About India Outbound Magazine
India Outbound, a bi-monthly print magazine with dynamic web and social media presence focused on outbound travel from India, is published by Media India Group. Distributed all over India, and in all the top tourism events across the world, India Outbound caters mainly to the tourism professionals and is looking to develop new and innovative circuits and promote new destinations to the high-end travellers.
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Japan Tourism names new executive director for India
The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) announced Yusuke Yamamoto as the new executive director of tourism for the India market effective July 1, 2019. As the executive director, he will be responsible in overseeing the Indian market while managing the development of policies and strategies to strengthen Japan’s reputation as a world-class tourism and travel destination.
Hailing from a political science background, Yusuke Yamamoto started his career by working for the Kanagawa Prefectural Government. He was also the director of South Asia market for Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), for which he was stationed in Singapore for almost three years. After being involved in various other government sectors, he joined JNTO in 2017 as a deputy manager in the corporate planning department.
Commenting on his appointment, Yusuke Yamamoto said, “I am extremely delighted and thrilled to take up this new profile which is phenomenally huge and has great potential. I am looking forward to further enhance and work closely with our partners in India. India is now one of the fastest growing outbound tourism markets in the world. This is the magnitude of travellers we are aiming to tap on. Therefore, this market has exceptional opportunities and I am glad to be fostering JNTO’s growth by being the torchbearer.”
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UNESCO names new World Heritage sites for 2019
The 43rd session of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) saw the inclusion of 29 new cultural and natural sites in the World Heritage list at its annual meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. This year UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee considered 35 nominations which are included if they meet at least one of 10 criteria, like being a landmark of human history or culture, an ecological wonder or “a masterpiece of human creative genius.”
That is “a relatively high but not unusual number,” said Mechtild Rössler, director of the organisation’s World Heritage Centre in Paris. The 2019 list includes Myanmar’s ancient capital Bagan, India’s Pink City Jaipur, China’s archaeological ruins of Liangzhu, historic city of Sheki in Azerbaijan, Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland and mixed site of Paraty and IIha Grande in Brazil which combines natural and cultural elements.
Bagan’s inscription comes nearly a quarter of a century after the temples’ complex was first nominated for listing and the decision recognises the heritage significance of the site – which includes more than 3,500 stupas, temples, monasteries and other structures built between the 11th and 13th centuries. One of the most unusual additions was Jodrell Bank Observatory in northwest England that houses some of the planet’s leading radio astronomy telescopes.
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Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann celebrates Normandy from July 5 to September 1
This summer the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, Région Normandie, Normandie Attractivité and Atout France have teamed up to celebrate one of France’s most iconic regions with a retail event entitled “Normandie Chérie” (Beloved Normandy), and hosted by the Boulevard Haussmann department store from July 5-September 1, 2019. All four members of this partnership have contributed their expertise to shine light on Normandy’s inimitable lifestyle and spirit from the French capital, Paris.
Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann - hosts over 37 million visitors from all over the world every year – is celebrating Normandy’s unique landscapes and its lifestyle, which will be showcased in the store’s three buildings – in its window displays on Boulevard Haussmann, on the panoramic terrace, and on the floors of its main “Coupole”, Men and Home & Lafayette Gourmet buildings. Pop-ups, tastings, workshops and other activities will offer customers a taste of the region’s lifestyle and traditional products. Visitors will also enjoy walking past renditions of Deauville’s boardwalk and parasols, Rouen’s timbered houses and Le Havre’s docks.
Canadian photographer Kourtney Roy has been chosen to represent the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. She will take a series of photos of the Fashion & Accessories selections in iconic Normandy locations which will feature in the event’s advertising campaigns and in the department store’s window displays.
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Indian Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali to be awarded by Portuguese government
The Portuguese Government, through its secretary of State for Tourism, will recognize Indian and Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali with the Touristic Medal of Merit, for choosing Portugal to film his movies and for promoting Portugal overseas through his Bollywood lenses.
Imtiaz Ali directed the movie Jab Harry Met Sejal, which premiered in August 2017, and that was shot in its main part in Portugal. The movie’s soundtrack also includes Portuguese music – namely Portuguese guitar and Portuguese fado singer Cuca Roseta, who sang “Yaadon Mein” with Mohammed Irfan and Jonita Gandhi. Two of the songs of the movie were actually filmed in Portugal, in Sintra, Cascais and Lisbon.
Jab Harry Met Sejal has Bollywood stars, Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles.
After Imtiaz Ali discovered Portugal, several Bollywood movies are being filmed here.
Portugal is positioning itself as a prime location for international filming. Last year, the government approved the Tourism and Cinema Incentive Fund, which instituted a new cash rebate incentive of up to 30 pc to international productions filming in Portugal. Recently, the government also created Portugal Film Commission, precisely to facilitate and promote Portugal as a major international film destination. The fund already supported 35 international film productions in Portugal in the last two years.
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Atout France along with ASO to promote French destinations through Tour de France
The 106th edition of the Tour de France will take cyclists and viewers on a course of 3,460 km through the beautiful landscapes of France from July 6th to 28th. The 21-days event will highlight the sporting achievement and majesty of the seven French regions crossed.
In partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), an international communication device, Atout France aims at encouraging long stays, combining cycling encounters and discoveries of the French territories. The tour will be showcased on their website through a campaign available in six languages.
Plenty of experiences are waiting to be discovered: exceptional cellars and hot-air ballooning in Champagne; visit of the castle that inspired certain décor elements of the Lord of the Rings and introduction to beekeeping in Alsace and Lorraine; hikes in the Massif des Vosges; architecture, Premiers Crus and the Eurockéennes music festival in Bourgogne Franche-Comté; innovative museum and gastronomic experiences in Lyon and its surroundings; Cathar castles, paths to Santiago de Compostela, outdoor activities in Occitania; a sporty summer in the Alps Mont Blanc; culinary, artistic and architectural strolls in Paris, by bike of course.
In addition to this digital campaign, a television component will be used to broadcast internationally, one-and-a-half-minute spots highlighting the must-see tourist sites of certain stages, inviting people to discover more experiences.
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British Airways increases Mumbai –Heathrow route frequency
British Airways is going to add flights to its current schedule between Mumbai and London (Heathrow) from March 2020 by adding an additional service to London, offering customers three flights a day to choose from.
The carrier currently operates 49 flights a week from five cities in India, with a double daily from Mumbai and Delhi and a daily service from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. In summer 2019, the airline added four additional flights to its existing schedule from Mumbai to London, increasing the weekly total from 14 to 18 flights a week.
This increase will take British Airways’ weekly schedule from 49 to 56 flights from India to the UK. The daily flights will be operated by the state-of-the-art 787-9 aircraft offering a four-cabin configuration including First, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller.
Moran Birger, head of sales Asia Pacific and Middle East at British Airways, said, “As the financial capital of the country, Mumbai is a vibrant city full of discerning international travellers who are always on the lookout for great travel experiences and better travel options. With these additional flights we will be offering a convenient choice of three flights a day from Mumbai to connect to our worldwide network of over 200 destinations.”
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GoAir gets seven new international routes
GoAir is expanding its international footprint starting July 19, 2019 onward. Subject to final approvals, GoAir will be starting seven new international routes with daily flights between: Mumbai – Abu Dhabi – Mumbai; Delhi – Abu Dhabi – Delhi; Mumbai – Muscat – Mumbai; Delhi – Bangkok – Delhi; Kannur – Dubai – Kannur; Kannur – Kuwait – Kannur and Mumbai – Bangkok – Mumbai.
Out of the seven new international routes, Bangkok, Dubai and Kuwait are new ‘markets’ for GoAir, whereas the other routes are already on GoAir’s network albeit from different cities in India. GoAir already flies to Abu Dhabi and Muscat from Kannur, and it flies to Phuket and Maldives from Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. GoAir has flown over 72 million passengers since its inception and in the next two years the airline will touch the magical 100 million passengers mark.
Jeh Wadia, managing director, GoAir, said, “I am very pleased to announce these planned launches which will strengthen GoAir’s presence in the Middle East and South East Asian countries. The network expansion is in sync with our vision to expand out footprint in strategic markets and to grow our business profitably. This time we are entering new destinations - Kuwait, Dubai and Bangkok and we intend to continue the momentum in the near future.”
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