Tag Archives: Chief Executive Officer

Vistara inaugurated its daily direct service to Amritsar from Delhi, making it the fifth destination in northern India on the airline’s network. Vistara will commence operations between Amritsar and Mumbai with daily direct flights, starting March 8, 2017, which would make it the only full service airline to connect the two cities. Commenting on Amritsar’s potential and congratulating Vistara on the launch of the new service, Prakash Singh Badal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, said, “It is very heartening to see Amritsar expanding its air connectivity across the length and breadth of the country and to the world. Introduction of the new flights from Amritsar to Delhi by Vistara will definitely help not only the people of the state, but all countrymen who travel within the country and overseas. It will truly help Punjab harness its industrial, tourism, religious as well as business growth potential. I congratulate Vistara on the launch of this new service to and from Amritsar, and wish the airline great success.” Expressing delight at the launch, Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We’re very happy to add Amritsar to our network, and we sincerely believe in the city’s great potential for growth in several aspects, apart from only tourism. The launch of service to Amritsar is in line with our focus on customers, who have long desired to ‘fly the new feeling’ to the city, and it is also well aligned with our evolving international plans, as millions of NRIs travel to and from Amritsar every year. We’re confident that our customers will be equally delighted to fly these new routes with us.”

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s  Radisson Blu Jammu, opened with 119 rooms and suites with modern amenities, for corporate and leisure travellers. The room rates per night start from Rs 6750. The hotel is a 14 minutes drive from Jammu Airport (IXJ) and six minutes by car from Jammu Tawi Railway Station, the city’s main railway station. The hotel features flexible meeting spaces including a 25,000 sq. ft. Royal Ballroom that accommodates up to 2,000 guests with additional pre-function space and a lawn for pre-event cocktails. Located at the epicenter of Jammu’s economic activity, the hotel is within close proximity to the corporate hub, Bahu Plaza, industrial estates, Bari Brahmana, Gangyal and Samba, several leading educational institutions and multi-specialty hospitals. The hotel features other facilities including the Business Class Lounge, business center, swimming pool, spa and fully equipped fitness center. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said, “Jammu is a region that enjoys strong domestic leisure demand and is home to some of the most visited destinations in India. Integral to our India growth strategy, is expanding in leisure markets and state capitals. With the opening of Radisson Blu Jammu, we will make inroads into the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir; we are delighted to be partnering Skyline Hotels in this iconic hotel.”

Making visa application facilities convenient for travellers, the Chinese Visa Application Centre was inaugurated at Shivaji Stadium metro station, Connaught Place, New Delhi by HE Lua Zhaohui, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to India; Wei Xiaodong, Vice Director-General, Service Bureau for the Foreign Ministry and its Overseas Missions of China; and Zubin Karkaria, Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group. Commenting on the launch, the Ambassador said, “This is going to facilitate tourism between the two countries even further. Both countries boast of a huge population and want a better two-way exchange of tourist arrival numbers.” Adding on, Zubin Karkaria stated, “We anticipate strong tourism growth between India and China and this spacious centre will enable us to cater to the rising demand for China visas and simultaneously enhance the applicant’s experience.” On the occasion, the very first ‘China in Luxury’ outlet was also launched in the centre where travellers can avail of premium packages on exclusive travel experiences.

The Board of Thomas Cook (India) at its meeting on February 14, 2017, announced the elevation of Mahesh Iyer as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his elevation, Iyer was Chief Operating Officer of the company. He assumes direct responsibility for the company’s P&L, day to day operations, strategic planning, management of key relationships, as well as building a sustainable growth oriented organisation that maximises value for all its stakeholders. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) said, “I am delighted with Mahesh’s elevation as Chief Executive Officer. A Thomas Cook veteran of 22 years, he will now lead Thomas Cook India. He joins the leaders of the group’s other travel namely Dipak Deva of TCI-Sita, Vishal Suri of SOTC and Maria Ng of Kuoni Hong Kong who will have the freedom in managing their respective companies and will report to me as part of the larger group structure.”

Oman Air is growing its capacity to India by increasing flight frequencies from 126 to 161 flights per week between Oman and its 11 Indian destinations to boost the tourism sector. The airline informed that from February onwards, Mumbai, Delhi, Calicut and Hyderabad will be operated with 21 weekly flights each and Lucknow with 14 weekly flights. “The demand for all 11 of our Indian destinations has always been high and the increased frequencies offer yet more choice and convenience to our guests. Oman Air first launched flights to India in the 1990s and the demand for seats has grown exponentially not only increasing tourism traffic and revenue but also promoting vital trade agreements between the two countries,” said Paul Gregorowitsch, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air. The extended traffic entitlements will give a further boost to the tourism sector, prompting many discerning tourists to visit Oman as well as India. With this development, Oman Air is flying its wide bodied aircraft to selected destinations in India. Source: The Indian Express

124-room Radisson Blu Faridabad opens in the north Indian state of Haryana, one of India’s largest business and industrial hubs in the National Capital Region (NCR). The hotel offers spacious meeting facilities with state-of-the-art technology and a pillar-less grand ballroom that accommodates up to 1,000 guests. Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, “We are honoured to be partnering with Eros Group to bring this iconic hotel to Faridabad. We are confident the hotel will have a strong appeal to business and leisure travellers and redefine expectations. We welcome this stylish addition to our growing portfolio of 140 hotels in operation and development. This reinforces Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s position as one of the leading and fastest-growing international hotel companies in India.” Akshay Sood, director, Eros Group added, “In the last 70 years, Eros Group has built a legacy, diversifying our business into real estate development and hospitality. We are confident and delighted to be working with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Their proven experience and marketing expertise in this region will benefit the hotel. The team is proud to be the first to introduce an international upper-upscale brand into the market.”

Ayana Hospitality, promoted by the ICS Group (India) has launched its flagship property ‘Ayana Fort Kochi,’ a luxury boutique hotel in Kochi, Kerala. The hotel is a 200-year-old courthouse that has been restored. Akhil Behl, Chief Executive Officer, Ayana Hospitality, said, “It has been designed and renovated in perfect harmony with the legacy of the property, the environs and culture of the region. Our efforts towards guest’s experiences are not limited to the hotel premises only, but are far more rounded and encompassing. Going forward we will add more unique properties to our portfolio and will strive to raise the bar in personalized tailored luxury.”

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), Virginia USA, has inducted Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Chief Executive Officer, Ramoji Film City, into its Asia Pacific Government Relations Subcommittee. IAAPA represents facility, supplier, and individual members from 99 countries and Jalnapurkar would be serving the committee for the year 2017. Jalnapurkar brings with him a rich experience of 20 years in the field of theme parks and amusement industry and is also the only Indian to be selected for this prestigious position. He is the Director of IAAPI and Education Subcommittee of Education at Asia. “India offers a tremendous opportunity to increase the number of amusement destinations. Beyond the metro cities amusement parks are accessible to a much larger community. With this objective we aim to work with the national/ state governments to create much better entertainment avenues for the people. I am honored to be a part of IAAPA and hope that I will be able to contribute to its mission,” said Jalnapurkar. In 2017, the Asia Pacific Government Relations Subcommittee will world towards creating an advocacy effort that supports key global, regional and local initiatives. It will also formulate a three-year tactical plan to increase understanding and awareness of the amusement parks and attractions industry in Asia Pacific region.

AVIAREPS has launched Aviacollect, an online payment solution that allows small to medium offline airlines, hospitality brands, including standalone hotels and resorts, DMCs and providers of travel services, such as visa application, ground transportation, airport lounge access, car hire, attractions, sightseeing and travel insurance, to economically extend their international consumer and travel agent sales networks around the world. Aviacollect was launched in response to the urgent business development needs of many small to mid-size tourism related companies to extend their sales distribution channels and presence internationally, in a manner that respects their unique brand, and is cost effective to ensure a return on investment given limited resources. The payment solution can be used as a white label solution for AVIAREPS clients, allowing them to accept payments in targeted countries with local bank connections and in local currencies. Edgar Lacker, Chief Executive Officer, AVIAREPS, says “For over 20 years AVIAREPS has seen the great potential of many small to mid-size aviation and tourism entities to expand their services overseas, however an economic solution for that was not always possible. Thanks to today’s technology and a great AVIAREPS innovation team, a solution is finally at hand! Through Aviacollect, and AVIAREPS’ global network of self-owned offices, our clients can now not only present their brands in a way that is directly relevant to the targeted markets, but comes with the in-market expertise and know-how of our sales and PR professionals on the ground to help spread the sales points of that brand.” Aviacollect is also tailored to the needs of consumers and local travel agents seeking an online one stop information and payment platform, as visitors to the site can book all types …

Air India launched its first direct flight from Delhi-Madrid at a gala ceremony in Delhi, which was graced by P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister, Civil Aviation; Pankaj Srivastava, Director-Commercial, Air India; I Prabhakara Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport; Ignacio Ducasse Gutierrez, Tourism Counselor, Embassy of Spain in India and Director, Tourism Office of Spain in India, Mumbai; and other dignitaries from the travel and tourism industry. Madrid is Air India’s ninth European destination and 42nd international destination. Srivastava addressed the gathering and said, “The nine-hour flight would be able to cut down the flying time to Madrid by 4-5 hours, and would offer further connections to South American countries like Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Chile.” The thrice a week flight with a  B787 Dreamliner, offers a convenient departure at 1425hrs from Delhi and arrival at Madrid at 2020hrs. From Madrid the departure time is 2150hrs and arrival in Delhi at 1110hrs the next day.