Glimpses of SATTE 2012Over the years SATTE has received tremendous response from national tourism boards, Indian states, hotel chains, airlines and tourism products from across the globe. SATTE has also played a vital role in promoting diverse segments of tourism and has now evolved as…

Inaugurating a two-day International Buddhist Conclave in Varanasi recently, Ex-Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai said that tourists from countries having sizable Buddhist population such as Thailand and Malaysia would be provided the Visa-on-Arrival (VOA) facility. Sahai added that with India being the land of…

After discontinuing operations about four years ago, Virgin Atlantic is now offering connections to important hubs in USA and the UK. Richard Branson, President, Virgin Atlantic is very excited to be back in business in Mumba. He believes that, this time around, Virgin Atlantic will…

K Chiranjeevi has been sworn in as the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Tourism, Government of India. He replaced Subodh Kant Sahai, who recently resigned from the post of Union Minister for Tourism. The travel fraternity expects that the success story he scripted…

Jet Airways has launched a bouquet of travel options from India to multiple destinations in the ASEAN region, Australia and New Zealand with the help of interline partners, and has also announced daily flights from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram. “ASEAN is the only region that is…

Strained over the current scenario, LCCs have discontinued offering tickets as economical as those available a few years ago and hiked the minimum airfare, even in non-peak season. The transformation of tariffs has been unrealistic and beyond cruel over the past two years according to…

According to the research report ‘Travel Trends’ by Tata AIG General Insurance, the current number of Indian outbound travellers is around 11 million per year, and this is growing by five to eight per cent year on year. Madhav Pai, COO – Leisure Travel (Outbound),…

Addressing the Economic Editors’ Conference in New Delhi recently, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh opined that the decision to allow 49 per cent FDI by foreign airlines in Indian carriers will help in rapid growth of airline sector in India. “Aviation has been identified as…

Having received approximately 45,000 Indians between January and August 2012, a 20 per cent increase from the same period last year, JNTO has recognised India as one of the top 10 source markets. JNTO is now set to increase these numbers, with a focus on…

The Ministry of Finance recently approved the unconditional and irrevocable guarantee for Air India’s NCD bonds for Rs 7,400 crores. The airline will now credit rate the NCD bond based on the guarantee issued by the government. The NCD will have tenure of 19 years…

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has a completely new team. We have a new Tourism Minister, K Chiranjeevi; a new Secretary, Parvez Dewan, and a few more high level appointments recently in the Ministry of Tourism. While the Minister has taken the charge just few…

Atout France (France Tourism Development Agency) has recently concluded its annual roadshows in Delhi and Mumbai, followed by its third set of training sessions for travel agents in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The sessions were designed to give agents first hand knowledge about France…

With issues such as the rupee value depreciation and the turbulence in the aviation industry, the tourism scenario has been less sunny in the recent past than in the previous years. However, the hospitality industry has managed to hold its own all year long, and…

VisitBritain is launching its first-ever film campaign in lieu of the upcoming 007 movie, Skyfall. Speaking exclusively with T3, Shivali Suri, Country Manager - India, VisitBritain, revealed that a number of billboards declaring “Bond is GREAT Britain” will serve to remind people that there is…

With summer being the peak season for Indian arrivals in New York City, NYC & Company is now promoting its local events to bring in more tourists from India during the winter months. Speaking on the sidelines of the Brand USA roadshow in Mumbai, Makiko…