The UN reported that during the first quarter of 2022, international arrivals almost tripled over the same three months last year. March this year produced the healthiest results since the start of the pandemic, with arrivals climbing to nearly 50% of 2019 levels. That could rise to as much as 70% of 2019 arrivals by the end of this year, the UNWTO said in projections it revised in May.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will increase services to points across Japan and restore its Indian network to pre-pandemic levels in the coming months. The airline will also add more flights to Los Angeles and Paris by December 2022, and continue with its direct services to Vancouver. This is in response to strong demand for air travel, and will offer customers more flexibility and options in the Northern Winter operating season (30 October 2022 to 25 March 2023). Together with other adjustments to the SIA and Scoot network, the SIA Group capacity is projected to be at around 81% of pre-pandemic levels by December 2022. JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “Japan is a key market for the SIA Group, and we will work closely with our partners to meet the demand for air travel as entry requirements gradually ease. Robust demand for travel to and from India, to points across the Group network, support an increase in our services in this important market. “By stepping up services into the Northern Winter season, we give our customers even more flight options as they make their travel plans over the next few months. The SIA Group will closely monitor the demand for air travel and adjust its services accordingly.” The Airline will progressively operate 17 weekly services to Chennai, up from the current 10 flights per week. Kochi services will go up to 14 times weekly, up from the current seven flights per week. Bengaluru services will go up to 16 times weekly, up from the current seven flights per week. SIA will operate almost 100% of its pre-Covid operating capacity to India by 30 October 2022. From 30 …

Airports Authority of India (AAI) today signed an Operation & Management agreement for operationalization of five airports owned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for a period of 30 years. These five airports are Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Muirpur & Shravasti. The agreement was signed by Shri N V Subbarayudu, ED (SIU) on behalf of AAI and Sri Kumar Harsh, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh on behalf of the State Government in presence of Shri Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh. The MoU was exchanged by Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman AAI and SP Goyal Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh. As per the agreement, AAI will operate and manage the airports and provide all necessary services. Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services  will also  be provided by AAI, for which State Government will enter into a separate agreement. Further, Reserved Services will be provided by respective GoI for which GoUP shall enter separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), GoI. AAI will also be responsible for obtaining and maintaining of aerodrome license for these five airports. As per the agreement, Government of UP will complete the initial capital works for making airports ready for commercial operation and hand over all moveable and immovable assets along with relevant approvals, document to AAI for operation & management. Government of Uttar Pradesh will provide dedicated infrastructure for utilities like water, electricity and drainage connection etc. at the airport (to & within). This is the first time AAI is entering into an O&M Agreement with the State Government for Operationalization of State Government owned airports. AAI being the largest airport operator and sole air navigation service …

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has decided to remove a host of tax exemptions and hike rates for an even larger number of mass-consumption items. It approved a proposal to impose a 12% tax on hotel rooms costing below Rs 1,000 per day. So far, only hotels above the threshold were charged 12% GST. The two-day GST Council meeting in Chandigarh, is being chaired by the FM.

Tamil Nadu has surfaced as the leading tourist destination for domestic travellers. As per the India Tourism Statistics – 2021, Tamil Nadu emerged as the state with the highest percentage of visitors. The state’s share hovered at 23 percent, followed by Uttar Pradesh with a visitor share of 14.1%. The data reflected the number of visitors that Tamil Nadu entertained in the year 2020. As per the report, Tamil Nadu, in 2020, had roughly 14 crore domestic visitors, whereas the second leading state in domestic tourism, Uttar Pradesh, had around 8.6 crore visitors 2020.

Speaking about India during a webinar organised by PATA India chapter, Liz Ortiguera, CEO, PATA, said, “India has outperformed APAC countries in the recovery with a faster capacity rebuild. While other countries are suffering due to under capacity, India has bounced back nicely. However, with the opening of air services and borders, India needs to plan and execute an aggressive marketing and promotional campaigns to boost the tourism arrivals.”

Nepal’s government has appointed Jeevan Ram Shrestha as Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Shrestha had taken over the post that oversees the country’s vital tourism and civil aviation sectors, both primary sources of foreign exchange earnings for the landlocked country. He said his priority was to revive tourism marred by prolonged Covid-19.

The Sigmund Project is tourism’s first digital not-for-profit dedicated to supporting innovation through the power of collaboration. Since Sigmund’s launch in June 2021… org has received 50,000+ visitors from over 110 countries. The Sigmund team has hosted 64 mentor calls with entrepreneurs from across the globe. 223 ideas have been presented that aim to advance tourism for good. In the last twelve months, The Sigmund Project’s small yet mighty team has created the first-of-its-kind, open-source platform for entrepreneurs in travel & tourism. TheSigmundProject.org connects these entrepreneurs with collaborators from around the world who can help them take their ideas to the next level (ie. scale, pivot, attract new users, build tech, hire, etc.). Reflecting on its first year, the founder of The Sigmund Project, Alan Elliott Merschen said, “Thank you all that have visited our site and to the 8,500+ tourism professionals who have joined The Sigmund Collective… so far. You are an integral part of ‘The SigmundVerse’, and we thank you for your openness to collaborate for a better tomorrow. For anyone interested in helping entrepreneurs in travel take their ideas to the next level, we invite you to browse the OPEN · SOURCE platform and see how you can lend your expertise. Let’s see what’s possible.” In seeking out new ideas to transform the tourism industry, Sigmund is guided by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and encourages its entrepreneurs to align their business with these important indicators. Sigmund is interested in business ideas that have a triple bottom line. It’s always in search of the next socially minded, environmentally conscious, and fiscally sound idea to transform tourism. Sigmund champions ideas from sustainability to DEI to accessibility. Examples …

Department of Tourism & Culture (DCT)- Abu Dhabi is organising a webinar titled ‘Summer like you mean it’ today at 3pm (IST). The aim is to educate the Indian travel trade about the various offerings in Abu Dhabi for families and leisure travellers. Agents can learn about family friendly attractions, culture, entertainment & activities options. To register contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or +919650196532.

Dr Dhananjay Sawalkar, Joint MD, Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra, reveals that the DoT is coming up with a tour operators’ accreditation policy. “It is in the final stage and we will start offering it from July 2022. On registering with us, these operators will get a lot of benefits like presence on our website, participation in international and domestic roadshows with us, famils, use of our logo, ad incentives, etc,” he says.