Former ITDC senior executive, Prasoon Mukherjee has signed the first ever master franchise agreement for TGI Fridays’ for as many as 75 outlets in the next 10 years. The U.S. based company has partnered with Master Franchisor, Universal Success Enterprises, to bring an authentic Fridays experience to over 75 new locations in South and Southeast Asia over the next 10 years. The deal, which is expected to drive over $500MM in revenue for the U.S. based …
Britain has announced that all COVID-19 travel restrictions will be lifted, effective 18th March. These would include the passenger locator form (PLF) for arrivals into the UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated. This change, therefore, removes the need for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and a day 2 post arrival test. This step reflects the decisions taken by the UK Government, as set out in the Living …
Vesak (Pali: Vesākha, Sanskrit: Vaiśākha), known as Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day is observed by Buddhist communities in and beyond India as the day of the birth, enlightenment and death (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha. We in Mongolia also plan to celebrate the Buddha Day on 26th May declared as a public holiday. Historically, Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia not once but three times. The first transmission happened over two thousand years ago …
If Necessity was one important criteria for innovation, Covid impact has just proved that for the Indian fashion industry. Read what some of our leading designers have been doing during the lockdown era? Indian designers were going global. New markets were opening up. Sales were on an upward trajectory. The Indian design scene was booming. And then the pandemic hit. The world as we knew it, changed forever. And along with it, so did our …
In Times Like These, admittedly a large number of live events have been canceled or postponed, but the industry has experienced a significant increase in demand for digital event formats and hybrid events since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Voks Dams has achieved this by being as agile as possible and adjusting its concepts to the local government regulations in real time. With smaller events (e.g. up to 150 participants in Berlin and up 500 in Shanghai) …
After a six-month long COVID-19 lockdown, as a part of gradual opening and as per the Government of Nepal’s decision to allow the operation of domestic flights, intercity buses, hotels and restaurants to reopen from Sept. 17, 2020; domestic tourism movement has restarted now. The safety and hygiene protocols are to be followed strictly. To assure confidence in travel, the Government has set up an effective and regular monitoring mechanism. The tourism fraternity of Nepal has …
As global tourism begins to recover, and as governments declare soft openings, we talked to senior representatives in Cairo on how they look towards Indian travellers again. Following are the extracts: What was India’s profile before COVID set in?Let us say during 2019. How has this been shaping in recent years?Egypt has witnessed a great response from the Indian market over the last few years. Numbers has jumped from 60K in 2014 to more than 128k tourists …
In Times Like These, what can an NTO do? Just wait and watch? Get pro-active but how? One NTO is sending us press releases regarding what you can still do, today, if you were there in that city. The trouble is you can’t be there! With airports shut and airlines grounded, with stay at home diktat being followed strictly, the world is grounded. Till at least April 15th, and even then, assuming restrictions easing, when …
Q. What are the trends of Indian Travellers in Macau? The Sheraton is widely termed as the MICE Hotel of choice in Macau. The Indian Market has proved immensely responsive and lucrative for the hotel since the its inception which has allowed it to celebrate its 7th successful year of existence in the city. The MICE related business is huge because of the size available, 500-800 being an average group size. The hotel is ready …
Polish Airlines has reasons to be enthusiastic about its second foray into India, as it celebrates its 90 years of operation. And admittedly embarks on an ambitious goal of establishing itself as the hub of the European airspace for Indian flyers heading to Warsaw and beyond. Much has changed, in India and Poland, since the heady days of the 1990s, when the Polish carrier connected the two countries, later withdrawing from the Indian market. As …
TIRUN has announced the launch of Celebrity Apex from Celebrity Cruises, promising the best European experience onboard a cutting-Edge ship, Celebrity Apex. The latest ship follows in line the legacy established by its iconic sister ship Celebrity Edge, which was just named amongst 2019 TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places. Celebrity Apex features an innovative outward-facing design and transformational accommodations that offer guests the best experience to experience the vastness of the ocean to the fullest. Now, …
ICCA’s Board of Directors has appointed Senthil Gopinath to serve as the organisation’s new CEO. As per ICCA by-laws, the Board made the selection in a closed-vote process, with Gopinath winning by majority vote. He began his new role in April 2019. “Senthil brings the qualities that we most need in a leader at this juncture,” said James Rees, ICCA President and Executive Director of ExCeL London. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated not only …
Slated only to grow, influential Indian companies, private and public, were driving sizable investments into Vietnam, triggering a notable movement of people and demand for a skilled workforce, said Excellency Pham Sanh Chau, Ambassador of Vietnam to India. He expressed astonishment at lowly inbound numbers into India, given its potential, resources and robust air networks, and suggested focussing on augmenting basic infrastructure, besides addressing the evident disparity in the service of hotels and the surrounding …
The setback of Jet Airways pulling out flights was only temporary as Vistara and IndiGo commencing operations from key Indian gateway cities had yet again bolstered the connectivity quotient between India and Singapore, said Dr Edward Koh, Executive Director, Meetings & Incentive Travel Experience Development Group and G B Srithar, Regional Director – India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board. They suggested that the growth story from India was intact and only expected …
Sammy Yahia, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism – India & Philippines, was in the capital recently, leading the roadshow conducted by Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Speaking to us on the sidelines of the event, he exuded tremendous confidence in the possibilities from the Indian market, noting that Asia, and India in particular, was the next big frontier for the Mediterranean nation. Excerpts from an exclusive one-on-one: Several significant changes, political and economic, in the USA, …
Ctrip’s bid to acquire a 42.5 per cent stake in online aggregator MakeMyTrip has been approved by Competition Commission of India (CCI). The apex body recently took to Twitter, announcing the closure of the deal. “CCI India approves the acquisition of additional outstanding voting securities of MakeMyTrip Limited By Ctrip.com International Limited,” it twitted. At the current stock market valuation, the deal is pegged at USD 2.57 billion. Ctrip is a Hong-Kong based travel service …
