Travel Trade Journal Magazine - February 2023

In this issue

This is that time of the year when the travel fraternity gets busy with industry events like OTM, SATTE, ITB Berlin, and ATM that provide mega platforms for the stakeholders of global travel to reconnect, network, and conduct business. This is also an exciting time for TTJ as we will again be attending ITB Berlin 2023 as the official publication from India.

We at TTJ have also been conducting our own B2B travel shows, branded TTJ TRAVMART and is getting quite popular with Industry partners over the years. We started the new year with the sixth edition of TRAVMART with the successful conclusion of our Tri-City events in South India and have more such events lined up. A showcase of the Tri-City TRAVMART has been published in this issue.

There are also some great reads in this issue, and our advertisers keep you engrossed with their exciting offers. I am sure you will enjoy reading the issue and sense that travel is indeed picking up momentum and is now on a growth tangent, which is a sign that we all were waiting for.

Happy Reading!

Nijhawan Group expands its representation portfolio, forges four new partnerships

Nijhawan Group adds more feathers to its hat with its appointment as the India representation office for Millennium Hotels and Resorts (Worldwide), Mayfair Cruises (Egypt), Pilgrimage Village and Vedana Lagoon Resort (Da Nang, Vietnam) and New World Hotel (Phu Quoc, Vietnam).

1 min

SriLankan Holidays launches 'Dil full of Sri Lanka,' holiday packages at unbelievable rates

Sri Lanka's national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines, sharing the joy of 75 years of Sri Lanka's independence, extended an invitation to Indian travellers to explore the island beauty.

1 min

Tourism Australia launches eighth iteration of Virtual Travel Fair; Fly to Oz from just Rs. 53,600

Tourism Australia has launched its eight iteration of Virtual Travel Fair (Airline Marketplace) in India, to provide Indian travellers with the opportunity to explore attractive deals on holidays to Australia, for a limited period.

1 min

JAZEERA AIRWAYS MARKS 5 YEARS OF OPERATIONS IN INDIA

Kuwait’s leading low-cost carrier serves eight Indian cities within its network of 55+ destinations.

2 mins

'India is eager to travel and the world should be ready to cash in'

With over 22 years of hands-on industry experience spread over multiple verticals ranging from airlines, tourism boards, and travel agencies, Alpa Jani, Founder and CEO of Ace Connect, now brings her experience and learning into the travel and hospitality consultancy business, continuing her passion for the industry. Ace Connect, a professional consulting company for niche products and destinations in the travel and hospitality space, aims to offer destinations and products a sustainable presence, visibility, and growth in the India market.

3 mins

Building destinations and experiences with an entrepreneurial spirit

Having worked in the tourism industry for 14 years, travel has become part of Ryna Sequeira’s DNA. She is a passionate marketeer, and the line of tourism business marries both exceptionally well. After the pandemic in 2022, Ryna relaunched her marketing consulting firm under her brand, Ryna Sequeira Consulting, and now represents Tourism and Events Queensland, Australian Cruise Group, and Opera Australia.

3 mins

UTAH TOURISM DEPARTMENT PROMOTES RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PRACTICES

As the world navigates the post-pandemic era, there has been a renewed interest in travel and a desire to both explore new destinations and rediscover local ones. Among the sought-after tourist destinations is the state of Utah, which has seen a surge in interest among travellers. Zach Fyne, Global Markets Specialist, Utah Office of Tourism, and Rachel Bremer, Global Markets Director, Utah Office of Tourism, recently presented a comprehensive overview of the state's various attractions to a gathering of media representatives. The presentation highlighted the diverse offerings of Utah and provided insights on how to best experience them.

3 mins

SriLankan Airlines adopting Pragmatic and Resilient approach

Most airlines suffered huge setbacks due to the COVID-19 scenario. SriLankan Airlines was no exception. Even post-COVID when things were finally looking up, the island nation had its own internal setbacks that created further challenges for the airline, but the airline overcame its challenges and has now reached its pre-COVID revenues operating at 70 per cent capacity. In an exclusive conversation with TTJ, Richard Nuttall, CEO, SriLankan Airlines, talks about the challenges faced by the airline and its projections for the future.

2 mins

Optimistic of new possibilities, ready to welcome more Indians in 2023

India is on a trajectory to become one of the largest sources and a focus market for global tourism. Destinations within proximity see India as the top source market. Over the years, Indian tourist footfalls are rapidly growing in South East Asia and the GCC countries. After the COVID pandemic, the pent-up demand is already seeing a huge outflow of travellers to the promising destinations in these regions. As a big and growing market, India is also valuable for many international hotels in these regions. We at TTJ spoke with some of the international hotels to know how they fared in 2022, their readiness for the India market in 2023, and hospitality trends that impressed them.

7 mins

Living the Korean Dream - Grand Hyatt Jeju

Embodying the modern Korean lifestyle, Grand Hyatt Jeju is the largest Grand Hyatt in Asia-Pacific. The hotel promises a rich, luxurious experience for domestic and international visitors with its exclusive range of services. Read on to know more about the luxurious hotel as we converse with Simon Graham, Hotel Manager, Grand Hyatt Jeju. Graham is an experienced hotel professional with over 20 years in the industry and is currently overseeing a team of over 400, driving key business strategy across all functions of the Rooms Division, and playing a key role in developing and executing the overall business strategy for the hotel.

3 mins

Discover Okinawa At Your Own Pace, Island By Island, Moment By Moment

The islands of Okinawa are as diverse as they are plentiful, stretching from the main island in the north to Ishigaki and beyond in the south. There are 160 islands, large and small, inhabited and uninhabited. Authentic Okinawan experiences await, with cultural treasures, outdoor adventure, and world-class diving just some of the draws. Choose the perfect destination for your unforgettable Okinawa experience. Discover Okinawa at your own pace, island by island, moment by moment.

4 mins

'Experiential travel will be the mantra for the hospitality sector'

With presence in almost all the states of India, The Clarks Hotels and aims to promote the country to the rising domestic luxury travellers, international travellers, and MICE. Amid domestic expansion, the group is also strengthening its international footprints with new openings in the Indian Ocean region. In this interaction, Rahul Deb Banerjee, Vice President, The Clarks Hotels and Resorts, gives rich insights into their work strategies and accomplishments in the year 2022 and their expectations for 2023.

3 mins

Hope, Caution And Alarm For The Travel Industry

The Union Budget 2023-24 was presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023. Expectations ran high, as every industry and its verticals have their own wishlist and pain areas which they look forward to being addressed. The travel, tourism and hospitality industry has its own long pending list of unaddressed issues for which constant representations have been made over the years. As usual, they remained unaddressed even in this budget. What was presented was a progressive, growth-oriented agenda for tourism at a macro level. However, the issues relating to the immediate survival and global competitiveness of the industry remained unaddressed. To add insult to injury, a massive hike in the TCS regime was proposed.

8 mins

TOUR DE DIAMONDS - Immerse into the Journey of Diamonds

Tour de Diamonds is a unique and premium experiential tour for those who have always wondered and wanted to know why a diamond is forever. This tour takes guests, tourists, and those interested into the realm of the captivating diamond-making process and gets knowledge of the industry with in-depth experiences. TTJ meets up with Karan Maniar and Priyanka Verma, Partners, Tour de Diamonds, to learn more about this enterprising startup in the travel business.

3 mins

Kerala Tourism set to launch a multitude of events as part of its innovative tourism

With a zest to move beyond the conventional image of a land of natural beauty, Kerala Tourism is set for a makeover. 'God's own country', renowned for its breathtaking scenic beauty and lush greenery, is now looking to rebrand itself as an all-season destination for both offbeat, as well as experiential travel. In a roadshow in Delhi, the officials talked about various launches and strategies to expand the reach of Kerala Tourism, and attract visitors round the year. Read on to know more.

2 mins

Travel India 2023 Summit: Laying down the roadmap for future of Bengal tourism

Travel India 2023, the flagship event of ICC, is an attempt to look at the latest status and updates of the tourism industry in the country, particularly in West Bengal and the way forward. Sustainable tourism, responsible tourism and AYUSH tourism are trending in the tourism industry of the country.

3 mins

Bengal looks at public and private sectors working together to bring in more tourists

A session at the Travel India Summit 2023 witnessed valuable insights from Babul Supriyo, Minister, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal and other eminent personalities in travel and tourism and other allied industries.

1 min

TASK comes ahead to enhance tourism in the Valley

Jammu and Kashmir has numerous pristine and adventure destinations that have been unfolded for travellers. Old houseboats have been revamped, informs Waseem Ahmad Goosani, General Secretary, TASK.

2 mins

Vedic Village Spa Resort A cut above the rest

Best known as the luxury wellness destination in the East, Vedic Village Spa Resort is poised to emerge as a bucket-list destination with its wide array of sports activities for all age brackets, informs Rajib Roy Choudhury, Senior General Manager of the resort.

3 mins

No Peace in the Air The Unruly Passenger

Given the growing concern from airlines, regulators and passengers at the increasing frequency and severity of incidents involving violence against crew and co-passengers. It is high time for practical steps to be taken to address and significantly reduce the problem by reining in these unruly and disruptive passengers. As most of the time these incidents escape public and media scrutiny, culprits most often go unpunished. This results in harassment of the crew and endangerment of safety norms. Schedules get disrupted and cause inconvenience, delays and diversions.

6 mins

STB, SIA, and Scoot host Industry Appreciation Gala event in New Delhi

Singapore Tourism Board, Airlines (SIA), Singapore and Scoot held an Industry Appreciation Gala night on January 17, 2023, at Bo Tai Switch, Shangri-La Eros Hotel in New Delhi, to thank and recognise their travel partners for the strong recovery of Indian visitors to Singapore in 2022.

2 mins

TTJ TRAVMART hosts a fun-filled afternoon at Delta 105 for its partners

TTJ TRAVMART, in association with Delta 105, hosted a fun-filled and activity-oriented afternoon for its key industry partners with their families for this one-of-a-kind \"True Fauji\" experience on January 04, 2023, to welcome the New Year. With a great deal of fun in the sun, everyone enjoyed the zipline, grenade throwing, and paintball experience with some scrumptious food. Here is more on the army theme park loaded with amusing army theme activities.

3 mins

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Travel Trade Journal Magazine Description:

Sampan Media's monthly publication 'Travel Trade Journal ' is devoted to strategic and policy issues in the travel and tourism sector covering all news and views related to agents, national & international tourism boards, hotel industry, transportation, government policies and civil aviation sector in the country.