Tourism New Zealand will conduct an exciting webinar highlighting their campaign ‘If You Seek’ and related trade tools and assets on Tuesday, Feb 28 at 11am. Agents can earn a place on the ultimate New Zealand family by showing their curiosity during this webinar. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 to register. 

ITC group firm Fortune Park Hotels plans to add 15 new properties with 1,500 rooms in the next two-and-a-half years to its portfolio as part of its expansion across India, revealed Samir MC, Managing Director. The hospitality firm is looking to cater to a strong domestic demand in smaller cities and also from pilgrimage tourism. 

According to Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head of MEISEA for South African Tourism, Mumbai remained the top source market for South African tourism in India, as more Indian visitors traveled from there. For the period of January to June 2023, the city accounted for the highest number (64%) of forward bookings to South Africa.  

According to Bookings.com, 2023 will see millennials planning more last-minute trips (53%) whilst older generations will take comfort in planning ahead as the best opportunity to get a good deal (Gen X 60% and Baby Boomers 54%). 

G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and DoNER, announced that the Department of Tourism will provide financial assistance to enhance port infrastructure and stimulate the growth of cruise tourism in India. 

Research by the World Travel & Tourism Council has revealed that within the next decade, Beijing will overtake Paris to become the world’s largest Travel & Tourism city destination.    

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EbixCash said, We have launched an entire cruise division. Cruises are going to be a big focus area for us this year and we are working with the government on various projects on this.” 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, said, “We have seen significant investment in the past. However, there was no investment in the last two years. GTIS is to rekindle interests of the investors in that sector and to show them the new areas or new products where there are possibilities of investment. 

We are pleased to announce the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the St. Petersburg Convention Bureau. This is a step forward after we had a similar agreement with the Moscow City Tourism Corporation, where we agreed to promote Russia as a MICE-friendly destination for all of the movement coming from India. This is a bilateral movement because this understanding will promote MICE both within and outside of India. And Russia is looking for increased participation from Indian stakeholders because, given the current geopolitical situation in the world, India is Russia’s preferred source market. Similarly, as inbound tourists to our country, Russians have always been preferred. 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, said that the two side events of the first Tourism Working Group Meeting of G-20 will be focusing on rural tourism and promotion of archaeological tourism. He said, “Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth, social change, and inclusive community development.”