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About India Outbound Magazine

India Outbound, a brand of Media India Group, is India’s only B2B travel media platform, that encompasses a print magazine, a website, an online TV channel and dynamic social media platforms, entirely dedicated to the promotion of foreign destinations and products in India. India Outbound is a niche platform not just for tourism destinations and products to promote themselves to the Indian travel industry, but also for decision makers to build/change their strategy in a context where the Indian outbound market is not only growing but changing with new dynamics. India Outbound brings to you the latest trends of the market with in depth analysis.

OTOAI asks NTOs, Embassies and Consulates to define travel rules and SOPs

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has asked foreign countries through their tourism board offices in India, Embassies and Consulates to lay down travel guidelines for Indians wishing to go abroad. In a recent communication, the association has drafted a 10-point letter and circulated the same to heads of all the NTO in India, asking them to clearly state the rules, SOPs and guidelines that an international traveller has to be aware of.

Ever since the air-bubble travel arrangement started in India in July 2020, there has been a plethora of changes in the guidelines and SOPs to be followed by every individual country. Also, since the number of Covid-19 cases keeps changing, many countries often end up altering their travel guidelines frequently, which in turn are not made very clear to an outbound traveller. OTOAI has asked the NTOs to clearly state the protocols in order to have the much-needed clarity.

“Over the months, we were seeing much ambiguity on the SOPs and guidelines for international travel – different protocols for different countries. This was not just leaving the travellers confused but also adding to the struggle of an outbound tour operator, who is trying to get some business done in this pandemic. Thus, we decided to step up and gain clarity on the international travel protocols to be followed so as to ease the international travel for consumers as well as tour operators. Once we have all the information in place, we would be circulating the same to all our members so that they can do their business with precision,” says Riaz Munshi, president, OTOAI.

“Opening up of commercial international operations will boost the confidence of not just the travellers but also the various other verticals of travel industry, which have been suffering immensely because of the pandemic. It will be an integral step towards boosting the economy,” adds Munshi.

South Africa opens for all international leisure and business travellers

South African Tourism (SA Tourism) has announced that the country is now open to all international leisure and business travellers from around the world. The opening of all international travel follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that South Africa would be moving to augmented alert level 1, thus opening up international borders for all countries.

All travellers will need to supply a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) Covid-19 test not older than 72 hours from the date of departure from their country.

“We are excited by the full opening of our international borders because this is a strong testament to the fact that we are open for both business and leisure travel. This opening brings certainty for South Africa, as a travel destination putting us back on the map and on the radar for many travellers who want to come to explore our beautiful country,” says chief executive officer, South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona.

Amazing Thailand launches Thai Golf Pass Season 4 for Indian golfers

With more than 250 golf courses throughout the country, Thailand has been a preferred golfing destination of Asia, especially among the Indian golf-enthusiasts. For the past couple of years, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been promoting special packages for the Indian golfers under the loyalty programme campaign titled ‘Thai Golf Pass’. After three successful seasons, TAT New Delhi launched Season 4 of the offer in New Delhi via a hybrid media event.

Top-quality golf courses, reasonable green fees, friendly caddies are a few green tick marks that Thailand highlights while promoting itself as an ideal golf holiday destination.

“Thai Golf Passport was launched in India to offer Indian golfers a seamless golf experience in Thailand. Indian golfers can be a part of this Amazing reward programme whenever they tee off in Amazing Thailand’,” says Anil Dev, the managing director of SLW, a golf tour management company.

“Golf is one of the important segments which we focus on and continue to promote Thailand as Indian golfers’ favourite destination. In fact, destination diversity and vast choices of golf courses throughout the country are the key factors that attract large number of visitors coming to play golf in Thailand. I look forward to welcoming all Indian golfers to have their first tee off in Amazing Thailand once the situation improves,” says Vachirachai Sirisumpan, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) - New Delhi.

SOTC, SLW and TAT announced their partnership on this occasion to promote Thai Golf Pass Season 4. “Our association enables us to showcase a unique side to the destination. We are happy to work with SLW to launch Thai Golf Pass Season 4 and look forward to Indian golfers being a part of this programme. Thailand has been a favourite destination among Indian travellers for its pristine white beaches, thriving cities, rich culture, authentic Thai food and shopping,” says Daniel D’souza, president and country head, leisure, SOTC Travel.

“Our association welcomes this move which is a programme unique to India. While hotels and airlines have loyalty programmes, this will be a first of its kind where a country has created such a programme. We support all golf tourism initiatives and are sure that this will really encourage golf travel,” adds Rajan Sehgal, president, Indian Golf Travel Association (IGTA).

A new survey by Amadeus reveals how technology can boost Indian traveller confidence and accelerate demand

As 2020 comes to an end, leaders in governments and key industries are working to determine how people can safely return to work, particularly in travel and tourism where jobs in hospitality, airlines, cruises, travel agencies, car rentals, rideshares, events, attractions and so much more, accounted for one in 10 jobs in the pre-Covid-19 world.

To gain insight into how the travel industry and governments can work to rebuild the traveller confidence, Amadeus, a large travel technology firm, commissioned research to learn more about travellers’ top concerns and what types of technology would help travellers feel safe and comfortable enough to travel and help spur recovery of the travel sector.

With inputs from over 6,000 travellers across India, Singapore, France, Germany, the UK and the US, the study found that technology plays a crucial role in supporting recovery, as over four in five (84 pc) travellers said technology would increase their confidence to travel in the next 12 months by addressing concerns around mixing with crowds, social distancing and physical touch-points. Approximately 1,000 respondents hailed from India.

When asked about what would make them more likely to travel, respondents in India said, access to technology that reduces human contact, queues and physical touch-points were the ultimate factor for getting Indian people to travel again (40 pc). This was especially important for baby boomers, where 73 pc of respondents cited it as their top concern compared with 28 pc of generation Z. This was followed by the need for effective test, track and trace programmes to contain infections (40 pc); visibility and assurance of sanitisation, hygiene and safety measures in hotels and accommodations (39 pc) and limiting the number of passengers on flights (38 pc).

Mobile applications that provide on-trip notifications and alerts emerged as the most appealing technology to increase confidence for Indian travellers (56 pc). This was followed by the need for contactless payments (54 pc) and the ability to have airline boarding passes on their phones (51 pc). Baby boomers were much more open to facial recognition technologies (53 pc) compared with their generation Z counterparts (24 pc). For millennial and generation X respondents, automated cleaning processes ranked similarly in the level of importance (49 pc vs 52 pc).

“India’s travel industry has started to show green shoots of recovery in the past months, and India’s aviation minister recently suggested that domestic passenger traffic could reach pre-Covid levels by the end of the year. This new consumer research further affirms the optimism for travel as many of the concerns can be addressed by the technology available now, at every stage of the traveller experience. We have seen Covid-19 accelerate trends that were already present, such as the drive towards digitalisation and contactless technology, which was key themes picked out by Indian travellers in order to feel confident about travelling again. These are areas that we are already working closely on with our airline, airport and hospitality customers, and we will continue to focus on this,” says Cyril Tetaz, executive vice president of airlines, Asia-Pacific, Amadeus.

The survey was conducted in late September 2020 by research firm Censuswide to explore traveller sentiment in light of Covid-19, how expectations and demands have changed and what can be put in place to strengthen traveller trust and confidence.

IATA issues new guidance to prepare for global vaccine distribution

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released a guidance to ensure that the air cargo industry is ready to support the large-scale handling, transport and distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine. IATA’s Guidance for Vaccine and Pharmaceutical Logistics and Distribution provides recommendations for governments and the logistics supply chain in preparation for what will be the largest and most complex global logistics operation ever undertaken.

Reflecting the complexity of the challenge, the guidance was produced with the support of a broad range of partners, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UK Civil Aviation Authority, World Bank, World Customs Organisation (WCO) and World Trade Organisation (WTO). The guidance includes a repository of international standards and guidelines related to the transport of vaccines and will be updated regularly as information is made available to the industry. Accompanying the guidance, IATA established a joint information-sharing forum for stakeholders.

New archaeological discoveries in Saqqara, Egypt

A new archaeological discovery has been made in Saqqara near Memphis in Egypt. The Egyptian archaeological mission working at Saqqara uncovered 100 sealed wooden coffins in their initial condition and 40 statues of the deity, PtahSoker, God of the Saqqara Necropolis, including gilded statues and 20 wooden boxes of the god Horus, and two statues of Phnomus, made of acacia wood. In addition to the unveiling of a number of Ushabti statuettes and amulets, four golden masks of gilded cartonnage were also discovered.

About 36 foreign ambassadors posted in Cairo and their spouses, as well as a large number of important guests, artists, local and international news agencies, newspapers and television channels attended the unveiling ceremony.

Khaled El Enany, minister of tourism and antiquities, government of Egypt said this is the third year in a row where more archaeological discoveries were announced in Saqqara. The minister also talked about Saqqara, explaining that it is one of the most important sites of the Memphis necropolis, which is the first capital of Egypt. It extends from Abu Rawash in the north to Dahshur in the south, pointing out that the Necropolis of Memphis is one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites in Egypt.

Saqqara is a very large area with around 13 pyramids. Kings, high ranking citizens and senior officials were buried there from the ancient era, alongside their families through most eras of ancient Egyptian history (Pharaonic, Greek and Roman). Saqqara also has a number of ancient monasteries and the largest animal necropolises.

Arabian Travel Market 2021 to run live event in Dubai

Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organiser of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), has announced that the 2021 edition of its annual showcase, will take place live at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 16 to 19.

Now in its 27th year and working in collaboration with DWTC and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the theme of the show next year will be ‘A new dawn for travel and tourism’ and the spotlight will be thrown onto the current state of the industry and more importantly, what the future holds. It will also look at the emerging trends and how innovation can drive the industry forward.

Supporting ATM’s theme, a recent report by Colliers, MENA Hotel Forecasts, estimates that 2021 will be a year of recovery, based on the assumption that hotel performance across the region is already improving. Major destinations such as Dubai and Cairo are leading the way with estimated full-year 2021 occupancy levels of 68 pc and 65 pc respectively.


India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group