The Matsya Utsav 2024, scheduled from  25-27 November 2024, promises to be an extraordinary three-day celebration in Alwar, Rajasthan. This grand cultural festival seeks to highlight the region’s rich history, artistic traditions, and diverse culture while positioning Alwar as a prominent tourism hub in Rajasthan. A Glimpse into the Festivities The Matsya Utsav is designed to offer a holistic cultural experience, combining traditional performances, artistic exhibitions, adventure activities, and culinary delights. Visitors can look forward to a variety of events that showcase the essence of Rajasthan: Traditional Performances: Local folk dances like Ghoomar and Kalbelia, alongside vibrant music, will immerse attendees in the heart of Rajasthani culture. Art Exhibitions: Regional artists will display their paintings, sculptures, and intricate handicrafts, offering a unique insight into the artistic heritage of the region. Live Craft Demonstrations: Visitors will witness live demonstrations of traditional crafts like pottery, weaving, and jewelry making, directly from the artisans. Adventure Activities: The event will also feature guided cycling and trekking tours through the picturesque Aravalli Hills, as well as water sports at Siliserh Lake. Rajasthani Food Stalls: A feast for the senses, the festival will offer authentic local delicacies like Dal Baati Churma, Ghevar, Kadhi Kachori, and the famous Alwar ka Mawa. Heritage Tours: Visitors will explore the historical landmarks of Alwar, such as Bala Quila (Alwar Fort) and the City Palace. Live Music Concerts and Photography Contests: A blend of traditional and contemporary performances, along with contests capturing Alwar’s natural beauty, will add to the festival’s charm. The Purpose of the Matsya Utsav The Matsya Utsav serves multiple purposes that extend beyond just being a celebration of culture. The festival aims to: Boost Local Tourism: By showcasing …

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has officially announced the dates for its upcoming convention, scheduled to take place from 17 to 20 January 2025 in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. The event aims to bring together industry leaders, travel professionals, and key stakeholders for insightful discussions and networking opportunities. Registrations for the convention will open on 25 November 2024, with a special early bird offer available from 25 to 29 November 2024.

Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO, ixigo, revealed a surge in travel during the wedding season. “Indian travellers are on the move this wedding season, with around 35 lakh weddings expected across India between 23 November and 15 December 2024. Flight bookings to major metro hubs and top leisure destinations like Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Jaipur, and Goa are seeing a strong 70-80% YoY increase,” he said. 

VisitBritain is hosting ‘Destination Britain Middle East and Asia’ trade mission for the first time in India from 20-22 November in Bengaluru. The event brings together UK tourism suppliers and over 70 buyers from India, the GCC, Japan, and South Korea. The mission aims to drive visitor spending across the UK by showcasing Britain’s tourism products and regional offerings. 

Pasang Dorjee Sona, Tourism Minister, Arunachal Pradesh, said, “We are still in the process of framing the tourism policy. The government is committed to fostering sustainable tourism. While inviting people to explore our natural treasures, we must also protect our fragile ecology. This balance is a major focus as we develop the policy. The policy is not finalised yet, but we are optimistic about having it ready by the end of next month.” 

Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director, Tourism Australia, said, “Inbound aviation capacity between Australia and India recovered quickly after international travel resumed and now sits well above 2019 levels. By December 2024, aviation capacity will be 333% of what it was in December 2019, with 26 flights per week between the two countries, compared to just 8 flights per week in 2019.” 

In a significant move, Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, during his visit to Vientiane in October 2024, proposed the year 2025 to be celebrated as the “ASEAN-India Year of Tourism” , committing a substantial USD$5 million towards this initiative. This declaration has been warmly received by various sectors of the Indian tourism industry, particularly the “Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA)” , who have long championed India’s rise as a global hub for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE). NIMA (Network of Indian MICE Agents) announced 2025 as the “Year of MICE Tourism,” emphasizing India’s growing leadership in the global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector. This initiative aligns with the vision to position India as a premier destination for global conferences and events, offering world-class venues and rich cultural experiences. NIMA aims to foster collaboration between government, travel professionals, and global stakeholders to elevate India’s presence in the MICE industry. This declaration reflects NIMA’s continued commitment to promoting India’s excellence in MICE tourism worldwide. NIMA’s efforts have consistently been aligned with the national agenda to elevate India’s standing in the global travel and tourism industry. In this spirit, NIMA recently celebrated a decade of progress, commemorated by the ” World MICE Tourism Day ” on 21st June. With 2025 on the horizon, NIMA fully supports the Prime Minister’s initiative to take the Indian travel fraternity to new heights. A Vision for a Global MICE Day Vikas Khanduri, Advisor to NIMA, emphasized that India’s potential as a global MICE hub is immense, especially when considering the synergies between tourism and large-scale business events. According to him, India is perfectly positioned to lead the global conferencing business due to its …

Leading global travel app Skyscanner has published its latest industry travel report exploring the latest trends in travel. Titled ‘Skyscanner Horizons: 2024/5 spending, planning and destination insights’, the report unpacks and explores a combination of consumer survey and proprietary search data to provide the industry with a unique view of how travellers are thinking about their plans for the next 12 months. Surveying 19,000 consumers across 16 markets, the report delves into key indicators such as travel propensity, spend, trip type, and the trip planning process, including the top sources of destination inspiration, AI use and views on overtourism. Of the total, there were 6,000 survey respondents from APAC countries — Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Skyscanner’s search data further complements these insights by offering details on destination choice, average lead times, average trip length and year-on-year search volume comparisons. Indian travellers are leading the charge in the APAC region, with 66% planning to travel more in 2025. Overall, across the APAC region, travel and travel expenditure remain a priority, with 80% of travellers planning to take as many, if not more, trips next year than in 2024. Key findings relevant to the APAC region summarised below. Travellers seeking out collective experiences Across the board, travel behaviour is being shaped by a desire for collective experiences, from sports events and immersive art installations to gaming “pilgrimages” that bring people together. Seven travel trends were identified, consisting of Sport mode, Astro Adventurers, Reset Jetters, Art-Venture, Cowboy Core, Horti-Culture and Gami-Vacation. Travel remains priority, with travellers expecting to spend more Travel Spend: Across APAC, 72% of travellers are planning to spend more or the same on flights in 2025 versus …

Fly24hrs was awarded the ‘Best Business Travel Platform’ award at the India Travel Awards. Expressing his gratitude, Vaseem Parvez, Vice President (Sales & Operations) at Fly24hrs, said, “I dedicate this award to all my travel partners and my team. Their hard work and commitment to excellence have paid off, and this award is a testament to their success. We have been operating this B2B platform for the last four years.” 

Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir, calls for a more sustainable and visitor-focused approach in the UT’s tourism sector. He highlights the importance of shifting tourism efforts from high volume to high value, emphasising quality over quantity. “There is a need to treat tourism as a structured, long-term endeavour, rather than an ad-hoc activity, by adopting a tourist-centric perspective. We need to enhance the tourist experience, so visitors are more likely to revisit and recommend J&K as a destination,” he said