Category Archives: Agents

We face challenges when approaching the govt regarding policy issues, regulatory bottlenecks due to lack of data: FHRAI

Praising FHRAI’s new Centre of Excellence, Pradeep Shetty, President of FHRAI, says, “This has been a long-standing desire of our federation, as we have often faced challenges when approaching the government regarding policy issues, regulatory bottlenecks, compliance burden, and the overall ease of doing business One of the major gaps we identified was the lack of comprehensive data to support our claims and recommendations. With the Centre of Excellence, we aim to address this gap head-on.”

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Delhi had most weddings with 30,000 in November 2023 energising entire paraphernalia around the industry: Mugdha Sinha

Underlining the importance of wedding segment for India, DG Tourism, Mugdha Sinha says “Wedding as a market is worth US$ 130 billion with 8 to 10 million annual weddings in India, second only to China. Delhi had the most weddings about 30,000 in one month of November 2023 that energised the whole paraphernalia around the weddings from invites, to wedding planners to apparel, jewellery, gifting, accommodations, logistics, photography, which adds up to the employment generation and contribution to both GDP of economy and creative economy. As a policy maker we also look at issues like permissions, taxes, incentives, that need resolution to make India an attractive destination for Wed in India, for celebrating wedding anniversaries and for honeymooning in India.”  

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VFS Global wins global tender to provide Finland visa services in 32 countries, including India

VFS Global has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since 2010 and under the new agreement will continue to provide Schengen short terms visa services and Residence permit services including biometric enrolment in 32 countries (including India) across 10 regions. Since 2010, VFS Global has handled more than 8.5 million visa applications on behalf of the Government of Finland. Present were several esteemed dignitaries including Jussi Tanner, Director General Consular Services, Ari Uusikartano, Senior Ministerial Adviser and Director of Information and Documentation at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Zubin Karkaria, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland said: “We anticipate a seamless and professional collaboration with VFS Global. In our tender, we especially highlighted the global coverage of the outsourced services, quality of biometrics and technical capacity, quality control, risk management and customer service. The external service provider receives applications, collects biometric data and application fees and forwards them to the missions. It does not make visa decisions. Visa decisions continue to be the responsibility of Foreign Ministry officials.” Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Government of Finland as their trusted service provider. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and welcome the opportunity to renew our services. We look forward to offering visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions, and a seamless application process across 10 regions globally.”

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We must triangulate data from industry bodies, international organisations to truly understand dynamics of tourism and hospitality: Suman Billa

Speaking about the significance of research and data in the tourism industry, Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism said, “Being in the sector which is vast and multifaceted, it is essential to have accurate and comprehensive data to inform our decisions. While government data provides a solid foundation, it often captures only one facet of the entire landscape. To truly understand the dynamics of the tourism and hospitality sectors, we must triangulate this data with insights from industry bodies, international organisations like the WTO, and other reliable sources.”

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73% of Indians are using travel credit card rewards, airline miles or loyalty points to manage costs, maximise value during holidays: Amex

An Amex Trendex India finding highlights that 73% of Indians are using travel credit card rewards, airline miles or loyalty points to manage costs, reflecting a shift toward maximising value during the holidays. Domestic travel remains popular, with 88% opting for trips within India, while international travel is on the radar for 61%.

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Europe a tough market for transporters, hope to support the industry, says winner of ‘Best Transporter – Europe’ Akash Chhabra of Sasta Europe

Accepting the award for ‘Best Transporter – Europe’ Akash Chhabra, Director, Sasta Europe – DMC of Europe and UK, said, “This award is a significant achievement and a privilege for us. I believe it will generate more business for us and allow us to contribute significantly to the industry. Europe is a tough market for transporters, so we hope to support the industry.”

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Tourism ministry directs OTAs and industry bodies to develop SOPs and transparent policies to process refunds

The union tourism ministry has instructed online travel agents and industry bodies to create transparent refund policies and standard operating procedures to handle air ticket cancellation refunds, following numerous complaints from travellers. The ministry has written to companies such as MakeMyTrip, Yatra, EaseMyTrip, Thomas Cook and Cleartrip and industry bodies including Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) and Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), stating there is an “urgent need” to bring in transparency in the cancellation refund process.

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Rail Europe enhances connections to Denmark, Croatia and other parts of Eastern Europe

Sharing details of the new products, Valentina Cesani is the Chief Customer Officer, CCO at Rail Europe, says, “RegioJet trains are now available in Eastern Europe, and we added Iryo, a new competitor to Renfe and Ouigo Spain, which opens up more possibilities for travellers. We’ve also launched new routes with partners like ÖBB and DB, enhancing connections to Denmark, Croatia, and other parts of Eastern Europe—not just the Czech Republic but also Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Plus, we’ve expanded connections to Portugal through Renfe.”

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Industry’s future is characterised by its evolution through technology, personalised service, says Sudhir Jena of Lords Hotels & Resorts

Accepting the ‘Leading Hotel Chain for Business Travellers’ award on behalf of the hotel group, Sudhir Jena, Vice President, Corporate, Lords Hotels and Resorts, says, “I believe that the industry’s future is characterised by its evolution through technology, personalised services, and offbeat locations. The industry is headed in the right direction, and I foresee a bright future for Indian tourism.”    

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