ITA Airways has made its debut in the Canadian market with the launch of its new nonstop connection between Toronto and Rome. The inaugural flight took off today from Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport at 4:40 pm. To celebrate the launch of the new intercontinental route, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the departure gate of Terminal 1 in Toronto Airport in the presence of Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, Luca Zelioli, Consul General of Italy, Ivana Jelinic, CEO of the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT, Gianluca Caramanna, Member of Italian Parliament and Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Kurush Minocher, Executive Director, Customer Experience and Airline Relations, GTAA, Vincent Crisanti, Councillor, City of Toronto, Pierfrancesco Carino, VP International Sales ITA Airways and Massimo Allegri, Regional Manager Americas ITA Airways. “The launch of ITA Airways’ flights between Canada and Italy comes in response to the significant demand for travel between the two nations, driven in part by the substantial Italian Canadian population – stated Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer, ITA Airways, and CEO, Volare. – With our direct flight, we plan to transport to up to 2 million of Italian Canadian passengers who travel between Italy and Canada annually. Toronto, in particular, serves as a pivotal gateway for our airline, facilitating not only point-to-point travel but also connections to various destinations within both countries, thereby catering to both leisure and business travelers – added the CCO – This underscores ITA Airways’ commitment to delivering optimal travel solutions to our Clients. The new route has already garnered impressive results in terms of bookings, with over 30,000 passengers booked between May and September.” “The inauguration …

ICRA’s report on India’s aviation industry says, April 2024 saw 132.8 lakh domestic air passengers, which was 0.6 per cent lower than 133.7 lakh in March 2024. However, it grew by 3 per cent on a y-o-y basis and was higher by 21 per cent than pre-COVID levels. The airlines’ capacity deployment in April 2024 was higher than April 2023 by 2 per cent.

Tamil Nadu received 28.61 crore domestic tourists in 2023, a 33 per cent surge in comparison to 2022, and 11.75 lakh foreign tourists, a 97 per cent increase when compared to the previous year. After introduction of e-pass for Ooty and Kodaikanal, the witnessed daily arrivals of approx. 39,000-1 lakh.

As per Future Insights Market forecast, India’s medical tourism is estimated to be valued at US$ 10,362.9 million in 2024. It is projected to surpass US$ 50,670.5 million by 2034. The industry growth in India is expected to develop at 17.20 per cent CAGR from 2024 to 2034. The surge is the result of rise in demand for cost-effective healthcare facilities.

After meeting the state’s tourism official, Kuldeep Singh Chandela, President, Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) said, “The tourism department is likely to come up with Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy in the upcoming budget session. In fact, they are also planning to recognise, the unrecognised hotels, tour operators, and travel agents in the policy.”

In a key development, CRISIL Ratings report revealed that Indian airlines are set to capture nearly 50 per cent of international passenger traffic by FY28 from 43 per cent in FY24. Along with that, the growth in domestic traffic is expected at 10-11 per cent over the same period.  India’s international passenger traffic grew to around 70 million in FY24, from 10 million in FY21.

In a bid to boost tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, FHRAI organised a pivotal gathering of tourism stakeholders. The event ignited discussions to propel Union Territory’s tourism development through regulatory frameworks, facilitating investments, and implementing innovative marketing strategies to showcase J&K as a premier tourist destination.

In order to make India’s tourism offerings more attractive and accessible throughout the year, Manisha Saxena, DG, MOT, GoI, highlighted the ‘Coolcation,’ campaign, aimed at showcasing country’s cooler regions and diversifying the tourist experience beyond the conventional peak seasons,  while challenging misconceptions about India’s climate.

TravTalk hosted special panel discussions on ‘Importance of India Market in the GCC’ and ‘Enticing Indian Tourists’ at ATM 2024. During these sessions, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President, APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority; Markus Tan, Regional Director, India, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Singapore Tourism; and  KD Singh, Founder and President, TravelBullz discussed strategies and initiatives to attract Indian visitors.

As per International Air Transport Association (IATA), in March 2024, there was 13.8 per cent increase in global passenger demand vis-a-vis the same month in 2023. International passenger demand saw a rise of 18.9 per cent compared to March 2023, while domestic demand rose to 6.6 per cent, showcasing a positive landscape for aviation industry.