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.
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Vaccines and reopened borders driving tourism recovery: UNWTO
International tourism enjoyed signs of rebound in June and July 2021 as some destinations eased travel restrictions and the global vaccination rollout advanced in many parts of the world. According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021, down 67 pc from the same month in 2019, but the strongest results since April 2020. This compares to an estimated 34 million international arrivals recorded in July 2020, though well below the 164 million figure recorded in 2019.
Most destinations reporting data for June and July 2021 saw a moderate rebound in international arrivals compared to 2020. Nevertheless, 2021 continues to be a challenging year for global tourism, with international arrivals down 80 pc in January-July compared to 2019. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the weakest results in the period January to July, with a 95 pc drop in international arrivals compared to 2019. The Middle East (-82 pc) recorded the second largest decline, followed by Europe and Africa (both -77 pc). The Americas (-68 pc) saw a comparatively smaller decrease, with the Caribbean showing the best performance among world sub regions.
This improvement was underpinned by the reopening of many destinations to international travel, mostly in Europe and the Americas. The relaxation of travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers, coupled with progress made in the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines, contributed to lifting consumer confidence and gradually restoring safe mobility in Europe and other parts of the world. In contrast, most destinations in Asia remain closed to non-essential travel.
Almost half of all experts (45 pc) continue to see international tourism returning to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while 43 pc point to a recovery in 2023. By regions, the largest share of experts pointing to a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later are in Asia and the Pacific (58 pc). In Europe, half of respondents indicate this could happen in 2023. The Middle East is the most optimistic, with a full recovery expected by 2022.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “There is clearly a strong demand for international tourism, and many destinations have started welcoming visitors back safely and responsibly. However, the true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings, remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel.”
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Global Village finalises entry ticket prices
Global Village, leading multicultural family destination for culture, shopping, and entertainment, in the UAE has announced a new pricing strategy to encourage guests to purchase park tickets on its mobile application and website. The ticket price per entry will remain AED 15 (INR 300 ) online and AED 20 (INR 400) at the gate.
Global Village’s completely revamped website and award-winning mobile app were introduced during last year’s Silver Jubilee Season offering users a multitude of functionalities. This year, the app has been further enhanced with auto-recognition for car park payments, additional payment options including GVPay, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The app has also introduced innovative feature to highlight parking availability, product directory, ratings and suggested popular routes to enjoy best experiences. Global Village is excited to welcome guests from 4pm on October 26, 2021.
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Morpho Hotels and Resorts buys Hotel Rodeway Inn in Nebraska
India based hospitality firm, Morpho Hotels and Resorts India Pvt. Ltd. in partnership with Upjeet Singh Sahota have founded Morpho Hotels and Resorts USA LLC in New York which has acquired the Rodeway Inn, a Choice Hotel in the city of Holdrege, Nebraska, thereby taking their first step towards Morpho Hotels’ vision of expanding in USA and select strategic international markets via owned and managed assets.
Rodeway Inn Holdrege, Nebraska, a Choice Gold Award winner for 2020 and 2021, is a 40 key Choice Hotel with an indoor whirlpool, indoor temperature control swimming pool, gymnasium, spacious meeting venue, video game arcade and a business centre. Dipinder Benjamin, founder & CEO, Morpho Hotels and Resorts said, “We intend to build an intimate chain of world-class ‘smart’ hotels that leverage Asian roots of empathetic service with a razor sharp focus on yield management and profit optimisation. Customised technology is our greatest tool in this ambition. Our expansion plans continue to be robust through multiple routes of investments, management contracts and branding of mid-market hotels across the GCC, the Indian Ocean and Europe.”
Currently, Morpho Hotels and Resorts manages properties in Goa, Coorg and Bokaro with more hotels under development in Kasauli and Darjeeling. It also has a pipeline of hotels coming up in Gurugram, Chandigarh, Nalanda, Kochi, Manali, Bangalore and Lucknow alongside Dubai, Kathmandu and Barcelona.
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TTF Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai catalyse revival of travel and tourism
TTF three-city tour usually organised in the fall season preceding Puja and Diwali holidays in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai was successfully concluded recently. Hundreds of exhibitors and representatives from over 20 states participated in the TTF series in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
The shows brought together under one roof the best of the travel industry from all over India and the Maldives, for reviving and restarting tourism. TTF Mumbai saw the participation of Maldives Tourism with a big pavilion and seven participating Maldivian DMCs, hospitality, airline and tour operators, sending a strong signal towards the Indian travel trade of their commitment to the Indian market. India Tourism was present in a big way in the TTF series.
Satpal Maharaj, Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand, said, “TTF Mumbai has brought back to life the hospitality industry and the private sector. Covid has affected the lives and livelihood of thousands and meeting here today is a very important step towards defining safety protocols and moving forward together as an industry to revive travel and tourism.”
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TAAI signs MoU with Sri Lanka body
Post Covid, Sri Lanka has been among the first few countries to open tourism for fully vaccinated travellers from India. Most eagerly awaited events of the travel & tourism industry TAAI Conclaves & Conventionshave been so far the biggest platform to bring the global travel trade industry together. TAAI which is the leader association of India, initiated signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO).
While signing the MoU, Jyoti Mayal, president said that TAAI has had strong and fruitful relations with the Sri Lankan travel trade partners & especially SLAITO for many decades. “I am glad to share that post Covid-19, we are once again working in a collaborative manner to explore promotion of tourism amongst our countries & explore opportunities to organize TAAI Conclave or its Annual Convention in Sri Lanka. Both India & Sri Lanka are rich in its diverse culture & history and with a common goal SLAITO welcomed our suggestion to collaborate. We are looking forward to visiting Colombo to finalise more details.”
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