had discussions around investment opportunities in the Indian tourism & hospitality sector. …

Tripjack is excited to announce the opening of a new office in Chennai, India. The office will act as a focal point for the business operations in the area and offer a variety of services to local travel partners. It will be led by a team of experienced travel professionals who are committed to delivering the highest level of service and will look at new avenues to explore business growth in the region. The team will work closely with local travel partners servicing them across all categories including Flights, Hotels, Cruises, Holidays, Rail and Visas. Speaking on the announcement, Hussain Patel, Director, Tripjack said, “We are thrilled to open a new chapter in Chennai, which is an important hub for both business and leisure travel. We believe expanding our footprint will enable us to serve our travel partners in a more personalized and direct way. Along with our high-quality service we look to explore new avenues of growth in this region.”

The MoT has issued fresh guidelines for recognition of tourism service providers. Based on te requests from stakeholders, the MoT will now consider turiner of 2019-20 applicable till Dec 2023. The minimum annual turnover required for this was Rs 20 lakh.

The Centre will organise the country’s first Global Tourism Summit on April 10-12, in New Delhi as part of India’s G-20 presidency. Tourism Ministry officials from various northern region states emphasised how G20 will be the Centre’s main area to establish India as a key tourism destination, during its year-long leadership. Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Publicity, Ministry of Tourism, said: “The summit is being organised to showcase various opportunities for investment and trade in the sector, especially in the hospitality sector. This will allow global visitors to explore Indian tourism products and services that will provide an opportunity to the local players to cater to the global demand and compete in this sector.”

Speaking about various schemes offered by the government of Punjab, Gurkirat Kripal Singh, Secretary, Tourism & Cultural Affairs, said, “As the gateway to the nation for Central Asia, a lot of cultural exchange has happened in Punjab where a lot of events have taken place, of significant historical value. The government of Punjab is embarking on a series of new initiatives to achieve the ends from the point of view of Punjab. Of Punjab’s upcoming initiatives, adventure tourism, water tourism and caravan tourism topped the list.”

Swiss Hotel Apartments – A luxury hotel apartment chain in Switzerland inked a partnership agreement with Wanderlust Marketing, Global Destinations experiential travel representation vertical to sell and market their various 5 star serviced apartments in India. This association will offer Indians travelling to Switzerland, access to a range of unique accommodation experiences and apartment style options. Post pandemic travel trends for Indian travellers reveal holiday accommodation goes beyond merely hotel categories or room types. The FIT traveller segment has shown an increasing preference to explore authentic local stays and a want for deeper engagement and immersion into the destination, culture and its people. Swiss Hotel Apartments as a leading luxury hotel apartments provider in Switzerland, take on responsibility to make their guests’ experience as remarkable as possible, not just the stay but the complete journey from the time they book until the check out. They have properties in Montreux, Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lugano ranging from Studios, One, Two, Three Bedrooms, Villas to Chalets. The apartments can sleep 2 to 10 guests. These are Family friendly, spacious, modern apartments with fully equipped kitchens, taking care of the smallest detail towards the guest’s comfort making them feel home. Swiss Hotel Apartments is a member of Suisse Tourisme and Apartment Holiday Comfort and ranked as 5 Star Hotel Apartments in Switzerland. In their initiative to tap into the ever-expanding market potential that India has on offer and to leverage the growing demand for apartment style accommodation, the agreement with Wanderlust Marketing commences with immediate effect. Swiss Hotel Apartments intend to offer significant value and flexibility to honeymooners, families, ad-hoc groups of friends and business-cum-leisure travellers with access to their unique stay options- across …

Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has been named top in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for punctuality. As per the results of the 2022 On-Time Performance Review by global aviation analytics leader, Cirium, the airline’s on-time arrivals stood at 91.38%, almost 5% ahead of the region’s second highest ranking airline. The annual Cirium On-Time Performance Review is considered the global gold standard for airline   and airport performance, its results based on data collected from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information. It defines on-time flights as those that arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival. Captain Nasser bin Ahmed Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer at Oman Air, said, “During 2022, the global operational environment has been challenging, with many airports affected by disruptions and resource challenges, as well as the lingering effects of Covid-19. Despite such a backdrop, we have continued to maintain an excellent service record. To have achieved this recognition for on-time performance against some of the world’s most reputable airlines is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all Oman Air staff across our global network. As we enter into 2023, we look forward to continuing to pursue excellence in all elements of our guest experience, from punctuality to convenience, our products and services, and of course our signature Omani hospitality.” Continuing to position itself as a major international carrier, Oman Air has set several benchmarks for quality, comfort and hospitality in the last year, earning itself the 2023 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), among others. Evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting market, the airline has made …

The Ministry’s new scheme ‘PM’s Development Initiative for the NER – PMDevINE – with an outlay of Rs 6,600 cr has been approved earlier in Oct 2022 separately under which larger and high impact proposals under infrastructure, social development and livelihood sectors are taken, says G. Kishan Reddy, Minister, DoNER. Scheme will transform the North-Eastern Region and boost socio-economic empowerment and enable livelihood opportunities.