India continues to have the largest share of inbound travellers to the APAC region, at 24.4% of total arrivals in Q1 as of 11 March. Not a bad result when considering the air ticketing data from ForwardKeys shows that international arrivals in APAC in Q1 was down by 86%. However, in terms of recovery India as a destination is performing at -59% vs 2019. The best performing region in APAC for on-the-book arrivals is Pakistan with a 0.2% increase vs the same period in 2019. The Maldives and Bangladesh are also showing strong signs of resilience.

Travel trade In India can learn to sell Europe, America, Asia and Australia again. Get the on-ground situation report and updated travel protocols of these destinations in Hindi at the Thomas Cook webinar today at 3pm IST. To register, contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532. Register directly at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/385/8v79mirn  

Dame Judith Macgregor, Chair, British Tourist Authority (BTA), has said that with travel to UK from India resuming, the MICE business and group travel will also resume soon. “The Indian travel trade representatives I met in Dubai also want that. We are partnering with a many people to put out good messages focused on the MICE market. We had MeetGB recently and there are a number of great locations across Britain to hold events,” she said.  

Travel has completely transformed post pandemic. It is important to focus on innovation and developing new sustainable products. The true focus lays on creating innovative products and experiences for travellers and consumers. So, 63% of travel and trade professional are keeping an eye on building product and services which are fundamental for businesses, says Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research at Euromonitor International.

IHCL announced a framework to drive its sustainability and social impact measures under Paathya. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India, G Kishan Reddy, said “Sustainable and responsible tourism is the way forward and the Government of India is already working in this direction. The government and the industry together are exploring ideas, solutions, and strategies to face the environmental and societal challenges. I applaud IHCL for its holistic approach of Paathya and for leading the path for the sector.”

Kerala Tourism launched its 24×7 WhatsApp chatbot ‘Maya’ to enable tourists to access all information and updates about the tourism ecosystem in the state. Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said “Maya will serve as a virtual travel assistant for tourists to ask and get complete information they need for a hassle-free travel experience in the state”. 

Fortune Hotels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, has signed two new operating agreements for hotels in popular leisure destinations of Kalimpong (West Bengal) and Kufri (Himachal Pradesh). With this addition, the group enhances its brand-print in the country and further boosts its leisure portfolio and inventory.

ForwardKeys has revealed that Tickets for travel to key APAC destinations are on the rise. And it is India leading the way forward. India has recovered 80% of 2019’s level in the week of 5th March 2022. “The success behind India’s reactivation is the fact that India had announced in advance its reopening plan for this year, generating awareness and interest,” says Nan Dai, Market Analyst at ForwardKeys.

In a study commissioned by Travelport and conducted by Toluna Research with thousands of respondents from seven different countries, has revealed that on average, travellers visit a whopping 38 different websites before booking their trip. “While the last two+ years have been a significant challenge, the global travel industry recovered more than 50% of its gross activity by the end of 2021,” said Jen Catto, Chief Marketing Officer for Travelport.

Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director, International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa), Tourism Malaysia, speaking at the 4th edition of Gulf Travel Show has said that they are looking at confidence building as they are now ready to welcome back tourists as they are opening the borders from 1stApril, 2022. He also revealed that 90% of their population has been fully vaccinated and have even got the booster dose.