In January 2025, VisitBritain will launch a major marketing campaign aimed at showcasing the UK’s cultural richness through the lens of popular films and TV shows. “Our Starring Great Britain campaign is all about bringing the magic of British films and TV to life. Whether you’re walking the streets of Bath like in Bridgerton or visiting locations from Peaky Blinders in Birmingham, we want visitors to feel like they’re part of these cinematic landscapes,” said Patricia Yates, CEO, VisitBritain.

Accepting the India Travel Awards for ‘Best Tour Operator – West India’, Ashish Shah, Founder, Dewberry Holidays, said, “Receiving this award motivates us to work even harder and I am truly grateful to the organisers for this.” Based in Mumbai, the company was established in 2017 with the idea to create a world of affordable tourism and to explore as well as innovate new avenues in the travel industry.

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in his address at 12th Edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM), in Kaziranga in Assam, underscored the Northeast’s legacy, cultural diversity, and natural wealth emphasizing its rich cuisine, crafts and biodiversity. This ITM is a remarkable opportunity for Northeast India to showcase its rich culture and diversity to the world and also offers a platform for people from across the globe to witness the extraordinary heritage of this region, he said. He further highlighted the significance of hosting the ITM in Kaziranga, stating that it reflects the increasing importance of the Northeast on the national stage. Mentioning the event in Kaziranga as special, the minister said that over the past decade, development in the region has accelerated.

With an eye to reinforce Taiwan’s post-pandemic tourism profile, Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) has announced the launch of new global brand positioning campaign, and logo, Version 3.0 titled ‘Taiwan – Waves of Wonder.’ It also launched a new series of  animated short films and Taiwan tourism promotional song to accompany the new logo. Inviting visitors to ‘engage now’ to experience Taiwan in all its colours and across four-seasons, the new campaign aims to drive demand, accelerate inbound tourism growth, fully revitalise country’s tourism sector. The campaign also aims to drive 10 million international tourist arrivals this year, eyeing a significant growth over last year’s 6.48 million tourist arrivals. The new version of the brand integrates images of Taiwan’s mountains, oceans, highways and railways, presenting a wave-like design to convey the seasonal highlights of the destination showing that Taiwan is diverse and beautiful, while emphasizing its year-round hospitality towards visitors. The logo adopts the orange tones of sunrise and morning light to not only align with the ‘warmth and vitality of the previous brand’, but also to symbolise the future development of Taiwan’s tourism industry. The campaign showcases Taiwan in all its hues, from modern tourism infrastructure and landmarks, great outdoors and activities, pristine nature, architectural and cultural heritage, to exotic cuisines and immersive culinary experiences, vibrant nightlife, shopping, music, entertainment and its vibrant festivals, among others, to position Taiwan as round-the-year destination.

The Australian national carrier Qantas has today announced a new model for travel agents to access Qantas fares, as the airline continues to invest in its new distribution capabilities to better serve the evolving needs of agents and customers. Launching mid-next year, the new model reflects a global drive towards adoption of NDC technology, which has significant benefits for travel agents and their customers. From 1 July 2025, agents will be able to access Qantas content a number of ways, with surcharge free options as well as varying ticket surcharges, including: • Traditional indirect booking systems (also known as EDIFACT) • Standard NDC • Premium NDC

Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) is pleased to announce the launch of IndiGo’s direct flight from Chennai to Penang, with the inaugural flight scheduled for the 21st of December 2024. This marks a significant step in strengthening the relationship between Penang and India. The new route further cements PCEB’s ongoing efforts to enhance connectivity and foster closer ties between the two regions.

Join an exclusive webinar of Impiana Private Villas, Seminyak, Bali on 28 November at 3 pm and get insights about its authentic Indian restaurant Frangipaani and Impiana Private Pool Villas, presented by a three-member team. For more information, contact Jaspreet Kaur at +91 9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

VFS Global has crossed the 300 million applications milestone globally. It is notable that the last 100 million applications have been achieved in the past 5 years despite the pandemic-driven travel slow-down of 2020-2022. In 2023 alone, the company processed 24.1 million applications, 35% more than 2022, and between January to May 2024, it has processed approximately 100,000 applications a day. Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group, said, “We are very pleased and honoured with the achievement of this milestone, which is a testament to the trust 69 governments have in VFS Global, and a testament to the reliable, secure and innovative services we provide across 153 countries. We are also deeply grateful to all visa applicants using our services. Over the past year we are honoured to have won several important contracts, including becoming the exclusive overseas visa outsourcing partner for UK Visas and DHA Australia, and contracts with Germany, Finland, Portugal and Japan who have renewed their trust in us. We remain deeply committed to continuing investments in technology and human capital development to ensure continuous enhancement of our services.”

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has opened registrations for its upcoming TAFI Convention 2025 that will be held in the Ninh Binh province in Northern Vietnam from 17 to 20 January. The theme of the convention is ‘Tourism for Tomorrow: Protecting the Planet.’ Elaborating on the choice of destination and the theme, Ajay Prakash, TAFI President, said “Indian tourism is booming. While inbound numbers are still below pre-Covid levels, outbound and domestic tourism are breaking all records. But an industry that is totally people-centric and which thrives on the natural beauty and the amazing diversity in the world also has a duty to protect the Planet. Sustainability has gone beyond being a mere catchword, it is the single most important need today for the tourism industry and if we are to rethink our business models and think beyond profit, the move has to come from within the industry. As the leading travel association in the country TAFI will take the lead in sensitizing our members who in turn will guide their clients towards Responsible Tourism practices.” Anil Kalsi, Vice President added “The Provincial government of Ninh Binh has been extremely supportive, and the Department of Tourism has laid out the red carpet for TAFI delegates.” Speaking about the format of the convention, Abbas Moiz, National General Secretary, adds, “TAFI is offering members a three-night convention at an incredible price of Rs. 15,999/- per person on twin sharing. We have also negotiated great prices with DMCs for some exciting pre- and post-convention tours. Our members can contact them directly to take advantage of the special prices. Similarly, members are free to choose between the various airlines offering direct or …

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that air travel plays an important role when it comes to connectivity in the Northeastern region. He added that the state government is working aggressively to upgrade and optimise tourism, trade, health services and other sectors. “When it comes to connectivity and other issues that the Northeastern region faces, particularly Meghalaya, air travel plays an important role in achieving the wide gamut of goals that the state is striving towards,” the chief minister said.