In-the-Issue

Ural Airlines has announced the launch of its flight between Moscow and Mumbai four times a week, and has appointed Minar Group as its General Sales Agent for India. This will help position the airline well and create awareness about it in the India market. Nisha Verma JSC Ural Airlines, …

Abdul Hadi Shaikh, Co-founder & CEO, FlyRemit, says that the proposed TCS under Finance Bill 2020 means that overseas remitters paying for travel, education, etc., will have to compulsorily shell out an extra 5% as income tax in the form of tax collected at source. The Finance Bill 2020 has …

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India’s convention to be held from March 15-18 in Antalya, Turkey, will focus on ways to capture and cater to the growing segment of millennial travellers that lists travel as a priority experience. Hazel Jain The Outbound Tour Opera- tors Association of India (OTOAI) …

The deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to hurt tourism as travel plans are being suspended even to destinations that claim to be safe. We spoke to a few travel advisors to find out how they have been affected amidst this chaos. EM Najeeb, Senior VP, IATO “While this is the initial …

The proposed amendment in Section 206C of the additional tax on remittances made outside India might make outbound tours costlier. The outbound trade fears this would divert customers to OTAs outside India. They explain… Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI “We are going to write to the government about it and try …

From improving hinterland connectivity and promoting Indian heritage to organising well-targeted conclaves and empowering tourist guides with certification programmes, Ministry of Tourism is keeping itself busy. Nisha Verma In recent months, Ministry of Tourism has under- taken a number of steps to boost visitor numbers to the country. Of these …

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 …