In-the-Issue

Vaccine approval awaited

So far, only SII’s Covishield has been approved in eight European Union countries and Switzerland amid a row over travel pass. This has some outbound agents worried. Abhik Dutta, Director, The Waanderers This is a welcome announcement overall. However, unlike Switzerland which has announced that all types of visas will …

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Cautious opening: Utmost safety

An end to the COVID-19 pandemic seems far beyond the horizon, but the tourism industry of the Philippines is dedicated to ensuring a phased reopening of the islands to offer utmost safety and hygiene to potential international travellers through the GREEN Corridor initiative. Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippines has developed …

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The rise of private jets

Private aviation is now being seen as more of a necessity than a luxury due to its safety provisions and greater control over the customer environment. Here are few reasons why private jets could take off in 2021-22, with particularly strong demand from high net-worth individuals both for leisure and …

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Will the GDS model be replaced?

Jerrin Jos, Founder & CEO, Verteil Technologies, explains how disadvantageous it can be for travel agents as well as their clients to continue using the GDS to book air tickets. He underlines major problems posed by the GDS including lag in rich data and lack of dynamic pricing. Even today, …

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Trust is key to business recovery

Trust levels in travel suppliers and travel agencies in India will directly influence the speed and significance of the local travel industry’s recovery, according to a new independent research commissioned by Travelport. The research also reveals three key areas that travellers in the country say have the biggest influence over …

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Hybrid weddings beyond borders

Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park has come up with a national campaign #Celebrationsbeyondgeographies, offering a hybrid weddings and socials experience for couples and their loved ones. The Crowne Meetings Team will be in tow to extend both on-ground and virtual assistance. Nisha Verma Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, along with …

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A unique segment: Students

The ETOAI (Education Tour Operators Association of India) makes a sincere appeal to all the tourism boards, airlines, and tourism service providers to associate with them to take advantage of the potential this very unique and untapped segment provides with very high volumes of business. Hazel Jain The ETOAI (Education …

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Tech-enabled tourism on the rise

Evident from the recent advent in smart, automated systems, technology will have a key role to play in the restart of tourism across countries, and we already see some green shoots with the digitalisation of tourism services. Here are seven technologies that offer hope to our industry. Hazel Jain 3D …

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Pack your bags but stay safe!

The pandemic and its second wave have had a huge impact on the travel and hospitality industry. From social distancing in flights, localised lockdowns to contact tracing Apps, COVID-19 has indeed transformed the world of travel. Yatra.com enlists some of these trends. Over the years, the reasons for travel have …

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3 experts partner to launch Iskra

Iskra, which literally means spark or sparkle, has been founded on the principle of creating a spark for every event planned. Co-founded by three industry experts well-known in India’s events and hospitality industry – Birju Gariba, Hema Hariramani and Sunaina Singh – Iskra promises to shine ever so brightly. Hazel …

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