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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Tourism Authority of Thailand launches Fit Now campaign in India to help agents book more group tours

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a new campaign, ‘Fit Now’, to entice visitors from India. The campaign will target travel agents to book more incentive groups from India. The word ‘Fit’ in the title of the campaign has been defined where F stands for free visa-on-arrival till 2020, I is for the incentive from 10-100 pax and T represents the travelling period which is set to be applicable till April 2020.

There are also different incentives applicable according to the strength of the group. A pax of 10-34 will be eligible to receive souvenirs or attraction coupons while a pax of 35-55 will get one economy return ticket. A larger pax of 56-75 will get one return economy ticket along with one-night accommodation for two people and an even larger pax of 76-100 will also get a return economy ticket and two nights’ accommodation for two people.

In a recent series of product presentation to a couple of cities like Lucknow, Kolkata etc, TAT (New Delhi) along with its partner airlines' representatives met with the top-selling agents and explained to them about the new offerings Thailand is creating to lure the tourists and the attractiveness Fit Now is offering.

The national carrier Thai Airways has also introduced all-inclusive roundtrip from Kolkata to Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok and made them available on offer for ticketing till November 15th, 2019 and travel period starting from now and applicable till March 31, 2020. While the roundtrip from Kolkata to Phuket or Krabi for the economy class will be INR 15,800 and business class will be INR 36,900, the trip to Bangkok will be INR 15,300 and INR 29,600 respectively.

Isra Stapanaseth, the director of TAT (New Delhi) told India Outbound magazine that, "We are targeting separate groups with separate segments with specially curated offers, attractions and packages. Our agents who have been selling Thailand for so long are already specialists in the market and they also know very well their product. We are here to help them with an advanced level of information and assistance. We value our agents' feedback that helps us design our next step. As far as Fit Now campaign is concerned, we are hopeful that with the free visa and lucrative air ticket discounts not only from Thai Airways but also from our other partners like SpiceJet, Indigo, Air Asia and others, we are hoping for an ambitious but achievable target of two million. Despite global market ups and downs, India has always shown a steady response to Thailand and we are happy to welcome Indian tourists and redirect them to newer destinations to experience new shades of Thailand."

Indian citizens will no longer require visa to visit Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on October 23 that the South American nation will drop its requirement to obtain visas for the visiting Chinese and Indian tourists or business people.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician, came to power at the beginning of the year and has made it a policy to reduce visa requirements from a number of developed countries. But the announcement, made during an official visit to China, is the first he has made expanding that policy to the developing world.

Earlier this year, the Brazilian government ended visa requirements for tourists and business people from the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. Those countries, however, have not in return dropped their visa requirements for Brazilian citizens.

WTM London announces Sri Lanka as Premier Partner for 2019

Sri Lankan Tourism will be the Premier Partner at WTM London 2019 as the island’s tourism industry continues its resolute for recovery. The partnership will ensure global coverage for the Indian Ocean destination, which has also teamed with Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara to help tourism bounce back.

As a spokesman for Sri Lanka Tourism, Sangakkara will promote the destination’s key tourist attractions which are being marketed under the new brand ‘So Sri Lanka’.

During an interview announcing the partnership, Sangakkara said, “I am very confident that tourists who come to Sri Lanka will have a wonderful time. I have seen the country recover very well in terms of ensuring the security of both its nationals and tourists from all over the world. Those who come to Sri Lanka want to experience the country in full.”

According to the minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife & Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga, “The government has done everything possible to regain the popularity for the destination by building confidence carrying out various aggressive promotional campaigns. We are fortunate to have the world unitedly supporting us and rallying around to help the tourism industry, this has helped spread economic benefits far-reaching to many other important economic sectors too; and also to local communities who need it most.”

Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation announces its marketing campaigns in India

With India topping the list of the inbound arrivals into Maldives, the Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) announced their 2019 marketing campaigns- radio, cinema, OOH campaigns, webinar and partnership with MakeMyTrip (MMT) for the last quarter of 2019 to make an explosive marketing push.

The radio campaign which started on October 14, 2019 was a 10 day campaign with the radio channels- Fever FM in New Delhi and Red FM in Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Cochin.

MMPRC also partnered with INOX Leisure Limited for its cinema campaign which started on October 11, 2019, where 81 screens across 16 Cinemas in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Jaipur showcased a 20 second promotional video of Maldives providing its viewers a better understanding of the destination. The campaign ended on October 24, 2019.

Additionally, MMPRC together with MMT will soon kick start a digital campaign for PAN India market to boost visitors’ arrival to the Maldives. This activity is designed to promote Maldives and will include elements like social media posts, banner display on MMT website and app homepage, mobile push notifications, blog promotions and booking incentives.

Managing director of MMPRC, Thoyyib Mohamed said, “India is one of the key markets for Maldives and we have seen a remarkable growth from India over the years. These marketing campaigns are specifically designed for Indian travellers so that they can have a better understanding of the destination. We have no doubt that our campaigns will help raise the profile of Maldives. We look forward to welcoming tourists from India to our shores.”

Indonesia to be premium partner country for SATTE 2020

SATTE, South Asia’s biggest travel and tourism show, announced that the Republic of Indonesia is to be the premium partner country for the 27th edition of the show. SATTE 2020 will be held at the state-of-the-art, India Expo Centre, Greater Noida from January 08-10. India is an important market for Indonesia with the number of arrivals from India increasing year after year. In 2018, 595,060 Indians visited Indonesia with a growth of around 20 pc and during the current year the figure is expected to touch 700,000.

Indonesia has been consistently supporting SATTE for over the years. In 2019, Indonesia was the feature destination at the 26th edition of SATTE. Attending SATTE 2019 with a strong Indonesian suppliers’ contingent in order to grow Indian market into a stronger future source market, Indonesia’s deputy minister of tourism marketing, Nia Niscaya, said that it is really good for Indonesia to be a feature destination at SATTE 2019. She also pointed that Indonesia is so much more than Bali, which is one of the 17,000 islands the country comprises of. She drew attention to Batang and Bintan islands, among other destinations, which are very close to Singapore, less than an hour ferry, and can be conveniently included in the itinerary of Indians travelling to Singapore at cost as low as INR 1720.

Etihad, Air Arabia set up Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost carrier

Etihad Aviation Group, owner of the national airline of the UAE and Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier, have announced the signing of an agreement to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first low-cost carrier.

Etihad and Air Arabia will establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a low-cost passenger airline with its hub in Abu Dhabi International Airport. The new carrier will complement Etihad Airways’ services from Abu Dhabi and will cater to the growing low-cost travel market segment in the region.

Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer of Etihad Aviation Group said, “Abu Dhabi is a thriving cultural hub with a clear economic vision built on sustainability and diversification. With the emirate’s diverse attractions and hospitality offerings, travel and tourism play a vital role in the economic growth of the capital and the UAE. By partnering with Air Arabia and launching Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost carrier, we are serving this long-term vision.”

Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer of Air Arabia said, “Home to the first low-cost carrier in the MENA region, the UAE has developed over the years to become a world-leading travel and tourism hub. We are thrilled to partner with Etihad to establish Air Arabia Abu Dhabi that will further serve the growing low-cost travel segment locally and regionally while capitalising on the expertise that Air Arabia and Etihad will be providing.”

Based in Abu Dhabi, the new company will adopt the low-cost business model. Its board of directors, consisting of members nominated by Etihad and Air Arabia, will steer the company’s independent strategy and business mandate.

Scoot scoots successfully into Terminal 1 of Changi Airport

On October 22, 2019, Scoot successfully completed the shift of its operations from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. In all, 9,877 passengers with 4,726 pieces of checked baggage on 56 flights departing Singapore were processed.

The move will facilitate Scoot’s projected double-digit annual growth for the next three years and provide a more efficient and improved customer experience, with more self-service check-in and automated bag-drop facilities available at Terminal 1. The airline also flew its 65 millionth passenger on the same day.

Lee Lik Hsin, Scoot’s chief executive officer, said, “This move is truly a milestone for Scoot. In a short eight years since our inception on November 1, 2011, we have undergone a merger of two low-cost carriers, flown over 65 million passengers, built a network of close to 70 cities around the world, and grown our operating fleet to 20 Boeing 787 and 28 Airbus 320 aircraft, with many more on order. In doing so, Scoot has become the largest low-cost carrier operating from Singapore, accounting for around 45 pc of Singapore’s low-cost carrier market share. Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 was where we launched our inaugural flight to Sydney in June 2012, and it has been a wonderful home to us, but moving into Terminal 1 will allow us more room to grow into our expansion plans in the future.”

Tel Aviv to host 2020 Global Wellness Summit

The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the gathering of international leaders in the USD 4.5 trillion global wellness economy, closed its 2019 conference by announcing that next year’s event will take place in Tel Aviv, Israel, a city bursting with historical and spiritual significance and bustling with innovations that intersect wellness, healthcare and technology. The dates for the 14th annual conference will be November 10-13, 2020.

A consortium of companies— both inside and outside of Tel Aviv – will serve as host sponsors for next year’s event. Susie Ellis, chair and CEO of GWS said, “The summit will take place in this extraordinary location—one with deep spiritual significance and also firm roots in wellness, including its proximity to the Dead Sea, one of the earliest known wellness destinations.”

Nancy Davis, chief creative officer and executive director of GWS said, “Israel is home to the highest concentration of start-ups after Silicon Valley and is known for its cutting-edge technology. With this backdrop, the GWS announced plans for the 2020 summit to include an Innovation Pavilion, which will give delegates the opportunity to meet with the many and varied start-ups working in the wellness industry in Tel Aviv and the wider world.”

SWISS to host the latest Flying Film Festival

From the beginning of November to the end of December, SWISS will be supplementing its regular inflight entertainment programme with the ‘Flying Film Festival’ aboard its long-haul flights. The Festival will feature 13 varied short documentaries by young filmmakers from all over the world and the best two will each earn a special jury prize.

The ‘Flying Film Festival’, which is a collaboration between SWISS and the Fribourg-based Le Système D association, was first staged in 2015 and has been repeated every other year since, making this Festival the third of its kind.

The Festival is designed to support and promote innovative young directorial talents in the short documentary and docu-animation genres. Thanks to the team-up with SWISS, the Festival can screen these impressive works to travellers in all classes on SWISS’s long-haul services from and to Zurich and Geneva.

The selection for this year’s Flying Film Festival extends to 13 varied short documentary films from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia.

The Festival will also see the awarding of two jury prizes – the ‘Golden Wings’ and the ‘Silver Wings’ – to its two best films in January 2020. The jury for this year’s Festival comprises Caroline Bachmann, artist and professor of painting & drawing at the HEAD art school in Geneva, Patrick Kovaliv, programme director at Cinema Eden in Château-d’Oex, Julia Bendlin, arts editor at Swiss Radio & TV and the programme committee of the Fribourg-based CinéBrunch Regards D’Ailleurs association.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts welcomes 16 new member hotels

Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand representing more than 750 hotels, resorts, and residences across 85 countries, has announced the addition of 16 new member hotels to its global portfolio between July 1 - September 30, 2019. From a country retreat featuring Michelin-starred cuisine in the north of England to a soon-to-open Floridian resort on Choctawhatchee Bay, each of these distinctive new member properties will spark wanderlust among travellers seeking new and authentic one-of-a-kind experiences around the globe.

Some of the new member hotels include President Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa offering more than two decades of authentic hospitality and 250 years of heritage, Northcote in Lancashire, United Kingdom, a quintessential English country retreat, Great Southern Killarney in Ireland which is housed in a historic 19th century building and Hotel Effie Sandestin in Florida, United States, a luxury resort on Choctawhachee Bay. Few other member hotels include Hotel Samzeo (Omalo, Georgia), Park Central Hotel New York (New York City, United States), H10 Palazzo Canova (Venice, Italy), Ultima Megève (Megève, France) and Las Terrazas de Abama (Tenerife, Spain).

India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group