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.
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SpiceJet secures clearance to operate on India-US route
In an interesting development, India's domestic carrier SpiceJet has taken an early lead among other private airlines to restart international operations, after getting designated as a scheduled airline to operate on agreed routes between India and the United States. SpiceJet will operate on the India-US route as per terms of Air Services Agreement between the two countries.
"This designation would help us plan for our international expansion in a much better and calibrated manner," Ajay Singh, chairman & managing director of SpiceJet said in a statement.
Till now, Air India was the only local carrier to operate between India and the U.S., through the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian citizens. In fact, this will be the first time after Jet Airways got grounded in April 2019, that a private airline from India will operate flights to the U.S.
It is yet unclear which aircraft SpiceJet will use to fly long haul to the U.S as it will need a wide-body aircraft. Until Covid-19 struck, the airline was operating to short-haul international destinations in the Middle East and South East Asia only.Though SpiceJet had taken an A330 aircraft from Oman on wet-lease, it is not clear if it will use this plane to fly to the U.S.
Among other Indian airlines, IndiGo is expected to soon join these airlines, with the country's largest airline also getting wide-body aircraft on wet lease. Vistara, which already has a Boeing 787-9 in its fleet, is also looking to start flights to Europe and the US.
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Tourism Authority of Thailand launches first Amazing Thailand eBook
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has compiled more than 200 of its destination brochures, leaflets, books, maps, and media covering all aspects of Thai tourism into one easily-searchable eBook platform to make it easy for visitors to find their place and activity of interest.
The Amazing Thailand eBook will allow both domestic and foreign tourists an easy one-stop opportunity to explore all 77 provinces as well as emerging provinces, top destinations, special interest activities and Thai culinary locations including 12 tourist maps and guidebooks.
Designed both as an app and website, the Thai-English guidebook can be accessed via smart-phones and tablets. Special kiosks with the QR code have also been placed at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports.
Vinid Rangpueng, director of the marketing service department, TAT said, “These are all part of the preparations we are making for a projected return to normal travel and tourism flows in the next few months. Due to our high rate of success in curbing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, and the positive publicity it is attracting, we expect Thailand will be in big demand as a priority destination. Our tourism products, facilities and services are reopening at a rapid pace, and this eBook will act as a one-stop-shop to help visitors easily and efficiently find their destination and activity of choice.”
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Dubai keen to receive health tourists
Dubai says it is keen to receive health tourists, for a wide spectrum of medical and wellness treatments across all its public and private hospitals with the highest compliance to Covid-19 protocols. In a webinar recently organised by the Dubai Health and Tourism Department of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Health Experience (DXH) was showcased.
According to the authorities, out of a total of 3,397 health facilities licensed in the emirate, 45 were newly-established during the first half of 2020 ready to give tourists top-class medical tourism services.
They further stated that with its handling of the pandemic, Dubai had proved that it was more-than-prepared to receive tourists, especially healthcare tourists who might be coming to the emirate seeking treatment backed up by the latest technologies in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI)-supported treatment, 3D printing, cosmetic surgeries and several other sub-specialities.
Issam Kazim, the CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said that Dubai Tourism is launching a sustained marketing campaign to promote Dubai as the health and wellness destination in many countries around the world, post COVID-19.
Prior to the pandemic, DXH had projected a footfall of about 500,000 health tourists in the emirate by 2021. The health tourism department also plans to introduce preventive and alternative health practices such as ayurveda, homoeopathy and yoga. Statistics have shown that the UAE’s wellness and spa travel market caters to both inbound as well as domestic clients, which is about 15 pc of the total tourism market.
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Sri Lanka delays reopening tourism for international visitors
Sri Lanka had initially planned to open its international airports to foreign tourists from August 1, but has now decided to delay the same by at least two weeks and give priority to repatriate the stranded Sri Lankans. However, the government lifted its nationwide curfew on July 20 as the island-nation prepares to hold parliamentary elections in the coming weeks.
“We want to restart tourism as soon as possible. But more than 46,000 Sri Lankans have registered with the government and are waiting to return. We want to first ensure that they are back,” tourism minister Prasanna Ranatunga told the local media.
The government has laid down rules for foreign travellers entering the country after the airports reopen.
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Switzerland opens border for 21 countries, India not in the list
With the panic surrounding the pandemic beginning to subside in Europe, Switzerland has opened its doors for tourists from many countries, but not from India.
From July 20, in tune with the European Union guidelines, Switzerland lifted restrictions for travellers from 21 countries, besides the European nations, though India, currently ranking third on the world Coronavirus dashboard has been excluded.
"We have not finalised any date for India yet. As for the isolation, the travellers will have to go into self-paid quarantine," said a spokesperson for Switzerland Tourism in Mumbai.
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Oman closes Al Tahir caves tampered by visitors
Oman's tourism ministry has issued a statement on its stance to not permit tourism operations at the Al Tahir caves stating that cracks are detected inside the caves.
The ministry clarified that the closure is to protect it from cracking and tampering further, after it was observed that many visitors, both local and foreign, had broken the natural crystals in order to acquire them, endangering the growth of crystals which have taken place over millions of years. Currently, to explore the site, one needs professional rock climbing experience and there aren't enough emergency services available.
“Since the natural crystal found in the cave is still growing, preserving it is extremely important for the cave environment to eventually become a museum. Until the appropriate mechanism exists to display these natural components, which will enhance the environmental tourism experience in the Sultanate, the ministry decided not to promote the cave as a tourist spot,” the statement said.
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A 250-metre-high glass-bottom exploration deck opens in China
It is a big question if international tourists will pick China as their next destination or not after the pandemic, but China is measuring itself with new attractions. One of the year’s most eagerly awaited attractions, the 250-metre-high Exploration Deck Viewing Gallery opened on top of a set of skyscrapers in Chongqing, a southwestern Chinese city.
The deck will provide a 270-degree panorama of Chongqing’s skyline, and visitors to the glass-bottom deck will feel the thrills of walking in ‘mid-air’ while admiring the magnificent views of Yangtze River’s brown merging with Jialing River’s blue below their feet. As part of the crowd management, now only 3,000 tickets will be sold daily.
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