SOTC Travel inaugurated its new retail store in Anand. The new store will serve as a hub for nearby areas of Nadiad, Dakor and Khambhat as well, thus reiterating the Company’s strategic focus to expand its footprint in the state. Gujarat features as an important source market for SOTC Travel and offers the company a range of valuable segments like Gen Z/new age travellers, millennials/young professionals, families, couples and business owners/traders. The Company’s internal survey highlights insightful travel trends from Gujarat. A significant 70% of Gujaratis are keen to take a holiday and to cater this high potential market, SOTC Travel has introduced an array of offers like special Gujarati tours Gurjar Vishwadarshan, Early Bird discounts, complimentary cruise experience on Europe Holidays, ready to book and customized holidays. Customers are also displaying growing interest for experiential holidays, adventure holidays, domestic tours and cruises.  Daniel D’souza President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “Gujarat has been a strong source market for us at SOTC, and we continue to witness high uptick in demand. We are delighted to open our new franchise store in Anand that also caters to nearby locations of Nadiad, Dakor and Khambhat. The store is centrally located thus allowing us to target valuable segments like Gen Z/new age travellers, millennials/young professionals, families, couples and business owners/traders. Our expanded portfolio of holidays have something for everyone – from customized holidays to luxury and premium holidays, also group escorted tours.”

Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection, two highly respected destination management companies in the travel industry and a leading hospitality brand in Sri Lanka, are delighted to announce their collaboration with Ark Travels Group and the appointment of Ms.Anjum Lokhandwala as their representative in India. The signing of the agreement took place at the recently concluded SATTE event in Delhi, India. This strategic partnership aims to increase the visibility and appeal of Sri Lanka as a preferred tourist destination in India. Anjum Lokhandwala, Director of Ark Travels Group, has been tasked with marketing the products and services of Connaissance De Ceylan , Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection in India. She brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise in the travel and tourism industry and is excited about the new partnership. “Ark Travels Group is extremely elated with their association with such a prestigious brand and looks forward to servicing them and making it a success story for both companies” , said Ms.Anjum, Director of Ark Reps. “We are confident that this collaboration will help us to promote and better serve the booming Indian market and further strengthen our position as leading destination management companies/hospitality brand in Sri Lanka,” said Mr. Wickramasinghe, Chairman of Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection The partnership with Ark Travel Group and the appointment of Anjum Lokhandwala is a significant step for Connaissance De Ceylan, Travel Design by CDC and Thema Collection in expanding their reach and tapping into the growing Indian tourism market. The companies are optimistic that this collaboration will bring mutual benefits and look forward to a successful partnership.

Continuing its ambitious and dynamic strategy of fleet and network expansion, Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has unveiled its summer schedule for 2023. The schedule specifies significant frequency increases on existing routes, and the addition of four destinations—representing a 60% increase in the number of flights from its hub in Muscat compared to the previous year. This will provide the market with approximately 60,000 more seats weekly across its network and provide greater convenience and connectivity for Oman Air guests. The four additional destinations being introduced for the summer schedule are: four-weekly flights from Muscat to Chittagong (from March end); four-weekly flights from Muscat to Maldives (from June end); twelve-weekly flights from Muscat to Lucknow and five-weekly flights between Muscat and Thiruvananthapuram (from August). Due to popular demand, the new summer schedule will see frequency increases to the following regions:   Far East Indian Sub-Continent Europe GCC Daily flights to Phuket (from March end, wide- body) Double-daily flights to Mumbai (from March end, wide-body) Daily flights to Moscow (from March end, wide- body) Double-daily flights to Kuwait (from June) Ten-weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur (from June) Double-daily flights to Chennai (from March end) Six-weekly flights to Paris (from March end) Five-daily flights to Salalah (from July)   Double-daily flights to Cochin (from March end) Daily flights to Trabzon (from March end)     Double-daily flights to Kozhikode (from March end) Double-daily flights to Istanbul (from June)     Double-daily flights to Hyderabad (from March end)       Daily flights to Dhaka (from March end, wide- body)     The expanded network and schedule for 2023 demonstrates Oman Air’s ongoing efforts to contribute to the …

Sapneal Rao has announced that he will bring his former company, Destination Masters LLP  Maldives and Mauritius portfolio under his existing company SSR Travel Solutions (SSRTS) which is present in the expanding DMC segment. Rao says, “On the successful completion of 13 robust years in the travel industry, it gives me immense pleasure to announce that the Destination Masters, LLP portfolio of Maldives and Mauritius, has now been amalgamated into his existing entity’s DMC vertical, renowned as SSR Travel Solutions (SSRTS).” Rao, a partner in a former company called Destination Masters LLP, conceptualized and started this partnership company pre-Covid and was instrumental in setting up the business and the B2B agency network for Maldives and Mauritius. Going forward, the dedicated team of SSR will now cater to three most sought-after island destinations under this vertical – Bali, Maldives and Mauritius. Rao says, “We will direct our efforts to deliver timely responses to queries and amplify our client servicing experience through maximum support and continue to retain the name of SSR’s legacy.” The company operates 3 B2B verticals which are representation, PSA and DMC/wholesaling. In a short span. the company has grown and is currently working with a large network of travel agents pan India and are continuously working towards adding more every month. They look forward to being your trusted source for booking B2B  Hotels and Packaged tours. Current wholesale and B2B business is currently focused under the below verticals:   BALI BALI  INBOUND  – SSRTS DMC   MALDIVES MALDIVES INBOUND – SSRTS DMC    MAURITIUS MAURITIUS INBOUND  – SSRTS DMC   REPRESENTATION VERTICAL  OMAN EIHAB TRAVELS LLC OMAN    KENYA WILDTREK SAFARI KENYA & TANZANIA    CRUISE PSA VERTICAL  CORDELIA CRUISES  CARNIVAL CRUISES 

The Tourism Ministry will organise 1st Global Tourism Invest Summit from the 17th to 19th of May this year in New Delhi to showcase opportunities in the tourism sector. The Summit was supposed to be held in April 10-12, 2023. It will deliberate on potential opportunities for investment across tourism segments including hotels and restaurants, adventure and eco-tourism, cruise and other related tourism sectors. Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy has the Government is focussing on connectivity, civic infrastructure, tourist amenities and soft infrastructure to promote and develop the tourism sector. The Minister said, with India hosting G-20 Presidency, the Government is also working with State governments, local bodies and other ministries to attract foreign tourists. Reddy said the Government is providing foreign language training to taxi drivers and tourist guides to help foreign delegates understand the rich culture of the country with ease.

In the last eight-and-a-half years, India built extensive tourism infrastructure worth nearly Rs 7,000 crore to improve the experiences of tourists, Union Tourism Minister G.K. Reddy has said. He added that India is also nurturing and developing young ambassadors through YUVA Tourism Clubs in schools and colleges and listed several initiatives taken to boost the industry, including short-term hospitality courses.

Manipur CM N. Biren Singh said that a US-based company will spend USD 500 million in the state’s tourism sector with several other foreign investments on the cards. He added, “The state will receive an investment of 500 mn dollars in tourism from a company based in the US.” Citing the willingness of several other foreign investors, particularly from Argentina, Peru, and Bangladesh, to invest in the state, he said Manipur will witness development in all sectors.

Despite having a natural geographical advantage, Indian airports have, to date, not been able to realise the opportunity that exists, according to CAPA India. According to its research, for years India has ceded traffic to offshore hubs. In fact, over the last couple of decades, there has been a structural evolution from hubs to mega-hubs, particularly in the Middle East, supported by world class airlines with large widebody fleets. It will discuss this and more at its research briefing on ‘Prospects for airport hubs in India’ at 4pm IST today.

There’s a luxurious new way to cruise through Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Paradise Vietnam owns the most luxurious cruises in Vietnam, confirming its leading position in the luxury cruise industry. Pioneering in the Indian market to redefine luxury and create brand awareness, Paradise Vietnam selects IRIS Reps as its India representative to position and increase their visibility in the travel industry. In a statement regarding the appointment, Cao Anh Tuan – Director or Sales , stated, “We are pleased to have IRIS Reps on board to help us establish a strong foundation for Paradise Vietnam in India. Our joint efforts will enable us to gain greater visibility and penetrate the vast and diverse Indian market. Paradise Vietnam will continue to uphold its mission of bringing premium and quintessence cuisine to tourists with the desire to reach new heights. We always try our best to bring Paradise Vietnam to new successes and maintain our leading position in Vietnam’s tourism industry. Paradise Vietnam is the pioneer in setting the standard for world-class leisure at sea with 12 most luxurious cruises in Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay, along with experienced staff capable of quality event services, Paradise Vietnam is the first choice for events of various styles, sizes, and occasions.” Commenting on the appointment, Alefiya Singh, Director IRIS Reps said, “We are elated to have entered the partnership with Paradise Vietnam. I am delighted to see Vietnam become one of the best tourism market for India, we aim to still derive greater growth into the region through strategic sales initiatives, marketing partnerships and working closely with the travel trade in India. We look forward to further strengthening Paradise Vietnam as the first choice of destination from …

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to attend this exclusive webinar in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland Visa Section. This webinar will highlight the latest information and guidelines regarding the Swiss Schengen visa and the application process. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland in 2024! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.