News

Indian Railways to increase train fares this week to battle revenue loss.

The Indian Railways is all set to hike train fares this week by 5 to 40 paise per kilometer. The revised fares will apply across all categories be it AC coaches or unreserved or suburban monthly/quarterly ticket cost. In the month of November, the prime minter's office gave its nod of approval to the railways for the implementation of rail fare hike. Whereas, the total expenditure shot up by Rs 4,099 crore during this period to Rs 1.01 lakh crore, against a target of Rs 97,265 crore. Also, the railways saw an operating ratio of 98.44 per cent between 2017-18, the lowest in the last 10 years, as per a report by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The Railways has not been able to achieve its operational cost of passenger services etc. About 95 percent of the revenue from freight traffic was used to make up for the loss incurred by the passenger and other coaching services.

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Qatar Eyes Luxury Travel From India.

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), which opened its office in India last year, has witnessed a growth of 20 per cent in 2018. With a large Indian expat population, Qatar has been a popular destination amongst the VFR segment. “India is a key source market for us, and our commitment to the market is evidenced by the opening last year of a dedicated office to tailor our offerings to this market. Visitor numbers in 2018 grew by 20 per cent from the year before, while 2019 has seen a dip. We are also home to a large expat population from India, so we have existing ties which we continue to nourish. Qatar and India have historical ties as well. The Indian market thus remains important for Qatar, and short travel times as well as a host of offerings in hospitality, retail and beyond, aligned with Indian visitors’ preferences,” Rashed AlQurese, Chief Marketing & Promotion Officer, QNTC, said. With an increase in awareness about the destination in India, Qatar is now looking to tap the luxury travellers segment from India. Qatar also is home to some of the finest MICE venues in the region, and is now keen to target Indian MICE. Speaking about the new products for India market AlQurese said, “Some of the major projects that were opened this year are the National Museum of Qatar, Doha Metro and a revamped Doha Port that will serve as a waterfront tourist hub. New hotels, attractions, and experiences are under development, making the country an increasingly attractive destination for visitors of all stripes – whether stopover, weekend trips, or long-stay visitors.” Travel trade has been a key driver for the tourism growth from India to Qatar. The destination is organising a series of engagement programmes to further connect with the travel trade segment.

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American Airlines and Royal Air Maroc Launch Codeshare Agreement

American Airlines has launched a reciprocal codeshare agreement with Morocco’s largest airline, Royal Air Maroc, to add new options for travel to Morocco starting Dec. 26. American’s customers will be able to purchase select Royal Air Maroc flights to Casablanca, Morocco (CMN), which will provide seamless connecting service to Marrakech, Morocco (RAK). These flights are available for sale now for travel beginning December 26. The codeshare will expand to additional cities across the African continent in early 2020. “Royal Air Maroc is a premier African carrier and their hub in Casablanca is perfectly situated to offer our customers convenient connections between North America and over 40 destinations throughout Africa,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Senior Vice President of Network Strategy. “With Royal Air Maroc’s upcoming entry into the oneworld® alliance and our recently announced service between Philadelphia and Casablanca, we are committed to creating more opportunities for our customers to visit unique destinations in Africa.” Beginning in early 2020, the codeshare agreement will provide American’s customers access to popular destinations in Africa, including: -Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (ABJ) -Accra, Ghana (ACC) -Lagos, Nigeria (LOS) -Luanda, Angola (LAD) -Monrovia, Liberia (ROB) The codeshare will also allow Royal Air Maroc customers to connect to new destinations throughout American’s domestic network beginning Dec. 26. American will begin seasonal service to CMN June 4 as the only U.S. carrier with nonstop service to Morocco, which will be operated three times per week. Flights are available for purchase now.

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Tripura Government to unveil new tourism policy to woo more tourists.

In a move to woo more tourists in the region, the government of Tripura has geared up to unveil a new tourism policy that will be focussing on public-private partnership (PPP) model. This comes in the wake of upward trend in tourist arrival in Tripura during the past three years, which has also improved the scope of creating job opportunities there. Tripura has tremendous tourism potential, which is yet to flourish, due to a lack of accommodation facilities, poor infrastructure and connectivity issues. If properly planned, Tripureshwari Temple, Unakoti, an archeological site, Jampui Hills, Chhabimura, Sephajala Zoo, Dumbur Lake, and Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary could be turned into a major tourism hotspot in the state. As per records, the footfall of foreign tourists till November has been more than one lakh this year. A senior official from the Tourism Department said that before taking a final call, a draft policy will be placed before the state cabinet. The official also stated that the primary motive of the proposed policy will be on tourism promotion to turn it into a complete industry. The official further stated that the forest department, with so many tourism spots, has also agreed to allow tourists in eco-tourism spots, such as Barmura and Tepania and Sepahijala Zoo. The government is also planning to build a helipad at Narikel Kunja, which is one of the most attractive tourism spots surrounded by water bodies near Dumbur lake. The tourism department has already roped in a Shillong-based hotelier to set up star-category hostel so that better accommodation facilities are provided to the tourists.

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Bhutan mulling over introducing $250 fee for regional tourists.

Travelling to Bhutan might soon turn costlier for Indian tourists. As per the reports, the Himalayan kingdom now proposes to extend the mandatory daily package of $250 (which is around INR 17700) to regional tourists, i.e., those from Bangladesh, India, and the Maldives. Earlier, the mandatory daily package was applicable to only foreign tourists. While the price includes a $65 for sustainable development fee, 3-star accommodation, visa charges, meals, camping equipment, intra-Bhutan transport, and services of a guide. However, travel operators are of the view that even after covering all those expenses, the cost of spending a day in Bhutan would still be higher than what most Indian tourists can afford. Currently, regional tourists are required to pay INR 50 to INR 500 per person for every entry to different sightseeing points. But, if the said rule changes, the sustainable development fee alone would cost a family of five INR 23000 a day, which is reasonably high for budget travellers, who constitute 65 per cent to 70 per cent of Indian visitors to Bhutan, stated the general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network. As per the Travel Agents Federation of India, the Bhutanese authorities have not yet notified the change, but the buzz in tourism circles is that it might likely be implemented next year.

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Tourism at risk from too many tourists.

It’s that time of the year again when tourism industry people look to the 2020 horizon, cogitating on what the 12 months ahead holds for Ireland. While record visitor numbers have mixed with concerns over Brexit fallout during recent years, a mood of generally optimistic caution prevails amongst seasoned players in the business as the new year edges closer. Many cities around the world are already grappling with visitor numbers so large that they are negatively impacting local commerce. Cities like Barcelona, Venice, Rome and Paris are well known for their over-powering crowds during the summer months, and while Dublin and Ireland are nowhere near these levels of saturation yet, the danger signs are gathering. In addition, the growing concern around sustainability will trouble tourism over the next decade as air travel. Tourism is responsible for 5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions — with transport, including flying — accounting for three-quarters of this. Around 1.4bn people now travel and holiday around the world every year, and while this has brought significant economic benefits to many regions, its environmental impact has been largely ignored up to now. Recent government statistics showed that Ireland’s tourism revenue targets of €5bn, and visitor numbers of 10m were reached seven years early — prompting the establishment of new targets for 11.6m arrivals and a revenue of €6.5bn by 2025. The Destination 2030 study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) listed Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto, and Vancouver, as the urban centres most likely to be particularly stretched to cope.“Tourism authorities in many major cities around the world are working incredibly hard to prepare for the future,” said WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara.

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