The event is being organised with the intent of promoting Egypt as the hottest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) destination for the Indian Corporates with state of the art facilities and enchantments of rich culture, tradition, history and natural beauty. It is targeted at the decision makers for incentive travel of various corporate houses across different industries that believe in rewarding their teams and indulge in Incentive travel for the achievers in their organization. Egypt has all the ingredients to make a successful incentive program – good hotels, conference facilities, sightseeing locales, shopping, entertainment and of course Indian food! Egypt is also well connected from major Indian cities.

The ambassador of Arab Republic of Egypt, H. E. Dr. Mohamed Hameed Higazy will welcome the guests to a dazzling evening of fine dining, traditional Egyptian entertainment that will entice the corporate big-wigs present to choose Egypt as their next destination for incentive and group movement. The evening entertainment will include traditional Egyptian dances Al Tanoura and Belly dance. Well known fashion designer Ms. Renu Tandon will also present her latest collection in a fashion show later in the event.

Divulging the idea behind organizing the event Mr Samy Mahmoud, Tourism Counsellor, Egypt Tourism Authority said, "India and Egypt have long shared a strong cultural and social connection. In last few years this has translated into strong economic ties between the two countries, especially in tourism sector.

It has been a constant endeavour of Egyptian Tourism Authority to develop and nurture the interest of all sections of Indian travellers in Egypt and our ‘Visit Egypt 2008’ campaign is part of this endeavour. ETA in association with Sahara Global is showcasing Egypt as a modern MICE destination in today’s ‘Egyptian Nite’ event. This event is an excellent opportunity for the present dignitaries from Indian corporate houses to network and catch a glimpse of what Egypt has to offer to them."

The Egyptian Nite event will be attended by the who’s who of the corporate world, socialites and eminent personalities and dignitaries of the diplomatic community. Kuwait Ambassador among other Ambassadors ,Mrs Ashi Burman, Chairperson Dabur Industries, Ritu and Gopal Ansal, MD Ansal Group, Madhu and Raman Sood, MD Park Royal and Shangrila Hotels, Megha and Varun Bhatia, Representatives of BMW, Sunil Sethi,President Fashion design council of India, Designers – Vijay Arora, Manju and Bobby Grover, Mira and Muzaffar Ali, Simmer Duggal and socialite Tanisha Mohan, Vandana Luthra, MD VLCC will be among the well known guests present at the event.

Schedule of the Function:

08:30 pm- Welcome speech by H.E Dr Mohamed Hamid Higazy, The Ambassador, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in New Delhi

08:40 pm- Egyptian Traditional dance – El Tanoura dance

09:00 pm- Egyptian Traditional dance – Belly dance

09:15 pm- Fashion show by Fashion Designer Renu Tandon

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

For further information please contact:

Sonalika Luthra – 9818130558, sonalika@lexicon.in

Prasoon K. Ghosh – 9953667117, prasoon@lexicon.in

Lexicon Public Relations & Corporate Consultants Limited.
(A Fleishman-Hillard International Communications Affiliate)

iXiGO now features accommodation options from Travelguru, India’s leading hotel network, Inasra, a fast-growing Chennai-based hotel aggregator, and Hostelworld, a leading online reservations provider to the budget, independent and youth travelers. These strategic tie-ups make iXiGO India’s biggest hotel and hostel search engine, featuring over 6400 properties in more than 400 cities and towns across India, comparing prices from 40 hotel and hostel booking websites. The new hotel search will give online accommodation seekers a never-before range of options ranging from hostels to serviced apartments and luxury resorts – all available on one page. In addition to the enhanced inventory base, iXiGO has entered into partnerships with HolidayIQ and OKTataByeBye - two of the leading Indian hotel review sites. Users can now read hotel reviews written by other travelers on these partner sites, compare hotel rates from multiple hotel aggregators, before deciding on the best fit accommodation. iXiGO facilitates users to find the best deal and redirects them to hotel booking site for completion of transaction.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Mr. Rajnish Kumar, co-founder & CTO remarked – “Our 2.0 release is definitely the killer-app for hotels. Users can now navigate through more detailed map views, narrow down to hotels near an address they specify within the city, and even filter down to their favourite hotel chain brands at the click of a mouse”. Aloke Bajpai, founder and CEO, added – “iXiGOers want comprehensiveness, choice, and unbiased reviews before they make hotel booking decisions, and that’s what we have given them today. It is yet another effort from us to make online travel search in India smarter, easier and faster”.

iXiGO.com was launched in June 2007 by a team of young IITians and INSEAD MBAs. In a short span of one year, iXiGO is being seen as a disruptive innovator in the online travel industry, and has become the country’s leading travel search engine, generating nearly 1% of online direct bookings for some of its airline partners. With the launch of its hotels product in April 2008, iXiGO has diversified into a much more fragmented space, where its unique business model saves time and money for travelers through superior access to real-time travel information from multiple online travel sites.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

ABOUT iXiGO.com:

iXiGO.com ® is India’s leading online travel search engine based out of Gurgaon. Launched in June 2007, iXiGO has been recognized by various national and international awards for its unique market approach, product usability, and passionate management team. iXiGO is driven by an entrepreneurial team of young IITians and INSEAD MBAs and has raised seed capital from BAF Spectrum Pte Ltd, a Singapore based early stage investment fund. For more information about iXiGO please visit www.ixigo.com .

“Monsoon is one of the best season to travel and explore beautiful destinations in India. The packages are designed keeping in mind the climatic conditions of the destinations. Arzoo.com have packages catering to customer’s various needs and requirements like the distance, duration of the packages and the over all budget”, says Mr. Sameer Patil, Head – Marketing, Arzoo.com.

Magical Monsoon provides customers with a wide range of holiday packages ranging from a day to about a week’s time. The packages range as low as Rs.800 for a day’s tour at Prabalgad Fort and goes upto Rs. 27,089 for 6 Nights & 7 Days package to Himachal Pradesh.

Magical Monsoon has also introduced some of the unique packages like Niligiri Hills, Cherry Blossom in Thanedar and Chennai Triangle Tour. Apart from this Arzoo.com also provides 12% discount on Magical Monsoon packages starting Rs 2,650 (2 Nights/ 3 Days) to Rs 27,089 (6 Nights / 7 Days).

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Arzoo.com:

Through Arzoo.com, customers can book Domestic and International Flights, make Hotel Reservations, buy Domestic & International Holiday Packages, and find Exciting Weekend Gateways and also Service Apartments. Apart from offering amongst the best rates in all categories, the unique value proposition of Arzoo.com is that customers have a choice of multiple ways of making travel reservations via the Internet or Mobile Phones or by calling a Toll Free Number (1-800-22 21 20) for 24x7 assistance, or by simply sending an SMS to 67 67 55 mentioning brief travel requirements.

Arzoo also specializes in handling regular travel requirements of corporate customers, including group bookings. Through special deals with major hotels in all categories across India and overseas, Arzoo suits the budget and tastes of all types of customers.

"We are honoured to be recognized once again by international travel professionals with this award and it is a true tribute to the excellence of the Avis network in Asia", said Eric Brun, General Manager - Asia.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Avis:

Avis and its subsidiaries operate the world’s second largest general-use car rental brand providing business and leisure customer with a wide range of services at over 5,100 locations in 164 countries.

Avis India is a joint venture between Avis Europe Plc and the Oberoi Group (EIH Ltd.) with a network of 41 rental locations in 16 cities in India including presence at domestic and international airports at Delhi, Mumbai. Kolkata, Hyderabad and Udaipur (starting by August 2008).

Avis India provides its business and leisure customers with a wide range of services:

· Point to point / Airport Transfers

· Business Day / sight seeing Packages

· Inter city / touring Packages

· Hotel Limo Service

· Conferences and events

· Self Drive rentals

· Short and long term rental

· Leasing

Avis India Central Reservation Services:

· MTNL/ BSNL users: 1800-11-2525

· GSM / CDMA users: 011-2389 0707

· Email: crs@avis.co.in

· Website: www.avis.co.in

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

FCm Travel Solutions (I) Pvt Ltd is a part of Flight Centre Ltd. Flight Centre is one of the world’s most successful and fastest growing travel groups recognized for its innovation, industry leadership and unique development of people. The creation process has involved consolidation, acquisition and partnership with like minded travel companies in other key markets. Flight Centre is headquartered out of Brisbane, Australia and is listed in the Australian Stock Exchange.

Conceived in 1986 as Friends Globe Travels Limited (FGTL), FCm India began its operations in 1987 under the able leadership of Mr. Rahul Nath and has since then been an industry leader by rendering the highest level of services to its clients. In 2005, FGTL was acquired by Flight Centre and has been trading as FCm Travel Solutions India Private Limited since then.

FCm Travel Solution’s turnover in the financial year 2005-06 was approximately US$5 billion and the company is serviced globally through more than 60 countries and over 5,000 employees. FCm Travel Solutions (I) Pvt Ltd has its headquarter at New Delhi with 19 branch offices at Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Vizag, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, Vadodara, Mysore, Kolkata, Trivendrum, Surat, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Nasik and Cochin. Today, it is the country’s premiere corporate travel management specialist and provides a total travel management package in terms of comprehensive and professionally effective services.

After analyzing existing user surfing patterns and understanding customer Hotels purchase requirements, Travelguru designed the new UI to provide a richer user experience to its customers. With a unique focus on the Hotels business, it has constantly endeavored to improve the user experience on this relatively involved purchasing decision.

Commenting on the latest website advancement, Hari V Krishnan – Vice President, Product & Marketing, Travelguru said “The hotels user requires a lot of relevant data to make their booking decision. Our new Hotels user interface helps the user access multiple hotel details within the same search results page, thus reducing navigation time. This in turn facilitates a better user experience and allows the user to make quicker, more informed decisions.”

The new Hotels UI includes the ‘Google Maps’ feature for viewing hotel locations on a map, which would actually plot the hotels on the map for users to locate a particular hotel within a city they are visiting for the first time. The ‘Search by Locality’ feature further filters the hotel search on the basis of a particular locality in a city/ destination (eg. Colaba in Mumbai).

Several other new features have also been introduced, wherein the content can be viewed with the help of ‘Tabstrip’ (tab-based browsing) as well as other options to let users search by hotel name, star rating and amenities. Another smart use of technology is DHTML layering which in one instance allows the user to view detailed user reviews and ratings of Hotels without deviating from the search results page.

“This new streamlined UI uses the best of modern technology to make the user experience seamless and information speedily and readily available” added Hari.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Travelguru

Travelguru - India’s largest hotel network - offers access to over 4000 hotels in India and over 72,000 hotels worldwide. It offers travelers the opportunity to plan and purchase their travel in a transparent, easy and customizable manner with instant bookings and confirmations. Strategic partnerships and deep supplier relationships give Travelguru the edge as an aggregator of travel services. Sorting hotels by user reviews and several other criteria are some of the distinctive value-added services. In December, 2007 Travelguru fully acquired Desiya.com - a company focused on hotel aggregation, distribution and technology to further strengthen the leadership position in hotel distribution. Travelguru facilitates a wide range of travel options and recommendations for domestic as well as international travelers. The Travelguru hotel advisors guide you to the most convenient place to stay including rates, amenities, landmarks and so on across India. It promotes properties from budget to luxury, single room to serviced apartment, business accommodation to leisure houseboat.

www.Travelguru.com

1-800-102-4878 (From all major mobile operators) or 022-40304878

"The Expedia Insiders' Select list makes it easier for travelers to sort through thousands of hotel options to choose the best hotel for their trip," said Arthur Hoffman, Managing Director, Expedia Asia Pacific. "Expedia has captured the experiences of millions of hotel guests, and combined them with a value rating and local destination expertise to help travelers identify the best hotels in the world for the best value." The Expedia Insider’s Select comprises only about 1 percent of the 80,000 hotels offered on Expedia.co.in.

The full list is available for travelers at www.expedia.com/insiderselect. Highlights include:

• Number 1 overall: Sofitel Chicago Water Tower -- Chicago, Ill.
• Number 1 in Asia: Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel -- Tokyo, Japan
• Number 1 in Europe: The Knight Residence -- Edinburgh, Scotland
• Top Resort Worldwide: JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa -- Cancun, Mexico

There are over 800 hotels in the Expedia Insider’s List representing the variety of hotel types and destinations offered on Expedia. The list comprises of hotels ranging from boutique to chain properties in a variety of small, mid-sized and large destinations. The selected hotels have been recognized by travelers for consistently delivering excellent services.

The Expedia Insiders’ Select list was compiled using a weighted mathematical formula that includes several factors including:

• Expedia’s collection of hundreds of thousands of Traveler Opinions® - hotel reviews created by Expedia travellers who recently stayed at the property;
• A value rating determined by comparing hotels within the same star-rating and geographical region to identify hotels that deliver a notable value for the experience they offer; and
• Local expertise and insight from hundreds of Expedia employees in destinations throughout the world.

For further details, the full list is available at http://www.expedia.com/insiderselect

For more information on Expedia.co.in, please visit http://www.expedia.co.in

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Expedia, Inc. is the world’s leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides wholesale travel to offline retail travel agents and in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travelers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com®, hotels.com®, Hotwire®, Expedia® Corporate Travel, TripAdvisor®, Expedia Local Expert™, Classic Vacations® and eLong™. Expedia, Inc.’s companies operate more than 50 global points of sale with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. is a component of the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit http://www.expediainc.com/ (NASDAQ: EXPE).

Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Classic Vacations is either a trademark or registered trademark of Classic Vacations, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotwire is either a trademark or registered trademark of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. TripAdvisor is either a trademark or registered trademark of TripAdvisor, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

© 2008 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-40

Gaurav Luthra has been associated with Flight Centre Limited for the past 14 years and has significantly contributed towards the organization’s growth in India. In six months since the introduction of ‘Flight Shop’ in the country, Mr. Luthra has been instrumental in setting up of new branches of the leisure travel division at various locations in the National Capital Region. Now, as Country Head of Flight Shop, Mr. Luthra is working towards making Flight Shop a brand to recon with in the leisure travel market and expand it on PAN India basis.

Keeping in mind the successful record of Flight Centre Limited’s leisure model across the world, Mr. Luthra aims to contribute towards making leisure travel segment in India more organized and consumer friendly.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Flight Centre Limited is one of the most successful and fastest growing travel groups in the world. The company is headquartered out of Brisbane (Australia) and provides a complete range of travel services to leisure and business travelers across nine countries. Flight Centre Limited’s corporate division called FCm Travel Solutions is the largest Travel and Expense Management Company in the Asia-Pacific region and is a renowned name in the corporate travel management segment in India.

Flight Centre now plans to bring in a new concept of Travel Stores to India by opening Flight Shops in various Metropolitan cities. This is an effort by the company to bring higher level of service concept in India so that corporate level of services can be rendered to the leisure or holiday traveler as well. The company plans to keep these Flight Shops an entirely separate cost/ profit centre and they will not be related with the corporate division FCm Travel Solutions. Through these Flight Shops the company will be targeting Small & Medium enterprises (SME's).

Speaking on this achievement Dhruv Shringi, Co founder and CEO, Yatra.com, said, "We are delighted with this finding. We are really thankful to our customers for preferring to use yatra.com over any other travel website and take this encouragement to strive harder and deliver even better. Such recognitions helps motivate everyone in the company and will help us reach bigger heights"

Nikhil Rungta, Head-Marketing, Yatra.com, added, "From day one our single minded focus has been to fulfill the needs of our customers related to travel and come up with innovative solutions to make travel easy for them. People share a love-hate relationship with travel; we wanted to create a relationship which is 'love all the way', by offering best-in-class products and services. Such recognition vindicates all our marketing efforts and reassures us that we are on the right yatra."

Yatra.com's success can be attributed to its customer reach, aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns, retail tie-ups with Sify i-ways and Hughes Fusion Net and innovative and unique schemes initiated including Compensation for flight delays (even on non-yatra.com bookings), Cash on delivery, assurance of Best Fare on International flights and the latest being online cancellation of air tickets, which is another India first by Yatra.com.

The JuxtConsult's study analysed internet usage dynamics, behavior and website preferences of the consumers through a large scale 'online survey' with over 15,000 internet users in April 2008. The online survey was conducted using Google (keyword) Search Ads and JuxtConsult's own Internet User Panel (www.getcounted.net). The online survey data represented the entire online population (urban and rural), by using appropriate demographic 'weights' derived from the land survey and using authentic Govt. of India population statistics.

Yatra.com was launched in August 2006 and within a short span of time it has seen a 40 fold increase in revenue with an employee base touching 700. Currently, Yatra.com is posting average revenue of Rs 100 crore a month with a volume of 6, 500 air tickets and over 300 rooms a day. The company achieved a turnover of $120 million in the financial year 2007-08 and is looking at doing $250 million by the end of 2008.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Yatra.com is India's leading Online Travel Company. It's the one-stop-shop for all travel needs. From air tickets to hotel rooms to holiday packages to buses to car rentals, yatra.com has everything to service today's traveler. With yatra.com, you can book tickets over the internet, through their 24x7 customer care centre, Yatra.com Holiday Lounges or by simply using your mobile phone. Yatra.com gives you an access to the best travel deals across a myriad of national and international destinations. It is one of the largest consolidators of hotels in India. Yatra.com provides reservation for 2,500 hotels across 250 destinations in India as well as Indian Hotels. Yatra also has international tie-ups with all the major international airlines and provides real time access to over 90,000 hotels across the world. All products at yatra.com come with a best price guarantee and an assurance of instant bookings. Currently yatra.com is doing average revenue of Rs 100 crores a month and a volume of more than 6,500 air tickets and 300+ hotel room nights per day.

Signature crest offers apartments in three different variations Blue line, Red Line and Green line according to the destinations. Green line apartments are the leisure apartments specially designed for relaxation and much needed break of the hectic schedule.

“Our Signature Crest apartments are spread in 18 destinations across India and abroad. We plan to add 10 more locations to our profile by the end of this financial year”, continued Mr. Venkatesh.

TravelOrg’s subsidiary – The Signature Crest, a leading chain of fully furnished Serviced Apartments has added many cities to its credit and today it has pan India presence. Besides, Signature Crest is managing and operating a few resorts across the country. Plans are on anvil to set up luxurious service apartments in Middle East, Europe, South Asia. With unparalleled excellence in service and quality accommodation at easy-on-pocket price, the discerning travelers are now experiencing the warmth of home and the luxury of the hotel at the Signature Crest's Service Apartments.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About TravelOrg Holidays Pvt. Ltd

TravelOrg Holidays Pvt. Ltd. is a leading solutions provider in specialized travel & tourism business. It has created a niche for itself in various domains of travel - each headed by an industry professional - namely, Holy Tourism, Adventure Tourism, Sports Tourism, Medical Tourism, Spiritual Tourism, etc. From religious pilgrimages to rock-climbing. From exciting jungle tours to innovative sports tour. From rejuvenating medical tours to the wildest paragliding adventures. TravelOrg is a one stop destination for never ending travel pleasures.

A familiar name, Sri Lanka is a place waiting to be discovered with its beaches, hills and its biodiversity. The coastlines of Sri Lanka offer the traveler various option right from scuba diving and snorkeling to dolphin and whale watching. A popular destination there is the Hikkadua beach resort, famous for its coral and sub-tropical fish. It also provides facilities for scuba diving and surfing. The foodies on the other hand can head towards the Negombo beach, a fishing town North of Colombo offering seafood in plenty. Another popular holiday spot is Galle an important Southern town. Its natural harbour was a famous fort in days gone by. Galle is also famous for its Dutch Fort, lace-making, ebony carving and gem polishing. As a neighboring country, Sri Lanka has a lot to offer Indian tourists!

All these destinations are easily accessible through expedia.co.in which also provides excellent activity and hotel deals in these destinations.

For more information on Expedia.co.in, please visit http://www.expedia.co.in

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Flightsportal.com, as of the nature of the name Flightsportal doesnot enable visitors to book flights only but it offers real time booking of Hotels and Packages also Flightsportal.com has a lots of unique features like Travel News Desk, Travel News desk is designed for Travel related news and Travel Blogs... Users can register and can post news and talk to other users throgh Blogs.

In addition, to the real time booking engine Flightsportal.com brings you to check your flights status just with a click of mouse... Flight status can be checked with in 72hours of your flight. This is a unique feature in Indian Online Travel Portals.

"Flightsportal.com is designed to be very user friendly website", Says Chandra Mohan, CEO of Flightsportal.com to let our customers benefit we are running offers like up 25 % Off on selective Flights & 30% Off on companion's ticket.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Flightsportal.com is an online venture by B & C TravelPlaza Pvt Ltd. Established in 2004 formarly known as One World Travel is a travel services and support enterprise with an emphasis to provide comprehensive, competent & competitive travel services, Our core competency is our focus on rendering efficient and cost-effective travel solutions to all your travel and related requirements.

Flightsportal.com is a India based travel company, having its network all over the country and Hotels Plaza is an online approach and place where people can share their flights experience and get awareness about the travel regulations as well as flights poral is a commercial website. We are a young, energetic and enthusiastic team of professionals, headed by a group of experienced individuals with a combined field experience of over two decades. We are one of the leading players of the industry, known for our impeccable services and well preserved moral values. Our well researched and carefully designed tour itineraries have drawn us a veritable list of clients from all over the world giving us a pace to compete with eminent global players.

We understand the travel requirements of our valued customers, and our dedicated team of professionals strive hard to deliver the best of the services. Our extensive network, spread across all corners of India ensure that our clients' trips remain absolutely hassle-free, which help them to experience the very best of this magical land with an open mind and enthusiastic soul. Our fast growing list of satisfied customers are ready facts to support our stand

We specialize in Individual Travel arrangements and tailor made itineraries at every budget level. Our aim is to provide a personalized first class service to the discerning leisure and corporate traveler.

We aim to offer the traveler a professional service at a reasonable price. We are always looking to expand our product range to meet the current demands and our efforts to do us are totally market driven. Hence, your feedback on requirements and improvement in our service level is always welcome.

Flightsportal.com Team

support@flightsportal.com

Expedia India, a travel portal for Indian Travelers from Expedia Inc gives you some simple tips for saving your summer vacation expenses right here.

Let the deal determine your destination -- Mark your calendar with dates for your vacation, then wait to decide until the last minute, using deals in travel websites like Expedia.co.in. During peak summer travel season or holidays like Dusshera, you may not find last-minute deals to the most popular destinations, but you are sure to find a bargain adventure to a new place.

Plan around the Peak times -- March and again in July, prices start to fall as kids go back to school and parents go back to work. Cruise bookings in the Caribbean are also light during this time, which means that last-minute travelers should be on the lookout for some real bargains if they can be flexible.

Consider closer-to-home destinations that offer excitement and a great vacation at a great value -- If you think that France and Britain are too far away, go to destinations that are closer to home like Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Bali. These destinations can be great holiday hotspots without burning a hole in your pocket.

Look for the best international hotel deals -- When booking hotels at online travel sites such as Expedia.co.in, you’ll save 20-30% on a 2-3 day stay or get a night free. Check out the summer fares on most popular world destinations to get some great offers on hotel bookings.

Take advantage of online sites that provide advance booking on attractions -- When you book attractions /sightseeing activities online in advance of your vacation, you not only save on time and energy but also get a good deal.

For more information on Expedia.co.in, please visit http://www.expedia.co.in

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Expedia, Inc. is the world’s leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides wholesale travel to offline retail travel agents and in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travelers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com®, hotels.com®, Hotwire®, Expedia® Corporate Travel, TripAdvisor®, Expedia Local Expert™, Classic Vacations® and eLong™. Expedia, Inc.’s companies operate more than 50 global points of sale with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. is a component of the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit www.expediainc.com (NASDAQ: EXPE).

Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Classic Vacations is either a trademark or registered trademark of Classic Vacations, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotwire is either a trademark or registered trademark of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. TripAdvisor is either a trademark or registered trademark of TripAdvisor, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

© 2008 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-40

The objective of the visitor survey carried out by the Burren Connect Project in the summer of 2007 was to assess the visitor experience of the Burren, to allow information to be targeted more effectively, and to develop sustainable services and activities based on real visitor demand.

538 visitors, all of whom were availing of accommodation in the area, participated in the survey. 63 accommodation providers and 10 visitor centre managers were also surveyed.

The top 5 rated activities amongst visitors were visits to visitor and interpretative centres, visits to archaeological monuments, participation in local cultural events, guided tours and walking routes. Many visitors expressed a desire to engage in more activities than they actually undertook on their holiday.

64% of visitors surveyed knew that the Burren is protected under legislation. When asked to rate the impact (high, medium, low or none) of removing stones, picking flowers or building mini-dolmens, on the environment, 36% of respondents rated all three activities as having high impact.

Feedback from the accommodation providers and visitor centre managers surveys revealed that 97% of accommodation providers and 80% of Visitor Centre Managers believe the Burren should be developed and promoted as an eco-tourism destination and should be branded accordingly.

An overwhelming majority of those surveyed said this approach would have a potentially positive economic impact on the area. 60% of accommodation providers affirmed they would be interested in achieving internationally recognised accreditation as an ecotourism provider.

Ms. Carol Gleeson, Project Manager, Burren Connect Project stated that the findings of the survey pointed towards a number of opportunities, particularly in the area of ecotourism style activities.

“This demand for activities and the length of visitor stay suggest there is considerable scope to increase the overall time spent by visitors in the area. As less than 1 in 3 stay entirely in the Burren, and only 14% stay more than 4 nights, it would be fair to conclude that there is significant unsatisfied demand for the identified activities. This suggests that there is strong potential to retain visitors longer through increased accessibility and availability of such activities”, explained Ms Gleeson.

The Burren Connect Project recently brought some tourism-related business owners from the Burren region to visit Ireland’s first Ecotourism destination at the Greenbox in the North West.

Meanwhile, Fáilte Ireland is exploring the possibility of rolling out the Greenbox ecotourism strategy to other parts of the country, including the Burren, and is funding today's workshop, which will be held from 9.30am to 5pm in Vaughans, Kilfenora.

The event is free of charge and includes presentations from tourism agencies and the Greenbox, as well as workshop sessions with business people who have successfully attained Greenbox ecotourism certification and EU Flower accreditation.

Commenting on the workshop, Mr. Paddy Mathews, Environment Unit, Fáilte Ireland, said, “With the recent increase in the awareness among our visitors of environmental issues, ecotourism presents significant growth potential for Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is delighted to be involved with the Burren Connect Project, which it considers a model for sustainable tourism in a protected area.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

“Enhancing reputations–Increasing exposure–Increasing understanding”

Founded in 2006, Dunphy Public Relations is a communications group led by Mark Dunphy from County Clare. Mr. Dunphy previously held the position of ‘Head of News and Current Affairs’ in Clare FM Radio.

Dunphy Public Relations has secured extensive local, national and international media coverage for clients including Clare County Council; Supply Network Shannon; The Atlantis Holiday Group; Shannon Town Council; Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience; Clare Museum; Digino Marketing; Renewable Energy Skillsnet; Magico.ie; Kilrush Town Council; Clonlara Wholesale; Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen; Clare County Library; and Ennis Town Council.

To avail of this feature, customers who have GPRS enabled on their mobile phone can download the application that has various service providers like redBus, Makemytrip.com, IRCTC, Yatra.com, HDFC Bank, Fame cinemas and Air Deccan among others.

On the occasion, redBus CEO, Phanindra Sama said, “Mobile phone penetration in India is over 200 million and is growing at an unimaginable pace. Being present on customers’ mobile phones is an excellent medium in terms of offering convenience. We believe that the future of the internet is on the mobile. I am extremely excited and expectant of a great response from customers to take to this feature.”

Mayank Bidawatka, redBus Head-Marketing, said, “We have been setting benchmarks in innovative features in this industry, and this one is another feather in our cap. This mobile application will take booking bus tickets to another level. GPRS connectivity has become affordable and this application comes at no additional cost to the customer. We are very confident that customers will take to this application.”

Transactions on ngpay adhere to the highest security levels and allay the fear of customers who hesitate to share their card details on the mobile. In fact, ngpay claims that transactions on their application are safer than ATM transactions!

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About redBus

redBus is India’s first and largest online bus tickets company. It has a national presence, with its headquarters at Bangalore. redBus can be accessed on www.redBus.in or at any of their 9 call centers in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Vijayawada or Vizag.

Customers get the advantage of choosing their seats online, getting tickets home delivered for over 270 bus operators and over 3600 routes in the country.

The ease of use of this service is its strongest feature. Customers who purchase an outbound ticket from India to any international destination through Yatra.com happen to find a lower fare either from a travel agent or a travel portal, just needs to call the Yatra Travel Consultant on 1800 1800 800 or 0987 1800 800 within 24 hours and fax or email the e-ticket clearly highlighting the details of travel including price, date, number of passengers, flight number etc. Upon receiving the details, Yatra will do its necessary checks within 48 working hours. If the basic airfare as shown on the e-ticket is lower, available and meets the applicable conditions of the fare challenge, Yatra.com will pay double the difference between the fares.

Speaking on the service, Dhruv Shringi, Co founder and CEO, Yatra.com, said, "We believe in making travel as hassled free as possible for people. This scheme will solidify our claim of having the lowest fares for international travel. While already being a well established player in the domestic market, we strive to create a bag of services which benefits not just our domestic but international travelers as well."

In the recent past, Yatra.com has announced a service for Domestic Travelers. The service will provide all air travelers a compensation fee of Rs. 750/- for domestic flight delays. This compensation is available to all travelers irrespective of how or where they had booked the tickets and not just to Yatra.com customers. The 'Best Fare Challenge' reaches out to international travelers. This clearly shows that Yatra.com believes in fulfilling the needs of both domestic and international travelers alike.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Yatra.com

Yatra.com is India's leading Online Travel Company. It's the one-stop-shop for all travel needs. From air tickets to hotel rooms to holiday packages to buses to car rentals, yatra.com has everything to service today's traveler. With yatra.com, you can book tickets over the internet, through their 24x7 customer care centre, Yatra.com Holiday Lounges or by simply using your mobile phone. Yatra.com gives you an access to the best travel deals across a myriad of national and international destinations. It is one of the largest consolidators of hotels in India. Yatra.com provides reservation for 2,500 hotels across 250 destinations in India as well as Indian Hotels. Yatra also has international tie-ups with all the major international airlines and provides real time access to over 90,000 hotels across the world. All products at yatra.com come with a best price guarantee and an assurance of instant bookings. Currently yatra.com is doing average revenue of Rs 80 crores a month and a volume of more than 6,500 air tickets and 300+ hotel room nights per day.

The Singapore race is the world’s first Formula One night race and also the first ever street race in Asia which will take participants through the civic precinct of Singapore with iconic locations like Singapore Flyer, The Esplande Theatres by the Bay, War Memorial Park, City Hall, Old Supreme Court, former Parliament now remade into The Arts House, and The Victoria Concert Hall. The circuit is minutes away from exclusive 5-star hotels, a vibrant and bustling dining and entertainment scene, a fast and efficient underground service (the Mass Rapid Transit) and the Central Business District (CBD), which houses the regional headquarters of several major financial organisations.

As preparations kick into final gear to stage this historic Formula One night street race, a number of events and festivities have been lined up around the race period, collectively called the Singapore GP Season. This will be held over three weekends from 20 September to 5 October that will showcase Formula One themed activities, new entertainment events, lifestyle festivals and an all-new beer fest, which will further jazz up the glam and excitement surrounding the race. The line up of events include The Singapore Motor Race, The Singapore Motor Show, The Singapore River Festival, Formula One™ - The Great Design Race and The Singapore Biennale, which promises to live up to Singapore’s pledge of a destination that offers unique and compelling experiences for every visitor.

Commenting on The 2008 FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, Ms. Siew-Kheng Kang, Regional Director-South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board said, “With the appointment of the four travel agents in India we hope to reach out to more F1 fans. The event is not only a historic event for Formula One, being the first night race of its kind, but also for Singapore as we turn up the glam and fun factor. From cars racing at a speed of about 300km to drivers having to manipulate on an anti-clockwise circuit, F1 fans all over the world will be treated to a visual feast in Singapore this season. For leisure visitors, the week-end festivals and shows will offer activities that would complete the Uniquely Singapore experience!”

The 2008 FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix promises to be an exceptional event and is geared up to entertain those seeking an adrenaline-filled break.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is an economic development agency for one of Singapore’s key service sectors – tourism. The mission of the Board is to develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore. The STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a memorable destination through the proliferation of the destination brand “Uniquely Singapore”. For more information, visit www.visitsingapore.com/in

For More Information, Please Contact:
Roohi Khatri | Arunima Nath | Richie Mehta
+91 98337 66755 | +91 98337 44969 | +91 9820468234
roohi@corvoshandwick.co.in | Arunima@corvoshandwick.co.in | richie@corvoshandwick.co.in

During this season Singapore will be abuzz with attractive offers, elite brands, tempting rewards and exciting events! An eight-week “shopathon” which boasts discounts of up to 70% throughout Singapore, from the central shopping belt of Orchard Road and Marina Bay to suburban shopping precincts with plenty of local colour. From the bargain seeker to the luxury lover, the Great Singapore Sale has lots to offer to everyone.

Every international tourist can avail of the Tourist Privilege Card, which when presented with their passport will enable access to discounts at over 90 outlets across the island that include

ü GAP, Levi Strauss Signature®, OshKosh B’Gosh®, Original Levi’s® and Dockers® San Francisco which offer 10% discounts

ü GUESS where the TRIBECA collection of handbags are an additional 15% discount on sale price

ü Maxstudio.com where cosmetics are up to 50% off

Some of the best buys of the season include offers like:

ü Buy an 8GB iPod nano and get epiCentre shopping voucher free

ü Buy The Fuji Finepix Z5FD Digital Camera for a price of SGD 199 normally priced at SGD 399.

ü Enjoy 50% discounts at fashion stores like Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Topman and Zone for the first week of the shopping celebration.

ü And after June 13 exciting offers become available at elite fashion brands like Ben Sherman, Karen Millen, MaxStudio.com, and Miss Selfridge

Besides retail therapy, tourists can enjoy a host of other privileges while exploring the city at the various attractions, savoring fine cuisine, chilling out at a bar or relaxing at the spa after a day of shopping. The Tourist Privilege Card can be obtained at any Singapore Visitors Centre in Singapore.

Families can also enjoy discounts at tourist hotpots like Singapore Flyer where a child gets a free ride for every two adult tickets. The Wildlife Reserve Singapore is also offering a FREE unlimited tram ride at the Singapore Zoo with a purchase of special day tickets. Tourist attractions like DUCKtours, the DHL Balloon ride, museums and city tours are also discounted during the Sale period.

The Tourist Privilege Card also assures an exhilarating nightlife with hotspots like Café del Mar, Balcony Bar, Fashion Bar, Lunar Asian Fusion Bar offering over 20% discounts of the total bill for the evening.

Spas like The Villa RainTree Spa offer a 50% discount for any body scrub with every body massage and the Spaboutique offer a 20% discount off all ala carte services. One Beauty Place on Orchard Road is also offering a facial or massage at only S$68 with a free goodie bag. Fish Reflexology Spa, highly popular amongst tourists, is also in the discounted platter.

Moreover, MasterCard holders receive special offers throughout the Great Singapore Sale with exclusive privileges at selected participating retailers. MasterCard holders also have a chance to win S$ 100,000 for every purchase made!

What’s more, every visitor gets to shop tax free as they spend a minimum of S$100 at any Global Refund or Premier Tax Free affiliated stores. As visitors depart from Singapore Changi Airport, they simply redeem the tax returns and rewards at the respective counters. Rewards include shopping vouchers at the airport and a chance to win a free shopping holiday for two to Singapore, plus other fabulous prizes such as an 8GB iPod touch or a Macbook 2.0

Commenting on the Great Singapore Sale 2008, Ms Siew-Kheng Kang, Regional Director, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Singapore Tourism Board said, “Our annual Great Singapore Sale comes back each year, bigger and better. Branded sales and phenomenal discounts at retail outlets happen all over the island and Orchard Road shops are on extended hours on Saturdays. What's more, our sale is not just a sale but offers discounts on a whole range of fun experiences, from spas to bars, to Underwater World where diving with the sharks is offered at unbeatable values. This year, we also have a new attraction - the Singapore Flyer, the world's tallest observation wheel that adds to the range of things to do. Visitors from India will find that Singapore offers new experiences each year that enables them to enjoy repeat visits. They will be able to find special value buys at all different price levels, take advantage of the sales to bring great presents back, but above all, enjoy all the other fun-filled experiences that only they can call their own!”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is an economic development agency for one of Singapore’s key service sectors – tourism. The mission of the Board is to develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore. The STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a memorable destination through the proliferation of the destination brand “Uniquely Singapore”. For more information, visit www.visitsingapore.com/in

This summer, M.A.D struck a new milestone in its programming by heading abroad for the first time– and what better location to do this than Singapore! This special edition of M.A.D. will be telecast across six episodes on POGO on Sundays in May, beginning 11 May at 10:30 a.m.

“An award winning show, M.A.D was conceptualized to encourage kids to think laterally and stimulate their creative potential. Since its launch in April 2005, M.A.D has been a runaway success, gaining instant popularity with kids and parents alike. High on learning packaged with entertainment, M.A.D is all about making learning fun. Singapore being very kids-friendly, gels very well with M.A.D’s concept of combining learning with fun,” said, Monica Tata, Vice President, Advertising Sales and Networks, India & South Asia, Turner International India.

She further added, "We are known for our innovative, clutter breaking client solutions, offering our partners more than just an on-air presence. This association with Singapore Tourism Board and POGO’s M.A.D. is an excellent example of a new level of client integration and mutually beneficial brand partnerships.”

Singapore is known as a destination that offers something for everyone. It is particularly attractive for families because of its safety and family-friendly attractions that are fun and exciting. With more and more Indian parents concerned about their children’s learning and exposure opportunities Singapore becomes all the more attractive.

Commenting on Singapore Tourism Board’s association with POGO, Ms. Siew-Kheng Kang, Regional Director - South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board said, “We are delighted that M.A.D has chosen Singapore as its first overseas location. Singapore is a unique destination in that we have so much to offer kids and parents alike. Within our many world class attractions are opportunities for kids to have fun while learning, thereby truly offering uniquely enriching and memorable experiences for our young visitors. For example, kids can camp overnight at the Underwater World on Sentosa to learn first-hand how different marine life forms co-exist, interact with pink dolphins and learn about marine conservation. Even breakfast can be transformed into a learning experience where children can dine with Orang Utans and discover their eating habits, while they munch on their own egg and toast. Important lessons on the unique attributes of different bird species and how baby birds are bred are some of the elements also incorporated into fun at the Jurong BirdPark. While over at the Science Centre Singapore kids get to experience astronomy by playing with the planets; take part in chemistry experiments and stimulate their young minds at robotics or DNA workshops.”

These are things that make Singapore the ideal destination for families looking for education in an entertaining way - this is why we call Singapore a great edutainment destination.

The special M.A.D in Singapore edition will feature popular locations in Singapore such as Singapore Zoo, Sentosa, Science Centre Singapore, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Flyer, DUCKTOURS, HIPPO bus and much more. Following the format of M.A.D, the episodes will showcase children enjoying their time in Singapore while learning about new cultures, wildlife, birds, science, history and music.

The special M.A.D in Singapore edition begins on Sunday, 11th May onwards at 10.30am. It will be repeated on the same day at 5.30pm and on next Saturday as well. M.A.D in Singapore will continue for six episodes, ending on 15 June 2008.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is an economic development agency for one of Singapore’s key service sectors – tourism. The mission of the Board is to develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore. The STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a memorable destination through the proliferation of the destination brand “Uniquely Singapore”. For more information, visit www.visitsingapore.com/in

About Cartoon Network and POGO:

Turner’s Cartoon Network and POGO are the # 1 and # 2 television destinations for kids in India. Having shaped kids’ television in India, with the launch of Cartoon Network in 1995, Turner created another milestone with the launch of POGO, a multi-genre channel for kids and their families in 2004. Recognised as the resident kids’ experts with a 360-degree presence through successful on-air and on line presence, ground-events, promotional licensing, product licensing, publishing, CD ROMS, etc, Cartoon Network and POGO, with an intelligent mix of live action, movies and animation, offer a complete entertainment package for Indian kids.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Founded in the year 2003 with a view to promote unconventional, offbeat destination & ecotourism for the discerning traveler, SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM has grown into an One Stop Solution to all travel needs and promises to make its presence felt globally through its ambitious expansion plans. As Asad Siddiqui, the CEO of Sofia House of Tourism puts it; “We aim to work commercially for social responsibility as well abide by the stringent laws of Ecotourism.

The focus is to give visitors the opportunity to personally and directly experience nature and provide opportunities to experience nature in ways that lead to a greater understanding, appreciation and enjoyment. Sofia House of Tourism has been nominated by Wild Life Trust of India to Sponsor the Prestigious Award of Venu Menon National Animal Allies Award.

Recently, Sofia had taken part in Travel and Tourism Fair which was held at Mumbai and Delhi in the month of February 2008, Sofia’s unique tour packages receive great response in these metros.

SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM is associated with an array of national and international bodies for exploring delightful destinations across the globe where the dynamic nature rejuvenates the body and mind; the serenity that smears sore; the exotic flora and fauna, the cultural diversity that unfolds the words of contentment for the adventurous soul. According to Siddiqui; “We consistently meet consumer expectations in order to improve and popularize ecotourism through the customer's point of view”.

Sofia House of Tourism is the first tour operator who dared to introduce Polar Expedition in India whether it's Antarctica, Arctic, North Pole, the world's highest point or Greenland. Sofia House of Tourism is the first tour operator which has been given access to the Arctic Ecotourism with an exclusive association with the Family of Warner Brothers (Bathurhust Arctic Services). Sofia House of Tourism is the first in India which got the exclusivity with Green Tracks, USA to let Indians have a view of the Amazon Rainforest.

Sofia House of Tourism has the monopoly to sell some of the packages like Arctic Ecotourism, Amazon River & Rainforest Tour, Machu & Inca’s Trail, Northern Kingdom, Antarctica, Arctic Expedition, North Pole, Greenland, Svalbard, Kamchatka, Patagonia, Iceland, Flying Safari Tour to South Africa, Southern Thailand like Railay / Tonsia, Koh Lao Liang, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Yao Noi, Ao Nang, Similan, Tarutao etc.Laos Ecotourism, Tours beyond Indonesia, Cambodia Ecotourism and Russia

Sofia also has 700+ packages, both leisure and lesser known all over India

Sofia House of Tourism is associated with several social organisations working for nature, wildlife & environment and contributes 10% net profit through membership & donations to the development of nature, wildlife & environment. The company also imparts industrial training to the university students pursuing their degree courses in travel and tourism management with a specialization in Ecotourism FREE OF CHARGE.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM – CORPORATE PROFILE

Holidays are often considered to be an outlet of stress where sightseeing and exploration of new locations elates the spirit of an individual. But with the advent of globalization, every destination has become highly commercialized and tourism is restricted to only what is there in brochures. Understanding this need for offbeat holidays that are more close to nature, the Kolkata based SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM, has emerged as the only exploratory holiday company in India and leader in Worldwide Ecotourism, Off-beat destinations, Artic and Polar Expeditions. Founded in the year 2003 with a view to promote unconventional, offbeat destination & ecotourism for the discerning traveler, SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM has grown into an One Stop Solution to all travel needs and promises to make its presence felt globally through its ambitious expansion plans. As Asad Siddiqui, the CEO of Sofia House of Tourism puts it; “We aim to work commercially for social responsibility as well abide by the stringent laws of Ecotourism.

The focus is to give visitors the opportunity to personally and directly experience nature and provide opportunities to experience nature in ways that lead to a greater understanding, appreciation and enjoyment. Sofia House of Tourism has been nominated by Wild Life Trust of India to Sponsor the Prestigious Award of Venu Menon National Animal Allies Award

SOFIA HOUSE OF TOURISM is associated with an array of national and international bodies for exploring delightful destinations across the globe where the dynamic nature rejuvenates the body and mind; the serenity that smears sore; the exotic flora and fauna, the cultural diversity that unfolds the words of contentment for the adventurous soul. According to Siddiqui; “We consistently meet consumer expectations in order to improve and popularize ecotourism through the customer's point of view”.

Sofia House of Tourism is associated with several social organisation working for nature, wildlife & environment and contributes 10% net profit through membership & donations to the development of nature, wildlife & environment. The company also imparts industrial training to the university students pursuing their degree courses in travel and tourism management with a specialization in Ecotourism FREE OF CHARGE.

Head Office:

5/1B, BALLYGUNGE PLACE (EAST), 1ST FLOOR

KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA P.I.N.: 700019

Tel: +91 33 32542239 / 64552534 / 64570813

Fax: +91 33 24605669

Email: transnetindia@vsnl.net, transnetcal@vsnl.net, transasia_kolkata@rediffmail.com

Website: http://www.lesserknownplaces.org

This is the first-ever endeavour of a travel services company to partly compensate the customers for their travel related inconveniences. The compensation amount would be paid in form of discount that can be availed by the traveler during his subsequent booking through Yatra.com.

Speaking on the service, Dhruv Shringi, Co founder and CEO, Yatra.com, said, “This unique service is for all those air travelers, who are often left stranded at the airport for irregular weather conditions, traffic or technical snag.” He further added “We try to be at the forefront of changing clime of the dynamic travel industry, striving to introduce better and convenient services for air travelers, keeping in mind their needs and valuable time.”

As per the service, customer needs to SMS ‘DELAY’ followed by the PNR No. to 52622 to get the compensation code. To redeem this code, it needs to be typed in the ‘Promotion Code’ field while making the next domestic flight booking with Yatra.com.

In 2007, Yatra.com introduced 'Yatra Trip Guarantee' that helps redressing customer concerns regarding flight delays, baggage loss and trip cancellations. The assurance was to provide cover to domestic travelers with the compensation cost borne by Yatra.com. This new service is an extension to Yatra Trip Guarantee providing reimbursement for not just limited but for all the domestic flights.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Yatra.com

Yatra.com is India's leading Online Travel Company. It's the one-stop-shop for all travel needs. From air tickets to hotel rooms to holiday packages to buses to car rentals, yatra.com has everything to service today's traveler. With yatra.com, you can book tickets over the internet, through their 24x7 customer care centre, Yatra.com Holiday Lounges or by simply using your mobile phone. Yatra.com gives you an access to the best travel deals across a myriad of national and international destinations. It is one of the largest consolidators of hotels in India. Yatra.com provides reservation for 2,500 hotels across 250 destinations in India as well as Indian Hotels. Yatra also has international tie-ups with all the major international airlines and provides real time access to over 90,000 hotels across the world. All products at yatra.com come with a best price guarantee and an assurance of instant bookings. Currently yatra.com is doing average revenue of Rs 80 crores a month and a volume of more than 6,500 air tickets and 300+ hotel room nights per day.

NMIMS University will be providing all the academic inputs to the participants of the Diploma programme, whereas Thomas Cook (India) Limited will be providing the necessary industry exposure to all the participants of this course through guest lectures, workshops etc. Students will also be going through a three month internship with Thomas Cook (India) to get the necessary industry exposure.

Dr. N. M. Kondap, Vice Chancellor of SVKM’s NMIMS University, said that the unique programme is a blend of concept and application. The programme will certainly address issues like quality, services, knowledge enhancement and skill development with specific reference to Tourism.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Prasanth Nair, President and Head of HR, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “It gives us immense pleasure in partnering with NMIMS to develop the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management - Tourism. The course which is open for all will prove as a solution to the acute talent shortage in the travel industry as well as address the need of sharpening the managerial skills of the many professionals within the tourism industry.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About SVKM’s NMIMS University

Established in 1981, as a Management Institute, NMIMS has now transformed itself into a University, with 8 Schools, over 150 full-time faculty members, 42000 books and over 2500 students enrolling every year, transforming from an Institute of single management faculty to a University with many faculty areas. The University is also transforming from a Teaching Institute to Research-Consultancy-Training & Teaching Institute.

NMIMS has taken many new academic initiatives under various Schools like

• School of business Management
• Mukesh Patel School of technology Management & Engineering
• School of Pharmacy & Technology Management
• Balwant Sheth School of Architecture
• School of Commerce
• School of Science
• School of Distance Learning
• Institute of Intellectual Property Studies

Number of innovative Graduate, Post Graduate and Doctorate level programs, meeting the Industry/Business requirement under each school.

Achievements:

• Golden Pecock Award for innovation 2006 & 2007
• BMA Best Management Institute of the Year Award 2004-05 & 2006-07
• BMA Best teacher of Management of the Year Award 2004-05 & 2005-06
• Dr. J J Irani Award for Best Management Institute 2005
• Gurukuljyoti Award for Excellence in Education 2006
• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has accredited an ‘A’ grade with a score between 85-90%.
• Ranked amongst top 10 B-School in Business Today- Nielsen Best B-School Survey 2007 and Outlook-C fore Best B-School Survey 2007
• Ranked amongst Super League B-School in AIMA-Indian Management Best B-School Survey 2007.

NMIMS also be launching Off-Campus Centres at Shirpur, Hyderabad, Bangluru soon.

For further details please visit www.nmims.edu

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited:

Thomas Cook (India) offers a broad spectrum of travel and related services such as package tours, currency exchange and travel insurance as well as hotel and flight reservations. Thomas Cook has been present in India for over 125 years and operates over 160 offices at various locations in the country and has operations in Sri Lanka and Mauritius. It employs close to 2,500 staff and generated income from operations of Rs 2,862 million for twelve months period (Jan 07 – Dec 07). In its initiative to be a ‘One Stop Shop’, the Company offers unique travel products to its customers. During CY07, the Company launched a ‘Thomas Cook Titanium Credit Card’ and a foreign currency Debit Card. It also came up with products designed specially for students traveling abroad for higher studies. The Company was acquired by Dubai Financial Group LLC in 2006. Earlier this month, Thomas Cook Group PLC has agreed to acquire the Company from DFG. Additional information on Thomas Cook (India) Limited is available on the Company website www.thomascook.co.in

According to Mr. Sameer Patil, Marketing Head – India of Arzoo.com, "It is at camp that children are able to forget about their daily busy schedule, school, video games and enjoy the moment of being near God's creation. It is at the camp where children grow and mature in their perspectives and awareness of all that creation teaches." Camp is a teaching ground for social skills, outdoor skills, spiritual development, and team participation. It provides 5 to 6 days of intense interaction with a trainer or camp in-charge. It is during this week that many young people can begin a new beginning, or make decisions that will affect their adult life”, Mr. Patil further adds.

Leadership in the Jungle, Veerappan, The River Pirates, Jungle Survival Skills, Kiddin This Summer are few of the Summer camps organized by Arzoo.com for this summer vacation.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Arzoo.com:

Through Arzoo.com, customers can book Domestic and International Flights, make Hotel Reservations, buy Domestic & International Holiday Packages, and find Exciting Weekend Gateways and also Service Apartments. Apart from offering amongst the best rates in all categories, the unique value proposition of Arzoo.com is that customers have a choice of multiple ways of making travel reservations via the Internet or Mobile Phones or by calling a Toll Free Number (1-800-203-20-20) for 24x7 assistance, or by simply sending an SMS to 567 67 55 mentioning brief travel requirements.

Arzoo also specializes in handling regular travel requirements of corporate customers, including group bookings. Through special deals with major hotels in all categories across India and overseas, Arzoo suits the budget and tastes of all types of customers.

Hong Kong has moved down in the preference ladder and now ranks the third most frequented destination by Indians. It is followed closely by Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai and Las Vegas. Bangalore has replaced New York on the 11 position whereas Beijing has jumped to 16th from 19th destination. This is significantly different from the trend demonstrated by international travellers where most international travellers have continued to show a marked preference for Hong Kong over Singapore and Bangkok. International travellers have also shown a strong preference for Delhi and Mumbai which rank 11th and 16th respectively in the most preferred destination list.

Reacting to the ‘trend report’, Himanshu Singh, Managing Director, Travelocity India said, “Places like Singapore and Hong Kong are all-time favourite international destinations for Indians. Indians are also showing a strong preference towards booking international destinations involving relatively longer travel times.”

Delhi is a close contender to Singapore among Indian’s most frequented destinations and ranks at number two. The report shows that Indians had a significant preference for Asian cities over the US or European popular destinations when it came to hotel bookings online. The report ranks cities based on the number of hotel room nights booked online on Travelocity India until end-December in 2007. This travel trend is very similar to that demonstrated by international travellers who have also shown a strong preference for Asian and Australian cities over the conventional Europe and US tours.

While short durations of stay continue to persist, one night hotel stays have dropped dramatically from 37% in Q3 to 5% in Q4, reflecting greater confidence for longer international bookings on Travelocity.co.in. This reaction is a sharp contrast to the booking patterns demonstrated by travellers from New Zealand, Korea and Australia, where as much as 51%, 38% and 37% of the travellers preferred staying for one night only. 96% of Indian Travellers have stayed for the duration of a week or less in a given destination.

However, short lead times still continue to dominate hotel booking lead times in India. Of the total Asia Pacific hotel bookings made on Travelocity India, 58% of the Indians made the booking in the same week as the travel as compared to 56% during Q3. Travelocity India expects the booking lead time to lengthen for popular destinations with high occupancy, especially with the advent of the summer booking season.

The Q4 Travel Report revealed that travellers are using Travelocity India to book hotels globally as well as domestically. These include some of the world’s top metros like New York, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, London and others.

Himanshu elaborates, “The number of hotel bookings has seen a continuous and robust growth during Q4. Travelocity India offers the largest range of airline options and allows Indians to make real-time bookings online for a wide range of hotel types in India and globally. The trend report reveals that Indians are opting to travel not just domestically but also internationally and with greater confidence. All these travel options are available on Travelocity.co.in for great value, good travel experience and a hassle-free, reliable booking experience. As India’s first global OTA, Travelocity.co.in continues to receive a great response from customers.”

The top twenty destinations booked by travellers in Quarter 4 of 2007 based on hotel room bookings on Travelocity.co.in are:

Rank

Destination

Rank

Destination

1

Singapore

11

Bangalore

2

Delhi

12

New York

3

Hong Kong

13

Phuket

4

Goa

14

Sydney

5

Bangkok

15

Hyderabad

6

Mumbai

16

London

7

Kuala Lumpur

17

Chennai

8

Kolkata

18

Jaipur

9

Dubai

19

Beijing

10

Las Vegas

20

Cochin

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Note to editors:

ABOUT TRAVELOCITY AND TRAVELOCITY INDIA:

Travelocity® is a leading provider of consumer-direct travel services for the leisure and business traveller. It recently celebrated 10 years of success and has spread its know-how around the globe. Based in Dallas/Forth Worth, Texas, Travelocity now owns the leading European online travel company, lastminute.com and leading pan-Asia Pacific online travel company, ZUJI®.

Travelocity is the fifth largest travel agency in the US with significant global presence and has booked USD 10.1 billion worth of travel in 2006. Travelocity was named the "World's Leading Travel Internet Site" for the ninth consecutive year at the 2006 World Travel Awards.

Travelocity operates multiple businesses tailored to customers domestically in the United States of America and internationally, offering a large number of sites in 12 languages. It has a further 44,000+ affiliates in 40 countries.

Travelocity has created a unique niche in the online travel sector. As a champion for customers Travelocity will be able to offer Indian travellers an exceptional travel planning and shopping experience online, great value and choices, safe and secure booking and buying online.

Travelocity India was created in 2007 (www.travelocity.co.in) and offers a full suite of online travel choices and precuts, giving consumers control over their travel planning, and the convenience of online bookings and payment.

In 2005, 2006 and again in 2007, ZUJI® was recognised as Asia Pacific’s ‘Best Online Travel Agent’, as awarded by TTG travel magazines in Asia Pacific. ZUJI was also awarded as the ‘Best Online Travel Agency’ in 2007 by the TravelWeekly (Asia) Industry Awards. In March 2008, Condé Nast Traveler acknowledged ZUJI.com as the ‘winner’ when it comes to booking flights in Asia.

ZUJI gives travellers in Asia Pacific online access to real-time travel bookings for thousands of hotels and hundreds of airlines, as well as bringing cruises, car hire, attraction bookings, package tours and other inspirational travel offers, products and tools online.

ZUJI has teams and/or travel websites in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Korea (‘Nextour’), New Zealand (‘Travelocity New Zealand’), and India (‘Travelocity India’), as well as many ‘Travel Partner Network’ sites throughout Asia Pacific.

ZUJI is owned by Travelocity®, an international leader in online travel. Travelocity books more than $10 billion per year in travel with over $1 billion in revenue. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation, a world leader in travel commerce.

Media Contacts:
Ms. Suparna Ganguly
suparna.ganguly@cmcgindia.com
CMCG India Pvt. Ltd.
Ph- 022 2445 0991, ext 32, 99303 13920
Mr. Siddhartha Singh
siddhartha.singh@travelocity.co.in

Farepool.com is a 24x7 online shop aimed exclusively for travel agents where they can access inventory from specialist suppliers across the world, agents can pick the most profitable fares and earn better margins.

Farepool allows real-time bookings through a state of the art booking engine which is connected electronically with all the suppliers. Agents can put markups and commissions for their customers and even print invoices with their logo and agency details. Intuitive user interface makes becoming a travel agent easier than ever before. Continuing with the list of impressive features, Farepool.com offers flexible payment options where agents can work on prepaid basis or make real-time payments at the time of booking.

Industry watchers have observed that Farepool.com has a unique agent centric approach thatcould go a long way in organizing the highly fragmented travel distribution market in India. The agent community has already recognized this and the launch at Satte ’08 saw as many as 800 bona fide travel agents sign up for an account in just three days.

The response seems understandable, Farepool.com plugs a key gap in the distribution marketplace by its philosophy of “Agent First”, a unique approach where the focus is on getting the agent the best deals on all the products that he may be selling. The agent does not have to maintain cumbersome multiple supplier relationships; he now has a single relationship which gets him the best deals all the time. These are significant benefits for the agents in today’s highly competitive market where any cost savings can be a matter of survival for the agent.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Gaurav Chiripal, CEO, QuadLabs said “We are extremely excited about the B2B space in India, there was for long a need for such an agent centric platform, Farepool.com is a feature rich offering which addresses the key pain areas of the agent community, I am happy with the response that we have been getting.”

Speaking on the challenges of procuring content for Farepool, Mr. Chiripal sounded confident “We already have some great supplier relationships in place which helped us hit the ground running. In the short time since our launch, I have seen keen interest from all the leading suppliers, I am confident we’ll put together a great set of suppliers on Farepool in the next few weeks, everybody is seeing the value in the platform”. Mr. Chiripal added that the idea behind Farepool was simple “we wanted to enable a smoother, faster and more efficient way of doing business for the agent”. Born out of that simple idea, Farepool.com is a promising new service that has the potential of revolutionizing the travel distribution landscape in the country.

It is important to point that Farepool.com is powered by state of the art travel technology from QuadLabs, India’s preeminent travel technology company which serves several market leading enterprises including the likes of Yatra.com.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuadLabs

QuadLabs is premier travel technology specialist offering best in class products and expert custom development services to the travel industry. Incorporated in year 2006,QuadLabs has grown as one of the leading travel technology supplier in the world. Based out of New Delhi, QuadLabs have a team of more than 70 engineers working towards creating next generation technology for the growth of the travel industry.

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Gaurav Chiripal, please call Hammad Ahmad at 99992 66098 or e-mail at hammad.ahmad@quadlabs.com

According to a report released this week prepared by the Association of Chief Police Officers, rising immigration has no reflection on the crime rate. Therefore these initiatives will not be used to deal with supposed high crime levels caused by immigration but rather to benefit foreigners themselves, particularly when it comes to language barriers.

The money will help deal with demands such as £1 million needed to deal with extra translation costs in the Cambridgeshire police. This money will help police deal with issues that involve immigrants that cannot converse in English, whether they are involved in crimes, submitting inquiries or giving reports.

This increased police funding will also be used to hire diverse staff within the police itself through contributing to recruitment costs.

"This mass migration of immigrants ultimately benefits the United Kingdom," says Liam Clifford, Director and founder of www.globalvisas.com, an international visa and immigration authority. He adds that funds like these will be put to good use, especially as Britain welcomes more highly skilled migrants that contribute greatly to the economy.

About 49 000 people entered the UK on the HSMP(Highly Skilled Migrant Programme)system from its initiation in 2002 to November 2006. Many of these people have entered the country for economic reasons and plan to return to their native land at a future date, this has therefore caused hostility towards immigrants to lessen greatly.

These highly skilled workers are in great demand, especially as the United Kingdom is viewed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as the country with the most citizens leaving the UK for abroad. The OECD has reported that as many as 1.1 million UK citizens, with university degrees, have left Britain.

This new fund for emergency use, initially in policing, will be rolled out from 2009 and aims to benefit both the police force and the comfort levels of immigrants in the UK.

www.globalvisas.com supplies those looking to go to the UK with expert advice as to what permit to attain and what route to take. Visit www.globalvisas.com and start the process by completing the online assessment.

Please note that the HSMP permit will be replaced by the TIER 1 programme by summer this year and is already in place in India and migrants already in the UK.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

www.globalvisas.co.in is the Indian arm of www.globalvisas.com the worlds leading authority in Immigration and visa laws across the globe. Our company spans the world with specialist solicitors dealing with Immigration laws in country including. USA, UK, Canada, China, India, Philippines, Australia, South Africa andIreland.

Our clients range from the fortune 100 companies to world "A" list celebrities.