Tag Archives: CEO

Cricketers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, K.L. Rahul on Monarch Cruise

Monarch Cruise has enrolled two cricketers from India’s playing XI in its already start-studded line-up for its themed cruises. And the good news for the trade is that agents can now partake in these experiences. Somesh Jagga, CEO, Monarch Cruise, in an exclusive to TravTalk revealed that Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and K.L. Rahul from the current Indian team have now signed up with Monarch to sail will the travellers onboard. He says, “We take special care of our travel agents and PSAs and hold events where they can meet the celebrities we have onboard, which is something they cherish for life. We also give them exclusive signed merchandise and certificates that they can exhibit in their offices. Special lunch and dinner opportunities with celebrities are provided to high performing agents. Monarch is all about experience, not only for its customers, but for its travel agents as well.”

Read More »

Lavasa bags 3 awards at West India Travel Awards

Rajiv Duggal, CEO, Lavasa, won big at the third West India Travel Awards held at Novotel Pune Nagar Road on August 5, 2016. Besides being declared the Best Marketing Professional of the year for his contribution towards promoting Lavasa as a destination in its own right, Duggal also picked up the awards for Lavasa International Convention Centre which won the Best Convention Centre; and Lavasa Tourism which was named the Best All Seasons Destination. Talking about the sweeping victory at the event, the CEO of Lavasa, said, “It’s an overwhelming feeling to receive the three trophies and I am glad that the awards recognise the effort we’ve put behind the development and promotion of the destination.”

Read More »

Lavasa aims at 2 mn tourists by March 2017

Lavasa has registered footfall of about 1.14 million tourists and is aiming at welcoming  2 million tourists by March 2017. This information was given by Rajiv Duggal, CEO, Lavasa. He said, “We are looking at 2 million tourists by March 2017 and so our major focus right now is at increasing our inventory.” He informed that they are looking forward to the opening of Novotel this year which will add another 200 rooms. He also said, “We have a Holiday Inn and an ibis opening. So, the concentration is to bring another 400 rooms to the city to its existing 300 inventory.”  

Read More »

Indian arrivals to Ras Al Khaimah up 23% during Jan-June, 2016

Ras Al Khaimah recorded a 23 per cent increase in visitors from India during the first six months of 2016 compared to the corresponding January-June period last year, according to the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA).The positive growth trend during 2016 ranks India as the third largest international source market for the UAE’s most northern emirate-up from fourth last year. “Our new brand positioning emphasises Ras Al Khaimah’s natural assets, luxurious indulgence, range of activities for different types of travellers and authentic Arabian heritage and culture – our diverse destination pillars resonate well with Indian travellers,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah TDA. In-line with the emirate’s international promotional strategy, RAKTDA recently attended July’s MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILT) in Mumbai, the latest stop in a series of roadshows and familiarisation trips with Indian travel trade partners in the first six months of 2016. The promotional programme in India has targeted the country’s swelling MICE and luxury market, which has witnessed tremendous growth in outbound corporate travel in recent years as more and more corporates recognise the importance of MICE activities as a key driver to engage internal and external customers. “The constant increase in visitor arrivals from India is the direct result of strategic in-market trade missions and industry partnerships to boost market awareness of Ras Al Khaimah’s MICE and leisure offerings, highlight the destination’s diverse tourism proposition and forge smart partnerships with potential buyers,” added Mattar. “We’ve engaged close to 500 of India’s leading trade stakeholders to promote the destination as an ideal choice for the country’s business and leisure travel trade and these activities will continue in the second half of 2016.”

Read More »

Oman Air to up its weekly India flights to 175 by 2018

In a bid to expand its India portfolio, Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO, Oman Air, said that Oman Air wants to increase its weekly flights from the current 126 from Muscat to 175 weekly flights by 2018. He said, “We currently fly double daily flights to six out of the 11 destinations in India with 21,147 seats. Our current bilateral agreement allows us only so much. If we are allowed more, we will opt to go triple daily to these six same cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad as our load factors are already close to 90 per cent thanks to the travel trade.” Gregorowitsch was visiting Mumbai to talk about Oman’s national carrier’s growth, strategy and expansion plans. The airline also hosted its agent partners for a networking and Iftar party. The airline celebrates 23 years of its India operations.

Read More »

MakeMyTrip offers Forex with BookMyForex

MakeMyTrip has partnered with BookMyForex, a marketplace for retail foreign exchange and private remittances, to offer foreign exchange to its customers. Customers booking international travel products can subsequently purchase their foreign exchange with BookMyForex at the click of a button on MakeMyTrip platforms – website or mobile app. This will enable them to take advantage of BookMyForex’s live and finest rates that are updated every three seconds and enjoy door-step delivery of their foreign exchange products in over 200 Indian cities. Mohit Gupta, Chief Operating Officer – Online, MakeMyTrip said, “We are pleased to tie-up with BookMyForex for retail foreign exchange and look forward to adding to our existing travel solutions offerings. Being the pioneers in the online travel sector and as category leaders, the onus of growing the sector is on us. By partnering with BookMyForex, we are firmly establishing ourselves as the ultimate destination for the full suite of travel products.” Sudarshan Motwani, CEO, BookMyForex.com said, “BookMyForex has the unique ability to compare thousands of forex rates and service quality metrics across hundreds of banks and exchange companies.  Our platform is able to determine the bank or moneychanger offering the best rates and service in every city and every neighbourhood. Thanks to this partnership, we will now be able to extend the benefit of our platform to MakeMyTrip customers and connect them with the most ideal forex vendors in real time. Through the association, we will be able to tap the large international customer base of India’s largest OTA and help them buy all travel-related forex products at one single destination.”

Read More »

EQT is Kuoni’s new owner

After confirming talks with Swedish private equity group EQT and announcing the offer within a month, Kuoni will finally close the investment deal with its new owner this May. Zubin Karkaria, CEO, Kuoni Group and CEO, VFS Global, has revealed to TravTalk that the change of ownership through Swedish private equity firm EQT will happen soon and expects the transaction to be completed in May 2016. Based on the offer made by EQT in February, Kuoni Group is valued at around Rs 9,800 crore (on present currency rates, based on 1.4 billion Swiss Francs). The company’s Board feels that taking Kuoni private and handing over the responsibility for the group to an internationally-renowned new owner would be ideal. Karkaria together with the current management team will continue to lead the company. Kuoni Group focuses on three core activities: Global Travel Distribution (GTD), Global Travel Services (GTS) and VFS Global. He said in an email interview, “We expect the transaction to be completed in May 2016. We welcome EQT’s investment in the Kuoni Group, which underlines the attractiveness of our global business activities. With the new owners we will be able to accelerate the implementation of our strategy. Investments in technology and supporting acquisition opportunities give the Kuoni Group an excellent platform to build further on its leadership positions in travel industry services. EQT has an impressive track record of growing companies. With access to their experience and network in both the travel and tech industries, we will be able to accelerate the implementation of Kuoni’s strategy.”

Read More »

Kochi-Bangkok direct daily on Thai AirAsia

Thai AirAsia has announced the first ever daily direct flights from Kochi to Bangkok Don Mueang starting from May 17, 2016. The inaugural fares to Bangkok are available starting from RS. 2999 per way, and can be booked until 27 March 2016 for travel from May 17, 2016- May 22, 2017 on www.airasia.com. Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO, Thai AirAsia, said, “India is a very important market for us and we are very committed to making air travel affordable and accessible from Kochi to Bangkok and beyond. As the first airline to launch a direct flight between Kochi and Bangkok, we are pleased to offer more convenience with a short 4 hour flight so travellers can have more time to enjoy our wonderful country. Beyond Bangkok, Thai AirAsia’s amazing connectivity allows for travellers to connect to over 20 destinations in Thailand including world famous beaches in Phuket and Krabi, and lush green mountains in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, among many other amazing cities. Beyond Thailand, passengers can also easily hop to other international destinations including Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Siem Reap, Myanmar, Mandalay and Luang Prabang among many other cities”. Soraya Homchuen TAT Director of Mumbai said, “We are very excited to welcome Indian visitors to Thailand. In 2015, a total of 1,069,149 Indian visitors arrived in Thailand making Indian travellers the 6th largest group of travellers to our country. Apart from our delicious Thai cuisine, we are also very proud to showcase our Thai hospitality and various attractions nationwide. Beyond Bangkok’s temples, shopping malls and night life, there is still much to explore and we invite you to visit our famous beaches in southern Thailand …

Read More »

Mauritius records 18% growth in Indian arrivals

As per the statistics shared by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), 72,145 Indian tourists visited Mauritius in 2015. This is an increase of 18 per cent as compared to 61,167 tourists who visited in 2014. Speaking on this subject, Sanjay Sondhi, CEO, OM Tourism, said that the growth was due to the stupendous efforts of the MTPA India team. He further added “We are looking forward to an even better 2016.” Vivek Anand, Country Manager, said, “We have seen a remarkable rise of Indian footfalls to Mauritius from all target groups i.e. FIT, MICE, Wedding, Families and honeymooners. We expect the numbers to increase by another 20 per cent next year with more weddings and MICE groups visiting Mauritius. We will continue promoting Mauritius as a MICE, Wedding, Honeymoon, Adventure, Golf, Family and Luxury destination in 2016.”

Read More »
error: Content is protected !!