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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.

Uncertainty over travel plans of IPL fans despite attractive packages

Various hotels across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have begun promoting attractive packages to lure fans from India and other countries for the 13th edition Indian Premier League, world’s richest cricket league, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Fans can avail of exclusive IPL packages in several signature hotels of Emaar Hospitality Group such as Vida Emirates Hills, Vida Downtown Dubai, Manzil Downtown Dubai, Address Dubai Marina. These hotels are offering to spectators travelling from India to Dubai for the IPL, an exclusive ‘Hit a 4’ package, where guests can book their stay on a flexible rate. For those keen to explore the neighbourhood of downtown Dubai surrounded by landmarks, such as the luxuriant Dubai Mall, the famous Dubai fountains and the colossal Burj Khalifa, the Armani Hotel Dubai, Address Downtown Dubai, Palace Downtown Dubai, Address Boulevard, and Address Dubai Mall are offering the ultimate leisure getaway with a flexible ‘Hit a 6 or Take a wicket package’.

Priyanka Nijhawan, director, Nijhawan Group, that represents Emaar Hospitality Group in India, says, “We are delighted to offer our patrons the most luxurious and unique stay packages. Each package is designed keeping the safety of the guests, giving them the maximum benefits on their first stay with Emaar Hospitality Group post lockdown.’’

However, for the Indian cricket fans intending to travel to the UAE, there remains a lot of confusion and ambiguity on whether they can indeed travel and if so what are the conditions or restrictions on such travel, more so because India has again extended the ban on international commercial flights till September 30, making it over 6 months since the ban was introduced on March 22.

‘‘Regular flights are banned and airlines are able to operate both ways only for those whose lives depend on their travel, in this case, those whose jobs are dependent on the game. Visitors’ visas are being issued for travelling to UAE, but the catch is no one knows if cricket fans would be permitted inside the stadium or not,’’ Aparna C Basumallik, country head, Europamundo Vacations, a leading outbound tour operator told India Outbound.

No Entry for Indians in Malaysia

After Hong Kong, Malaysia has become second destination to ban arrival of Indians due to cases of Covid-19 infections among Indians travelling to the country. Last month, Hong Kong had banned Air India from operating flights to the territory, citing numerous COvid-19 infected persons who had travelled from India to Hong Kong on AI flights. The ban, meant for two weeks, remains in place even beyond the deadline. Besides India, Malaysia has added Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Russia Bangladesh, France the US, and the UK to its no entry list. The decision by Malaysian government will impact thousands of Indians, and nationals of other countries on the list, with long-term passes, students, expatriates, permanent residents as well as family members of Malaysians will be highly affected by this decision.

Malaysia has reported a total of 9,374 Covid-19 cases and 128 deaths only. However, Vande Bharat Mission repatriation flights will continue to bring back Indians from Malaysia as scheduled. There are still 14 VBM flights scheduled from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru on in the month of September.

New Travelport study reveals Indians want maximum safety measures

The majority of travellers are now ready to consider booking domestic and international trips, but only if airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies collectively implement 10 different safety measures throughout their journey, including fully flexible or refundable flight tickets. This is according to the results of new independent research released by Travelport, one of the leading travel technology company. The results of the study are based on a survey of 5,000 travellers across the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in-depth interviews with 29 leading travel suppliers. The study found that at all parts of the travel journey, it is deemed critical to have social distancing rules, mandatory use of face masks and ready access to sanitising gel or wipes, face masks and gloves. The study also revealed, however, that additional measures still need to be implemented by airlines, airports, hotels and car rental companies to fully restore consumer confidence. “This study highlights the criticality these measures are now playing in restoring traveller confidence. However, for the majority of travellers to return to the skies, the industry now needs to work together to not only ensure a wide array of safety measures are in place throughout the travel journey, but to collectively communicate these changes to travellers using a range of channels and merchandising technologies,” says Greg Webb, chief executive officer of Travelport.

On a country level, the study revealed demand for almost every safety measure is highest in India. Demand in New Zealand, while still high, tended to be the lowest across the five countries assessed. When it comes to age groups, demand for robust safety measures was again high across all categories, however, it was highest among baby boomers and lowest among the millennials. The study also reveals that travellers are more likely to book through a travel agent than before the Covid-19 crisis, with 33 pc of all travellers anticipating an increase in their use of travel agent services. This trend was particularly evident among the millennials with 44 pc. Of those who said they would use travel agents, 65 pc said it was because travel agents are best placed to provide them with the latest travel safety information.

Dubai launches retirement visa for the rich expats and foreigners

The Dubai government has announced a retirement visa programme spearheaded by Dubai Tourism that offers resident expatriates and foreigners the chance to retire in the emirate, a first of its kind in the region. The “Retire in Dubai” visa scheme would allow eligible residents aged 55 and over to apply for a retirement visa that would be renewable every five years.

Retirees need to meet one of three financial requirements for eligibility: earning a monthly income of AED 20,000, having savings of AED 1 million; or owning a property in Dubai worth AED 2 million and all must have valid UAE health insurance. Dubai, which is home to more than 200 nationalities, aims to become a preferred retirement destination to reinforce the emirate's status as a preferred tourism and lifestyle hub.

Helal Saeed Al-Marri, Dubai Tourism’s director-general said it was launched to further enhance Dubai’s position as an iconic global city and make it the world’s most preferred lifestyle destination. “The retirement programme will contribute towards our tourism economy by facilitating frequent visits from families and friends of the retirees and increasing visitation from markets with a high retiree population,” he said.

Grab and Klook launch ‘Attractions’ tile

Grab, the Singapore-based app that has been steadily adding new services since its launch as a ride-hailing app in 2012 and which is now a strong alternative to Uber in many Southeast Asian countries will now offer booking of tours and activities through an integration with Hong Kong-based Klook. Grab users will use a new ‘Attractions’ tile in the app to search through Klook’s catalogue of more than 100,000 attractions, tours, activities and food and beverage outlets. Digital tickets for the experiences are booked in the Grab app, with payment through GrabPay and loyalty points earned through GrabRewards. Klook says the ‘Attractions’ tile will get new features in the coming months, including a wish list function, the ability to leave reviews and integration with other Grab services.

TBO Group launches TBO Marine

TBO Group, one of India’s leading B2B travel portals, has launched TBO Marine, a hybrid e-commerce platform to cater to the niche market segment of the marine industry. Through this platform, TBO, will offer its audience quick and easy access to global seaman fares, as well as comprehensive travel management services. TBO Marine will try to extend its expertise in marine travel management providing value and expertise to B2B segment in the following industries: offshore oil and energy sectors, dry dock, specialised marine contracting, crew management companies, travel agents servicing the marine, and port agents. The portal will offer real-time seaman fares, which will assist the travel agents.

Ankush Nijhawan, co-founder, TBO Group and managing director, Nijhawan Group said, “Through this integration on our platform, TBO is empowering its partners to tap into a new segment offering specialised rates, state of the art technology and years of experience of airways schedules, visa assistance, and cost-effective ways to add value to the clients.”

Worldwide, the marine sector is being explored at a high pace with technological advancements. While in India, though the marine travel industry in India is considered a standout amid the most dawning and breathtaking sectors, and identified as a lucrative and niche market segment, but it is yet to be discovered to its core potential.


India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group