CATEGORIES

La Mamounia is an oasis for travellers

In order to cement its foothold in the Indian market, Moroccan luxury resort La Mamounia, located in the picturesque town of Marrakech, recently organised a visit to Mumbai and Delhi, engaging with top-tier travel industry partners from India. General Manager Pierre Jochem tells India Outbound that the resort, which recently completed 100 years, is targetting the Indian visitors seeking to explore Morrocan art, culture and heritage, besides its captivating beauty.

Africa has come a long way as travel destination for Indians

The perception of Africa as a tourism destination has come a long way in India as travellers from India have gone beyond safaris to discover other elements that make travel to Africa attractive. The change is not just amongst Indian tourists, but destinations have also learnt more about their Indian clients and are taking steps to customise their offer to the Indian visitors, writes Alpa Jani, Founder, Ace Connect, a tourism marketing company.

ASCENIC RAIL TRIP ACROSS BALKANS

A rail journey through the Western Balkans, from Serbia's vibrant capital Belgrade to the culturally rich Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a more tranquil, scenic way to explore the region's breathtaking mountains, lakes and historical towns at a leisurely pace.

Shahnaz Husain's cool tips for skincare during travel

Celebrity beautician and hair care expert Shahnaz Husain tells India Outbound on her secrets for skin-care and hair-care while travelling.

Plovdiv: Timeless jewel in Bulgarian crown

With a history spanning over two millennia, Plovdiv is not only one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, but also a vibrant conduit linking Bulgaria's past and its present.

Navigating Natural Wonders of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

For us city dwellers, even the sound of a cuckoo might seem exotic. So now imagine discovering a vastness filled with shifting dunes and interlaced emerald lagoons.

Explore the Jewel of Southern Spain, Seville

Home to one of the largest historic centres of Europe and three world heritage sites, the stunning city of Seville, located by the picturesque Guadalquivir River in southern Spain, offers tourists an experience rich in history, culture, art, gastronomy and much more.

UPI IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS A GAME CHANGER FOR INDIAN TRAVELLERS

Having revolutionised digital transactions in India, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is now expanding globally. After tepid beginnings in the immediate neighbourhood, UPI is gaining acceptance in many countries making a win-win for Indian tourists and businesses overseas that are increasingly eager to tap the burgeoning Indian outbound travel market.

Debuting at COP29, can tourism lead march towards curbing carbon emissions?

Tourism will make its debut in global climate change negotiations in the next round of discussions, COP29, that opens in Baku later this month. So far, the discussions have spectacularly failed to produce any notable outcome, besides platitudes and numerous missed commitments. The global tourism industry has a golden opportunity to lead the way and show the world the true path to curbing carbon emissions. But the sector's own record in this aspect is hardly blemishless.

Bintan Island: SEESE

A haven of nature, with thriving flora and fauna, the Indonesian island of Bintan, that is barely an hour away from Singapore by ferry and comes with easy visa regimes, is an ideal extension for any Indian visitor to Singapore, looking to add a touch of wilderness to the experience.

Scenic Sydney: Sky street & sea

When in Sydney, arguably the prettiest Australian city, soar through the sky like a bird, conquer the world's tallest steel arch bridge, have close encounters with cuddly koala bears and soak up the sun on a vibrant beach!

Nimes: French city with a Roman soul

Explore the charming city of Nimes, nestled in the heart of the Occitanie region in the South of France. With its stunning architecture and iconic landmarks such as the ancient arena and the majestic Maison Carrée, Nimes has an undeniable resemblance to the timeless beauty of Rome.

APAC Travel Marketplace sets stage for Abu Dhabi's Asian conquest

With the objective of enhancing engagements and increasing the footfall from its largest source market, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi recently hosted the first edition of APAC Travel Marketplace that attracted over 200 travel and tourism stakeholders from across the Asia Pacific region.

DESTINATIONS TUNE INTO MELODIES OF MUSIC TOURISM

One of the fastest growing niche segments of tourism is centred around music as millions of travellers around the world make their way to music festivals and especially to concerts by leading stars like Taylor Swift or Adele. For destinations and tourism stakeholders where these festivals and concerts are organised, music tourism is hitting all the right cords.

EXPLORING BATUMI IN ALL ITS COLOURS

Georgian Black Sea resort town of Batumi is often referred to as the Paris of the Caucasus countries and it attracts the rich and famous from all over the world, bewitching them with its multiple shades and hues.

World's Top Luxury Trains

Replete with personal valets, grand suites and opulent amenities, luxury train travel is becoming one of the most sought-after ways to see the world with the rising popularity of slow travel.

India Among Focus Markets for Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Preferred Hotels & Resorts offers not only a platform to the 650 luxury hotels in 85 countries that are its members, but it also helps them move towards critical areas such as sustainability. Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, who was in India recently tells India Outbound that the Beyond Green label of Preferred Hotels & Resorts has extremely stringent membership criteria which are regularly monitored and enforced. She adds that India is one of the most important outbound travel markets for members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

Malta to host first art biennale in 2024

The Mediterranean island nation of Malta will organise its first art biennale in first half of 2024. Conceived as a Mediterranean biennale, its inaugural edition comes with theme of 'insular thinking' that has drawn over 2,500 proposals by artists from 75 countries. The biennale will start from March 11 and continue through the month of May. Artistic Director Sofia Baldi Pighi tells India Outbound about the preparations for the biennale.

Heidelberg: Lessons in History & Heritage

There are many student towns in the world but few can rival the small German city of Heidelberg's unique connection with education and youth. While hostels and libraries are commonplace, Heidelberg is perhaps the only centre of learning in the world to have had a prison for students!

48 hours in Kutaisi

A compact town split by the Rioni River, Kutaisi, the capital of the Imereti region of Georgia, is a window into the country's history, culture, art and architecture and way of life.

We aspire to be the gateway for Indian travellers to US

As most Indian travellers to the United States head to Calfornia and more specifically the Silicon Valley, San Francisco International Airport aspires to be the key gateway for Indians, Kevin Bumen, Chief Financial & Commercial Officer at SFO tells India Outbound. Bumen adds that the number of Indian arrivals at SFO has already risen 80 pc over 2019 peak.

INDIAN TRAVEL TRADE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT DESTINATION JAMAICA

With a clear focus on the potential that the Indian outbound travel market holds, Jamaica Tourist Board invited Indian travel trade and media to participate for the first time in JAPEX, the key tourism fair in the country. The bet on the Indian market seems to have paid off for Jamaica as almost every travel agent from India said that the destination held immense promise for Indian visitors and that the destination would be integrated in their itineraries shortly.

Indian travellers biggest consumers of adventure in South Africa

With an 82 pc increase in arrivals from India so far in 2023 and a rapidly growing MICE industry, South African Tourism is set to reach the 2019 arrivals this year, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head Middle East, India & South East Asia of South African Tourism, tells India Outbound.

Full recovery in leisure traffic, business yet to catch up

Finnish flag carrier FinnAir was amongst the worst hit by the Russia-Ukraine War. However, the airline's leisure traffic from India has recovered fully to the pre-pandemic levels and recovery in business travel is progressive, Romu Sakari, General Manager, Finnair tells India Outbound.

Segovia: Spain's Fairytale Town

One of the many tourism gems that Spain boasts of, Segovia is perhaps the dreamiest, with its amazing history that is reflected in extremely well-preserved monuments, ranging from a Roman Aqueduct to a 12th century Castle and a flamboyant 16th century Gothic Cathedral.Varsha Singh

Like Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines is all about outdoors & nature

Like every year since 2017, this year, too, SriLankan Airlines continued as a Title Sponsor of the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival, one of the largest sporting events in Australia, that saw the participation of over 45,000 people recently. In an interview with India Outbound, Saminda Perera, Head of Marketing, SriLankan Airlines, says that supporting endurance events like the marathon, gives greater visibility to the airline, not just among Australians but also the sizeable Sri Lankan and Indian diaspora.

Savouring Luxury with SriLankan Airlines

Almost all airlines come with a business class cabin, with equipment and amenities that are now fairly standard. What separates one airline from another is the personal touch and the service of the airline staff. Here, few can match the warmth and welcome extended by SriLankan Airlines.

RELIVING CHARIOTS OF FIRE AT MELBOURNE MARATHON

One of the biggest annual athletics events of Australia, the Melbourne Marathon is an experience to be lived, rather than watched. Participating in this challenging race has become easier even for Marathon lovers from India and South Asia, thanks to SriLankan Airlines which has a convenient, daily direct connection from Colombo to Melbourne.

After booming summer, Atlantis Dubai expects bumper winter

India is one of the top 10 markets for luxury hospitality group Atlantis Dubai. Keen to grow the market further, Neil Shah, Account Director, Sales, Atlantis Dubai, tells India Outbound that he is seeing a lot of repeat Indian visitors who are now coming for longer stays and are spending more.

JAMAICA: LUXURY LIVES HERE

The Caribbean island nation of Jamaica is one of the top preferences for tourists from all over the world seeking luxury. Despite its distance, the destination is also attracting greater traction from Indian luxury travellers who head to Jamaica for weddings, anniversaries or just to pamper themselves with a variety of luxury experiences, be it in the air, on the land or in the water.