Sabah Tourism Board is delighted to announce its participation in the highly anticipated Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2025, which will take place in Mumbai, India, from January 30 to February 1, 2025. Recognized as India’s leading outbound travel market, OTM provides a premier platform to connect global travel and tourism professionals with key stakeholders and audiences from India. Sabah’s tourism industry has seen significant growth, with 3.147 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2024—a 20.4% increase from 2023’s 2.613 million. The India market, in particular, has demonstrated strong growth, with 9,316 Indian visitors in 2024, marking a 58.3% increase compared to 5,885 arrivals in 2023. As part of its commitment to promoting Sabah as a premier travel destination, STB will showcase its diverse range of attractions, experiences, and services tailored to meet the evolving preferences of Indian travellers. Through its participation in OTM Mumbai 2025, STB aims to strengthen relationships with travel trade partners and highlight Sabah’s unique offerings to this dynamic audience. Visitors to the STB pavilion at OTM Mumbai 2025 will have the opportunity to engage with representatives from three prominent Sabah-based travel agencies—Borneo Sandakan Tours, Borneo Nature Tours, and Borneo Trails & Tours. These agents will present customized travel packages, immersive experiences, sustainable tourism initiatives, and special offers designed specifically for Indian travellers. STB’s participation underscores its strategic focus on expanding its footprint in India and fostering long-term collaborations with industry partners. “We are thrilled to be part of OTM Mumbai 2025, which provides an excellent platform to connect with Indian travellers and partners,” said Julinus Jeffery Jimit, CEO of Sabah Tourism Board. “Our goal is to showcase the unparalleled beauty of Sabah and inspire more Indian tourists …

Ecole Ducasse is preparing to celebrate Easter with a one-of-a-kind collection. Highlighting the olive tree—an emblem of peace, hope, and resilience—this initiative is both a gourmet delight and a bearer of profound symbolism. This sensory and cultural journey invites chocolate lovers and connoisseurs of exceptional craftsmanship to discover creations that transcend borders. A Collection that Travels the World For Easter 2025, École Ducasse pays tribute to the olive tree, a universal symbol carrying a positive message across the globe. This year, its Easter creations invite people of all ages on an extraordinary journey where local traditions and universal symbols converge. From Paris to Bangkok, Abu Dhabi to Yssingeaux, each school within the group embraces this powerful theme, delivering a message of unity across continents—through chocolate recipes, artistic creations, and both sweet and savory delicacies. To mark this occasion, the experts at École Ducasse have designed a collection that blends exceptional craftsmanship with timeless values. The olive tree serves as the central theme of these creations—a powerful and inspiring symbol that bridges cultures in celebration of life and renewal. A Unique Artistic Piece and Gourmet Creations Inspired by the Olive Tree At the heart of this exclusive collection is a singular artistic masterpiece, which will be unveiled at the ENSP campus in Yssingeaux. This exceptional chocolate egg, a true work of art, poetically represents the olive tree. The experts at École Ducasse have meticulously sculpted a majestic olive tree sheltering a refined egg, adorned with delicate leaves from the same tree. Crafted with precision by the institution’s chefs, this creation combines elegance, technical mastery, and a tribute to the virtues of this iconic tree. In addition to this unique piece, École …

Dr. Subhash Goyal, Chairman Aviation & Tourism Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is also a veteran in the tourism industry thanked the Hon’ble Finance Minister for acknowledging the tourism sector’s significant contribution to the nation’s economic growth and job creation. He also thanked the Minister for the initiative to develop 50 tourist destinations in collaboration with state governments, with the focus on enhancing India’s global image as a premier travel destination. The effort will be on improving the infrastructure development and accessibility to the monuments and sites to attract more tourist visitors. At the same time, Dr. Goyal also expressed his disappointment on the Budget passed by the Hon’ble Finance Minister as the allocation of only Rs. 3 crores given to the Ministry of Tourism is shocking. Earlier the allocation was Rs.400 Crore when we had a very successful Incredible India campaign, which was drastically reduced to Rs.33 crores and now to Rs.3 crore is absolutely meaningless. By this publicity to the global consumer for tourism has come to an end and the little efforts will be made on a B2B level through trade fairs will also be further curtailed apart from the fact that the consumer’s demand for India has gone down. The image of India will take a hit when we will not be able to participate in any international trade fairs; and small countries like Srilanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will have huge pavilions to attract international tourists. Dr. Goyal said, the greatest need of this country is employment generation and poverty eradication. With the coming of AI (Artificial Intelligence) lot of jobs will be drastically cut and reduced, not only in the manufacturing …

GRT Hotels & Resorts is delighted to unveil its exclusive summer meeting offers across four of its distinguished Radisson properties—Radisson Blu Hotel & Suites GRT Chennai, Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay Mamallapuram, Radisson Resort Pondicherry Bay, and Radisson Bengaluru City Centre. These offers are designed to provide meeting planners with seamless event experiences at some of the most sought-after destinations in South India. With a mix of urban city-center hotels and scenic beach resorts, these properties offer versatile meeting spaces, state-of-the-art facilities, and curated dining experiences that cater to corporate events, conferences, and incentive groups. Each venue provides a unique blend of business-friendly amenities and leisure opportunities, ensuring an inspiring environment for productive gatherings. Exciting Benefits for Meeting Planners: All-inclusive meeting packages tailored for corporate gatherings World-class cuisine with customizable menus and themed dining options Unique venues, from boardrooms and banquet halls to beachfront lawns and poolside settings Radisson Rewards benefits for meeting planners and corporate bookers Seamless planning support from our dedicated events team Jit Bose, Vice President – Commercial, GRT Hotels & Resorts, emphasized the significance of these offers: “We are thrilled to launch these exclusive meeting offers, strategically designed to provide corporate planners with diverse venue options, outstanding hospitality, and exceptional value. By introducing these packages well in advance, we aim to give businesses and event organizers ample time to plan and customize their events with us.” With its signature blend of luxury, hospitality, and world-class service, GRT Hotels continues to be a trusted choice for corporate events and MICE in South India. For inquiries and bookings, reach out to our team today and let us help you craft the perfect meeting experience. 08062210101.

Moscow continues to reinforce its status as a premier travel destination, experiencing a substantial rise in international tourist arrivals. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, the Russian capital welcomed 19.7 million visitors, including 1.9 million foreign tourists — a 19% increase compared to the previous year. India has emerged as one of Moscow’s top two non-CIS inbound tourism markets, with over 61,000 Indian travelers visiting the city during this period. Building on this momentum, Moscow made a strong impression at OTM 2025, held in Mumbai from January 30 to February 1, by captivating the Indian travel trade industry with its rich cultural heritage and diverse tourism offerings. The Moscow City Tourism Committee presented an engaging showcase of the city’s cultural, leisure, and business tourism opportunities, emphasizing its partiality towards the Indian market. “India remains a key market for Moscow’s tourism strategy, and we are pleased to see a steady increase in Indian visitors to our city. Through strategic partnerships, customized travel experiences, and immersive initiatives, we look forward to welcoming more Indian tourists and providing them with an unforgettable experience in our vibrant and historically rich city,” stated Evgeny Kozlov, First Deputy Head of the Office of the Mayor and the Government of Moscow, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee. On the sidelines of the exhibition, the Moscow City Tourism Committee finalized two significant agreements aimed at bolstering tourism cooperation with Indian partners. A landmark cooperation agreement was signed with the State of Maharashtra, India’s second most populous and third-largest state. This strategic partnership is designed to foster mutual growth and promote tourism between Moscow and Maharashtra, with a special emphasis on enhancing travel links between the …

Leading B2B travel portal ETrav, in collaboration with Riders Rally, successfully hosted its landmark Republic Day celebration, “Spirit of Unity 2.0,” on January 26th, 2025. The joint venture brought together more than 2,000 Bikers in Mumbai for a spectacular display of national pride and adventure spirit. The grand rally, which commenced at Hotel Red Carpet, marked a significant milestone in ETrav’s mission to transform adventure tourism across Asia. The event kicked off with a flag hoisting ceremony at 9:00 AM, symbolizing both national pride and the collaborative commitment to expanding India’s adventure tourism sector. The grandeur of the event was significantly enhanced by the presence of prominent social media influencers, who added significant star power to the celebration. The partnership between ETrav and Riders Rally showcased the growing adventure tourism community and highlighted ETrav’s upcoming expansion of adventure tourism experiences to Vietnam and Bali later this year. “The overwhelming response to Spirit of Unity 2.0 demonstrates the powerful impact of adventure tourism. There is vast unexplored territory in this spectrum, and we at ETrav are committed to providing the perfect platform by promoting it on a huge scale,” said Heniel Rupaarelia, Managing Director at ETrav. “By joining forces with Riders Rally, we’ve been able to truly celebrate both our national spirit and the growing adventure tourism community.” The event featured various recognition categories, with participants receiving awards for their involvement, further encouraging the spirit of adventure tourism. The rally served as a networking platform for airline partners, and adventure tourism enthusiasts, fostering new collaborations in the adventure tourism sector. The presence of representatives from SpiceJet Airlines, Vietjet Air & Oman Air further underscored the event’s significance in bringing together key …

Latest official figures from Taiwan Tourism administration, the national tourism agency of Taiwan, show that Indian market has registered a strong 19.46 per cent growth in visitor arrivals in the first 10 months of 2024. Taiwan has registered a total arrival of 31,766 visitors from India during the January – October 2024 period, a robust near 20 percent growth over 26,591 visitors from India registered during the same period in 2023. Meanwhile international arrivals has soared to 6,206,267 visitors for the period January – October 2024, an impressive 24.55 per cent growth over the corresponding January – October 2023 period when arrivals had reached 4,983,081 international visitors. With two more months to add to inbound arrival number of last year, total year-end Indian arrival number is expected to be over 38,000 visitors, whereas total year-end international visitor arrival number is expected to be in the region of 7.5 million visitors in 2024. Taiwan recorded 6.48 million tourist arrivals in 2023. Paul Shih, Director, TTA Singapore Office, said: “India is our number one South Asian market for both, in terms of visitor arrival numbers as well as spend. Our focused marketing initiatives, targeted trade engagements through road shows, travel exhibitions, as well as trade and media familiarisation trips, consumer engagements through social media influencers’ trips backed by digital initiatives and activations, have held us in good stead in 2024 and we look forward to executing these plans for 2025 with even greater finesse and results.” Furthermore, Shih added, “Taiwan brings probably the greatest value to its visitors. One of the smallest countries in the world, spread over an area of just over 36,000 square kilometers, Taiwan, with a population of about …

MRG Group, a leading force in India’s hospitality and real estate sectors, has outlined a bold expansion strategy that will see its portfolio reach 3500+ keys by 2035. This growth includes a combination of its own properties under the Goldfinch brand and strategic international partnerships. With its flagship Goldfinch brand, celebrated dining establishments such as Sana-di-ge, Kni-hau, Banjara, and The Kabab Studio, MRG Group is poised to enter new domestic markets while exploring global collaborations. Currently, MRG Group operates 11 hotels across India, all owned and managed by the group, with strategic partnerships with leading international brands like Marriott and Hilton in India. The group’s existing portfolio consists of 1200 operational keys, with additional properties under development in key locations such as Goldfinch Goa, Marriott Resort & Spa in Chikkamagaluru, JW Marriott Resort, Spa & Residential in Sakleshpur, Tribute in Mangalore, Goldfinch Retreat in Mangalore, and Westin Bangalore – each set to redefine the industry in the years ahead. MRG Group has identified high-growth cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Gurugram (Delhi NCR), Ahmedabad, and Pune as prime locations for its future developments. These cities were selected for their dynamic economic growth, increasing demand for premium hospitality services, and flourishing tourism and real estate sectors. Mr. Gaurav Shetty, Managing Director of MRG Group, emphasized the role of strategic partnerships in their growth. “Our collaborations with esteemed global brands such as Marriott International, alongside the expansion of our own Goldfinch brand, will offer guests a unique blend of luxury and accessibility. We are committed to catering to every type of traveller, from leisure seekers to business professionals, while staying ahead of industry trends,” he explained. While real estate remains the backbone of …

The Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, has taken stringent action against a violation of the Goa State Shack Policy 2023-26. Based on a report submitted by the Police Inspector of Mandrem Police Station on January 27, 2025, it was found that Shri. Manuel Espritosanto Fernandes, allottee of Shack No. 4 at Arambol Beach Stretch, had sublet the beach shack in violation of Clause 20 of the policy. In view of this serious breach, the Department has imposed a penalty of ₹25,00,000 and forfeited the security deposit paid by the allottee to the Government Treasury. The shack license issued to Shri. Manuel Espritosanto Fernandes stands cancelled, and the erected Beach Shack No. 4 must be demolished within seven days from the receipt of the order. Failure to comply will result in the Department carrying out the demolition at the cost and risk of the allottee, with expenses recovered as arrears of land revenue. Additionally, Shri. Manuel Espritosanto Fernandes has been permanently blacklisted and debarred from participating in any future shack allotment processes under the Tourism Shack Policy. The Department of Tourism remains committed to upholding transparency and strict enforcement of regulations to maintain the integrity of Goa’s tourism sector.

‘’The Union Budget 2025 marks a significant step in supporting the sustained growth of India’s aviation sector. We commend the government’s commitment to infrastructure which will make air travel more accessible, thereby boosting tourism and the economy on the whole. Aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, this focus on aviation strengthens India’s position as a global hub, ensuring greater mobility for all and contributing to a more connected, inclusive nation. As India’s fastest-growing airline, we applaud the government’s continued efforts to fuel the sector’s growth and make air travel accessible to a greater number of Indians.’’