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PATA recruits new members

Despite pessimism surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic and the financial impact it will have on travel organisations worldwide, the Pacific Asia Travel Association welcomed eight new organisations during April. One of them is the Tourism Authority of Kiribati an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Hawaii. At the same time, an influential marketing and public relations company in the Maldives joins the association. TTR Weekly posted questions to PATA’s CEO, Mario Hardy on membership and the possible decline as Covid-19 impacts on finances that could prompt companies to rethink association memberships. Yes, he acknowledges an increase in membership terminations. “They have increased by 3.5% compared to the same period in previous years, a drop out experienced entirely from SMEs, which is to be expected as they are the ones most impacted.” He noted that destinations and corporates are still standing by the organisation. “As a matter of fact, our strategic partner Visa, not only extends its partnership for three years, but also increases its overall contribution. “As you have noted; we are still having new members joining every month, which shows the confidence in the support the organisation can provide. The entire secretariat is busy creating opportunities for engagement with our members and the industry at large and we will continue to do so during the recovery and long after. “This crisis has created a need for cooperation and support across the industry, and we are pleased with the support and vote of confidence we’ve been receiving from our members and the international tourism community.” In its latest description of its membership base, the PATA website states the association covers a region spanning 17 time zones from Turkey to Chile and has over 800 members worldwide. Members include 88 government, state and city tourism bodies, 22 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 62 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in the Asia Pacific and beyond. New member profiles include: -Tourism Authority of Kiribati Joining as a government member the Tourism Authority of Kiribati is responsible for development and promotion of tourism and is governed by a board of directors who report to the Minister of Information, Communication, Transport and Tourism Development (MICTTD). -Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation A corporate member MMPRC is the government body mandated with the promotion of Maldives as a tourist destination and is responsible for all marketing and public relations activities including research, surveys, master plans, campaigns and advertising. MMPRC promotes the Maldives in multiple fairs and roadshows. -All Fine Co. Ltd A Thailand-based company, All Fine offers a ticketing system for trips by air, rail and ships connecting Asian travellers with travel options in the West. -Daffodil International University Offering IT-based education in Bangladesh, Daffodil International University (DIU) was established in 2002. Within a short period of time, DIU has become one of the top universities in Bangladesh according to many national and international rankings. Currently, DIU has 26,500 students in five different faculties and 25 departments. -3E Holidays A traditional destination management company, the team consists of people dedicated to handling leisure travel for solo travellers, incentive groups, events and special interest groups. It has sales bases in UAE, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka & Oman. -MarkPlus Tourism MarkPlus Tourism is a unit business of MarkPlus Inc, a leading marketing consultant in Indonesia. MarkPlus Tourism provides professional services for tourism and hospitality companies since 2014 by the former Minister of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, Arief Yahya. MarkPlus Tourism is also GSTC’s (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) training partner in Indonesia. -Metropark International Huangshan Travel Service Huangshan Metropark International Travel Service is an international travel agency in Huangshan city and a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), through the national ISO9001 official quality certification. -Özyeğin University Özyeğin University, located in Istanbul, Turkey, was established with the mission of serving society as an entrepreneurial and research-focused learning centre.

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RARE India to host Virtual Event ‘RAREfied’

RARE INDIA, which is a community of some of the best ‘conscious luxury’ hotels and travel experiences in India and the subcontinent, is organising a virtual event called ‘RAREfied’ on the 17th and 18th of April. RARE India was originally supposed to host the third edition of its annual travel trade event ‘The RARE Showcase’ in New Delhi on the same dates. Unfortunately, that event had to be cancelled owing to the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has instead curated RAREfied to celebrate travel not only for the joy it brings, but also for the industry that it sustains. The event aims to power talent in the industry as powerful personal brands of talent and innovation, at the same time celebrate travel through stories of nostalgia and transformation. It also seems a great opportunity to celebrate April 18th as the World Heritage Day. As per RARE India’s Founder Shoba Mohan, “Travel may have come to a standstill but can we give up on the images that our minds conjure at the mention of a name or a place? Hence, we are presenting ‘RAREfied’ as a virtual showcase to celebrate ‘travel nostalgia’ perfect to allow people’s minds to fly, drive or ride just about anywhere they choose.” A number of Instagram Live Sessions will be held over the course of two days where partners from the RARE India Community and industry leaders will share their knowledge and give insights into a range of topics such as ‘Sustainable Commerce in Travel’, ‘Being 100% Sustainable’, ‘Heritage Foods for health’ and ‘A living heritage’ among others. The Zoom Sessions will be aimed at the large workforce of tourism to help them redefine themselves in their job profiles so that they are motivated to upskill, realise their talents and be relevant for the jobs which will now demand an evolved skill set. The topics that will be covered in the Zoom Sessions include ‘Conscious Luxury Travel’, ‘Etcha personal brand story’, ‘Low Impact Living’ and ‘A Living Heritage’.

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Zostel extends support to travel & tourism business players

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the travel & tourism industry as almost all the countries have sealed their borders. In India, the industry chamber -- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -- has called the present situation the worst crisis to ever hit the country’s tourism industry. Against this backdrop, Zostel, one of the largest network of hostels in India, has decided to reach out to the relevant industry stakeholders. These include café owners, adventure companies, alternative accommodation providers, property managers, and franchise owners, among others. According to the company’s official release, Zostel has invited them to join its ecosystem as it aims to support the ground-level staff as well as business partners relying on tourism to tide over the crisis. The company mentioned that through this intervention, the brand anticipates driving a much-needed recuperative transformation within the ecosystem. Under this campaign, the hostel chain said it will also facilitate redeemable, credit-based travel packages for new-age travel-seekers at nominal prices. Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, Co-Founder & CEO – Zostel, kick-started the initiative by addressing the travel community through his open letter. In his letter, he elaborated on the willing participation of the key stakeholder community which forms the barycentre of the travel & tourism universe: travelers. Dharamveer stated, “While it is true that travel & tourism is one of the worst-hit sectors by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with businesses relying on tourism to sustain themselves, have come to a standstill, all is not lost yet. If all the players in the travel ecosystem rise up to the occasion and come forward to support each other, we can ensure that all of us emerge through the incumbent crisis safely and sound.” He added: “In light of this fact, we aim to reach out to regional players across India… The travel ecosystem is highly interconnected. Therefore, we seek to enable industry stakeholders to tap into the potential of this connected ecosystem.” According to Dharamveer, in accomplishing this, the central role would be that of those who have always formed the lifeline of our beloved travel community, the travelers themselves. Now is the time that willing members come forward and channelise their passion for travel into ensuring the survival of service providers who depend on their love and affection for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, the CII estimated that both inbound and outbound tourism to sustain an 80-100 per cent hit in the April-July period, while the travel sentiment is being expected to drop by 40-50 per cent during the winter holiday season.

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Government directs airlines to refund full fares for bookings during lockdown

NEW DELHI : Airlines will now have to refund full flight ticket costs, without charging cancelation charges, to passengers who booked tickets during the lockdown period between 25 March and 3 May, the ministry of civil aviation said in a circular on Thursday. "If a passenger has booked a ticket during the first lockdown period (from 25 March to 14 April), and the airline has received payment for booking of the air ticket during the first lockdown period for travel during the same period, for both domestic and international air travel and refund is sought by passenger against that booking being cancelled, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without levy of cancelation charge," the circular said. Passengers, who booked for flights between 15 April and 3 May, are also eligible to get a full refund on cancellation of their tickets, the circular added. The ministry of civil aviation has directed the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to monitor airlines' compliance to the ministry's advisory. Several passengers have been forced to reschedule their flight tickets due to extension of the lockdown till 3 May. Senior civil aviation ministry officials on Wednesday met airline officials, including chief executive officers, to discuss advance ticket bookings during the lockdown period. As things stand, all international and domestic scheduled airline operations remain suspended till 3 May, the ministry of civil aviation said earlier this week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of a country-wide lockdown, which has been imposed since 24 March to contain the spread of covid-19. Airlines had, however, started to take advance bookings for travel after 14 April, the deadline of the initial lockdown period, which was extended earlier this week. Following this, airlines deferred restarting operations till 4 May. "Some carriers have opened the full schedule for sale from 4 May. Even if flights resume from that date, which is not certain, it is highly unlikely that full operations will resume from Day 1. Further flight cancellations are almost inevitable, resulting in more pax funds in credit," aviation consultancy Capa India said in a twitter post on 14 April. "Passengers that have purchased tickets for the period from 15 April to 3 May will once again only be offered credit for future travel, rather than a (full) refund," it added. The aviation sector is badly affected as the revenue loss spread across airlines, airports and retail is estimated to be $1-1.5 billion per month of lockdown, according to industry estimates. Cash-strapped airlines are using advance ticket sales to keep revenues flowing. The latest decision by the government could push some airlines towards closure, said an airline official. "Indian airlines are the only ones in the world that were forced to suspend operations for 40 days. Airlines have not received any financial support from the government, and are now being forced to refund in cash rather than through credit. Indian airlines seem to be in the worst of all worlds," the person said, requesting anonymity. "The very survival of some airlines is now thrown further into doubt," the person added.

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Goa tourists will need COVID-19 certificate even after lockdown is lifted

PANAJI : Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said air travellers will not be allowed to enter the coastal state without a health certificate, after the Centre opens up airports once the COVID-19 lockdown is eased or lifted. Speaking to PTI, Rane said he had already urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take up the issue with the Union Civil Aviation ministry to not allow air travellers to enter the state without a COVID-19 certificate. The Civil Aviation Ministry can inform the airlines about this condition. "Each state has powers to enforce its own rules to contain the spread of COVID-19," he said. Even if all COVID-19 patients in Goa are cured of the infection, the authorities will not relax, he said, adding that the state plans to ramp up its testing facilities in talukas to widen the scope. As many as 10 rapid testing booths will be set up at industrial estates and state borders, the health minister said. "Even if the number of positive cases comes to zero in the state, the challenge will not end. In keeping with the guidelines of the Epidemic Act, we will make masks compulsory in public spaces," he said. Goa may not detect new cases, but this lean period will be used to ramp up testing facilities, he said. Rane further said that he had directed the health secretary to formulate a protocol for random testing. "We have to ensure that the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research are followed," he added.

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Paytm Travel to offer free cancellation on bus ticket bookings post lockdown

Paytm, India’s largest digital payments and financial services company, has today announced that it will offer free cancellation on bus ticket bookings after the lockdown period ends. The company’s online travel booking vertical, Paytm Travel owns a significant market share and is the country’s fastest growing platform for booking air, train and bus tickets. Free cancellation feature is the latest among several initiatives taken by Paytm to support its customers during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. In a statement, Paytm Travel confirmed that customers will be able to pre-book bus tickets as soon as the lockdown ends. In case of any change in plans, they will be allowed to cancel the tickets upto few hours before the scheduled travel time, without paying a single rupee. This free cancellation period will vary for different operators, and will be mentioned on the Paytm app. The company has already partnered with over 200 bus operators to offer free cancellation service. Abhishek Rajan, Sr. Vice President at Paytm Travel said, “This is an unprecedented crisis for our country and country-wide lockdown is necessary to stop the spread of Coronavirus. However, there are millions of people stuck in different towns & cities, far away from their families & friends. We understand that they would want to travel as soon as this lockdown is lifted and therefore we are working to provide them an option to book bus tickets in advance without worrying about the loss of money in case of a change in their plans.” Paytm entered the online bus ticketing space in 2015 and attained a dominant position in the industry within a very short span of time. It currently offers bus tickets across 62000+ routes through its integrations with 2000+ private Bus operators. It also offers online ticketing for all major state run road transport corporations like APSRTC, TSRTC, GSRTC, UPSRTC, MSRTC, TNSTC, UPSRTC, etc.

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