As part of an interactive and informative sessions, Oman Tourism recently completed its three city sales missions with more than 20-25 prominent outbound trade partners each from Cochin, Hyderabad, and Kolkata in India. The sales missions were held on 21, 22 and 24 March 2023. The objective was to create awareness about the Sultanate of Oman in the trade and motivate them to sell the Sultanate of Oman as a leisure destination to their clients. The sales missions were graced by two delegates from the Muscat head office—Mr. Yousuf Khalaf Al Mujaizi, Assistant Director, Business Development and Mr. Mubarak Salim Al Harrasi, Head, Section of Arab and Asia markets. The sales missions were also attended by the members of Oman Air, whose participation was the focus of the three events. Two persons from each of the Indian cities were presented Oman Air tickets for answering a simple quiz post presentation. The event started at around 11.00 hours with a presentation by Oman Air and Oman Tourism, which was followed by a networking lunch. After learning about the exquisite culture, heritage, and adventure on offer in Oman, the trade partners were extremely eager to promote the picturesque destination to their clients. The response from the tourism industry was extremely positive. The team was thrilled with the excellent feedback from the three markets and is anticipating an increase in visitors from these cities to Oman. Earlier on 20 March, meetings were conducted in Cochin with five trade partners in their offices about the need to promote the Sultanate as a picturesque destination with their customers. On 25 March in Kolkata, a sit-down lunch was organized at a hotel with five trade partners …

Ahead of the 2nd Tourism Working Group Meeting, Harsh Vardhan Shingla, Chief Coordinator of G20 India, highlighted the opportunity for India’s North Eastern region to showcase its cultural heritage and tourism potential. At a press conference in Darjeeling, Shingla announced that 10 ambassadors from G20 nations would visit the area and engage with local stakeholders to discuss the region’s potential. 

Airports Council International (ACI)-Asia Pacific has warned that the aviation industry’s recovery is threatened by rising airfares in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions, despite stable airport charges. ACI-Asia Pacific’s latest industry outlook reveals that, despite airports’ substantial efforts to freeze or lower airport charges in 2022, airfares rose by an average of 53% compared to 2019. 

Fast-growing cruise tourism becomes a prominent segment of the global tourism industry Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism said the upcoming Global Tourism Investors Summit 2023 will focus at promoting cruise tourism at a high scale as this is the space ready to make great giants. 

Nikhil Kumar, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Andaman Tourism said, “Efforts and synergy between the private and public players is necessary to transform Andaman into a hub for island tourism. We propose to establish ourselves as a yacht destination and are also looking for approval that will allow us to have offshore casinos.” 

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, announced its partnership with CHOOOSE, a Norway-based climate tech company, to develop a climate software solution to support MAG’s commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the MAG Sustainability Blueprint. Through this partnership, Malaysia Airlines’ individual and corporate customers can understand and address the emissions associated with their flights by supporting verified carbon offset projects directly when booking through the airline’s official website starting in June 2023. The climate projects selected by MAG, in collaboration with industry experts, are certified by internationally recognised carbon certification standards. Group Chief Sustainability Officer of MAG, Philip See, said, “We recognise the importance of our role in creating a sustainable future for the aviation industry, and we are committed to not just reducing our carbon footprint but rally participation from our customers to be part of this significant journey, towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” By embedding the CHOOOSE-powered solution directly into the customer booking flow, MAG provides transparency around the carbon emissions of every journey and educates customers on their carbon impact with precise calculations according to latest industry standards. Customers can then choose to address the carbon emissions of their flight and support high- quality carbon projects by purchasing verified carbon offsets in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Following the transaction, CHOOOSE will provide a certificate confirming the customer’s climate offset purchase. The partnership will expand to include the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Additionally, through the new programme, corporate customers will be provided with tools to automatically estimate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their company’s employee travel, to voluntarily offset …

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world to recognize the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. In the Philippines, women have played a significant role in the tourism industry, contributing to the growth and development of the sector. Let us see how the Philippines celebrates International Women’s Day in terms of tourism. The Philippines is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural beauty, cultural attractions, and hospitable people. The tourism industry in the country has grown significantly in recent years, contributing to the country’s economic growth. Women have played a critical role in this growth, working in various capacities, including tour guides, hotel staff, and travel agents. To celebrate the achievements of women in the tourism industry, the Philippines organizes various events on International Women’s Day. These events aim to showcase the contribution of women to the sector and inspire other women to pursue careers in tourism. They also provide a platform for women in tourism to network and share their experiences, challenges, and success stories. The nation goes above and beyond in supporting and showcasing women travellers, offering them a seamless and safe experience when travelling to and from the country. The Philippines also recognizes outstanding women in the tourism industry through awards and honours. These awards aim to recognize women’s contributions to the growth and development of the sector and inspire other women to excel in their careers. For example, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines organizes the Mabuhay Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the tourism industry. In addition to these events and awards, the Philippines promotes gender equality in the tourism industry through various policies …

Enter into the world of luxury and be fascinated by the exquisite design inspired by timeless colonial-style architecture. Our masterpiece, Cross Pattaya Pratamnak, is located on Pratamnak hill, where you can see a panoramic view of the ocean and the glistening waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Walk along the soft sand beach and let your mind go with the waves, savor impressive gastronomy and cocktails beneath the stars, or explore mind-blowing food in the colorful city of Pattaya. We invite you to create these magical moments together. Experience Timeless Colonial Elegance at Cross Pattaya Pratamnak: Luxury by Design Sitting majestically amidst a dense forest of mature trees and overlooking the glistening waters of the Gulf of Thailand is Cross Pattaya Pratamnak, a luxury hotel reminiscent of a colonial mansion. Favored by a new generation of independent travellers seeking a slow life in private surroundings – although one still connected to outside world, luxury by design greets visitors as soon as they step from their air-conditioned carriages. Unwind and Recharge in Paradise: Pratamnak Hill The property was built on Pratamnak Hill, the majestical hillside that is commonly associated with the King Rama IX sailing palace that long ago sat at the bottom of Pratamnak Hill and served as the seaside retreat to royalty, including King Rama IX. While Pattaya and Jomtien have become sprawling concrete jungles, the area around Pratamnak is still surrounded by verdant woodlands and a high-end residential district and thus provides a tranquil oasis for its guests. This stately neighborhood is known by those conversants with the area as the ‘secret side of Pattaya’, a sanctuary where you can escape the hustle and bustle. Here, virtually the …

A large delegation from Oman, headed by His Excellency Salim Al Mahrouqi, the Minister of Heritage and Tourism, participated at the ITB Berlin 2023 in the German capital from 7–9 March 2023. A total of 38 exhibitors from local tour operators to tourism projects to hotels and Oman’s national carrier represented the Sultanate at ITB Berlin, meeting key industry partners from all over the world at the 378 square meters-Oman stand in hall 2.2b. “The show is a potent platform for showcasing a variety of offerings that Oman can provide in the growing tourism industry,” said His Excellency Salim Al Mahrouqi. The ITB Berlin 2023 saw a total of 5,500 exhibitors from 161 countries and more than 90,000 participants, confirming the strong demand for tourism around the globe. The Sultanate of Oman offers 5,000 years of history and rich culture, allowing guests to have trulyauthentic experiences and deep insights into the way of life of the Omanis. The country boasts diverse nature and landscapes with sceneries that will leave travellers speechless. From outdoor trips to secluded mountain areas to a family holiday on the beach to a city trip to the capital Muscat—the destination allows for varied experiences and activities and is suitable for a variety of holiday types. Oman’s strong image as a destination ‘sprung from the tales of 1001 Nights’ gives it a magical touch, while at the same time being a safe destination.

In anticipation of the surge of foreign tourists coming into the Philippines this summer season following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive for implementation of electronic visa systems, Department of Tourism (DOT), led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, initiated a high-level convergence meeting with the heads and representatives of agencies such as Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration to discuss visa reforms to ease entry to the country’s tourist source markets. The event is in continuation of the talks initiated by DOT since September 2022 with the concerned agencies to take up visa concerns for key tourism markets in the hope of finding solutions affecting the flow of entry of international tourists. Addressing tourism bottlenecks While the Secretary has recognized tourism achievements made last year as the Philippines ended 2022 with 2.65 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the targeted 1.7 million figures, she emphasized there are still bottlenecks, which prevent the Philippines from fully unlocking the global tourism potential. “For this reason, our President has issued the directive to various government agencies to explore how the bottlenecks to travel into the Philippines may be addressed. He indicated one of the ways by which travel into the Philippines may be fully opened, especially to important markets. We must also explore the provision of electronic visas (e-Visa),” she said, citing the President’s directive that government agencies must explore the provision of e-visas to Chinese and Indian nationals. Indian tourist market’s potential Emphasizing the importance of the Indian tourist market, the DOT stated 58 per cent of the total Indian visitors are repeat travellers. Thus, the need to continue the efforts to sustain …