IATO is in talks with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) to revise the guidelines of approval of inbound tour operators, allowing members with low turnover to also be recognised by the government. Nisha Verma The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) recently organised its monthly luncheon, where it shared industry …

The famous Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta once noted Nizwa as “a city enveloped by orchards and streams, with fine bazaars and splendid clean mosques.” Inder Raj Ahluwalia Ascenic drive from Muscat through stark, barren mountains, brings one to a little town that shoulders a long history. Sprawled across a water–fed …

PATA Nepal Chapter, in association with PATA India Chapter and PATA China Chapter, is all set to organise Nepal India China Expo (NICE) from February 22-25, 2020. The event is aimed at strengthening the tourism ties between the three neighbours and tapping their potential to the fullest. Nisha Verma Nepal …

After offering free e-visa to Indian tourists travelling to four regions of the Russian Federation, including St. Petersburg, Leningrad, Kaliningrad and Far East region, Russia is going to further simplify the process by offering an e-visa facility to all regions of the Federation by 2021. Manas Dwivedi The Federal Agency …

This year, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will focus on M!CE and cruise travellers from India, and provide incentives to trade partners in the form of grants on cost of travel in Singapore, co-investment in marketing promotions and complimentary experiences to their clients. Manas Dwivedi Presenting Singapore Tourism Board’s scheme for …

Abhishek Hajela, Travel Photographer, Eastbound, talks about the growing impact of photography tours and how they started this division at Eastbound. Nisha Verma Eastbound is offering photography tours to its clients, and the main idea behind these tours, according to Abhishek Hajela, Travel Photographer, Eastbound, is to build strong community-based …

Keeping in the mind customer preferences on the India-London route, Virgin Atlantic is tweaking its offerings, including F&B, to ensure its Indian clients are happy. The airline will also soon go double daily between Heathrow and Delhi. Hazel Jain Corneel Koster, Executive Vice President – Customer, Virgin Atlantic Airways, was …

VFS Global, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy, will launch the ‘Italy Global’ App on February 1, to facilitate a seamless visa process for Indian travellers heading to the European nation or those interested in doing business there. Anupriya Bishnoi The previous year was a record one for …

In 2019, Thailand received 1.9 million Indian arrivals, revealed Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), Tourism Authority of Thailand. They now have new offerings for Tier 2 and 3 cities. Nisha Verma The previous year proved to be another record one for Tourism …

Experts from different fields speak about the strengths and weaknesses of developing tourism in the newly-carved Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, while discussing its future at a panel titled ‘Incredible India – Incredible Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh’ at the Kashmironomics forum. Ashwani Lohani, Former Chairman & Managing Director, Air …