News

TAT ties up with MasterCard to initiate more experiential visits for Indian tourists.

For most Indians, Thailand is the usual pick for a quick and affordable overseas beach holiday. And making it even easier is Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which has declared a free visa on arrival for tourists from India till April 2020. Thailand’s tourism authority has also tied up with MasterCard to enable digital payments for a more experiential visit for Indian tourists. As per MasterCard data, January, May, and December are the preferred travel months for Indian tourists to Thailand. Bangkok tops MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index 2019 as the world’s best travel destination, and this an accolade that the city has bagged for four years in a row. Manasi Narasimhan, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, South Asia, MasterCard said, “Over one million acceptance points for digital payments make Thailand even friendlier for tourists looking for safe, secure, and convenient cashless tourism.MasterCard is committed to work with local merchants, large and small alike, and Tourism Authority of Thailand to create more distinguished cashless experiences in Thailand and encourage tourists to visit this beautiful country." Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi form more than 88 percent of cardholder spending, MasterCard data reveals. TAT is now aiming to come up with experiential tours to take more Indians beyond the main cities to other parts of Thailand like Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, and Koh Samui. TAT is also thinking of sustainable eco-tourism to maintain the authenticity of these spots.

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Philippine Airlines announced new direct Perth-Manila service.

A new direct Perth-Manila service by Philippine Airlines has been announced that will boost the tourism numbers from numbers from Philippines to Australia. In March 2020 the non-stop service will commence with four flights each week. Perth Airport Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brown mentioned that the new service between Perth and Manila was a win for WA business, tourism and exports, and would inject an additional 70,000 seats into the market. There are more than 7,000 islands and amazing beaches on offer in Philippines and 20,000 people visited last year which is an attractive holiday destination for West Australians. On the new Airbus A321 neo Philippine Airlines, four flights will be operated in a week which has 12 business class seats and 156 economy seats departing from Manila at 12.06 am and will arrive in Perth 7.20 am. At 8.40 am the flight will then leave and land in Manila at 3.50 pm. In the year ending June 2019 as per the latest International Visitor Survey the number of Philippines visitors travelling to WA grew by 34.7 per cent.

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In Azerbaijan, tourism service providers to get tax benefits.

In Azerbaijan, those who are offering travel services in tourism are hoped to get tax benefits, the CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), Florian Sengstschmid, has said. Sengstschmid said this at the 2nd General Assembly of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association organized in Baku on December 4th, local media reports. The event is all set to present the yearly reports of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association and plans for the national classification system for hotels (stars), information on the strategy for 2020, etc. Sengstschmid highlighted that the application of tax benefits may encourage the additional development of the country’s tourism businesses. Sengstschmid also observed that positive changes are hoped to start pouring in from 2020 after the adoption of Law on Tourism. He informed that the consequences of surveys in Shaki and Lankaran regions show that the respondents were not at all quite happy with the airfares, the local travel market (tours) and the quality of the transport system. Sengstschmid further mentioned that the flow of incoming tourists from Iran to Azerbaijan has grown considerably. He also added that the number of incoming Russian, Saudi and Chinese tourists is growing as well. He went on to say that in 2020, the execution of infrastructure projects is designed in Khinalig and other major touristic sites. He noted that in future, the construction of the Mud Volcanoes Guest Center will start.

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Tripura welcomes UDAN-0.4 to open 30 airports in NE.

Agartala, Dec 7 (UNI) Tripura government welcomed the move of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to open six underserved and 24 unserved airports in the Northeast, including three in Tripura, to boost tourism and business in the region. Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said the Central government processed the fourth round of bidding under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) or regional air connectivity scheme three days ago, which aims to connect unserved and underserved airports and to make affordable for flying. In order to boost tourism, the ministry attempted to start Umrangso Reservoir of Assam as a water aerodrome.

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France faces second day of travel chaos as strikes continue.

France is facing a second day of travel chaos and school closures after unions said there would be no let-up in nationwide strikes against Emmanuel Macron’s proposed changes to the pensions system. The far-reaching strike, which brought more than 800,000 people on to the streets on Thursday, is seen as the greatest test yet for the centrist president, who has promised to deliver the biggest “transformation” of the French social model and welfare system since the immediate post-war era. Rail workers, air traffic controllers and teachers walked out, leaving transport paralysed and many schools shut. Some schools reopened on Friday, but many classes and canteens were still disrupted. Friday’s transport stoppages will run into the weekend, with almost all high-speed train services cancelled, most of the Paris metro shut down and hundreds of flights axed.

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Chinese airline plans to introduce direct charter flights from Guangzhou to Halifax.

The tourists from China will be able to fly directly to Nova Scotia starting next fall. Premier Stephen McNeil said that this direct charter flight from Guangzhou to Halifax will arrive in next September and another in early October next year.The passengers will fly from Guangdong province’s capital with China Southern Airlines. McNeil credited the partnerships with Governor Ma Xingrui, China Southern Airlines and GZL International Travel Service for being critical to the venture. There are about 5,000 Chinese tourists visited Nova Scotia in 2018. The province’s target is to attract 50,000 Chinese visitors a year by 2024. On average, a visitor from China spends $2,850 in Canada.The China Southern Airlines planes will carry 271 passengers. They will have the option of buying travel packages through GZL, which is 60 per cent owned by the Chinese government. The packages are still being worked out but GZL representatives toured Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick in September to come up with possibilities. China also has come under fire for the mass detentions of its Muslim Uighur population. McNeil reiterated past comments that Nova Scotia can’t impose its values on another country.

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