Myong Kil Yun, Regional Director for India and SAARC Countries at the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), expressed enthusiasm about India’s momentum, targeting a record-breaking 200,000 Indian travellers this year. Recently, they conducted a series of roadshows in Bengaluru and Mumbai, showcasing diverse experiences from cultural performances to leisure and MICE opportunities, aiming to achieve this ambitious goal.

Booking.com unveiled how Indian travellers plan their trips in Travel Trends for 2024. According to the report, 61% of travellers book flights and 37% book event tickets well in advance. Car rentals, restaurant reservations, and even taxis are either booked along with the accommodation or left until closer to the trip date.   

Dato’ Muzafar Shah Mustafa, High Commissioner of Malaysia in India, said, “We hope that the visa-free program we’re offering to India will be reciprocated by the Indian government, granting visa-free access for Malaysians. There’s significant interest among Malaysians to explore India, and such reciprocity would be greatly appreciated.” 

Skyscanner’s report finds that nearly 3 in 4 Gen Z travellers meticulously plan their first international trips, with 76% arranging itineraries and 73% booking return tickets in advance. Over half (51%) prioritize budget-friendly flights and accommodations, for their first overseas trip, indicating a strong emphasis on financial planning among this generation. 

The European Union (EU) has adopted a new visa system called the “cascade” regime specifically for Indian nationals. Indian citizens can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years. This is a significant improvement compared to potentially shorter-validity visas offered previously. To qualify for the two-year visa, applicants must have obtained and lawfully used two Schengen visas within the previous three years. 

Naveen Kundu, MD, Ebixcash Travel has said that the travel corporate tax paid by corporations in India has grown by 160% over the last 10 years. Net direct tax collection has surged by 160% to ₹16,63,686 crores, indicating increased profitability among corporations. With the corporate tax rate slashed to 25% from the previous range of 30-35% announced in 2015, business houses now have an additional 10% from their theoretical revenues to allocate towards employee expenditures.  

Malaysia plans to build Southeast Asia’s largest integrated circuit design park and will offer incentives including tax breaks, subsidies and visa exemption fees to attract global tech companies and investors, the government said. Malaysia is aiming to turn Kuala Lumpur into a regional digital hub, with the goal of being among the top 20 countries in the global startup ecosystem index by 2030.  

The Thai government’s target of 3.5 trillion Baht in tourism revenue this year, with the aim of earning even more in the coming years, will be achieved through five strategies. The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, stated that these strategies align with the government’s policy to transform Thailand into a global aviation hub, capable of handling more than 150 million air travellers annually by 2030. 

Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President, EMEA & APAC – GBTA, said, “Business travel spends coming from India is around USD 33 billion per year. This is set to grow by 12% in 2024. We see a rise in blended travel with 79% of business travellers from India extending their work trips for leisure. This figure is much higher than that for APAC, but they are similar to global figures.” 

Ravi Gosain, Vice President, IATO said, “Last-minute cancellations are causing problems for the clients. Around 20-25% passengers are facing issues with last-minute flight cancellations and increased airfares of alternative flights due to last-minute bookings. Although Vistara is refunding or offering adjustments to other flights, the itineraries of our passengers are being disrupted. Vistara should inform passengers at least 10 days in advance of flight cancellations. We are not currently recommending Vistara for booking to any of our passengers.”