Sam

Trends. The newly built mausoleum of the founder of the Radhasoami sect in Soami Bagh, located about 12 km away from the Taj Mahal is drawing comparisons to the iconic Taj Mahal and has become a major travel attraction.

India and Russia are working our details to enhance their tourism industry cooperation by the introduction of visa-free group travel tourist exchanges. An announcement on this could be done by the year end.

To boost the travel industry in the Asia Pacific region, PATA has signed an MoU with East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Federation (EATOF). The deal was signed at the PATA Annual Summit in Macao.

Aviation major IndiGo has launched direct flights to Chandigarh and Kannur. The airline has said that the new flights will be from the Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

Travel trends are changing. The just released Mastercard report on Travel Trends shows a boom in tourism globally and travellers opting for longer stays and indulging in experiences.

Japan's tourism industry is set to post a record year in tourist arrivals. The fall in the yen has made Japan a bargain country for travel. Tourist inflows in the last two months are record breaking.

Airline leader Singapore Airlines has posted a record profit and is celebrating it by giving a bonus of 8 months salary to its employees. This is one of the largest ever bonus disbursements by the aviation industry

As the aviation industry gets ready for the impending merger between Air India and Vistara, the two airlines have announced the merge of the frequent flyer programmes.

In people movement, Minor Hotels has announced that Puneet Dhawan will join the company as the Asia Head. He will begin his innings in July and will be based in Bangkok.

Hotel industry leader Radisson has announced the opening of a new hotel. The property is located at Mandrem Beach and is part of Radisson Individual Retreats.