Manisha Saxena, DG, Tourism, has said that digital presentation of strengths is very important as a destination and a lot of states have done some good work on it. “Almost everyone has a website and a tourism app. However, challenge of digitalization is how to combine all of it with the places where all the action is,” he said.

IATO has elected its new team for the term 2023-25. The election for the post of Office Bearers and Executive Committee Members were at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. Total number of votes cast were 278 out of 378 eligible members to cast their vote. The office bearers were elected unopposed and voting took  place for  the  EC members. List of Office Bearers/EC Members who have been declared elected are: • President – Mr. Rajiv Mehra, Uday Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd. • Sr. Vice President- Mr. Rajnish Kaistha, Paradise Holidays India Pvt. Ltd. • Vice President – Mr. Ravi Gosain, Erco Travels Pvt. Ltd. • Hony. Secretary – Mr. Sanjay Razdan, Razdan Holidays • Hony. Treasurer – Mr. Sunil Mishra, Cosmos Tours & Travels • Hony. Joint Secretary – Mr. Viney Tyagi, Uni Crystal Holidays Pvt. Ltd. • Immediate Past President – Mr. Pronab Sarkar, Swagatam Tours Pvt. Ltd. EC Members – Active (5 Posts) 1. Mr. Deepak Bhatnagar – Aamantaran Travel Company Pvt. Ltd. 2. Mr. E.M. Najeeb, Air Travel Enterprises (I) Pvt. Ltd. 3. Mr. Harish Mathur, Concord Travels & Tours 4. Mr. Manoj Kumar Matta, Oriental Vacations & Journeys Pvt. Ltd. 5. Mr. Tony Marwah, Indian Travel Promotion Company Pvt. Ltd. EC Members –Allied (3 Posts) 1.  Mr. Ashok Dhoot – Harsh Travels 2. Mr. P. Vijayasarathy – Benchmark Hotels Pvt. Ltd. 3.  Mr. Zia Siddiqui – Alliance Hotels & Resorts The Returning Officer for the elections was Homa Mistry.

Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara, has said that “While ideal fleet size depends on context and goals, Vistara aims to increase its international capacity from 25 per cent to 40 per cent and reach a fleet size of 70 in the next year.”

Switzerland Tourism invites the trade to attend a webinar highlighting Switzerland’s public transport network today at 3pm. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland! Write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Amit Ray, Director India, DACH markets & Italy and Head of Global Corporate and Strategic Sales at LOT Polish Airlines, has said that LOT Polish Airlines and India are a good fit. “Our engagement in India has been fruitful and we strongly believed in the Indian market from the beginning,” he said.

Switzerland Tourism invites the travel trade to attend an exclusive webinar highlighting Switzerland’s public transport network – the Swiss Travel System, and the current ongoing Free Travel Days promo offer – on April 18 at 3pm. 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.

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, has said that this year the states of Northeast will get good traffic because the road conditions and flights to some of those states has improved manifold. “Thus, I am hopeful, that this year people will focus on going to NE,” he added.

According to a recent update from the US department of state, US visa costs will rise from next month as processing fees for certain categories rise. “The hike – ranging from $15 to $110 – will come into effect from May 30 and apply to tourist or business as well as student and exchange visitor visas,” revealed an official document. “The fee for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2), and other non-petition based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185,” stated the document.

Karma Lakelands is organizing the Watermelon Fest at its property to welcome the summer. The relishing concoctions of the watermelon drinks are ready to quench the thirst.  They are providing a wide assortment of frosty and frothy cocktails, mocktails, and slurpees that are curated with an innovative blend by in-house mixologists. The property is located miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is lavishly spread across 235 acres.  It is pristine, pretty, picturesque, and a perfect weekend getaway for Delhi NCR locals. Karma Lakelands is an eco-sustainable resort where environmental sustainability and luxury are a single value proposition. It is a zero-waste resort and follows several practices to bring an ecological balance. As a resort, they strive to minimize their carbon footprint and execute initiatives and actions to reduce the use of energy and water while avoiding the use of plastic. Single-use products & not just plastics are ruthlessly minimized. Their restaurant Lake360 is the only restaurant in NCR that has a lakeside dining offering. Currently, the fest is hosted in other restaurants located within the property like: On Kourse, Pizza Bay, and AK’s Cocktail Bar. In order to beat the summer heat they are organizing “Watermelon Fest” on the property. In the fest, one can get to experience different mocktails and cocktails, with watermelon used as a base. “We like to curate freshest experiences for our guests. Our mixologists planned different concocts with this cool summer fruit. From slurpees to sorbets, mocktails to cocktails, there is something for every heart,” said, Aryadev Khurana, Director, Karma Lakelands. The cocktails like Murricane come with a mixture of Bourbon whiskey, watermelon juice and fresh herbs with a dash of …

Air India starts flight from London Gatwick Airport. This will see 12 flights departing every week to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi and Goa. Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said, “We are pleased to be launching services from London Gatwick, enabling our passengers to have even more choice on how they enter India.”