Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI said, “The more people can move freely, the better it is for the industry. I wish the Indian government would take a leaf out of their books and look at creating a visa on arrival for as many nationalities as possible. Even waiving it for some, if we want to attract inbound tourists. Inbound tourism to India has been slow in recovery; we are nowhere near our pre-COVID levels.” 

Post-COVID, the Average Room Rate (ARRs) have skyrocketed even for budget properties across the country. Pratima Badhwar, Head of Commercial – India & South, Asia, Accor said, “India was the most under sold market. With the kind of products that we have, the service we deliver, one cannot get hotels in $80-100 anywhere. I think a good takeaway of COVID is that we are getting the rates corrected for the country.” 

Pradeep Shetty, President, Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI & Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), said, “At present, Lakshadweep operates only one or two flights weekly with limited seat capacity using ATRs. There’s an urgent need to augment flight frequency and upgrade airport facilities, including larger runways for accommodating bigger aircraft. Simultaneously, augmenting room inventory is crucial.” 

Onora Hospitality’s boutique luxury wellbeing hospitality venture Bookmark Resorts, which was launched in May 2023 with its first resort in Manali, has recently opened its second property. The Bookmark Jogi Mahal Resort in Ranthambore is a newly constructed boutique luxury resort spread across a 3.74-acre area. Regarding this development, Onora Hospitality’s Founder & CEO Mr Ashish Vohra said, “Our endeavour through the Bookmark Resorts brand is to offer transformative getaways so that people can move away from the hustle bustle of city life and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of nature. Our new property in Ranthambore fits this description perfectly. While it is a cosy, luxury base for wildlife enthusiasts who want to explore the National Park, it also offers a holistic wellbeing getaway experience that will make the guests feel good inside out.” There are 40 rooms at Bookmark Jogi Mahal Resort: 19 Luxury Rooms with a heated plunge pool and 21 Deluxe Rooms without the plunge pool. The rooms, with plush furnishing in soothing earthy tones and soft lighting, offer guests a world of tranquillity and understated luxury. Each room has a private balcony, a sprawling bathroom with an indoor as well as an outdoor open-air shower area and all state-of-the-art amenities. There is also a twin-bedded disabled-friendly room at the Resort. According to Mr Vohra, “The entire Resort gives you a sense of opulence and space, right from the massive lobby to the wide corridors to the spacious rooms and bathrooms to the spectacular banquet hall and restaurant as well as the central lawn around which the rooms are located.” The Resort has a multi-cuisine restaurant, which can seat 80 guests indoor and 40 al fresco. There is …

Air Arabia in partnership with Kazin DMC announced a 9-city roadshow to promote Kazakhstan. The roadshow will start from 8th January 2024 till 25th January 2024 and will cover Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cochin & Thiruvananthapuram. Air Arabia’s seamless flight connection along with Kazakhstan’s gaining popularity as a fast and upcoming tourist destination in the short haul market is a key motive for this roadshow to encourage and educate key travel partners to promote the destination using Air Arabia’s flights.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has partnered with Sabco Sports to increase the reach of the event and promote Oman’s potential to become the next great sports and adventure tourism destination. Scheduled on 26-27 of January, the event has grown to become Oman’s biggest run and now aims to capture a growing global audience seeking exciting tourism experiences. Haitham bin Mohammed Al-Ghasani, the Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, affirmed, “The tourism sector experienced remarkable growth in 2023, and we foresee the continuation of this positive trend. Sports tourism events constitute a fundamental strategic pillar embraced by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to enhance inbound tourist traffic to the Sultanate of Oman. The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon holds a prominent position in the ministry’s tourism calendar for 2024, serving as a catalyst for attracting international participants, alongside the active participation of local runners from across the Sultanate. Our enduring objective is to showcase Oman’s culture, beauty, and unique experiences, emphasizing its capacity to host a diverse array of tourism events to appeal to various types of travelers. This event significantly contributes to promotional, economic, and social gains, leading to the diversification of the economy through sports tourism activities.” “We are very proud to partner with the Ministry of Heritage of Tourism and excited to introduce Oman to new audiences and encourage more people to visit this amazing country using the mass appeal of sport. With awe-inspiring nature, authentic charm and world class facilities, Oman continues to develop a reputation for being a vibrant destination for local and international tourists and can play a role in developing a thriving tourism sector in the …

Nancy Dai, Insights Experts, Forwardkeys said, “Travellers in Asia Pacific tends to stay longer than they did in the past. The length of stay of over 9 nights has increased by 7 per cent compared to 2019. This likely means that they will spend more during their stay and the economy recovery is going to happen faster than in visitor volumes.”  

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed that initially launched at five airports, excluding Chennai, DigiYatra expanded to eight more, operating in 13 Indian airports, servicing 85% of domestic passengers. With 35 million app downloads and 91 lakh uses, plans for 2024 include integrating 25 additional airports, encompassing 96% of passengers, up from the existing 85%. 

After one year of successful operations, ITA Airways has increased the number of flights to 7, allowing for a daily flight on the Delhi to Rome route. Fabio Bigotti, Country Manager-Japan and India, ITA Airways, said, “We are keenly interested in the Indian market and, based on aircraft availability, we are evaluating connections to other cities. Mumbai holds significant importance for us, and currently, we are assessing the possibility of establishing operations in a city outside Delhi.” 

Speaking at the MOT’s industry roundtable on developing India as a MICE destination, Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, Ebixcash Travel Services, advised the Ministry of Tourism to regulate companies that send people abroad for incentive travel. This trend results in significant losses for the exchequer, particularly concerning the outflow of foreign exchange.