Bird Group won the ‘Best Aviation Group in India’ award at the India Travel Awards 2025. Receiving the award, Praful Khosla, Executive Vice President, said, “This award is a great motivation for us. Our constant endeavour is to establish new routes, bring global airlines into India market, and actively collaborate with the travel fraternity to deliver the best products and experiences to the country.”

CB Ramkumar, Vice Chair, GSTC, says sustainability will soon become the default standard in global travel and hospitality, with certified practices expected as the norm. Reflecting on 2025, he describes the year as one filled with “optimism and great hope”, noting that the industry is rising to global sustainability challenges. He remains confident about hotels accelerating their sustainable transformation.

Sharing the Travel & Expense Survey insights at the first-ever Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) India Summit, Ravi Sattavan, Director & India Lead, Large & Mid-Market Segment, Commercial Solutions, Visa, revealed that 69% of buyers have seen higher domestic business travel in the past year, while 68% report an uptick in international corporate travel within their programmes. Premium travel is rising too, while blended travel gains momentum with more employees extending work trips for leisure.

Addressing the 13th International Tourism Mart virtually, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Tourism Minister, said the Northeast has undergone a major transformation with huge investments in airports, highways, railways and digital connectivity under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Air traffic has surged from 9.8 million passengers in 2019 to 11.2 million in 2024, the highest ever for the region.

In commemoration of International Men’s Day, GRT Hotels & Resorts hosted an interactive session as part of its proprietary wellness initiative, GReaT Being. The initiative aimed to prioritise men’s health and increase awareness of critical health issues. The flagship event, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Suites GRT Chennai, featured an expert session led by Dr Vikas Mahajan, a veteran in the field. The discussion primarily revolved around causes and preventive measures for Prostate Cancer. The session saw active participation from all employees across 21 GRT properties and the Corporate Office, fostering a culture of proactive health management across the entire organisation. The event was also open to hotel guests, extending the health awareness initiative to the wider community. GReaT Being is our brand IP where we focus on wellness and health of our guests and colleagues,” said Vikram Cotah, CEO, GRT Hotels & Resorts. “We found it time-bound to discuss this particular topic — which is a silent killer and growing — to ensure our colleagues are informed and empowered to prioritise their well-being.” Through such focused events, GRT Hotels & Resorts continues its commitment to embedding health and well-being into its corporate culture, benefiting both its employees and the communities it serves.  

As part of Indonesia’s final major promotional activity of 2025, the ‘Wonderful Indonesia Business Matching’ event has been organised in Delhi by the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia and the Indonesian Embassy in Delhi. 23 Indonesian tourism suppliers, including hotels, travel services, and hospitality brands, participated in building deeper collaboration with the Indian travel trade. Addressing the event, Erwin Muhammad Akbar, Minister Counsellor (Economic), Embassy of Indonesia in New Delhi, said, “India ranks within the top five international visitor markets to Indonesia, underlining its growing importance for the country’s tourism strategy.” He said, “The Ministry of Tourism aims to attract 740,000 Indian travellers this year, pushing aggressive promotions in the final months to meet the target. The introduction of e-visa on arrival has eased travel, and we hope to include India in our upcoming free-visa list to boost visitor growth further.” “Direct flights currently link Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to Bali and Mumbai to Jakarta, with a Delhi–Jakarta service likely to be announced shortly,” he stated and added that from Bali, Yogyakarta and Lombok to Labuan Bajo and Lake Toba, the country promotes varied experiences including wellness, ecotourism, culture, and adventure.

Niljyoti Travel Agency won the ‘Best Car Rental Company’ award at the India Travel Awards 2025. Receiving the award, Sanjib Acharjee, Founder, said, “Since 2007, we’ve pioneered efforts to showcase Tripura’s culture, scenic beauty, and heritage. This award is a proud testament to our commitment to transforming Tripura and the Northeast into must-visit destinations on India’s vibrant tourism map.”

Dheeraj Ranjan Kumarr, Founder, Balitrip Wisata, said, “We are excited to announce the launch of our Philippines DMC today. We will be introducing it aggressively to our partner network across India. After the successful launch of Sri Lanka, this marks our second major destination expansion.” Kumarr added, “As a pioneer in Bali operations, we are now extending the same expertise, reliability, and innovation that define us into the Philippines. Our goal is to give Indian agents a trusted regional partner for Southeast Asia with curated experiences and strong on-ground support.”

Tshering Thendup Bhutia, Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Sikkim, said, “The state government has been working closely with local tourism stakeholder associations, recognising them as key drivers in promoting the state’s tourism growth. We have plans to develop tourism in the state across new segments, including MICE, wellness, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and wedding destinations.” Bhutia added, “These initiatives aim to broaden the state’s tourism offerings while strengthening partnerships with industry players to ensure sustainable and inclusive development.”

Addressing the 13th International Tourism Mart in Gangtok, Sikkim via a virtual message, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Tourism Minister, said that hotel infrastructure in the Northeast is expanding at record speed, with over 3,000 new branded hotel keys expected across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura, and Nagaland by 2030, reflecting strong investor confidence in the region.