Skift India Report: Surge in Travel Job Openings

Job postings for the hospitality sector surged by 66% from June 2022 to June 2023, global job site Indeed said, noting the significant turnaround from big declines during the pandemic.

Top Three Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Demand for jobs in tier 2 cities like Mohali and Coimbatore is also on the rise, with 4% each. 

Most In-Demand Job Role: Travel agent positions led the demand for job roles in the past year. Apart from compensation, the travel agent industry also offers performance-based travel discounts and commission. 

“Travelers are actively looking for budget-friendly experiences, increasing the demand for travel consultants, who can curate a safe, time-intensive and cost-effective experience,” said Sashi Kumar, head of sales at Indeed India.

Previous Figures: The sector posted a 60% rise in job postings from March 2022 to March 2023, with Delhi-National Capital Region emerging as the top city for such jobs. 

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts plans to launch a Wyndham Partner Careers platform where its franchise partners can post vacancies, manage job applications, and communicate directly with candidates, Mike Reilly, chief people and operations officer for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts told Skift.

The company has also recently partnered with the Indian School of Hospitality to help young people develop their careers within the industry.

India Earned $67 Billion in Foreign Exchange from Tourism

The tourism sector in India has earned $67 billion in foreign exchange between 2019 and May this year, according to the latest government data. For perspective, India earned a total of $25.6 billion in foreign exchange from tourism in 2019 alone.

Government Initiatives to Attract Foreign Tourists: 

• As many as 30 cities from across 15 states are being shortlisted to be developed as sustainable destinations under the Ministry of Tourism’s Swadesh Darshan 2.0 program, which was launched in January this year.
• To enhance the religious tourism experience, the government has approved 45 projects under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme, allocating a budget of $21 million thus far. 
• India now provides e-visa for five sub-categories like e-tourist, e-business, e-medical, e-medical attendant and e-conference for nationals of 167 countries. 

Mysa Zinc Journey by The Fern, Nani Devati, Gujarat Opens Doors

Property Name: Mysa Zinc Journey by The Fern, Nani Devati. 

This is The Fern Hotels & Resorts’ 25th operational hotel in the western state of Gujarat after the company announced its latest addition of The Metropole Hotel in Ahmedabad, soon to be rebranded as The Fern Residency Subhash Bridge, featuring 69 rooms. 

Number of Rooms: 24 rooms and cottages.

Location: The resort is a 45-minute drive from Ahmedabad. 

Recent Launches and Signings: 32-room The Fern Bambora Fort, Bambora-Udaipur and a 70-key The Fern Residency, Mira Road, Mumbai, which is scheduled to open in 2024. 

United Airlines to Amp Up Frequency Between Delhi and New York

American carrier United Airlines said it will increase the frequency of its flight services between Delhi and New York/Newark from once to twice daily, starting October 29.

Aircraft: United will operate the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 257 seats in Business and Economy cabins.

Benefits: With the addition of the second flight, United will offer more flights from India to the U.S. than any other American carrier during the winter season.

Last year, United Airlines and Emirates unveiled a new partnership that saw the two global airlines offer travelers significantly more flight options to India and Africa.

Domestic Carriers Report Over 300 Technical Snags in Flights Till July 

Domestic airlines faced a total of 338 technical snags during the operation of planes this year till the month of July. 

Airline List: IndiGo faced a total of 206 snags followed by Air India (49), Go Air (22), SpiceJet (21) and Akasa Air (18).

Possible Cause: Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen. (Retd) VK Singh said that technical snags in an aircraft may be caused by malfunctioning of components or equipment fitted on the aircraft and require rectification action by the airlines before the aircraft is released for operation.

Past Numbers: In 2022, domestic airlines reported a total 446 such cases out of which 215 were from IndiGo followed by SpiceJet (143) and Vistara (97).

Corrective Efforts: Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation conducts regular surveillance including spot checks and night surveillance to ensure that the operators continue to meet the regulatory provisions. In case of non-adherence to procedures, the regulator may initiate a special drive of audits.

Additionally, the regulator has placed 166 passengers in the ‘No fly list’ from 2021 till date, wherein the unruly passenger is banned from taking flights to/from within India for a specific period.

UN Women Joins Kerala Tourism for Women-Friendly Initiatives

A two-day ‘Trainers of Trainer’ program on women-led tourism activities was held at Kerala’s Kumarakom in collaboration with UN Women to turn the sector gender-inclusive. 

Who All Attended? A total of 85 women trainers attended the program, who will, in turn train women engaged in tourism initiatives and allied services in different parts of the state. 

Organizing Body: Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission, the nodal agency for the project, organized the program. 

Session Highlights: Entrepreneurs and professionals spoke on how successfully an entire spectrum of tourism activities could be carried out, making tourists’ stay in the state a unique experience. 

How Will it Benefit Women? The project will see women’s participation in catering and accommodation, transportation and serving as community guides. It is expected to create at least 10,000 enterprises, nearly 30,000 job opportunities, and a network of 150,000 women engaged in tourism and allied sectors. 

Parliamentary Panel Recommends Making Air Travel Affordable for All

The government should ensure that development of infrastructure at airports is cost-effective and the cost of travel remains within the reach of the common man, a parliamentary panel has recommended while voting against the concept of “gold plating” of airports.

What is Gold Plating? It refers to incorporating expensive features or refinements that tend to push up the cost of a project.

Other Recommendations: 

• User charges should remain affordable and competitive as compared to other airports in the Asia Pacific region.
• Whilst airport terminals need to facilitate a smoother and hassle-free journey, the committee is of the view that they need not be overly opulent.
• Since the quantum of funds required for world-class civil aviation infrastructure facilities is huge, private sector involvement in the airport sector has got to grow so that the large gap in resources could be bridged and greater efficiency in management of airports in the country could be brought in.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts Launches Presidium Sarovar Portico in Dalhousie

Name of Hotel: Presidium Sarovar Portico, Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. The hotel is Sarovar’s fourth hotel in the north Indian state.

Number of Rooms: 50 rooms and suites.

New Openings: Citadel Sarovar Portico in Bengaluru.

Early in May, the company partnered with Singapore Airlines Group’s global rewards program KrisFlyer to bring a large network of its hotels into the fold of KrisFlyer’s exclusive benefits.