Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Poland’s national airline and Vienna Airport are commemorating a long-standing and dynamic partnership. On July 29, 1955, LOT Polish Airlines resumed flight operations to Vienna, inaugurating a period of uninterrupted service on the Warsaw–Vienna route that endures to this day. Yet the roots of LOT’s presence in the Austrian capital reach even deeper—its inaugural aircraft touched down in Vienna as early as 1929, operating both non-stop and direct services from Katowice. Over the decades, this route has played a pivotal role in the airline’s development, serving as the launchpad for major fleet milestones, including the first Embraer 170 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner landings at Vienna Airport. About three million passengers have taken advantage of this flight connection over the last 30 years alone, namely since 1994. Today the 70th anniversary of flight service linking Warsaw and Vienna was commemorated within the context of a photo session featuring Amit Ray (Director DACH Markets, Italy, Malta, India & Head of Global Corporate & Strategic Sales), Olaf Krauss (Sales Manager Austria & Corporate Sales Italy), both for LOT Polish Airlines and Julian Jäger (joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport). Julian Jäger, joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport states, “The Vienna–Warsaw connection has been a success story for 70 years. LOT Polish Airlines was one of the first international carriers at Vienna Airport and served as a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. Today, this route is a key pillar of our network – strategically vital. Over the past three decades, three million passengers have flown this route, underscoring its unique blend of continuity and future potential”. Robert Ludera, Proxy and Director of Network Department at LOT Polish Airlines added, “Our connection …

India has become Rail Europe’s second-largest source market, showing strong year-on-year growth. “Year-on-year, we are growing close to around 22% considering India market,” said Srijit Nair, GM – India, ME & Africa. After a 16% rise last year, the first half of 2025 has shown an encouraging 18–20% growth.

Travelport has announced a 23% improvement in global air search speed on its Travelport+ platform, now delivering results in just 0.84 seconds. With travel bookings rising, this upgrade helps agents work faster and serve customers better. Travelport+ also ranks highest for ease of use and innovation in global industry surveys.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and DG, Ministry of Tourism, said, “India commands just 5% of the USD 850 billion global MICE market. To change this, we must elevate at least 10 cities, especially in South India and set up city-level convention bureaus to boost tourism, MSMEs and services.”

The World Parity Monitor by 123Compare.me. revealed that OTAs offer lower hotel prices than official websites in 75% of searches. While hotel sites win in 45% of single rate checks, mobile users often see cheaper deals on OTAs. This trend is making it harder for hotels to maintain direct bookings.

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH)  announces its most significant policy dialogue since the onset of the pandemic—the FAITH Conclave 2025—scheduled to be held on 12–13 August 2025 at The Taj Palace, New Delhi. Under the theme ‘Indian Tourism: Invincible Spirit’, this landmark event will bring together top leaders from both government and industry to collaboratively drive the shared goal of establishing India as a global tourism powerhouse by 2047. A Vision for 2047: $3 Trillion, 200 Million Tourism Jobs FAITH Conclave 2025 is a cornerstone in shaping the path to Tourism@2047—a bold, inclusive and achievable roadmap for India to become a top 5 global tourism economy. Discussions will focus on: Milestones for achieving India’s $3 trillion tourism vision Creating a pan-India tourism growth narrative Deepening Centre-State-Industry alignment Urgent steps to increase Inbound Tourism to India  Making tourism a concurrent subject in the Constitution Securing export industry status for tourism Reforming GST across the tourism value chain Spotlight on Tourism Reforms Key areas of discussion include: Developing a country-specific inbound strategy Boosting rural, wellness and spiritual tourism circuits Creating destination-specific marketing and infrastructure plans Confirmed Dignitaries & Thought Leaders: Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Union Minister for Tourism Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hon’ble Minister for DONER ShriRohanKhaunte, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Goa Senior functionaries from the Ministry of Tourism Industry leaders including: Mr Amitabh Kant (Former G20 Sherpa) Mr Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO of Indian Hotels Company Ltd. Mr Rajesh Magow (Group CEO, MakeMyTrip) Mr Pieter Elbers (CEO, IndiGo) Mr Dipak Deva (MD, TCI) Mr Anil Chadha (MD, ITC Hotels) Mr K B Kachru (Chairman Emeritus, Radisson Hotels) Ms Homa Mistry (CEO, Trail Blazer Tours) And many more… FAITH’s structure ensures that every member association—ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI, has equal representation and …

According to a report by Booking.com, Indian travellers are among the world’s most excited about AI, with 99% expressing enthusiasm and 98% keen to use it for planning trips. AI assistants now outrank influencers in trust. However, most travellers prefer human oversight, with only 16% fully trusting AI to make independent travel decisions. 

IATO is optimistic about boosting inbound tourism to Puri, Odisha, through its annual convention. Highlighting the potential impact of the event, Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, said, “With government support in marketing and promotion, IATO’s action plan could drive a 20–25% rise in inbound tourist arrivals, adding ₹8,000–10,000 crore annually to the local economy.” 

Under the Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) sub-scheme of Swadesh Darshan, the Ministry of Tourism has identified 42 destinations across four themes and sanctioned 36 projects, including in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated that the projects aim to enhance infrastructure and boost employment by March 2026. 

Jammu & Kashmir recorded over 95.9 lakh domestic tourist visits from January to June 2025, despite the April terror attack in Pahalgam, government data shows. The Centre confirmed that no economic impact assessment was conducted. Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said efforts are ongoing to support local stakeholders and revive tourism in the region.