News

South African Tourism To Host 4-City India Roadshow Between March 7-11

Accelerating its recovery efforts in India, South African Tourism (SAT) is all set to host their India Annual Roadshow. This in-person roadshow will be the first mega-event post-pandemic and will travel to the four Indian cities: Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The roadshow is scheduled during March 7-11, 2022. The approximately 20-member South African trade delegation will take the opportunity to educate and enable Indian trade partners to sell the destination holistically, responsibly and safely. Apart from experiences, representatives from accommodation establishments, destination management companies, South African Provinces, SMMEs and women-owned companies will showcase their product and services, while engaging Indian travel and trade associates. “We are excited to showcase the best that South Africa has to offer and bring the destination alive for the Indian travel trade – our biggest endorsers in the market. As a brand, we have big plans for India, which features on our list of top three priority markets globally. With a major emphasis on the quality of our exhibitors, the roadshow is a testament of our firm commitment to the evolved Indian traveller who is looking for value-driven, adventurous, offbeat, diverse, and memorable experiences,” Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism, says. The roadshow follows closely on the heels of South African Tourism’s hero-campaign in India this year, ‘More & More’. Well-timed with the easing of international travel restrictions in India, these strategic efforts are expected to increase summer outbound traffic to South Africa and contribute to the recovery of the tourism sectors in both countries. South Africa, which remains open to Indian travellers, is also processing tourist visas on priority to support travel. “The pandemic taught us that the only way to do tourism is – together! We look forward with fond anticipation to meeting all our partners, friends and advocates of South Africa, in-person. Even as borders open, we are confident that this edition will be more successful and impactful than ever before in terms of business conversions,” she continues. Currently, several stop-over flights fly from India to South Africa including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways.

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Tourism Minister To Inaugurate Temple Architecture Conference ‘Devayatanam’ In Hampi

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the Union Ministry of Culture, under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, is organizing a two-day international conference ‘Devayatanam – An odyssey of Indian temple architecture on 25th - 26th February 2022 at Hampi, Karnataka. Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER G Kishan Reddy will inaugurate the conference. Union Minister of State for culture Arjun Ram Meghwal will also address the conference virtually through a recorded message. The conference aims to deliberate upon the philosophical, religious, social, economic, technical, scientific, art and architectural aspects of temple. It also intends to initiate a dialogue on the evolution and development of the various styles of temple architecture such as the Nagara, Vesara, Dravida, Kalinga and others. The inaugural session will take place at Pattabhirama Temple, Hampi while the academic sessions will be held in Auditorium, Kannada University, Hampi. Temple has always been an integral part of the Indian life and its ecosystem in its own ways. Temple construction was practiced as a pious act not only in the subcontinent, but the idea also travelled to the nearest neighborhood such as south-east and East Asia; therefore, it becomes an interesting study as to how the art and technique of temple architecture spread from India to other regions and how this art was modified.

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Largest Hilton property in Asia Pacific opens in Singapore

Hilton has welcomed the opening of Hilton Singapore Orchard, the largest hotel from the company in Asia Pacific. Located at the heart of Orchard Road, the 1,080-room property seeks to set a new benchmark for hospitality in the city. It is located in the renowned shopping district, offering a vibrant blend of contemporary design, innovative dining experiences and extensive meeting spaces. “Today we celebrate a key milestone with the opening of our largest hotel in Asia Pacific. “Hilton Singapore Orchard is a fantastic showcase of our flagship brand and places us in a strong position to usher in a new era of travel. “Together with our partners at Oue Limited, we are confident that the hotel will be in a leading position to cater to the travel demand that we anticipate will come rapidly as global economies and travel networks reconnect. “Hilton Singapore Orchard will truly be top of mind for both leisure and business guests as it delivers exceptional experiences supported by Hilton’s renowned hospitality,” said Alan Watts, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton. Hilton Singapore Orchard features modern contemporary design that pays homage to Singapore’s rich colonial history and agricultural heritage. Botanical references are reflected throughout the hotel’s artwork and interiors while embracing a seamless and eco-friendly guest experience. Energy-efficient technology such as in-room motion, air-condition and light sensors feature in every room and suite, while digital key access and smartphone connected services offer greater convenience for guests on the go. “As one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, Hilton is renowned for its strong brand recognition, global distribution network, and successful loyalty programme – all of which combined will provide our property with a competitive advantage and enhance its positioning in the market,” said Brian Riady, deputy chief executive and executive director, Oue Limited. “We are confident Hilton Singapore Orchard will be a leading lifestyle destination for locals and travellers alike.”

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Delhi IGI airport get new T1 arrival terminal

The newly-constructed arrival terminal at T1 of the airport in the national capital has begun operations from today (February 24) with the arrival of IndiGo flight (6E 6532) from Goa at approximately 3:20 am. The GMR operated Delhi Airport has been built to provide passengers with a seamless travelling experience along with safe, secured and sustainable infrastructural facilities. Here are some new features to look forward to at the newly built IGI Airport Terminal 1: - The new IGI terminal has been built on the model of the globally renowned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building standards. - The new Terminal -1 offers a plush forecourt area, kiosks for food and beverage (F&B), retail experience - It also comes with a huge area for car parks and other vehicles - Outside the Terminal, one can find pickup lanes that have been realigned and widened with additional three lanes making it a total of eleven lanes to make pick up and drop off convenient - The terminal also uses the daylighting concept that reduces electricity consumption. DIAL CEO, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said, "T1 at Delhi airport will now offer a distinctive experience to arriving passengers and also to those coming in to meet and greet the arriving passengers. The terminal includes contemporary zones for comfort and leisure, eco-friendly features like maximum use of daylight concept and offers an astute combination of green buildings and superior operational processes delivering enhanced passenger experience."

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India’s passenger volume continues on top for Dubai’s DXB in 2021

India has remained the top destination country with regards passenger volume for the Dubai International Airport (DXB). The airport has been ranked as the world’s busiest airport for the eighth consecutive year, the Dubai Media Office (DMO) reported. The Dubai International Airport (DXB) in 2021 received about 29,110,609 passengers, with an annual growth rate of 12.7 per cent. As per the reports, Dubai Airports, citing current forecasts, said that traffic through DXB could reach 55.1 million by the end of this year. It could even exceed that figure by a “significant margin” if current trends continue. India was the top destination country for DXB, with 4.2 million passengers in 2021, followed by Pakistan with 1.8 million passengers, Saudi Arabia with 1.5 million passengers, and the United Kingdom with 1.2 million passengers. The destinations also included many countries, including the United States of America with a total of 1.1 million passengers, Egypt with a million passengers, and Turkey with 945,000 passengers. Istanbul took the lead for the most prominent destinations from cities during 2021, with 916,000 passengers, Cairo 905,000 passengers, London 814,000, and New Delhi 791,000 passengers. Dubai International Airport (DXB) connects to more than 198 global destinations in 93 countries through 84 international airlines, exceeding the number of destinations in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Despite unprecedented turmoil affecting millions of people all over the world, we overcame many serious obstacles to the operation of the world’s largest international hub and provided smooth, comfortable and safe travel for millions of people travelling through DXB,” Gulf News quoted Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. Also, India leads Abu Dhabi International Airport destination in terms of traffic volume in 2021. Around 9.32 lakhs passengers pass through the UAE capital’s hub, despite COVID-19 imposed travel restrictions. Dubai’s second hub, Al Maktoum International Airport or DWC, is scheduled to reopen its passenger terminal on May 4 for commercial flights for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

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Delhi Metro revamps its website and application for better travel experience

DMRC on Wednesday launched a revamped version of its official website and application to make it more valuable for passengers using it. The newly designed mobile application and website was launched by DMRC managing director Mangu Singh at Metro Bhawan. In the new website, an interactive interface of route map, advanced search options, real-time first and last station updates, insta alerts about next and previous stations have been added. The new features have been added to the application after months of research by the DMRC officials. Earlier, the website was a blend for both passengers and operators; but now DMRC has focused on making it more passenger centric. According to DMRC, the major thing revamped in the application is Trip planner via Interactive Map, which provides Interactive Map feature on the website and mobile app to plan their journey quickly and efficiently. If you are a regular Delhi Metro traveller, you must check out the new mobile application and the website.

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