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Global Destinations partners with WOTF Group in India: Now tourists to unveil Greece’s wonders What you need to know?

Global Destinations, a premier travel representation company, announces its partnership with WOTF Group in for Indian tourists to unveil Greece‘s wonders. This strategic collaboration is aimed at promoting Greece as a top travel destination for Indian tourists. With its rich history, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture, Greece has long been a favorite among global travelers. Through this partnership, Global Destinations will leverage its extensive industry expertise and deep market knowledge to showcase the diverse and unique experiences that Greece has to offer to Indian tourists. “We are thrilled to be the chosen partner for WOTF Group in India,” said Pranav Kapadia, Founder and Director of Global Destinations. “Greece is a destination that perfectly aligns with the evolving travel aspirations of Indian tourists, who are increasingly seeking rich architectural and archaeological treasures, pristine natural beauty, and unforgettable memories. Our mission will be to elevate Greece’s presence in the Indian market and inspire more travelers to explore this incredible country.” WOTF Group, a leader in global travel and tourism management, is renowned for its innovative and comprehensive approach to destination marketing. This collaboration will focus on a range of strategic initiatives, including targeted marketing campaigns, trade partnerships, sales missions, and networking with travel agents across India, all designed to highlight Greece’s unique attractions and drive visitor growth from India. About the partnership, Nikolas Kavalieros, Managing Partner at WOTF Group, stated “India is a key market for us, and we believe that Global Destinations, with their proven track record and industry relationships, is the ideal partner to help us achieve our objectives. We are confident that this partnership will significantly boost Greece’s visibility and appeal among Indian travelers.” With international travel on the rise, Greece is making a strategic move to diversify its tourism by capitalizing on India’s growing travel enthusiasm. This new partnership between Global Destinations and WOTF Group fosters not only cultural exchange but also economic cooperation between the two nations. Together, they’re committed to showcasing the wonders of Greece for Indian travelers, from iconic landmarks like the Athenian Acropolis to the pristine beaches and picturesque villages. But they won’t stop there – they’ll also be highlighting Greece’s hidden gems, creating a comprehensive travel experience that caters to a wide range of interests and preferences.

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Train travel is making a comeback

Travelling by train in Europe is becoming more convenient and sustainable thanks to recent EU initiatives. New regulations for the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) to improve rail connectivity and make travel greener have recently entered into force. This means better and more efficient rail services across Europe. The EU's Action Plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail services is a key part of these efforts. It aims to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and triple it by 2050. Launched in 2021, this plan focuses on removing obstacles, improving interoperability, modernising passenger rail infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of services across EU countries. To further support cross-border travel, the European Commission has announced its support for 10 pilot projects to boost cross-border rail services. This will improve cross-border rail connections across the EU and make travel faster, easier and more affordable. Young travellers can particularly benefit from the DiscoverEU programme, which regularly offers free travel passes to 18-year-olds to explore Europe by train. This programme encourages cultural exchange and highlights the environmental advantages of rail travel. The next call for applications should be published in autumn 2024. Passenger rights are also a significant focus of the EU’s transport policy. Travellers in Europe are well-protected in case something goes wrong during their trip. EU passenger rights cover delays, cancellations, and accessibility issues. The EU is committed to making train travel a top choice by improving regulations, creating ambitious plans, and supporting special programmes. These efforts aim to make rail travel more sustainable, efficient, and well-connected across Europe.

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FlixBus partners with Paytm to enhance global travel tech distribution

Global travel tech firm FlixBus has partnered with fintech major Paytm to expand its distribution network, a joint statement said on Tuesday. With this, FlixBus tickets will now be available through the Paytm app. "This collaboration is poised to drive substantial growth for both companies, expanding Paytm's travel options and reinforcing its position in the travel industry while enabling FlixBus to tap into Paytm's vast customer base and technological expertise," the statement said. "By encouraging more people to choose bus travel, we can significantly reduce emissions and make a positive impact on the environment. Webelieve it will significantly enhance the travel experience for millions of users," Surya Khurana, Managing Director of FlixBus India, said. Shares of Paytm settled at Rs 459.75 a piece on the BSE, down 2 per cent from the previous close.

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Radisson partners with Hubli to enable real-time meetings bookings

Radisson Hotel Group and enterprise meetings booking platform Hubli have unwrapped a real-time integration to Radisson’s property management system that automates responses and the booking process for Hubli-facilitated requests for proposals. The entities are bridged by AI-powered pricing and revenue management engine Hivr.ai, which entered into partnership with Radisson in late 2023 to help the hotel group automate processes for meetings and events. According to the Hivr.ai website, the technology allows hotels to consolidate meeting and group booking requests “across all portals” and place them into context with one another with data visualisation dashboards. The AI-based tech automates availability and capacity checks, fills out the RFP forms, sends follow-up emails and overlays its pricing engine, which automatically submits bids for RFPs. If the RFP terms are met – and the meeting organiser accepts the pricing – the integrated systems automatically book the event and remove the meeting and sleeping rooms from the property’s available inventory. The Hubli announcement emphasised the technology was in place up and down the Radisson Hotel Group brand portfolio, providing meeting hosts of all types a fit-to-purpose hotel service category for each meeting. Once the meeting is booked, Hubli planning and management technology applies to the meeting specifics with in-built policy, savings and sustainability controls.

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Plan single railway zone administration for Dakshina Kannada, Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna tells three zones

Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MPs vehemently demand Konkan Railway Corporation’s merger with Indian Railways Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna on Wednesday asked the three railway zones operating in Dakshina Kannada to come out with a plan of action within a fortnight so that only one zone will have jurisdiction over the district. Chairing a meeting to hear people’s representatives and civil society organisations over the vexed issues of railway connectivity in coastal Karnataka here, Mr. Somanna was appraised of the inter-zone conflicts while providing services in the region. While Southern Railway holds the major stake controlling about 40 route km network, including two major stations and one port, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. and South western Railway too have their networks in the district. Once the zones recommend the plan to resolve the conflict, he would recommend the same to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for a suitable decision. Ever since he assumed office, Capt. Brijesh Chowta, Dakshina Kannada MP, was after him for an inter-zone meeting to resolve issues and upon the direction of Mr. Vaishnaw, Mr. Somanna was in Mangaluru on Wednesday. Coordination committee Pending resolution of the jurisdiction, the three zones should send the respective Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) of SR’s Palakkad and SWR’s Mysuru, and the Regional Railway Manager of KRCL’s Karwar, for a quarterly coordination committee meeting to be convened by the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Somanna said. This was in response to Capt. Chowta’s demand at the meeting. People’s representatives, other officials concerned, and passengers associations will attend the meeting to thrash out issues, the Minister said. Merge KRCL with Indian Railways Capt. Chowta and Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, urged the Minister to merge KRCL with Indian Railways. “It is in the interest of both the KRCL and the travellign public,” said Capt. Chowta, urging the Minster to immediately stop the 40% escalated fare collection by KRCL on its network. Mr. Poojary said since KRCL was a loss-making entity and does not have funds to augment infrastructure, it should be merged with Indian Railways and that it was the demand by everyone in his constituency. “The three MPs, including Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri from Uttara Kannada, will meet you once the Parliament session commences. Please take us to the Railway Minister with this demand,” Mr. Poojary said. General Managers of SR and SWR R.N. Singh and Arvind Srivastava, KRCL Chairman and Managing Director Santhosh Kumar Jha and others were present.

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Thailand introduces longer-stay visas to boost tourism & economy

Nationals from 31 countries and territories, up from 19 previously, can now apply for VOA immigration checkpoints on arrival. Visitors under this scheme can stay for up to 15 days tourism purposes, with a visa fee of 2,000 Baht. Countries newly eligible include Armenia Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Paraguay, Serbia, Seychelle Tunisia, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. In a bid to revitalize its economy through enhanced travel and tourism, Thailand has announced new visa measures, effective from 15 July 2024. These initiatives include an extended 60-day visa exemption, Visa on Arrival (VOA) expansion, a new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) for digital nomads, and extended student visas. Thailand will now grant visa exemption to nationals of 93 countries and territories, up from the previous 57. Visitors under this scheme can stay for up to 60 days for tourism and short-term business engagements, with an option to extend for an additional 30 days at the Immigration Office. Nationals from 31 countries and territories, up from 19 previously, can now apply for VOA at immigration checkpoints on arrival. Visitors under this scheme can stay for up to 15 days for tourism purposes, with a visa fee of 2,000 Baht. Countries newly eligible include Armenia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Paraguay, Serbia, Seychelles, Tunisia, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. Thailand is introducing the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) to attract remote workers, digital nomads, and participants in various activities such as Muay Thai courses, Thai cooking classes, sports training, medical treatments, seminars, and music festivals. DTV holders, along with their spouses and ependent children, can enjoy multiple entries and a cumulative stay of up to 180 days, extendable for another 180 days. Applicants must provide proof of funds or a guarantee of not less than 500,000 Baht for the duration of their stay, with a visa fee of 10,000 Thailand has extended the stay period for foreign students of higher education, allowing them to stay for an additional year post-graduation. During this time, students can seek employment and, if hired locally, transition to a Non-Immigration B visa without leaving Thailand. These new visa measures are expected to significantly boost Thailand's economy by attracting more tourists, remote workers, and students, thus fostering sustainable growth in the travel and tourism sector.

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