About India Outbound Magazine

India Outbound 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.

VFS Global resumes limited operations at select cities

VFS Global is re-opening visa application centres in a few cities, approved by respective embassies and with strict health and safety guidelines in place. Customers will have to mandatorily schedule an appointment online. Though international commercial flights have not yet resumed in India, a few countries like Belarus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, and the UK have begun accepting visa applications in India. Except for the UK, all other countries will now operate only from New Delhi only and the UAE will accept online application. The UK visa services will resume from July 6 in limited locations in South Asia, including 11 cities in India -Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi. The Optional Priority Visa, Super Priority Visa and Walk-in services will not be offered initially.

Lisbon tops the list of booking trends beating London, Paris, Rome

Since Europe is reopening its borders to tourists, reports say the European destinations in-demand currently could set the trend for the rest of the world. Though India has not resumed international flights, potential outbound travellers are sure to get influenced by the trend which shows Portuguese capital Lisbon leading the chart beating London and Rome compared to last year.

Just before the pandemic broke, Turismo de Portugal (TdP) had conducted multi-city roadshows in the four major cities of India – Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and New Delhi with the announcement of opening their first India office in the capital city of New Delhi recognising the importance and potential the Indian market has for TdP. It will now be a comparatively easier task for TdP to promote itself as an inspiring destination – a southern European country that offers a unique culture, great food, year-round festivals, and incredible sights and sounds at a pocket-friendly price now clubbed with higher hygiene and safety standards. Flight booking data shows London has fallen to the bottom of the top 10 most booked European cities, as border restrictions and UK quarantine regulations choke travel, according to joint research by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Forward Keys. In the first half of June last year, with holiday season in full swing, London was the most heavily booked city in Europe for any date of arrival, followed by Paris and Rome. However, travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the quarantine rules imposed by the UK government, the capital has slumped to the bottom of the top 10.

Lisbon meanwhile has soared to the top of the list of most-booked European cities during the first half of June, compared to sitting close to the bottom in ninth place in 2019. Portugal has been one of the first countries to establish enhanced hygiene and safety protocols to welcome tourists and has had one of the top testing rates to control transmission.

The implementation of global protocols as well as testing and contact tracing for intercontinental arrivals is expected to restore consumer confidence and encourage travelling to resume. The success of Lisbon in attracting visitors follows the government's implementation of a number of enhanced health and safety measures. These are, in line with WTTC's global protocols. Over 80 destinations have so far received the stamp of approval for safety and hygiene norms from WTTC.

Ras Al Khaimah leads the cities to receive safety stamps

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) says the Emirate has been confirmed as the first city and Emirate in the world to receive the safe destination label from Bureau Veritas and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). In addition, Al Hamra International Exhibition and Conference Center which is close to 5000 sqm in size, is also the first MICE facility in the Middle East to be certified by Bureau Veritas. Raki Phillips, CEO of RAKTDA said, “Our role as a tourism development authority is to ensure that robust measures are in place to protect the health and safety of our visitors and provide the peace of mind they need for a truly well-deserved holiday. We are immensely proud to be the first destination in the world to be certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and WTTC and believe it will go a long way to restore confidence and bring tourists back to Ras Al Khaimah."

Airports Council International releases Smart Security Vision 2040 in the wake of COVID-19

Airports Council International (ACI), a global body of airports, has released a Smart Security Vision 2040 document which sets the foundation for achieving a seamless airport security screening experience in a post-Covid-19 operational reality. This is part of the Smart Security programme which promotes concepts and solutions that take a risk-based approach, increase efficiency and enhance the passenger experience, while also ensuring secure airport operations. It brings together a coalition of leading airports, regulators and airlines. While the vision explores several long-term trends affecting aviation and airports, it takes full account of the present context of the economic and operational recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, and the industry’s increased focus on health and cleanliness. The Smart Security vision includes innovations such as artificial intelligence and the increasing use of big data and stand-off detection. These innovations that promote a more touchless, seamless approach to the airport security screening – which has become an even more important objective during the current pandemic – have the potential to radically transform the way that passengers and baggage are screened.

“As the aviation industry continues to plan for a sustained recovery from unprecedented Covid-19 crisis, ACI believes that any initiative that utilises improved technology to facilitate touchless and more efficient passenger journeys need to be accelerated,” ACI World director general Luis Felipe De Oliveira said.

Singapore gradually reopens tourism establishments

As part of the resumption of activities in Phase II, tourism businesses in Singapore have been permitted to resume operations in stages from July 1, beginning with 13 attractions. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will also allow domestic tour operators to begin submitting their applications to resume operations. Before approval is given for an attraction to reopen, its operator must address risks specific to the nature of its operations and adheres to the requirements laid out in advisory. Attractions like Bounce, Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, Jurong Bird Park, Madame Tussauds, River Safari, Singapore Zoo, Zero Latency, ArtScience Museum, Sands SkyPark, Observation Deck and Casino at Marina Bay Sands, Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium and Casino at Resorts World Sentosa have been allowed to reopen. As a further precautionary measure, most attractions who have re-opened will be restricted to no more than 25 per cent of their operating capacity at any one time, for a start. Access to the casinos will be limited to existing casino members and annual levy holders only. Similarly, tour operators carrying out tour activities will be required to submit their tour itineraries and schedules to STB in advance, and demonstrate that they can implement all relevant safe management measures. Concurrently, STB will step up its efforts to ensure that more tourism businesses, including attractions, apply for the SG Clean certification which is a national mark of excellence that indicates adherence to heightened standards of cleaning, hygiene and sanitisation, and will provide reassurance to all who visit these premises.

India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group