Category Archives: Agents

With India assuming the G20 Presidency from December 1, the MoT delegation launched ‘Visit India 2023’ at WTM to invite more tourists to the country. Rakesh Verma, Additional Secretary, MoT, stated that India has achieved phenomenal growth in enhancing infrastructure, along with the massive vaccination drive. It will help India achieve pre-pandemic levels of international tourist arrivals. It also offers huge opportunities for investors and an Investor Summit will be organized by the Ministry in February 2023.

Jitul Mehta, Western India Chairman, TAFI says, “I want our members to develop soft skills for themselves and for their staff because we are in the service business. So it is upon TAFI to educate its members so that they can sustain and grow their business in the long run and are equipped to deal with future challenges. A lot of them have registered for our online courses that we are offering free of cost on our website.”

Highlighting emerging trends, Amit Mehta, Country Manager, (South Asia), Malaysia Airlines India, says, digitalisation will be the way forward in this ‘new normal’ of air travel. “We have moved a significant portion of our processes online and accelerated our digitalisation efforts to ensure our staff can operate remotely and flexibly as a business, and for customers to enjoy our various digital and contactless offerings from the moment they purchase their tickets, check-in through to the arrival destination. Due to the acceleration of digitalisation, we expect airlines to also actively adopt next generation technologies to improve the experience of its customers.”

Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, is organizing an exclusive webinar for the travel trade in India today at 3 pm. To get the latest updates on offerings at this destination, register at  jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, is organizing an exclusive webinar for the travel trade in India on 10 November 2022 at 3 pm. To get the latest updates on offerings at this destination, register at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Rakesh Bansal, CEO, Amadeus Indian Subcontinent, says “Amadeus is committed to rebuilding travel, and we seek opportunities to rekindle the connect with our existing travel partners, help them design better journeys with ease and foster new connections!” Amadeus India recently embarked on a series of products and solutions roadshows in six Indian cities to help its partners maximise revenue and productivity.

Sabre survey of travel agents and TMCs in APAC reveals the changing face of corporate travel. As per the survey, there’s strong optimism in the market, with 82% saying they expect a return to pre-pandemic corporate travel levels, and 15% expecting a boom greater than pre-Covid-19, within the next 12 months.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced that it will pay travel advisors commission on non-commissionable fares (NCFs), showcasing its industry-leading commitment to the travel agent community worldwide. NCL is the first major contemporary cruise line to compensate travel advisors on NCFs for reservations booked outside of the 120-day window. Since the establishment of the Brand’s Partners First philosophy, Norwegian Cruise Line has been committed to being the easiest cruise line to do business with by providing agents with educational tools, promotions and marketing assets to help them grow their businesses. “Our Partners First philosophy remains top of mind, and our decision to pay commission on NCFs is further proof of our commitment to this community,” said NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer. “We want our partners to thrive; we want to see their businesses grow all around the world.” The Cruise Line has been dedicated to equipping the travel agent community with the tools and information to provide their clients with exemplary service. This revolutionary choice will further help travel partners establish a stronger relationship with their clients and increase brand loyalty, resulting in repeat business and higher earning potential. “Our travel partners are incredibly important to us and our business; it is a true partnership,” said Braydon Holland ,Senior Sales Director , Norwegian Cruise Line “Advisors know why NCL offers the best cruise experience at sea and when they can speak to our unique, bucket-list itineraries, one-of-a-kind Free at Sea promotion and incredible 18-ship fleet with unparalleled onboard offerings, they are providing immense value to the business. We see this value and we wanted to reward our travel advisors like never before.” The payment of NCFs will go into effect …

VFS Global, opened an India Visa Application Centre (IVAC) for the Indian High Commission in central London to help deal with the surge in demand for visa applications since the opening of international borders and relaxation of Covid guidelines. Indian High Commissioner, HE Vikram Doraiswami said, “The number of appointments we have been able to do has increased to about 40,000 per month.” He also announced that a new process is being introduced for group tourism.

Post the successful launch of its first global campaign since 2019, IF YOU SEEK, Tourism New Zealand unveils its first global trade incentive campaign for travel trade as part of the global campaign. As part of the campaign, two lucky Indian travel sellers will get to experience New Zealand first hand and will be joined by travel sellers from Australia, Germany, Japan, North America, Singapore, South Korea and the UK. Sellers will get to indulge in New Zealand experiences that have been highlighted as part of the campaign.