Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

Notwithstanding the potential impact on demand with further Covid waves, if any, ICRA expects the industry’s revenues and margins to return to pre-Covid levels in FY2023. The demand recovery has been better than expected in the last few months, aided by domestic leisure/transient travel, pent-up demand from MICE (including weddings), and gradual recovery in business travel and foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs). H2 FY2023 is expected to be better than H1 FY2023, with the sustenance of the leisure, transient, and MICE demand and further pickup in business travel and FTAs. ICRA expects pan-India premium hotel occupancy to be 68-70% for FY2023, while the ARR is expected to hover around Rs. 5,600-5,800. The YTD October 2022 occupancy stood at 62-64% while the ARR for 7M FY2023 was only at an 8-10% discount to pre-Covid levels and stood at Rs. 5,000-5,200. A few high-end hotels and leisure destinations witnessed ARR spike to higher than pre-Covid levels over the last 6-9 months. The improved operating leverage, along with the sustenance of cost-optimisation measures, will support margins and cashflows for hotel companies. Vinutaa S, Vice President and Sector Head – Corporate Ratings, ICRA, said, “The healthy demand uptick has resulted in a pick-up in new supply announcements over the last 4-5 months. Further, construction activity in projects stalled post-Covid-19 has also commenced recently. However, the hotel supply pipeline is expected to grow only at a 5-year CAGR of 3.5-4%, adding approximately 15,500 rooms to the pan-India premium inventory of ~94,800 rooms across 12 key cities in India. This will facilitate an upcycle, as demand improves over the medium term while supply will lag demand with a cautious expansion approach by hoteliers and the absence of …

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and India, the Embassy of Viet Nam in India, organised the Vietnam Tourism Forum in India. HE. Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai emphasized that the forum was also an opportunity for Vietnamese service providers to understand more about Indian tourists’ demand so to prepare customised products for Indian market.

A parliamentary panel has recommended that the Ministry of Tourism identify and develop revenue-generating domestic tourist destinations in states to promote innovation in production and service in the sector. The standing committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which submitted its report said that despite the fact that India offers a diverse portfolio, share of International Arrivals was merely 1.59% in 2021.

Madhya Pradesh kickstarted the two-month mega event, Jal Mahotsav, to promote water-based tourism in the state. Due to its popularity and potential opportunities for investors and visitors, the state tourism board wants to create more such projects that will offer the same experiences like Jal Mahotsav. Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture Department and Managing Director, MP Tourism Board Sheo Shekhar Shukla added that 15 similar sites have been identified in the state now where the work will start soon.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Tuesday said check-in counters left unmanned by airlines were leading to congestion at major airports in the country. ‘Airlines are therefore advised to deploy sufficient manpower at all check-in/baggage drop counters well in advance to ensure decongestion and smooth flow of passengers at airports,” the MoCA’s said in the letter. A surge in air travel – airports have seen over 400,000 domestic flyers a day for 10 consecutive days – has strained the infrastructure at the country’s busiest airports such as Delhi and Mumbai and forced the MoCA to order a reduction and shifting of peak-hour flights. “It has come to the notice of the MoCA that the airline check-in counters at certain airports are found unmanned or inadequately manned during early morning hours leading to congestion at the airports, thereby causing inconvenience to the passengers,’ MoCA’s letter stated, requesting airlines to place real-time data on their social media feeds regarding waiting time at respective airports’ entry gates.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for AYUSH, has said that the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, will add value to Goa’s tourism brand and be a big boost for medical value travel. “It will also be a model research & wellness hub for Ayurveda promoting medical tourism,” he added.

This popular excursion to Mt Titlis transports visitors to a world of ice and snow. The iconic revolving cable car, Rotair, takes visitors 3062m above sea level to the summit where panoramic views await them. This webinar will highlight the Titlis excursion along with its various offerings. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland in 2023. For more information, write tojaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, has shared that they have set up a 24×7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Info-Helpline on the toll free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363 in 12 Languages including 10 international languages (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic), Hindi English for domestic and foreign tourists to provide support service in term of information relating to Travel in India and to offer appropriate guidance to tourists in distress while travelling in India.

Shuja Bin Mehdi, B2B Manager – India, VisitBritain, has shared that with the England Expert e-learn platform, they are addressing product development for England & showcasing gateway cities in order to drive regional dispersal.

Business travel has made a strong comeback in India after two years post pandemic. OYO has recorded an 83% year-on-year uptick in bookings in business cities, between April and November this year. According to the company’s Business Travel Trends Report 2022, Delhi emerged as the most-booked business city.