According to MMGY, Indian outbound travellers still rely heavily on traditional planning methods, especially for complex international trips. Despite increased digital savviness, travel agents remain crucial for curated, multi-destination itineraries and group tours

Accor and InterGlobe have strengthened their partnership to create India’s fastest-growing hospitality enterprise. The collaboration targets 300 hotels under Accor brands by 2030. They will jointly invest in Treebo, becoming its largest shareholder, and lead the development of Ibis and Mercure brands in India through a master license agreement. 

Signalling good times ahead for hospitality students, the hospitality placements at IHM Pusa Road have jumped from 20% to 49% this year. Principal Pant said, “Over the past four to five years, it was disheartening to observe that only about 20% of our students were entering core hospitality roles — in hotels, quick-service restaurants, and related sectors — while nearly 75% of the rest were moving towards retail, e-commerce, consulting, and other industries. This year, however, marks a turning point. Thanks to the industry’s commitment and the attractive opportunities being extended— 49% of our students are now stepping directly into core hospitality careers.”

Foreign exchange inflows from tourism in India hit a record $10.1 billion in Q3 2024-25, according to RBI. This marks a strong rebound from the pandemic slump, surpassing the pre-Covid high of $8.6 billion in Q3 2019-20. The rising trend highlights India’s growing appeal as a global travel destination and the sector’s contribution to the economy.

Telangana government has announced incentives under the Tourism Policy 2025-2030, offering 50% SGST reimbursement for five years to attract investments, excluding hotels and resorts. Aiming for ₹15,000 crore investments and three lakh jobs, the policy focuses on eco-tourism, medical tourism, spiritual tourism, MICE tourism, and sports tourism. 

To boost tourism and streamline visa processing, South African Tourism has launched the Trusted Tour Operator (TTO) Scheme. This initiative accelerates visa approvals for Indian group and MICE travellers, ensuring processing within three days. With 14 Indian operators onboard, phase two aims to expand participation and provide agent training.  

Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airlines from Malaysia Aviation Group said, “We anticipate surpassing our FY24 targets in FY25, with a projected 1.3 million passengers from India, representing a 14% year-on-year growth. Our Indian routes have shown robust performance, recording an 88% load factor in metro cities and 86% in tier-two cities. Kolkata is expected to play a crucial role in driving this growth.”    

Los Angeles Tourism is hosting a series of webinars for the travel trade starting from 20 March at 3pm IST, showcasing latest tourism offerings. Participate in the quiz to gain valuable tourism insights and updates and stand a chance to win prizes. For more information or to register, please contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.  

Vualnam, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said, “The RCS UDAN has introduced 619 routes, transforming aviation from an exclusive to an inclusive mode of travel. India’s air passenger numbers have doubled in a decade to 22 crores and are projected to reach 40 crores in five years, making airport development a priority.”

India’s business travel sector is set to return to pre-2019 spending levels by 2025, as per the latest GBTA Business Travel Index report. Business travel spending in 2024 reached $38.3 billion, ranking India 8th globally and 4th in APAC. The report highlights India’s strong economic recovery, rising corporate earnings and growing demand for in-person business meetings as key growth drivers.