Sunil Kumar, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said, “We intend to highlight focus on TAAI’s role in fostering collaboration between us and the industry, enhancing our relevance to our membership, and becoming the representative voice not only for our members but also for passengers and the broader industry. We must set up our own marketplace in India, which is one of TAAI’s objectives—to create a business network among members for connection and collaboration.”

Highlighting the tourism growth, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Tourism Minister, GoI, said, “The govt is taking decisive steps to decongest bottlenecks and facilitate budget travellers. Our focus on integrating state tourism policies ensures a robust and unified approach to infrastructure development across India. In the past six months, I have witnessed tremendous efforts across states to harness tourism potential. Together, we must work collectively to elevate India’s tourism to new heights.”

Ahead of the Union Budget-2025-26, CII has urged the govt to launch a national and international multi-channel marketing campaign, Incredible India 3.0, to showcase India’s diverse tourist attractions. Brand ambassadors in select countries and setting up special desks in Indian embassies abroad would further promote India Tourism, it said. Tourist safety is crucial for tourism promotion, thus, “Mission Suraksha”, with dedicated tourist police and round-the-clock security at major destinations, should be launched to ensure tourists’ safety and trust.

Skyscanner has observed a significant increase in travel interest for the Maha Kumbh, with elevated booking volumes from 12 January continuing through 26 February aligning with key dates of the holy dip rituals. Notably, 28 January has recorded a staggering 675% increase in booking volume compared to a typical day. The volume of bookings has surged by 1,776%, reflecting the growing enthusiasm to attend this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

India, a prominent exhibitor, showcased its rich cultural and tourism potential at the 45th edition of FITUR 2025 alongside 9,500 companies and 156 countries. Held at IFEMA MADRID, this global event offers a vital platform for fostering tourism collaborations, highlighting India’s growing importance in the international travel and tourism industry.

India recorded an 18% growth in business class travel in H2-2024, emerging as a top destination for global corporates, FCM Travel states. With its strategic importance in global trade and strong economic ties, India continues to attract business travellers. Increased flight capacity, competitive fares, and its appeal as a hub for conferences and meetings have further fuelled this growth, solidifying its position as a key player in the Asia-Pacific travel landscape.

Sharing his expectations from the Union Budget 2025 for the hospitality sector, Vishal Kamat, Chairman, CII Maharashtra Chapter, said, “Our hopes for the Union Budget 2025 revolve around meaningful policy reforms and strategic incentives to stimulate growth. While we applaud the government’s hefty investments in infrastructure, the hospitality sector needs more than just highways and airports.”

Targeting wider expansion, Vikram Cotah, CEO, GRT Hotels & Resorts, said, “Our strategy is to saturate the south. With resorts in Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Wayanad, Mamallapuram, and Puducherry seeing surging demand during peak holiday season, the company wants to ride the leisure boom with more properties in scenic locales, such as its upcoming ultra-luxury property in Pachalur.”

Samual Machado, MD, India and South Asia, Sabre Corporation, has said that NDC and airlines will not kill GDS. “With NDC, we all will be able to consume the content in a manner where we can be relevant till 10-30 years from now. It has no objective of killing the GDS,” he said while speaking at the TAR Convention in Vietnam.

Outlining its expectations from the Budget 2025-26, FHRAI urges the government to introduce reforms that will address the critical challenges faced by the hospitality and tourism sector. It believes these reforms will increase investment, create employment, and support overall economic growth in the industry. FHRAI’s primary recommendation is to grant infrastructure status to hotel and convention center projects with costs starting from ₹10 crore.