Tony Tyler to retire as IATA DG & CEO in June 2016

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has decided that its Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tony Tyler, will retire in June 2016 after serving five years in the position. “Tony Tyler is a very effective leader of IATA, who is achieving much in his role as Director General and CEO. I regret that he will be leaving the Association, but respect his decision to retire next year after a long and successful career in aviation. The search will now start for a successor to be appointed at the next IATA Annual General Meeting in Dublin in June 2016. In the meantime the Board will continue to guide and support Tony and his team in their mission to deliver a safe, efficient and sustainable airline industry,” said Andrés Conesa, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroméxico and Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors since June this year.

“After five years as Director General and CEO of IATA, I believe it will be time for me to retire and leave the organisation. It is a great privilege and responsibility to lead IATA, and I am proud of what the IATA team is achieving during my term of office. I greatly appreciate the support I receive from the Board of Governors and the membership at large, and from my colleagues. I remain fully committed to leading IATA until my successor is appointed in June next year,” said Tyler.

Before joining IATA in 2011, Tyler was Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, in which capacity he also served on the IATA Board of Governors including as its Chairman from June 2009 to June 2010.

Experience the Beautiful, Blossoming, Burma (Myanmar)

For many years, Burma now known as Myanmar remained an outcast state. Post the British rule, its neighboring countries thrived, but Myanmar remained isolated from the rest of the world. Myanmar's wealth of Buddhist Pagodas and ancient temples has now boosted the tourism industry.

Myanmar's culture is a result of heavy Indian influences sublimely woven with local traditions. It feels like visiting a page in history, which got warped in time. It gives you a taste of the fascinating and distinct ways of life of the locals who live on the edge of the modern world. It is now opening up to the modern world as sanctions are disappearing and more gateways are opening up. Tourism has wised up to the potential of the minority peoples and is creating a niche market for itself.

Along with ancient pagodas and monasteries, Myanmar also boasts of almost 2000 meters of coastline. It has some of the finest stretches of beach in Asia, undiscovered by tourists, unspoiled by development. Most of these beaches face west hence is idyllic for viewing sunrises and sunsets.

Compass Tours, a well know luxury Travel Company in the Indian Subcontinent, has now expanded its operations and network and are providing Myanmar tour packages from India.

"On the insistence of our clients, we decided to include tours to Myanmar to our repertoire. Having travelled half across the globe, our clients wanted to experience a little more of The Orient. Since Burma is linked, both geographically and culturally to India, it blended naturally and beautifully into our efforts in giving our esteemed clients an added flavor to explore." – says Durjay Sengupta, the CEO of Compass Holidays Pvt. Ltd.

Since Myanmar is taking its baby steps into the world of tourism, its infrastructure is still nascent. Compass with its vast experience in handling discerning travellers for 15 years serves as the perfect foil. Our escorts and guides are well trained and will take your likes and dislikes into account. From domestic flights to boats rides, attending local rituals to giving a deep insight into the daily lives of the tribal people, Compass handles the smallest details of the journey with utmost efficiency.

Myanmar has 3 specific seasons. The hot and dry season starts from March till May. The rains come and bring the temperatures down during June to October. The rains also bring in humidity. On a hot afternoon with temperatures touching 40 degrees, and a relative humidity of almost 90 pct., it tends to get a little uncomfortable. The best time to visit Myanmar is between November and February.

People of this warm and hospitable country are quite friendly and polite. The influence of Buddhism is one of the reasons. As modernism is creeping in, the internet is slow and may not have an easy access. You will need to carry plenty of cash. There are few ATMs around and credit cards are accepted only in 5Star establishments and upmarket stores. Make sure the dollar bills you carry are new, fresh and unfolded bills. Creased, folded and weary bills have no value in Myanmar. Do not worry about carrying large amounts of cash with you as the crime against foreigners is rare and not unheard of. A vast majority of the population is Buddhist; hence people are by and large honest.

Most of our Tour packages to Myanmar start at Yangon.

Upon arriving at Yangon International Airport, You will be greeted by our local guide and transfer to the Hotel.

Yangon is a large yet not modernized city. There is a distinct old world charm to it. It has Victorian buildings, long boulevards, lush green parks and soothing lakes. It also boasts of a throbbing and bustling city center.

All tours and itineraries are personalized and destinations and duration can be according to the client's preferences, time and budget.

The internet is still crawling and making travel arrangements including boat rides may seem like an uphill task. Myanmar Tour packages with Compass will ensure a smooth sail into imparting an everlasting impact.

This 80 Year Old Retired Postmaster Builds Taj Mahal for His Late Wife - Must Read

World’s famous monument, Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal as he loved her so much over three century ago. Since then, Taj Mahal has become a symbol of love. Just like the saying that history repeats itself, a retired postmaster is building another Taj Mahal in the memory of his late wife.

Faizul Hasan Qadri, an 80-year old man from Bulandshahr, is building a ‘mini Taj Mahal’ for his late wife Tajamulli Begum, Hindustan Times reported. Qadri had married Tajamulli in 1953. After Tajamulli died due to throat cancer in 2011, Qadri decided to devote all his money for constructing a mini Taj Mahal to express his love for his late wife. Qadri buried her on his agricultural land, and then later began the construction.

Building a new Taj Mahal wasn’t an easy task for Qadri. Many times the construction work came to halt due to lack of money. “Initially, I sold a piece of land for Rs 6 lakh and my wife’s gold and silver jewellery for Rs 1.5 lakh and got the ‘makbara’ (mausoleum) constructed with the help of a local mason named Asgar. A total of Rs 11 lakh was spent,” Qadri told to HT.

However, Qadri needs financial help to get marble studded on the monument and also to build a lush green park around the construction but he refused to take any help from others. “This is my personal endeavour for my late wife and embodies my love for her. So I should do this on my own,” said Qadri.

Qadri’s half finished Taj Mahal has become acentre of attraction among locals and people are visiting the place to witness the beauty of mini Taj Mahal. Impressed by his work, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has called Qadri for a meet and is likely to help him to complete the remaining work. But Qadri has some other plans ahead of the meet. “I will request the CM to get my village school recognized by the education board rather,” said Qadri.

Photo and NEWS credit: Hindustan Times

‘Campaign Clean India’ launched by Tourism Ministry

Ministry of Tourism has launched the ‘Campaign Clean India’ to sensitise all sections of society on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in public places particularly monuments and tourist destinations. This Campaign is to be sustained through adoption and involvement of private and public sector stakeholders as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

It is a voluntary scheme and no funds have been allocated by the Government for this campaign. India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has adopted Qutab Minar in Delhi and an MOU has been signed between Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Ministry of Tourism for undertaking various works at Taj Mahal, Agra under this campaign.

Further, Ministry of Tourism has operationalised two new Plan Schemes of Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD from 2014–15. Under these schemes the Ministry provides financial support for Infrastructure development including wayside amenities, garbage bins, sewerage/effluent disposal, etc.

Mittu Chandilya appointed MD of AirAsia India

AirAsia has announced the appointment of Mittu Chandilya as Managing Director of AirAsia India in addition to his role as CEO. The AirAsia India Board appointed Chandilya as the Managing Director and as first full-time independent Executive Director of the company. 

Chandilya made history when he became a CEO at 32, the youngest CEO of a scheduled airline in India and one where he was the first employee in a clean-sheet start up. On the appointment, Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia, said that Chandilya has done an exemplary job leading AirAsia India in a market where we have been challenged with headwinds at every turn. There is tremendous opportunity for growth and we are in an excellent position to capitalise on the opportunity with our strong brand and value proposition, he added.

Ashwani Lohani is new CMD Air India

Ashwani Lohani, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, will take over as the new chief of Air India. He will be succeeding Rohit Nandan. The new chief is likely to take over from next month. Meanwhile, Nandan will be posted as Secretary during that time with a month-long extension. 

A qualified mechanical engineer, Lohani is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He is the founder member of the Indian Steam Railway Society and member of CII National Council on Tourism.

7 flights per week between India and Seychelles

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the signing of revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Seychelles to modernise and update the existing ASA signed on October 30, 1978. The ASA signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and Seychelles and has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries. As a result of this agreement, the number of flights between India and Seychelles has been increased from three per week to seven per week.

900% Growth in e-Tourist Visa During Jan-July | Awesome News for Travel Industry

During January-July, 2015, a total of 1,47,690 tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 14,415 during January-July, 2014, registering a growth of 924.6 per cent. 

A total of 21,476 tourist arrived on eTV during July 2015 alone as compared to 2,462 during July 2014 registering a growth of 772.3 per cent. This high growth may be attributed to introduction of eTV for 113 countries as against coverage of earlier TVoA scheme for 12 countries. 

The percentage shares of top 10 source countries availing eTV facility during July 2015 were as follows: USA (33.67%), Australia (7.74%), France (7.13%), Germany (6.80%), UAE (6.71%), Canada (6.30%), Republic of Korea (5.57%), Mexico (2.80%), Japan (2.38%) and Russian Federation (2.29%). Government of India launched eTV on November 27, 2014.

Wow!!! ITDC earns Rs 27 million profit in First Quarter 2015

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, posted a stable performance for first quarter of the current financial year 2015-16. The total turnover in quarter ending June 2015 stood at Rs.105.96 Cr as compared to Rs 103.63 Cr in the corresponding quarter last year. The company registered Net Profit Before Tax (PBT) at Rs.2.77 Cr and Net Sales at Rs 96.95 Cr as compared to Rs 0.30 Cr and Rs 96.19 Cr respectively in the corresponding quarter last year. In Q 1, 2015-16 the momentum generated in the last financial year seem to have continued posting profit yet again. Also, The Ashok group of hotels has been in the forefront of innovative marketing initiatives ensuring consistency in sales and occupancy. The company has registered an occupancy rate of 47 percent compared to 45 percent in the corresponding quarter last year.