Tag Archives: India

India and Saudi Arabia have signed a mutual short-stay visa exemption agreement, marking a significant milestone in their bilateral relations. The pact allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passports from both countries to travel visa-free for short stays. The move aims to ease official travel, reduce bureaucratic hurdles and reflect growing trust and cooperation between New Delhi and Riyadh.

Shashank S Mishra, Director, Sports Konnect, noted that inbound sports tourism to India grew nearly 80% year-on-year in 2025, led by travellers from Australia, England, South Africa, and other cricket-loving nations attending marquee events such as the Cricket World Cup and IPL. These visitors extended their stays to 20–25 nights, exploring destinations beyond the traditional Golden Triangle. Despite challenges of supply bottlenecks and inventory constraints, 2025 marked a more mature, experience-driven travel market, setting the stage for deeper, value-led growth in 2026.

Speaking at the 2nd IEIA EventTech & MarTech Summit 2025 in Delhi, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary & Director General, MoT, said India’s MICE sector needs better structural alignment rather than more infrastructure. The ministry’s plan to establish city-level MICE Convention Promotion Bureaus to bring government and industry together, bundle offerings, and enable competitive bidding, he added. Under the model, bids will be endorsed by state governments and matched with central government support, encouraging grassroots-led growth and adoption of technology, including artificial intelligence.

India’s aviation sector is witnessing remarkable momentum, with Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA, confirming that the domestic market in 2025 is now 32% larger than in 2020. Speaking at a media roundtable in Geneva, he highlighted India’s expanding airport network and over 1,500 aircraft on order, calling it one of the world’s most exciting aviation markets. He credited strong infrastructure investment for enabling this rapid growth despite rising demand pressures.

India is set to make travel significantly easier for Russian visitors with the introduction of a free 30-day e-tourist visa, which is expected to encourage more Russian travellers to visit India, reducing both cost and paperwork and a free 30-day group tourist visa, making it easier for travel agents and tour operators to bring Russian groups to India. The initiative is part of a broader effort to expand tourism and cultural engagement between the two countries at a time when Russia is seeking new travel partners, and India is diversifying inbound tourism markets.

Rail Europe recently hosted its key accounts from India and the GCC on an exclusive familiarisation trip across Switzerland and Germany, to strengthen partnerships and spotlight the seamless connectivity and flexibility of exploring Europe by train. Participating partners included Veena World, Kesari, Thomas Cook/SOTC, TBO.COM, Ottila International, Riya Holidays, Amigo Travels, and Satguru. Lufthansa served as the airline partner for the trip.

India’s hospitality sector is witnessing one of its strongest growth phases, driven by rising investor confidence in the country’s hospitality industry across institutional investors and family offices. According to Xander Nijnens, Senior MD, JLL Hotels & Hospitality, and Gaurav Sharma, Managing Director, Hotels India, the sector is witnessing record levels of signings and transactions. This heightened activity is significantly boosting industry performance and overall market momentum.

Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, announced that the airline will soon launch operations from India to Sharjah. “We are currently evaluating two or three markets for Sharjah,” he said, adding that destinations such as Tashkent, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam are also being explored keeping in view the growth opportunities.

India’s hospitality sector is poised for a record year-end, driven by 4.5 million weddings, strong business travel, and robust MICE demand expected in November and December. Hotel rates and occupancy are projected to surpass 2024’s highs. Rikant Pittie, CEO & Co-founder, EaseMyTrip, said bookings are nearly 14% higher than last year, with strong advance demand for group and long-stay itineraries.

India recorded its highest foreign tourist arrival (FTA) growth from Somalia, with a 144% surge between 2019 and 2024, according to Ministry of Tourism data. Somalia’s arrivals rose from 5,044 in 2019 to 12,320 in 2024, marking the only triple-digit growth. The other top growth markets included Cambodia (81%), Kazakhstan (72%), Vietnam (61%), and Bhutan (47%).