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.

International airlines’ will not be allowed at the cost of Indian airlines, says Indian aviation minister

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says foreign airlines’ flights will not be allowed at the expense of Indian airlines. This has already led to disputes. On September 28, Lufthansa cancelled all its flights between India and Germany from September 30 to October 20 instead of reducing the frequency as asked by the regulator, DGCA, that had said there were restrictions on Indians who want to travel to Germany and this puts “Indian carriers at a significant disadvantage resulting in inequitable distribution of traffic in favour of Lufthansa”. During a press conference, Puri said, “The issue is not about allowing foreign carriers in or not. We are all for foreign carriers operating here. Make no mistake. But I think the time has come for the message to go out loud and clear that it will not be done at the expense of the Indian carriers. Under the regulated (air bubble) arrangements, we are not insisting on total parity. Even near parity will do,” the minister added.

“If the (air bubble) arrangement is being carried out only for sixth freedom right, then obviously we would want parity because we have direct flights between us and the US and between us and Canada. And we would like the US and the Canadian carrier (to operate). So, there is no difficulty in negotiation either,” Puri mentioned. Sixth freedom right allows an airline to fly passengers from one country to the hub airport in its home country, and then put those passengers on a connecting flight to a third country. A significant number of Indians use European carriers like Lufthansa or Gulf carriers like Emirates to go to the US or Canada. The DGCA told Lufthansa a few weeks back to not carry any sixth freedom passengers on its India-Germany flights. An airline operating flights under an air bubble pact cannot carry sixth freedom passengers from India, as per the DGCA. Indian Aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said that India and Germany are in talks on how to re-establish the air bubble arrangement between the two countries.

Ras Al Khaimah offers free Covid-19 PCR testing for international visitors

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) and RAK Hospital announce a partnership to provide free PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing to international visitors staying in and departing from Ras Al Khaimah until December 31, 2020. Subsidised by RAKTDA, the free PCR test is available for international visitors to avail either at RAK Hospital, one of the UAE’s most renowned private hospitals or RAK Medical Centre in Al Hamra Mall.

“As travel corridors begin to open up, we will continue to incorporate and implement global best practices into our efforts to safeguard against the spread of the pandemic. This initiative comes at a perfect time as we move towards the cooler months of the year into the ‘Winter Sun’ season, encouraging all visitors to experience all that the destination has to offer, from the striking Jebal Jais mountain peak, pristine beaches to cultural and archaeological explorations,” says Raki Phillips, CEO of RAKTDA.

The announcement comes after the unveiling of the destination’s long-term investment strategy aimed to boost the growth and development of Jebel Jais as a standalone destination, by further diversifying its offering through several new sustainable projects. The upcoming projects on UAE’s highest mountain will join the existing attractions including Jais Adventure Peak which serves a gateway to the various attractions on the iconic mountain, including the world’s longest zipline and 1484 by Puro - the highest restaurant in the UAE.

Disneyland Paris launches new DisneyStars training platform

With an easy-to-use interface optimised for mobile and new content, games and quizzes, Disneyland Paris has launched an online training programme for the travel agents and other tourism professionals named DisneyStars.

According to Disneyland Paris, the new training platform will help tourism professionals stay updated with the latest news and information and study various modules at their own pace and convenience; accessible from mobile, tablet or desktop.

With the aim to enhance one’s knowledge, agents can now gain access to exclusive courses covering the Disney Parks, accommodation and dining.

With features like search engine and a personal profile to track one’s progress, paired with games, quizzes and tips to sell and upsell Disneyland Paris, one can also engage with their colleagues at the click of a mouse. From unlocking exclusive perks, incentive prizes to industry rates and offers, Disneyland Paris encourages the travel trade to come aboard with them to have fun, with the new ‘Learn and Play’ style and relish the Disney magic while ensuring professional growth.

Tourism Australia launches high tech 8D videos

In a first for any tourism organisation, Tourism Australia has launched a new series of immersive videos that harness the innovative 8D audio technology and take viewers on a sensory journey of Australia’s unique sights, sounds and textures. For the uninitiated, 8D audio is a sound engineering treatment that, when the viewer wears headphones, gives the music and sounds a three-dimensional effect, thereby putting viewers in the middle of some of the country’s most iconic destinations.

From the fiery red sand of Uluru to the glassy turquoise waters of the Great Barrier Reef, and the deep greens of the Daintree Rainforest, Australia’s landscapes span the full colour spectrum. And to showcase this visual diversity and vibrancy that Australia is distinctly known for, each video is themed by a colour - blue, red, magenta, green, black and white – to evoke a range of feelings and emotions.

G20 tourism ministers discuss post-pandemic tourism revival plans

Tourism ministers of G20 countries met on October 7 to discuss ways of reviving the tourism sector, which has been severely affected by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Highlighting the crucial role of tourism as a means of achieving sustainable socioeconomic development, they talked about the challenges the sector is facing as a result of the ongoing crisis. The travel and tourism sector suffered severe setbacks, as after almost all countries banned international travel or imposed other restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the threats it poses, the blow came heavily on the industry professionals largely. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia, which holds the presidency of the G20 this year.

The ministers pledged to work together to “support those most impacted by the crisis within the sector, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and developing economies that rely on travel and tourism, especially in Africa and small island states.”

They vowed to help the ailing sector rebound and prosper by strengthening international cooperation, rebuilding trust and confidence in tourism, and sharing knowledge and good practices between countries.

The participants also agreed that support for policies that promote sustainable authentic experiences; rural development and community empowerment not only benefits local communities but also promotes a welcoming experience for tourists.

SATTE 2021 rescheduled

SATTE, one of the leading travel exhibitions of India that normally takes place during January every year at New Delhi has been postponed and Informa Markets, the organisers of the expo have rescheduled the show to take place in March 2021 from 24 - 26.

The show was originally slated to take place on 20-22 January 2021, but due to the delayed response from the government of India on giving various permissions and clearances to conduct B2B events and exhibitions, and increasing number of Covid-19 tolls in India, it was a risky business for the organisers to conduct the exhibition in January 2021 at the national capital region. SATTE 2021 will take place at the India Expo Centre & Mart.

India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group