Category Archives: Agents

82% airlines will use biometric-enabled digital ID tech for boarding by 2026 end: SITA

SITA explores shifting trends that have emerged in the last year and states that while some megatrends identified in 2022 have witnessed rapid growth in the last 12 months, others also continued to develop, including digital travel, with the emergence of digital identities. According to SITA’s 2023 Air Transport IT Insights, by the end of 2026, 82% of airlines will use biometric-enabled digital identity technologies for aircraft boarding, a further 67% confirmed using touchless and 50% single token.

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977,483 Indian visitors to Singapore till November 2023; Srithar passes on the baton

Concluding a tenure of 7.5 years as Regional Director (IMESA) at Singapore Tourism, GB Srithar, stated, “This year has been an interesting year for us. The arrival of Indian visitors has been steadily increasing post-COVID, month by month. As of November 2023, we have recorded 977,500 visitors and we anticipate surpassing 1 million by the year end.” He passes on the baton to Markus Tan from January 1, 2024.

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We hope India will also look at easing its visa regime, we need our fair share of inbound traffic: Ajay Prakash

Sharing his expectations from 2024, Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI, said, “We hope that in the new year, India will also look at liberalizing its visa regime so that foreign tourists will be able to travel to India more freely and with fewer hassles. Travel is increasing and India needs to get a fair share of inbound traffic.”

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MoCA urges airlines to keep fares on select routes in check, enhance on-time performance

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, led a meeting with key representatives from the airline industry on issues pertaining to performance and services provided by them. He laid emphasis on enhancing On-Time Performance of each airline, and instructed AAI to relook technical specs at VFR-equipped (Visual Flight Rules) airports to help enhance OTP of airlines. He also reviewed the self-monitoring mechanism with regard to airfares followed by each airline and stressed on keeping fares in check on select routes. The DGCA Tariff Monitoring Unit has been institutionalised to routinely monitor airfares on routes selected on a random basis.    

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VFS Global appointed to deliver UK Government visa and passport services across 142 countries

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.”

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Oman Air and Amouage bring high perfumery to skies with the latest amenity kit range

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).

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Indian market is strong and oriented towards young, quality tourism: Swiss India Director

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.

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India can contribute $408 mn in international overnight visitor spend to Queensland by 2032

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.

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