Loveleen Multani Arun, Founder-Director, Panache World, shared that to entice more women travellers in 2024, “Industry experts might want to consider asking some tour companies who are willing to be certified as ‘Safe tour providers for women’ or some such accreditation based on various criteria such as process, past references etc.” As many stakeholders in the industry are looking forward to catering specifically to women travellers as a distinct segment, such certifications can play a pivotal role in bringing business from women.

As tourism in Nepal is gradually witnessing recovery from the onslaught of Covid-19, India became Nepal’s top inbound tourist market with 25,578 Indians visiting the Himalayan nation in February via air. Nepal Tourism Board claimed the number is on the higher side as many tourists visit the country via land route.

Nishad Wijetunga, President, SLAITO said, “Sri Lanka has lost M!CE tourists to competitors like Thailand and India on minimum room rates as higher standard rooms were available in other countries at lower prices. However, we managed to retain a majority of bookings made before the minimum room rates were imposed last year.”

In a significant development, Tamil Nadu ranked second in foreign tourist visits, with 1.23 million foreign tourists visiting the state. To further increase the numbers by more than 20 per cent, the state government has decided to formulate and implement a creative and brand positioning strategy to target international and domestic markets.

Rajesh Magow, MMT, Chief Executive Officer said, “Inbound is the only significant laggard.” The main reason was that every big domestic market or region in India was doing well along with other issues like visa issuance, low supply of air seat inventory and high airfares, but it is also making its way slowly now, he added.

Sharing her views on how business travel in India is slated for growth, Catherine Logan, Regional Vice President of EMEA & APAC, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), said, “India will fully reach pre-2019 spending levels by 2025 and is likely to reach 120 per cent of its pre-COVID business travel spend by 2027.”

Giving an overview of India’s ‘Hotels & Hospitality’ sector, HVS Anarock revealed that India’s domestic air passenger traffic increased by nearly 5 per cent in January 2024 but the country’s hotel sector saw lower occupancy compared to pre-pandemic levels and continued growth in average rates.

Research on the Indian travel market and shopper behaviour by Swiss research agency m1nd- set revealed that in the next five to six years, the country will be the world’s fourth-largest travel spender. The middle class in India will account for about half of the population by 2030, it added.

At the inaugural Corporate Travel Summit, FCM Travel India said the country’s business travel industry is likely to increase up to US$38.2 billion in 2024. The market saw a remarkable 24.7 per cent hike in 2023, and experts expect an additional 18.3 per cent increase in 2024, reaching the value of US$38.2 billion.

A comprehensive Vision plan for 2024 has been released by FHRAI (Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India) which includes the creation of the Center of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality and the return of the FHRAI Annual Convention from 16-18 October in Goa. The move aims to elevate industry standards, and cultivate excellence.