NIMA and Jaipuria School of Business (JSB) have entered into an MoU to enhance career readiness of students in the tourism sector, with a focus on the MICE industry. The MoU was officially signed on 28 May, 2025, marking a significant milestone in industry-academia collaboration. This partnership is designed to enrich student learning through an industry-aligned curriculum, hands-on internships, live projects, and expert-led workshops. The initiative also extends to faculty development and tailored training programmes, reinforcing JSB’s position as a premier management institute specialising in tourism & hospitality. The signing ceremony was attended by distinguished dignitaries from both organisations, including Dr Rajiv R Thakur, Director General, JSB; Dr Tapan K Nayak, Dean, JSB; Gajesh Girdhar, Founder & Chairman, Governing Council, NIMA; Rakesh Arora, Founder, Coordinator, Admin, Finance & Membership, NIMA and Vikas Khanduri, Advisor, NIMA. The MoU was formalised by Gajesh Girdhar, along with Dr Rajiv R Thakur and Dr. Tapan K. Nayak. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to bridge the gap between academic training and industry requirements, ensuring that graduates are future-ready for the dynamic demands of the MICE sector.

Agoda and Tourism Malaysia entered a strategic partnership to position Malaysia as a top travel destination in Southeast Asia, aligning with the national campaign for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026). This partnership aims to leverage Agoda’s digital prowess to highlight Malaysia’s diverse attractions to a global audience.

Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, has revealed that in the next one year, they will launch 10 new international routes, which includes the recently announced Manchester and Amsterdam flights from July. Apart from this, the airline is planning to expand its long-haul network to London, Copenhagen (B787s) and Athens (A321XLR).

Highlighting the association’s vision during its Members’ Meet in Delhi, Ajeet Bajaj, President, ATOAI, said, “We want India to be ranked amongst the best 10 in the world for adventure tourism by 2034. Due to our continued hard work in the past, our ranking has increased to 38 which is not good enough given our potential.”

Highlighting India’s SAF potential at IATA AGM, Amitabh Khosla, Country Director India, Nepal & Bhutan, IATA, said, “There is likelihood of domestically produced SAF in India for airlines from 2026. Air India & Indian Oil have joined global SAF registry. An MoU between NABCB & ISCC will enable certification, clearing rollout hurdles.”

Skål International India officially launched its Jammu & Kashmir Chapter with a special ceremony in Srinagar. This marks a proud moment for the sector as Skål becomes the first tourism association to enter J&K post Operation Sindoor, reinforcing confidence in the region and opening new avenues for tourism growth.

Virgin Atlantic celebrates 25 years of flying in India Virgin Atlantic celebrates 25 years of flying to India and its ongoing commitment to growth in the region. Since first launching flights between London Heathrow and Delhi in July 2000, India is now the airline’s third largest market and has grown from zero to one million seats each year, with five flights daily from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Growth of 350% since 2019. Alongside options for customers, the increase in flying is also a huge boost for cargo operations with additional capacity to support the movement of goods from the fashion, pharmaceuticals and tech sectors. With five daily services, Virgin Atlantic Cargo offers over 53.4 million kg of space to and from India, a 356% increase in capacity versus 2019. Shai Weiss, CEO and Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic marked the occasion this morning, alongside local crew in front of India Gate. Virgin Atlantic’s services offer seamless connectivity and a premium long-haul experience onboard one of the airline’s latest products, the Airbus A350, with 40% of Indian customers choosing to connect via London Heathrow to destinations throughout North America, including the airline’s new service to Toronto, as well as Seattle, San Francisco and New York JFK. In addition, Virgin Atlantic’s partnership with IndiGo, India’s largest airline, offers connections to 34 destinations across India including Varanasi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Goa and Lucknow. Since the launch of the partnership in September 2023, the airlines have connected more than 200,000 customers across codeshare services. Virgin Atlantic continues to invest in its onboard experience for Indian customers. A recent recruitment of Indian based crew ensures that each flight to India will now average three …

“We have seen a 25% increase in ITTA membership so far this year and expect the number to grow further with the target to reach 500 members by the end of this year,” said Satish Sehrawat, President, ITTA. New members from Delhi NCR and Agra have recently joined, reflecting the growing trust in our association, he added.

According to a Thomas Cook India report, Indians from tier-II cities are driving faster growth in the travel industry, exploring both domestic and international destinations. It credits this trend to rising discretionary spending and improved connectivity. Indian travellers’ holiday budgets have surged by 20-50 per cent compared to previous years, it added.

Monish Shah, Founder & CEO, DreamSetGo, said that 80% of their travellers opt for customised packages. “Over the last few years, we’ve built a robust playbook for delivering world-class service at every event. We forge ties with global sports federations, top clubs, hotel providers to offer our fans official & premium access,” he said.