News

In 2021, Norwegian Cruise Line to invest in India more than what they ever have

In what could be one of the biggest news coming in for the Indian cruise industry, Norwegian Cruise Lines say that their investment in India in 2021 will be more than what they have ever invested before. With strong promotions planned for January, February and March 2021, Ben Angell, Vice President and Managing Director for NCL, APAC region, says, “It’s a promotion that has a proven track record for the India market, it resonates with our guests and our future guests in India. So, we are going to finish up 2020, knowing that we are giving ourselves the best opportunity for January, February and March to be the strongest first quarter that we have ever seen in the Asia Pacific region. And based on the green shoots that I’m seeing, I believe, Indian guests will book and book well through that three-month period.” While reinforcing that NCL is committed to a safe return to sea in 2021, Angell remains extremely optimistic that they are going to return to sailing extremely soon. The Norwegian Sun will also be arriving in Asian waters for the first time in October 2021, with year-round sailings in the region. Angell is confident that the itineraries of the Norwegian Sun will appeal to the Indian market and with a ship that's going to be based in Asia for a period of time. Calling it the busiest 12 months, Angell says, “We've really been working on making sure that we announce our itineraries even sooner. And we've just launched our Northern Hemisphere Summer 23 itineraries, which gives our guests more choices in this uncertain world if they're looking to book further out than they normally would. There are choices all the way out to summer of 2023 - from Caribbean island hopping through to Alaskan glacier viewing, to the European explorations that we know Indian guests love.” With itineraries that offer a wide variety of experiences, Angell says it’s the furthest in advance that Norwegian has ever launched its itinerary and calls it one of the ways in which they can give guests ultimate freedom during this uncertain time. He further says, “The other thing that we've done is try and give guests a behind the scenes view of our plans to restart sailing, and the many challenges and unforgettable experiences that restarting all our ships entail. And we recently announced a new documentary series - ‘Embark’, inviting armchair travellers to enjoy a front row seat to our highly-anticipated comeback and return to cruise.” While remaining tight lipped about the details, Angell hints that NCL’s Project Leonardo would be worth keeping an eye out for as he prepares cruisers for “some really exciting news in 2021.” And while talking about the products, he makes sure to mention the S word - Safety. “We've employed a leading group of experts, so we've been enhancing our protocols based on their recent recommendations. We're continuing to work with the Center for Disease Control, the US government and governments and ports around the world. And we're optimistic that our phased redeployment will begin in early 2021.”

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Air India announces 50% concession for senior citizens

State-owned carrier Air India has announced a special scheme for senior citizens offering a 50% concession on the base fare, and the scheme is only applicable to domestic flights and flyers above the age of 60 are only eligible to avail the scheme. As per the Air India official website, the national carrier has put up a criterion in which only the matching people would be allowed to avail of the offer. The offer clearly mentions that a senior citizen of Indian nationality, permanently residing in India and should have attained the age of 60 years on the date of commencement of journey. A concession of 50% on “basic fare on select booking classes in Economy cabin” is available, as per the official text of the Air India offer. Tickets have to purchased three days before the date of travel and the offer on the same ill be valid for a year. At the time of booking, any valid photo ID with date of birth e.g., voter’s ID card, passport, driving license, senior citizens ID card issued by Air India etc, would need to be furnished for availing the offer while booking the ticket. However, in case the relevant ID or documents are not presented at the time of check in or at the boarding gate, the basic fare will be forfeited and the tickets will become non refundable, only taxes & levies will be refunded, according to Air India website. Boarding will be denied if the identity proof is not provided at the time of check in and at the boarding gate, it added. These concessions are applicable on Air India operated flights and Alliance Air codeshare flights. These concessions are not applicable on Regional connectivity Alliance Air codeshare flights and AirIndia Express codeshare Domestic flights.

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India ranks fifth in hotel recovery worldwide

India, which ranked last in weekly average recovery rate for hotel bookings among 16 tourism markets worldwide in the week ending August 9, has made a sharp recovery to fifth place in the week ending December 13, driven by optimistic domestic travellers. The top four markets are China, US, UAE and Mexico. Hotel bookings surged from 20 per cent in the week ending August 9 to 47 per cent at present, sustained by demand for domestic travel, as per booking trends observed by RateGain, a travel and hospitality technology provider that works with 2.5 lakh hotels globally. RateGain has customers in 110 countries, including Marriott, Wyndham, Hyatt, Lemon Tree, Royal Orchid, and OYO. This revival comes despite the absence of corporate, group and foreign bookings in December versus 28,000 average bookings/week registered last December. Top destination Goa, with 1,763 bookings, is the number 1 destination in December. The trend of last-minute bookings continues to hold with most people booking 8-14 days before the actual trip. These travellers prefer warmer destinations in South India such as Hampi, Mysuru, Pondicherry, and Thiruvananthapuram, which attracted 420, 54, 75 and 90 bookings. Interestingly, after the UK rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, RateGain saw an immediate uptick in last-minute bookings to holiday destinations such as Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur, and Shimla, which contributed to further recovery. In a similar trend, RateGain, which processes over 50 million bookings annually, observed that they processed the highest daily bookings for the UK on December 8. The company witnessed a sharp surge in November, when hotel bookings hit 82 per cent recovery, fuelled by the festival season demand aided by the long Diwali weekend, weddings, and news of Covid vaccines going into trials. “With multiple vaccine candidates moving into the last phase of trials, we are seeing a surge in last-minute domestic bookings, driven by millennials who are looking at some time off, based entirely on optimism. While recovery is certain in the Indian market, hotels would have to lean on different strategies and solutions to make the most of these unplanned last-minute demand spikes in 2021,” said Kamesh Shukla, EVP and Head, APMEA, RateGain.

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Travel Pass will be 100% data privacy proof: IATA

Unveiling key design features of the proposed Travel Pass mobile application, IATA has assured that the platform will be 100% secure and complete control of the information will be with the users. Additionally, the platform will comply with the highest standards of data privacy and protection laws, including General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). The IATA Travel Pass stores encrypted data including verified test or vaccination results on the mobile device of the traveller. The traveller controls what information is shared from their phone with airlines and authorities. No central database or data repository is storing the information. By keeping travellers 100% in control of their information, the highest standards for data privacy are ensured, IATA said unveiling the key design features of the proposed application. The IATA Travel Pass is scheduled for release early in the first quarter of 2021 for Android and for iPhone. For the iPhone it will use the “Secure Enclave” features of Apple devices and a similar security encryption technology for Android. IATA Travel Pass is a mobile app to help travellers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for Covid-19 testing or vaccine information. “Testing is the immediate solution to safely re-open borders and re-connect people. And eventually this is likely to transition to vaccination requirements. In either case, a secure system to manage Covid-19 testing or vaccination information is critical. The IATA Travel Pass is a solution that both travelers and governments can trust. And it is being built with data security, convenience and verification as top priorities,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

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Tourism Australia to explore partnerships with banks to focus on ‘high-value travellers’ from India

Tourism Australia will continue to focus on high-value travellers from India in the post-Covid era. While India continues to remain a rising star for the nation Down Under, emerging as the sixth largest market for spend and seventh largest for arrivals in 2019, the board will seek partnerships with banks and financial institutions to gain access to individuals in the high-net worth bracket. Tourism Australia, said, “Our overarching focus is on yield-based and spend-based segmentation. Outbound travel constitutes just 1.2% of the population in India, and our focus continues to remain on high-value travellers. These travellers, per capita spend on an average 5,000 dollars in Australia, and they remain our focus post-Covid as well''. Since Australia isn’t a mass destination, it is a planned move to shift focus from demographic to psychographic segmentation. Therefore, in India, we will explore partnerships with banks and financial institutions that have access to high-value customers with substantial savings. The number of Indian tourists to Australia is expected to triple to nearly 1.2 million by 2035. Therefore, Tourism Australia has identified India as a rising star market that has the potential to deliver up to one million visitors over the next decade. While Australia will take a gradual and cautious approach to reopening its borders, the importance of India in 2021 cannot be ignored, Kashikar stated. Commenting on Australia’s focus on China at a time when relationship between the two nations are strained and drawing comparison with India, Kashikar shared, “China will continue to be a key market, and its importance cannot be neglected; it the biggest market for spend and arrivals. India is almost 14 years behind China in terms of arrivals and spend, and therefore the entire focus is to capitalise on the India opportunity.”

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Chennai’s popular Marina Beach reopens for visitors after a gap of 8 months

Chennai’s popular Marina Beach is now open for public. The beach reopened after remaining closed for more than 8 months due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent restrictions. Reportedly, people were seen visiting the beach, and large crowds were visible during the day. The state government in its earlier notification that was issued before the start of this month, announced a number of Coronavirus-related relaxations on the state from this month. As per the latest news reports, gatherings will be allowed up to 200 people or with 50 per cent capacity of the facility. Further, the Greater Chennai Corporation has invited vendors of Marina Beach to submit application of modern pushcarts. Elaborating more on this, officials from the Chennai civic body informed that the forms will be available at Revenue Officer Department from December 21 to December 26. Vendors will be required to fill two sets of forms, whereas the officials will select the final list on January 6. Referring to this development, the official added that this will offer an opportunity to vendors, and also increase transparency in the system. With this process in place, it is expected that it will now become easier for vendors to set up their shops. Reportedly, the Chennai civic body will be providing 900 modern pushcarts to the vendors. Reports state that around 40 per cent of the vendors will be new entrant, whereas the rest 60 per cent will be provided to the existing street vendors.

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