Category Archives: Agents

VFS Global, which has been a trusted partner for the UK Government since 2003, has won the global contract for overseas UK visa and Citizenship services. This award is the latest in a long line of wins for the world’s leading visa, passport and citizen services provider. During 2024, VFS Global will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa & Middle East, Americas, Australasia & Europe, China & Taiwan, and Asia & Asia Pacific regions. These centres will accept all categories of visa applications as well as UK passport applications in some locations. Combined, these new centres are estimated to process 3.8 million applicants every year. Beyond the scale of the deployment, VFS Global will invest to improve the customer journey and increase accessibility – including through new customer websites, and through updated in-person experiences. And VFS Global will deploy its latest technologies to maintain robust identity checks and ensure the integrity of the visa and passport application process. The new contract is expected to deliver savings to the UK Government. Zubin Karkaria, Founder and CEO, VFS Global, said, “We are delighted to win this contract and expand our partnership with the Home Office to become their service provider for all UK visa customers overseas. We are excited to begin operations in new locations, and to take the next step towards providing customers with a seamless, simple and secure visa and passport application experience. This win is a testament to our dedicated efforts to provide all our client governments with best-in-class services.”

Oman Air has revealed its newest range of luxury on-board amenity kits in collaboration with high fragrance House, Amouage. Featuring a bespoke selection of fragrance and skincare products, the finely crafted kits draw inspiration  from Oman’s nature and heritage, reflected in their soothing sand and cocoa tones. Available for guests in premium cabins, exceptional attention  has been given to the materials, ensuring their enduring appeal for in-flight use and beyond. With exclusive designs for men and women, the First Class kits feature iconic Amouage fragrances, Epic Man and Epic Woman, with a luxurious assortment of hand  &  body  lotion,  facial moisturiser and lip balm, as well as socks, eye mask, hand cleansing gel, mouthwash and 3M earplugs. The kit for Business Class passengers is a functional unisex folio design containing Amouage fragrance, Meander,   facial moisturiser and lip balm, in addition  to socks, eye mask, hand cleansing gel, mouthwash and 3M earplugs. Designed with sustainability as a key consideration, the stylish pouches are ideal for reuse and repurpose beyond the flight. In addition, all unnecessary packaging has been removed to ensure minimal waste. With a focus on unique products and high-quality service, Oman Air has garnered a global reputation  for exceptional in-flight  hospitality, marked by a string of awards, including most recently the 2024 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).

Misha Gambetta, Director India for Switzerland Tourism, speaks about the India market and says that there are clear signs of a market that is not only recovering strongly after the pandemic, but with new trends. “There are now more individual travellers interested in staying longer in Switzerland, discovering new destinations and hotels, for a more active and quality holiday. The Indian market is strong, in buzz and oriented towards young, quality tourism,” he says. Switzerland Travel Experience India has just concluded where 23 Swiss partners had the opportunity to meet more than 450 Indian buyers during a week-long marathon in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Key representatives from Tourism & Events Queensland along with Department of Tourism, Innovation & Sport, are in India this week to meet with aviation and trade partners. India is its fifth largest international tourism market and Queensland predicts that by 2032, India will contribute $408 million in international overnight visitor expenditure to the Australian state. The mission began in Mumbai and has so far included industry panels, roundtable discussions, a market update and industry networking events. Tomorrow the mission continues in New Delhi.

With the fifth edition of the Emirates Travel Agents Cricket Tournament 2023 underway, the teams are getting for the final match that will be held on Sunday, December 10 in Mumbai. It is one of the most awaited cricket tournament for agents and frontline staff over the past few years and this year saw a total of 18 teams and over 400 registered players/agents. The prizes include eight trophies, Man of the Match award for Semi Finals and Finals, Best Batsmen, Best Bowler, and Player of the Tournament. Thomas Cook was the winner of the last tournament.

FootprintsWorldwide, known for its expertise and professionalism in the travel industry in India, will now serve as the sales and marketing partner for Luxury Links Golf Tours in India. As one of the leading representation company in the region, FootprintsWorldwide will offer exclusive golfing tours across some of the most unique golf destinations in England, Scotland and beyond to clients in India. Commenting on the partnership, Tom Barton, Director of Luxury Links Golf Tours, says, “We are delighted to appoint FootprintsWorldwide as our partner in India. Their deep understanding of the luxury market in India, coupled with their commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, makes them the perfect partner for us.” Mamta Pall, Founder & CEO, FootprintsWorldwide, commented, “For those of you who are looking at curating golfing tours for clients across England, Scotland and beyond, do reach out to us.”

Even with the growth Rail Europe is witnessing in India, Florence Pasquier, Chief Commercial Officer, Rail Europe, believes there is still a lot of scope for growth here. “India is a very dynamic market. Indians love to travel, and they love Europe. That is why we are working closely with NTOs to inspire Indians to travel to new places, or travel differently to the same place in Europe, or even combine different countries with Rail Europe,” she says.

Artoso Hospitality Corp, a new lifestyle hospitality venture, by Sushill S Wadhwa and Platinum World Grroup, introduces three distinctive brands: Stamps Hotels & Resorts, Woodstones Hotels & Resorts, and Artvue Hotels & Resorts, and is looking to attract owners of standalone hotels or properties to convert to one of their unique brands. Underpinning this venture is the commitment to redefine luxury experiences and solve challenges faced by both independent hotel owners and discerning guests. Sushill S Wadhwa, Founder & CMD, Platinum World Grroup, says, “The brands are all very different from each other. They’re all luxury brands with their own unique identities. I have always wondered why there is a Check-in and Check-out time of 3pm and 12 pm respectively, hence we plan to have a 24 hours check-in & Out for our hotels. Many hotels close their breakfast between 10.30-11am, we plan to have Anytime Breakfast in all our hotels, like this there will many areas of high levels of personalisation for the guests, like selecting what VIP Amenities they want instead of a standard bottle of wine/champagne,. and even personalise their mini bars with beverages and brands of their choice. All our hotels and rooms will be AI powered, so that with a simple voice command, they can set the temperature of their AC, watch a particular channel, set the lights as per their mood, and order room service or spa.” Distinctive Brands: Stamps, Woodstones and Artvue are poised to become synonymous with opulence, offering bespoke experiences that transcend conventional hospitality norms. Each brand caters to diverse preferences, from the cool casual vibe of Stamps to the timeless appeal of Woodstones and the avant-garde charm of Artvue. Stamps Hotels and Resorts: is a new brand of trendy hotels catering to young and young …

Speaking at ITM 2023 in Shillong, Conrad K Sangma, CM of Meghalaya, stated, “The kind of economic growth that we’re witnessing in the northeast is unprecedented. There is a strong and special focus to ensure that the northeastern states progress in unison with the rest of the country and to ensure economic development reaches this region. In a small state like ours, with a population of 3.8 million people, roughly about 80,000 youths join the workforce every year. Therefore, the government must strategise to create job opportunities for these youths. These numbers will continue to increase in the future. Hence, all governments in the northeast and across the country face a tremendous challenge in generating job opportunities for our young population. Tourism is one sector that can create these opportunities for our youth. Therefore, as a state government, tourism has been one of the main pillars of our economic policies and programs.”

Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur has said that the government is going to announce a new filmmaking policy. “The incentive for foreign film production has been enhanced from 30% to 40%. The incentive for foreign film production in the country stands today at 40 % of the expenses incurred with an increased cap limit of Rs. 30 crore and an additional 5% percent bonus for Significant Indian Content (SIC). This step will give further impetus to India’s efforts to attract medium and big-budget international film projects to the country.”