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The cooperation between the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) has strengthened connections between Saudi Arabia and India and helped to realize the potential of sport and tourism to unite people and improve lives. Two million Indian tourists are projected to visit Saudi Arabia this year, and by 2030, it is anticipated that India will be the country’s largest source market for tourists. Saudi funding for Indian sports is a perfect illustration of how market cooperation produces results. The National Football League and the English Premier League have larger global audiences than the Indian Premier League, which is the most popular sport in India. Utilizing this fan network, STA hopes to increase interest in Saudi Arabia as a brand-new, exciting year-round travel destination for Indian tourists, particularly young ones. With more than half of both populations under 30, the strategic cooperation is extending how Saudi Arabia and India interact with equally youthful demographics. Along with the IPL relationship, Saudi is facilitating access for millions of tourists from all around India, encouraging them to visit the real Arabia. Saudi Arabia has established nine VFS Tasheel offices across India, including Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. These offices offer practical assistance to Indian tourists considering trips to Saudi Arabia. The new Stopover Visa, which was established earlier this year and allows travelers on SAUDIA or Flynas bound for a final destination to visit Saudi Arabia for up to 96 hours while receiving a complimentary hotel night for Saudi passengers, is available to travelers from India. Additionally, Indian citizens with valid passports who have traveled on a UK, US, or Schengen visa at least once can now apply online for a Saudi e-visa. These changes come after the rapid expansion of air travel between India and the Kingdom, which now has seven direct carriers operating: SAUDIA, Flynas, Air India, Air India Express, Indigo Airlines, Spice Jet, and Vistara. Indigo Airlines also recently opened a route connecting Jeddah and Ahmedabad, which improves accessibility between the two countries. As part of Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Programme, the development will become Riyadh, a major international hub with 120 million passenger capacity within the next seven years. “Partnerships like the IPL are a key pillar of Saudi’s tourism strategy as they bring fans, athletes, and nations together while igniting curiosity from those that may want to be among the first to visit Saudi as a destination,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at the Saudi Tourism Authority. Source: travelbizmonitor

A jump in foreign travel will increase demand for larger planes, which will benefit General Electric’s aviation division even more than it already anticipates from a growth in domestic air travel in India, according to its country head. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, over 60% of India’s 700+ commercial aircraft are powered by engines made by GE Aerospace and partner Safran. But the majority of them are domestically-focused narrowbody planes. Only 50 widebody planes are currently in use by airlines in India, which has 1.4 billion inhabitants, but GE expects this to change as more Indians choose to splurge on travel.More widebody aircraft are obviously needed, according to Vikram Rai, GE Aerospace’s national head for India and Indonesia, who also said it would be “the next path of growth.” According to GE, India’s foreign passenger traffic will increase from 70 million in 2019 to 125 million by 2030. India’s middle-class population is projected to increase to 700 million from roughly 450 million within the same time period, driving up demand. “That is higher than the United States’ population, which has 5,500–6,000 commercial aircraft in operation compared to India’s 700. Thus, there is a possibility for substantial expansion, according to Rai. Following a recent record agreement to provide 800 fuel-efficient LEAP engines for 400 Air India narrowbody planes as part of a mega plane order, GE has a positive view for India. Of the 70 widebody planes ordered, GE will also provide the engines for 30 of them. This gives GE a monopoly on the narrowbody jet market in India, along with a pipeline of orders for 500 Airbus narrowbody jets for IndiGo and a deal to power 72 Boeing aircraft for the upstart airline Akasa. The dominance of GE has also been strengthened by reliability problems with competitor Pratt & Whitney engines that have prompted Indian airlines to halt dozens of aircraft and compelled the biggest airline in the nation, IndiGo, to switch suppliers. In order to propel the fifth-largest economy in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants aerospace and military to play a major role. Airbus and Boeing have just pledged to increase local manufacturing and investment. Along with other investments, GE is enhancing its manufacturing and supply chain in the nation where it produces engine parts for export to its global factories with Tata Group. It extended its $1 billion deal with the Indian behemoth in November. Rai claimed GE has grown its spending on components in India 20 times over the previous five years and added that it was a “strategic market for GE Aerospace” although declining to provide a perspective on potential future investments. Source: theprint

According to data, Chinese visa applications are still far below pre-pandemic levels despite the lifting of travel restrictions in January, the data from a specialized visa firm showed. This is because there are still few international flights available. Visa application volumes from China reached 35% of pre-COVID levels by May, according to a statement from VFS Global, a corporation that provides outsourcing and technology services for the visa application process. This compares to the same period in 2019 (January to May 20). The United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Britain were among the top travel locations identified.In January, the Chinese government resumed issuing passports and travel visas to its citizens, clearing the way for overseas travel. However, analysts had predicted that, for a variety of reasons, including the low volume of flights into and out of the nation, traffic would not rapidly recover. Despite a spike in domestic travel demand during the Lunar New Year and Labour Day vacations, Nomura analysts noted in a report that the rebound in international travel has continued to be sluggish. New breakouts are still a possibility, which would discourage travel. When the country first opened its borders, a number of nations forbade the entry of Chinese nationals out of concern that they may transmit COVID and its suspected new versions during a rise in the nation, which the authorities later declared to have been defeated. According to experts at Citi, “the new wave could raise the infection rate to its highest level since China’s official reopening this January.” The Dragon Boat Festival (June 22–24) and the start of the summer tourism season also fit nicely with the peak of the simulated virus. In this regard, the travel data for the approaching holidays will be crucial to monitor, according to experts at Citi. Many national health specialists have downplayed any new significant resurgence despite cases rising in areas like Beijing, where the city’s municipal health commission recently reported four consecutive weeks of escalating infections. Source: theprint

During the current edition of the yearly The Ocean Race, which challenges some of the best boats and crews in a six-month around-the-world test, racing yachts are breaking records for the distances traveled by a monohull vessel. At the end of last week, two records were broken in a 24-hour period as the racing ships were on their fifth leg of the journey from Newport, Rhode Island, to Aarhus, Denmark. In Leg 5 of The Ocean Race, Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia broke a new monohull world record by covering 641.13 nautical miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 26.71 knots (50 km/h). Less than 24 hours after their Swiss rivals, Team Malizia set the record. With a distance of 640.9 nm the day before, Team Holcim-PRB broke the previous record held by the 100-foot maxi-monohull Comanche. The day’s race did not feel like they were pushing, but in the final three hours, anticipation that they might break the record began to grow, according to German skipper Boris Herrmann. Setting this new standard, according to the team, was an illustration of how well captain Herrmann and French designer VPLP collaborated to develop a new type of IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association, which oversees the class of 60-foot (18.28 meter) vessel). There is little question, they claimed, that the designer and Boris took some risky but intelligent choices when creating their new boat after winning the lengthy Southern Ocean Leg, The Roaring Forties Trophy (fastest Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn passage), and now breaking the 24-hour world distance record. Herrmann added, “It’s nice to see that the boat can do so well. “We got great weather, with a calm sea, a consistent breeze from the proper direction, and the ideal angle for such a long time. The only sail alterations we made were to put and take out a reef, which caused a brief slowdown. Other than that, nothing else caused a prolonged slowdown. The waves occasionally got a little bit smaller, causing us to slow down to 18 knots and briefly become stranded in the water. The majority of the time, the boat would fly at 27 to 34 mph, perfectly navigating the sea. Source: maritime-executive

A sizable Indian diaspora resides in Suriname, which has aided in strengthening cultural and interpersonal relations between the two nations. Suriname, a country in northeastern South America with just over 612,000 people, is the home to a sizable Indian diaspora. (AFP)To address the issue of illegal immigration from India to the tiny South American country, India and Suriname are now in negotiations. Suriname, a country in northeastern South America with just over 612,000 people, is the home to a sizable Indian diaspora. People with knowledge of the situation claim that Suriname serves as a stopover on the way to the US. This prompted Suriname to reinstate visa requirements for visitors from more than 20 nations in April, including India. This change occurred only a year after Suriname relaxed its procedures for applying for visas from a number of nations. In response to a formal press inquiry, India’s minister of external affairs remained silent. The foreign ministry of Suriname declared in 2022 that all nationalities would no longer need visas to enter the country for vacation or family visits. All that was required of visitors was a $25 entrance fee. The policy became operative on July 1, 2022. The individuals mentioned above claimed that this regulation needed to be changed since foreigners were coming to Suriname with the intention of immigrating to nations like the US. “Over the past few months, the Directorate of National Security, Immigration Department, and Foreign Affairs conducted an extensive study. What we observe is proof that visa-free travel is not being utilized for its original purpose, according to the country’s foreign minister, Albert Ramdin, who was mentioned in local media. This resulted in the reinstatement of visa requirements for many nations, including India. We consider the national interest as well. As a conduit, we don’t want to have issues with other nations. Minister Ramdin was also cited as saying, “We don’t want to be recognised as a country that enables human smuggling and unlawful human movement. Later this year, India and Suriname may discuss the issue at their Joint Commission sessions. A sizable Indian diaspora resides in Suriname, which has aided in strengthening cultural and interpersonal relations between the two nations. Approximately 37% of the population of India is of Indian ancestry, according to the ministry of external affairs of that nation. These ties have been fortified by New Delhi. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the president of Suriname who is of Indian descent, was invited by India to attend this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference in January as a Special Guest of Honour. Source: livemint

The UN human rights head said on Tuesday that he had officially expressed his worries to the British government over a new immigration law, saying he was concerned that it might prevent people from applying for asylum. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made it a priority to stop small boat landings from France across the English Channel, and the lower house of parliament enacted the Illegal Migration Bill in April. If approved by the House of Lords, it would enable the quick arrest and deportation of people coming on boats either back home or to so-called safe third countries like Rwanda. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated in a Geneva interview that he had “formally raised” this issue with London last month. “We have very serious concerns from an international refugee law and from an international human rights law perspective, because it (the bill) would essentially bar people from seeking asylum in the UK if they come through a certain way,” Turk added. Although it is the responsibility of the UN rights director to inform countries of any perceived shortcomings, some rights experts told Reuters that formal reprimands for Western democracies are less often. The British embassy in Geneva released the following statement: “We continue to engage with the High Commissioner on the Illegal Migration Bill,” adding that the embassy was convinced that its policies, including the intention to send migrants to Rwanda, were legal and in accordance with a U.N. treaty on refugees. Turk, a seasoned U.N. diplomat who spent many years advancing refugee safeguards, claimed that wealthy nations were perpetuating anti-migrant policies and narratives despite the fact that they took in significantly fewer migrants and refugees than many poorer ones. He gave the instances of Bangladesh and Uganda. Source: theprint

A Ukrainian official said on Tuesday that Ukraine is looking for guarantees from Moscow and the U.N. that a treaty on the secure shipment of Black Sea grain will function regularly if Kyiv permits Russian ammonia to traverse Ukrainian territory. The Black Sea Grain Initiative was mediated by the UN and Turkey between Moscow and Kyiv last July to help address a global food crisis made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major grain exporter. This month, Russia consented to a two-month extension of the accord, but has stated that the initiative will end unless a deal is reached to remove restrictions from Russian grain and fertilizer exports. The resumption of ammonia transit from Russia through Ukrainian territory to Pivdennyi port in Odessa, where it is exported, is one of the demands made by Moscow. Following Russia’s invasion, the pipeline was unable to transport ammonia, a crucial component of nitrogen-based fertilizers. “At this time, we are unsure of whether the ammonia pipeline itself will fix anything. Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine’s deputy renovation minister, said at a grain conference that if conversation doesn’t resolve anything on its own, then there isn’t any need to have one. “If it (ammonia) is a major issue, then the United Nations must state clearly that if the ammonia pipeline resumes operation, then Ukraine will have such opportunities (to export grain in a normal way), and then our top political leadership will decide whether it is in our interests or not.” The U.N. reported last week that no ships have been given permission to visit Pivdennyi port since April 29 and that the grain agreement has not yet resumed full operations since it was extended. Reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the SWIFT global payment network is one of Russia’s demands to increase grain and fertilizer exports. The supply of agricultural equipment and parts has also resumed, insurance and reinsurance restrictions have been lifted, and Russian enterprises that export food and fertilizer have had their assets and accounts unblocked. Source: theprint

Global Destinations has been given the task of boosting sales and increasing brand recognition in the industry by Australia and Worldwide Travel, an inbound tour operator and DMC in Australia with the intention of entering and leveraging India’s growth potential. The management team of Australia and Worldwide Travel has years of experience and expertise in inbound tourism. The business, which concentrates in Australia and the South Pacific, was founded in April 2022 by Ian D’Nazareth and Leon Ellas, two seasoned managing partners. Leon Ellas has worked for Qantas Holidays UK and Australia, where he headed up their inbound sector, and brings with him more than 40 years of travel experience. He also has substantial product and sales understanding in the inbound travel market. Ian De Nazareth certifies having over 25 years of experience traveling abroad with reputable airlines and travel agencies, including Emirates Airlines, Dubai. He has created a wide network of agents thanks to his good working ties with travel agencies both locally and internationally. The operational staff is led by Sumaira Kabir, the country manager for India, who is situated in Mumbai. She worked for the Tourism Australia office in India, therefore she has extensive experience of Australia. Australia and Worldwide Travel has a dedicated team in Sydney that specializes in incentive travel, leisure groups, large groups, and custom FIT programmes. India is a very important market for us, according to Leon Ellas, managing partner Australia and Worldwide Travel. Indian immigration to Australia has increased significantly during the past few years. We wanted to build a strong presence in India in order to capitalize on this growth. Due to their highly qualified staff, stellar record, and undeniable expertise in the Indian tourism industry, we felt that Global Destinations was the best partner to have there. It gives us great pleasure to name Global Destinations as our representational firm. According to Pranav Kapadia, the founder and director of Global Destinations, “Australia is unquestionably one of the top long-haul outbound destinations from India as it is a leading holiday destination that draws more than a million visitors annually. Through this agreement, we hope to increase Australia and Worldwide Travel’s brand recognition in India, implement a solid sales plan, and make the most of the Indian market. Source: travelbizmonitor

With the debut of Skywards Everyday, Emirates is elevating the experience of its loyalty programme. Through the app, members can earn Skywards Miles for dining, high-end and mainstream retail, entertainment, beauty and wellness, grocery, and services all day, every day. Start accumulating Miles quickly with Skywards Everyday and take advantage of perks like Cash+Miles on travel, lodging, duty-free purchases, and unforgettable experiences. At more than 200 Skywards Everyday partners in the UAE, you may earn Miles each time you make a purchase using any linked payment card. For every AED 3 spent on high street purchases, leisure and entertainment, luxury purchases, beauty and wellness services, and eating, members earn one mile. For every AED 5 spent on groceries and prescription drugs, members earn two miles. Members can also download Skywards Everyday and earn Miles when they travel to the UAE even if they don’t live there. Source: traveldailymedia

People are traveling all over the world as a result of the pandemic, but getting there is expensive, therefore some travelers are thinking of using the “skiplagging” technique to cut costs. Booking a flight with a layover at the intended destination city, sometimes known as “hidden city” or “throwaway” ticketing, entails skipping the second part of the trip. Travelers can save hundreds on tickets, which is especially alluring given the industry’s ongoing problems with high rates caused by inflation, rising fuel prices, and robust post-pandemic demand. For instance, Google Flights reported that a roundtrip ticket on the Dutch national airline KLM from New York to Amsterdam in late June started at $2,850. However, changing the reservation to have London as the final destination instead of Amsterdam reduced the roundtrip cost of Google Flight to roughly $2,150. Source: business insider