Tag Archives: Outbound tourism

European Commission in recent data revealed an increase in Schengen visa applications in 2023. India has emerged as the key contributor in this, securing the third spot in the rankings for the number of short-stay visa applications. The country has lodged 9.66 lakh visa applications in 2023, an uptick from 6.7 lakh applications in 2022.

As per Policybazaar.com, there has been a 3-4% increase in booking travel insurance policies for trips exceeding 45 days in April 2024. Manas Kapoor, Business Head of Travel Insurance, Policybazaar.com, said, “Coverage for loss of baggage, trip cancellation, adventure sports, and pre-existing illness are high in demand add-ons for travel insurance.”  

TravTalk hosted special panel discussions on ‘Importance of India Market in the GCC’ and ‘Enticing Indian Tourists’ at ATM 2024. During these sessions, Alhasan Aldabbagh, President, APAC, Saudi Tourism Authority; Markus Tan, Regional Director, India, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Singapore Tourism; and  KD Singh, Founder and President, TravelBullz discussed strategies and initiatives to attract Indian visitors.

According to CAIT, Knot Worldwide, and Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, India’s wedding market is the second largest in the world, next to the US. The forecast expects 40 crores weddings to take place in the next 15 years. As per Wedding Wishlist, over US$50 bn Indian Wedding market is expected to grow at a 30% CAGR.

Rail Europe invites the Indian outbound travel trade to attend an exclusive webinar on Eurail passes as well as booking passholder fares on agent.raileurope.com today at 3pm. Participate in the quiz and win exciting prizes! For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

On Monday, April 29th, 2024, the Moroccan National Tourism Office (MNTO) kicked off its highly anticipated roadshow in New Delhi. This inaugural event showcased invaluable insights, networking opportunities, and an exclusive firsthand look at the latest offerings from Morocco’s vibrant tourism industry. The event, aims to foster closer ties between Moroccan tourism stakeholders and key players in the Indian travel sector. Jamal Kilito, Country Manager India, MNTO, led the destination presentation, providing valuable insights into Morocco’s unique cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and exciting tourism initiatives.  

“Malaysia will host Visit Malaysia Year in 2026 with a target of 35.6 million foreign tourist and RM147.1 billion in expenditures,” revealed Manoharan Periasamy, Director General, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, during the announcement of the expansion of strategic destination marketing collaboration between Travelport and Tourism Malaysia.

Addressing TAFI members in Mumbai, Fernando Heredia Noguer, Consul General of Spain in Mumbai, said, “We have increased our visa processing capacity by 30 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022 and increased 40 per cent compared to the average of the four years before the pandemic! In 2023, we managed to issue almost 52K visas versus 40,000 visa applications in 2022.”

MakeMyTrip expands its operations to over 150 countries including major travel markets like the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and France. The travel platform is all set to adhere to multiple international compliances, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Recently, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager – India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, shared, “We have 3 times more direct aviation capacity on India-Australia route as compared to pre-COVID. So, from 8 flights per week from 2019 we have almost 28 flights per week between India and Australia with Qantas, Air India and Singapore Airlines.”