The latest decision of the Government of India to relax its tourist visa rules received praise from various quarters of the industry. The government recently decided to lift the restriction of the two-month gap on re-entry of foreign nationals coming to India except in the…

The 4th edition of the India Travel Trade Expo (ITTE) received a good support from the cross section of the industry. The Expo was inaugurated by Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister for Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Anand Kulkarni, Principal Secretary Tourism, Government of Maharashtra; Vipul Mittra, Secretary,…

Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL) declared its Third Quarter results recently. The company’s Gross Turnover increased by 10 per cent from Rs. 144,442 million to Rs. 159,208 million. In addition their EBIT (YTD) grew by nine per cent (excluding one-time items), and their revenue for…

Laying emphasis on the need to work together, as a united body, the World Travel and Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) hosted a retreat at Bekal in Kerala in end September. The retreat at Kerala brought together Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and…

The number of foreign tourists availing the Visa on Arrival (VoA) rose by over 27 percent from January-September this year compared to the same period last year, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism. A total number of 10,816 VoAs were issued…

According to Martin Sirk, CEO, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the Incredible India is both a powerful and emotional marketing campaign, probably the most impactful one in the market. While delivering his keynote speech at the recently concluded IT&CM in New Delhi, Sirk opined…

At its recent conference on ‘Sustainable Tourism through Joint Action’ in New Delhi, ESOI focussed on three vital issues : deterioration of destinations due to inadequate infrastructure planning, education and awareness; impediments to tourism as a vehicle for greater income and employment generation and environment…

Indian tourism industry had traditionally been designed for the foreign tourist. However, the growing influx of domestic travellers has been a wake-up call. The number of domestic tourists stood at 850 million in 2011 which is more than 150 times of inbound arrivals. Domestic tourism…

The Panj Takht Darshan train, which will start its journey on 30 December, 2012, was launched by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in New Delhi. A joint initiative of Indian Railways, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Punjab Heritage and Tourism…

The Ministry of Tourism, Andhra Pradesh and India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), recently singed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote tourism in Andhra Pradesh. The MoU envisages development of interstate packages to promote Andhra Pradesh as an important tourism destination. The MoU was signed…