Category Archives: Breaking News (All Categories)

During ITSA-Amity Regional Conference for Asia 2025, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism, Government of India, said, “We have launched a Green Leaf Rating system for tourist infrastructure, including hotels and homestays. This initiative introduces global star ratings, ranging from 1 to 5 stars, based on sustainability practices. Through this, government aims to incentivise eco-friendly measures, promoting responsible tourism for a greener future.”

Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA) celebrates 10th Anniversary, unveiling a new executive team to be led by Nitin Mittal. The committee includes Gajesh Girdhar, Rakesh Arora, Gurmeet Singh Chhatwal, Anup Tarafdar, Ram Kumar, Ajay Sehgal, Kapil Arora, Amar Sahu, Ranveer Singh, Jatin Mehta, Jai Aggarwal and Jyoti Monga.

India is about to witness 29 million outbound trips by 2025, according to Expedia report with 13.9 million leisure departures resulting in 19.4 million Indian arrivals abroad, fuelled by travellers from tier II and III cities. The study highlights that business travel will contribute 26 per cent of outbound trips. Furthermore, India’s outbound tourism market is projected to generate US$62 billion in revenue by 2026.

The Swiss experience starts onboard Swiss International Air Lines. Once in Switzerland, travellers can enjoy their holiday booked by their travel agent through TourFox, a B2B supplier wholly owned by SWISS. Attend all webinars for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland in 2026! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

With the extension of visa exemptions, easy access, direct connectivity and diverse offerings, including gastronomy, culture, heritage, shopping and nightlife — Malaysia presents an unrivalled combination of attributes making it an attractive destination for India’s MICE segment. In a focused endeavor to inspire its top corporates, Thomas Cook (India) partnered with Tourism Malaysia to host a high-impact MICE event in Mumbai. The engagement witnessed strong participation of over 30 CXOs and senior executives from leading multinational corporations and Indian corporate houses across sectors that included BFSI, pharma, electronics, trade etc. along with representatives from Tourism Malaysia and Thomas Cook. These attendees were carefully handpicked by Thomas Cook to attend the exclusive, high-impact event Inaugurated by Mr. Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, the event highlighted Malaysia’s unwavering commitment to expanding its MICE offerings and enhancing its accessibility for Indian corporates. Organized in coordination with Nuwal Fadhillah Ku Azmi (Director International Promotion, Asia & Africa), Azura Zainol Abidin (President, Malaysia Sports Tourism), Noriah Jaafar (Director, Tourism Malaysia Mumbai) and T.Ediwanto T.Eddie (Dy Director of Tourism Malaysia), the unique format of the event allowed for a productive blend of business and networking, packed with insightful presentations, engaging discussions and invaluable one-on-one sessions that allowed participants to explore Malaysia’s vast MICE offerings in depth. The intent was not only to showcase Malaysia opportunity but also to inspire significant MICE groups for 2025-26.

Sabah Tourism Board is delighted to announce its participation in the highly anticipated Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2025, which will take place in Mumbai, India, from January 30 to February 1, 2025. Recognized as India’s leading outbound travel market, OTM provides a premier platform to connect global travel and tourism professionals with key stakeholders and audiences from India. Sabah’s tourism industry has seen significant growth, with 3.147 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2024—a 20.4% increase from 2023’s 2.613 million. The India market, in particular, has demonstrated strong growth, with 9,316 Indian visitors in 2024, marking a 58.3% increase compared to 5,885 arrivals in 2023. As part of its commitment to promoting Sabah as a premier travel destination, STB will showcase its diverse range of attractions, experiences, and services tailored to meet the evolving preferences of Indian travellers. Through its participation in OTM Mumbai 2025, STB aims to strengthen relationships with travel trade partners and highlight Sabah’s unique offerings to this dynamic audience. Visitors to the STB pavilion at OTM Mumbai 2025 will have the opportunity to engage with representatives from three prominent Sabah-based travel agencies—Borneo Sandakan Tours, Borneo Nature Tours, and Borneo Trails & Tours. These agents will present customized travel packages, immersive experiences, sustainable tourism initiatives, and special offers designed specifically for Indian travellers. STB’s participation underscores its strategic focus on expanding its footprint in India and fostering long-term collaborations with industry partners. “We are thrilled to be part of OTM Mumbai 2025, which provides an excellent platform to connect with Indian travellers and partners,” said Julinus Jeffery Jimit, CEO of Sabah Tourism Board. “Our goal is to showcase the unparalleled beauty of Sabah and inspire more Indian tourists …

According to the India Hotel Market Review 2024 released by Horwath HTL, seven states in India contributed over 70% of the national room revenue, with Maharashtra solely contributing 20% to it. The net supply growth in 2024 was 14.4k rooms with rooms demand per day up 29,000 rooms since 2019. It predicts that about 105,000 rooms to be added by 2029.

Sharing his perspective on the India market, John Grant, Chief Analyst, OAG, says that while India has for many years been an emergent market it has also seen a fair degree of boom-and-bust periods as local airlines have struggled to survive in a market where seemingly uniforms and working conditions were more important than fuel. “Today, that has changed and anyone who has travelled recently in India will be impressed with the levels of digital technology and biometrics in place across every major airport. India is no longer an emergent market – it is the market of international focus and the centre for aviation growth in the next decade,” he adds.

Digi Yatra has ambitious plans for 2025. Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, Digi Yatra Foundation, reveals, “Our partnership with IATA for the IATA One-ID X Digi Yatra for enablement of Digi Yatra for International flow will drive growth in 2025. The platform intends to support all 22 official Indian languages. It also aims to conduct an international pilot project, enabling foreign passengers with e-passports to experience its seamless ecosystem.”

The Airbus A321XLR has proven a popular choice with airlines says Gavin Eccles, Managing Partner, GE Consulting & Advisory. “It can fly up to 10 hours, similar to an A330, the difference being we can fly with such distances with 160 people rather than 360 people. This means that tourist boards can start fishing in markets that they have not been to before because the traditional widebody was either too big for most airports or had too many seats that would mean less yield for the airline, resulting in a reluctance to serve certain destinations. But that will now soon change,” he says.