Fabio Bigotti, Country Manager, ITA Airways, highlighted India as a priority market. “Despite the challenges in 2025, we see encouraging results in terms of growth with a consistent demand that confirms the strength of our strategic choices. India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, driven by a rapidly expanding economy, improved infrastructure, and increasingly flexible aviation policies.” Bigotti added, “The current demand between India and Italy shows significant potential supported by growing business ties, a dynamic tourist flow, and a rising number of premium customers. Our focus is to meet this demand by offering the best possible services to India’s most discerning passengers.”

Alejandro de la Osa, CEO, Europamundo Vacations, said, “Indian travellers now spend 10–12 nights per trip, up from nine nights pre-pandemic, reflecting their desire to maximise value from flights.” He added, “For the Indian market, we have five new itineraries with Indian meals at Jungfrau, Euro Disney, and key stops, offering full dinners and lunches.”  

Cancelling air tickets just hours before departure may soon allow up to 80% refund as India plans built-in travel insurance within 2-3 months. Aviation secretary is consulting carriers on airline-funded premiums. The DGCA is also revising refund rules to make airline ticket refunds more passenger-friendly, addressing frequent complaints over delays, partial refunds, and restrictive policies.

Addressing the FPO–Hospitality & Farmers’ Benefit Summit 2025, organised by the FHRAI, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary & Director General, Ministry of Tourism, said India needs a fast-tracked, structured farmer–hotel partnership architecture. Such a model, he noted, would accelerate the Government’s vision while uplifting rural livelihoods and strengthening tourism-driven value chains. 

Blingbird has been recognised with the Pioneers in Unique & Experiential Luxury Travel award at the India Travel Awards 2025. Puja Bansal, Founder, said, “This award is a reminder that recognition comes with responsibility. It inspires us to keep pushing boundaries and creating seamless experiences that turn luxury travel into meaningful stories worth living.”

India has widened Visa-on-Arrival access for UAE nationals to nine airports — Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Cochin, Calicut and Ahmedabad — responding to rising UAE visitor numbers and strengthening bilateral relations. Only UAE passport holders with a previous Indian e-Visa or regular visa qualify, allowing multiple annual visits and stays up to 60 days.

A Google-commissioned Kantar report highlights a decisive shift in Indian travel preferences, with 72% of travellers less worried about cost and 81% planning to splurge on comfort and value. The trend accelerates overseas where average spending has risen to 3.2 times that of a domestic trip, signalling strong demand for premium travel experiences.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister, chaired the ninth pre-Budget consultation with 17 tourism and hospitality stakeholders in New Delhi. The meeting, also attended by Pankaj Chaudhary, MoS, Finance; Secretaries of the Department of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Tourism, and the Chief Economic Adviser, is being hailed as a significant step, with the Finance Ministry actively adopting stakeholders’ recommendations ahead of Budget 2026–27.

Kesari Tours has been named Best International Tour Operator of the Year at the India Travel Awards for the second consecutive year. Himanshu Patil, Director, said, “This award truly means a lot to us and motivates us to serve the travel community better. We are excited for 2026, with four new offices and a brighter year ahead.”

Speaking at the ‘Wonderful Indonesia Business Matching’ event in Delhi, Erwin Muhammad Akbar, Minister Counsellor (Economic), Embassy of Indonesia in New Delhi, 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 further boost visitor growth.”