According to VFS Global, the visa application volume from New Delhi registered a 10 per cent year over year growth in 2023. When compared to pre-COVID numbers, visa application volumes from the city reached 82 per cent. Visa application volumes from New Delhi continued to stay strong last year, it added.

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EbixCash Travel, said, “Investments will pour into India, as the focus is rapidly shifting to 100-150 cities, towns, and districts of India. This is where growth will come from, primarily driven by funds that will invest in real estate, hotel projects, convention centers among others.”

Manisha Saxena, DG Tourism, MOT, said, “The decrease in the budget for overseas promotion is merely a technical reduction. There has been an increase in the allocation for domestic tourism. It is a matter of revamping the schemes and using them in tandem for domestic as well as overseas promotion.

Morocco Tourism will organise an exciting webinar to showcase the destination to the travel trade today at 11:30 am. Attendees will learn about Morocco’s rich tourism assets and its experiential offerings for the Indian traveller. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532 to register.

As the government buckles up to boost tourism in Lakshadweep, preserving the eco-system of the archipelago is also one of the concerns. Considering that, nine out of all the tourism development projects in Lakshadweep will have concrete construction but all other structures will be eco-friendly.

Hilton appointed actor Deepika Padukone as the global ambassador of Hilton’s new platform ‘Hilton. For The Stay.’ Highlighting her partnership with Hilton, Padukone said, “I am proud to be partnering with an international brand like Hilton to share the importance of The Stay for Indians worldwide.”

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) introduces K-incentive Scheme 2.0, rewarding  Indian travel agents, who promote tourism in South Korea. The initiative offers prizes and expedites tour visas to boost Indian arrivals in the country. South Korea expects Indian arrivals to rise to 2 lakh in 2024 after the introduction of this initiative.

To boost domestic tourism and inbound arrivals, India needs to frame policies that could introduce uniformity in the sector. Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, believes that it is high time that India should come up with a National Tourism Policy, which will escalate investments and augment tourism’s share in the economy.

CRISIL Ratings estimate a rise of more than 20 per cent in the profit of the domestic airline industry in the next fiscal year. The subsequent increase in profit is being accredited to the surge in passenger traffic, the ability to pass on volatile fuel prices to flyers, and reduced fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.

Bihar’s Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary revealed in the state budget for financial year 2024-25 that the state will provide subsidies on investments for the development of tourism in the state. A subsidy of up to 30 per cent on investments up to ₹10 crore, and the like, according to a press release.