Rakesh Verma, Additional Secretary, Tourism, has said that after the post-budget webinar, it was visible that tourism cannot move forward without convergence because it’s a cross-sectoral thing as it has many more domains and support of many other departments is necessary.

Sudesh Poddar has been elected as the President of FHRAI for 2022-2023 at the association’s 66th AGM at The Lalit, New Delhi. A team of 24 Executive Members also elected: Pradeep Shetty as Vice President from HRAWI; K Nagaraju as Vice President from SIHRA; M Surendra Kumar Jaiswal as Vice President from HRANI; T.S Walia as Hony. Secretary (FHRAI); Amarvir Singh as Jt. Hony. Secretary from Northern region; Gurbaxish Singh Kohli as Jt. Hony. Secretary from Western region and D.V.S Somaraju as Hony. Treasure (FHRAI).

PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, has said that we can do roadshows, travel shows with locals, as their skilling is very important. “Such skill management can help boost tourism in the states, and we have instances of the same in Rajasthan and Kerala,” he said.

Tourism New Zealand is completing 20 years in India and celebrated this milestone in the presence of HE David Pine, New Zealand High Commissioner to India. India and New Zealand tourism have established strong ties over the years as the country grows to be a popular choice for India travellers.

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has successfully concluded its first roadshow in Beijing with 13 partners including DMCs, hoteliers and airline partners in attendance. The roadshow celebrated key milestones for Saudi’s tourism growth story and showcased the country’s rich cultural and heritage offerings and, why Saudi is the perfect travel destination for Chinese travelers. A series of events, meetings, round table discussions and networking events were hosted, culminating in over twenty strategic partnership announcements. During the highly anticipated roadshow, Saudi Tourism Authority held meetings with over 100 trade partners and travel buyers in China to promote Saudi as a leisure destination, sharing insights into the emerging trends in MICE tourism. Facilitating seamless group travel is Saudi’s inclusion in the ‘Approved Destination Scheme’ alongside China’s participation in Saudi’s e-visa program along with 48 other nationalities and inclusion in the brand new 96-hour Stopover Visa – where guests flying onwards on SAUDIA can avail a complimentary one-night hotel stay in Saudi. Saudi’s presence in China is an indication of how important the tourism industry is for the Kingdom and the incredible growth the country has witnessed since opening to tourism in 2019. Saudi’s post-pandemic tourism recovery has outpaced G20 countries. Last year, Saudi Arabia welcomed 93.5 million visits and saw total tourism spend amount to SAR185 billion – an increase of 93% compared to 2021. China is a key source market for Saudi. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, China represents immense potential as it is expected to be Saudi’s 3rd top source market by then. Alhasan Aldabbagh, President-APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority, said, “We are delighted to showcase the beauty of Saudi and its diverse tourism …

The global online travel booking platform market size is estimated to grow by USD 943.60 billion between 2021 and 2026, revealed Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.64% during the forecast period. The market is driven by the increasing internet and smartphone penetration due to rapid technological advances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the recent post-budget webinar, said that we must profile the tourists coming to India from abroad and decide our target group. “For people living abroad who can spend more, we need to make a special strategy to bring them to India in maximum numbers. Such tourists may stay in India for a short period of time but will go after spending a lot of money,” he added.

Rajiv Mehra has been re-elected as President, IATO unopposed for the year 2023-24. It will be his second term as President of the prestigious organization. As per IATO constitution, he will not be competing for the post of President after this term.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, stated that the biggest employment generating sector could very well be the tourism sector after textiles industry. “This sector is one of the sectors to generate maximum employment with the least capital investment,” he said.

Puneet Chhatwal – MD & CEO – Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), has said that they have tried very hard for the infrastructure status. “We have succeeded with getting the industry status in many states, but we still have a long way to go and getting full infrastructure status at the central level,” he said.