Webinar organized by Bird Group for a mindful exchange of ideas and initiatives to steer our industry towards growth and rebuild the future of travel
Bird Group, pioneers of the travel, aviation and hospitality industry, organized a strategic webinar – Rebuilding the Treasures of Travel. Lost but now Found under the Bird Group Leadership Initiative series. The panelists represented global leaders of travel technology, aviation, training and the Ministries of Civil Aviation & Tourism, Government of India and exchanged global perspectives which all could collectively benefit from. As we tread on the path to recovery, from isolation to being reunited, the webinar focused strategically on the role that all stake holders could play to harmonize systems and processes and arrive at a systematic plan to open the skies.
The very interestingly planned webinar, moderated by Mrs. Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, had an eminent panel which included Ms. Mieke De Schepper, Executive Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific, Amadeus; Dr. Shefali Juneja, Permanent India Representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); Ms. Stephanie Siouffi, IATA Training Director, International Air Transport Association (IATA); Mr. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India; Ms. Virginia Messina, Senior Vice President Advocacy & Communications, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The panelists shared a bird’s eye view of challenges created by the pandemic and to find possible solutions to address them through a mindful exchange of thoughts and information on global initiatives.
Speaking at the webinar Mrs. Radha Bhatia, Chairperson said “The Bird Group Leadership Initiative Series was designed to bring great minds together. Travel, Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation are indeed the roots of an economy, industries which were most impacted by the pandemic. This is the first of its series designed to be a stepping stone in that direction. In India per se, research shows that 72% of the travellers are eager to travel and hope to do so in the next year. 95% of Indian travellers are willing to provide personal information and health data for the effective use of digital health passports. It is time to align all forces, to make travel safe and stress-free. It is time to rebuild the industry by creating more and more job opportunities by providing focussed training and skilling. It is now time to prepare for take-off.”
Speaking during the webinar, Mr. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation said “We are already witnessing green shoots of recovery in the aviation sector with the sale of Air India, expansion of IndiGo and a new airline Akasa launching soon. Domestic travel has been picking up and has seen an unprecedented surge in the festive season. It would soon be back to pre-covid level. The government’s decision to restart the visa for international tourists will be a shot in the arm for the travel industry. ”
Highlighting the need for systematic reopening of global aviation sector, Dr. Shefali Juneja, Permanent India Representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said “There is a dire need for a synchronized global reopening of the aviation sector. Uniform travel policy across the globe is the need of the hour to help the traveler have the faith in system again. To foster this, countries have to swiftly move to digitization of health records such vaccination, tests, and other health records. The health records should be intra digitally available in systems to make the travel smooth for the travelers.”
Emphasizing on integrated technology Ms. Mieke De Schepper, Executive Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific, Amadeus said “A confluence of an integrated technology approach, uniform regulations, simplified quarantine and testing rules will help to find solutions to make the international travel smooth for travelers and guidelines manageable for governments.”
With special emphasis on the crucial role of global technology, regulations, training and skilling, the webinar presented a global perspective on the future of travel and the imperative need to rebuild confidence, not just in the industry but also travelers, both incoming and outbound, especially amidst an environment of changing guidelines, rules and restrictions.
About Bird Group:
Founded in 1971 in India, Bird Group is amongst the largest and most diversified group of various entities within the industry. With businesses as diverse as pioneering back-office processing to being the representative for many of the world-leading airlines; from managing the backbone of the technological framework for airline IT and distribution to managing crucial relationships of international service providers, Bird Group has ensured that a comprehensive portfolio of service offering has been created to add value to an extensive client base and add new potential customers. Today, Bird Group’s core business includes Travel Technology, Aviation Services, Hospitality, Retail and Education.
For more details, visit: www.bird.in
![Pune (Maharashtra) [India]: Making Maharashtra proud, Pune's Megha Jadhav has achieved remarkable success at the prestigious national-level beauty pageant 'Tiska Miss & Mrs India 2026' held in Delhi. She made it to the finals and secured the fourth position while competing against talented contestants from across the country. Along with this, she also bagged the 'Best National Costume Award (Gold Category)' for an outstanding presentation of Maharashtra's culture. A Journey of Multitasking and Determination Megha Jadhav, an interior designer by profession, achieved this success while managing her business and fulfilling her family responsibilities as the mother of a three-year-old child. Over the last two to three months, she worked extremely hard for this competition. Through excellent time management and dedication to her dreams, she has achieved success at the national level, setting an inspiring example for women. Glimpses of 'Shaniwar Wada' Architecture Displayed on the National Stage The grand finale, which spanned several days, included a talent round, a national costume round, and several challenging segments that tested general knowledge and analytical skills. Megha gave an impressive performance across all rounds. Notably, as an interior designer and architecture lover, she created a unique concept for the national costume round. She creatively showcased the architecture of Maharashtra's historic symbol, 'Shaniwar Wada,' through her attire, personally hand-painting fine architectural details onto the costume. This unique concept and design were widely appreciated at the national level, winning her the award for 'Best National Costume' (Gold Category). Beating talented contestants from every state of the country, she secured her place first in the 'Top 8' and then in the 'Top 4', ultimately finishing in fourth place. Reflecting on her success, Megha said, "This journey was not limited to winning just one title. It was a journey of hard work, self-confidence, the unwavering support of my family, and self-belief. The love and appreciation that my concept received at the national level mean the world to me."](https://republicnewsindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Megha-Jadhav-of-Pune-Achieves-Great-Success-at-the-National-Level-competition-Tisca-Miss-Mrs-India-2026-218x150.jpg "Megha Jadhav of Pune Achieves Great Success at the National Level; Secures 4th Place and Wins ‘Best National Costume’ Title at ‘Tiska Miss & Mrs India 2026’")
