Highlighting the potential of Tamil Nadu, T Christuraj, Director, Tourism Department & MD, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, noted that the state has some of the best infrastructure for conferences and exhibitions. To unlock the full potential of MICE tourism, it must extend beyond Chennai to cities like Kanchipuram, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Salem while bridging infrastructure gaps.

Rajiv Mehra, General Secretary, FAITH, emphasised that the upcoming FAITH Conclave will spotlight the need for unified policies, improved infrastructure and global marketing to boost India’s inbound tourism. Addressing issues like visa bottlenecks, taxation, and destination readiness, the event, which is slated to to held on 12 – 13 August in Delhi, will focus on collaboration, sustainability, digital transformation, and skilling to position tourism as a national economic driver.

TAAI’s 68th Convention & Exhibition is all set to take place from 17 to 19 September in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in collaboration with the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Celebrating its 74 years, the event will revolve around the theme, “Business with Goodness,” focusing on purposeful networking, thought leadership sessions, and meaningful industry engagement.

After a gap of five years due to the pandemic, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the tourism department will going to relaunch the popular tourist destination bus service from 15 August, similar to the Delhi Darshan Hop-On Hop-Off (Hoho) service, albeit with a fixed loop and dedicated stoppages.

IndiGo announced the extension of its codeshare agreement with KLM, the Netherlands’ carrier. The agreement will allow IndiGo to place its code on KLM-operated routes to 30 destinations across these regions, via Amsterdam.

Akasa Air has launched visa services in partnership with Udaan India, offering seamless end-to-end visa assistance for over 100 countries. Integrated into its website, the service is designed for both business and leisure travellers. As an introductory offer, the airline is providing a 20% discount on visa fees using code EVISA20 till 31 December.

From August 30, all tourists visiting Mussoorie must register on a portal launched by the Uttarakhand Tourism Department during check-in from 30 August. Hotels, homestays, and guest houses must first register themselves and then their guests. Brijendra Pandey, District Tourism Officer, stated that the initiative aims to control overcrowding, ease traffic and provide real-time tourist footfall data in the hill town and hoteliers and owners of similar facilities have been asked to comply with the new rule.

Manoj Samuel, CEO & Director, Riya Travel, noted that inbound tourism remains slow and infrastructure gaps persist. He highlighted Mumbai’s potential with its new airport and emphasised the need for improvement. “We are actively boosting trade engagement through roadshows and joint promotions, targeting not just tier I cities but tier II and III markets as well”, he said.

In a written response, Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoS, External Affairs, informed the upper house that India has granted over 96 lakh e-visas to foreigners from 2020 till July 20 this year, the government informed Parliament. The number of countries eligible for the e-visa facility has increased from 171 in 2020 to 181 in 2025, she added.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Tourism Minister, GoI, informed Rajya Sabha that the MOT extends financial assistance to approved tourism service providers (TSPs) under the MDA Scheme for overseas tourism promotion. However, no aid was granted to the states or UTs in the past three years. The scheme is currently under review to align with the industry’s evolving needs.