After years of will they, won’t they, Thailand has finally decided to scrap the contentious proposal to impose a THB 300 ($8.20) tourism fee on international tourists arriving by air.
27.05.2024 - 11:45 / skift.com / Peden Doma Bhutia
India is actively working on expanding the DigiYatra facility for international travel. The DigiYatra Foundation expects to start prototype testing on e-passport based enrollment from next month, the CEO of DigiYatra Foundation, Suresh Khadakbhavi, said recently at an event in Saudi Arabia.
What Is DigiYatra? This digital initiative, aimed at revolutionizing airport check-ins, uses a mobile app that allows passengers to use facial recognition as a boarding pass.
When Was This Launched? Launched on December 1, 2022, at three airports — New Delhi, Varanasi, and Bengaluru — DigiYatra has swiftly expanded its footprint, now operating in 14 airports across India and set to launch in another 14 next month.
The next frontier for DigiYatra is international travel.
AIrport entry queues and ID / ticket checks – India is the only major country I am aware of that requires this. Wonder if there is a way forward that does not require this bottleneck. Digiyatra helps for the digitally-savvy, but is not there for International yet pic.twitter.com/wjJRYV0GkK
The integration of chip-enabled e-passports into the app is a crucial step, enabling verifiable credentials for foreign travelers.
Speaking at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh last week, Khadakbhavi said the prototype testing will progress significantly in the coming months, although the DigiYatra Foundation must collaborate with the Bureau of Immigration and the Ministry of External Affairs, indicating a potentially lengthy process.
The DigiYatra Foundation, co-owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and private airports, also plans to align with International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s One-ID initiative for global interoperability. This initiative, backed by the IATA, representing around 320 airlines in over 120 countries, seeks to streamline passenger journeys through biometric-enabled identification.
Travelers prioritize speed and convenience and are increasingly embracing biometrics, according to IATA’s 2023 Global Passenger Survey.
Croatia, the Netherlands and Canada are testing digital travel. Finland last year launched the world’s first digital travel document pilot program at Helsinki Airport.
“Passengers want technology to work harder, so that they spend less time ‘being processed’, standing in queues. And they are willing to use biometric data if it delivers this result. But we need cooperation across the value chain and with governments to make it happen with secure technology that is available today,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety and security.
DigiYatra’s vision extends beyond airports as it looks to facilitate hotel check-ins and provide hassle-free access to public places.
Over the past
After years of will they, won’t they, Thailand has finally decided to scrap the contentious proposal to impose a THB 300 ($8.20) tourism fee on international tourists arriving by air.
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts looks to make a significant entry into the public market, seeking a valuation of approximately $2.5 billion in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), as reported by Mint.
Having raised INR 3.33 billion ($40 million) from anchor investors on Friday, Ixigo opened its initial public offering (IPO) on Monday.
Independent hoteliers unite to launch StayAltered, the world’s first community-powered hospitality platform for sustainable travelers. Over 80 independent hoteliers join forces with a founding network of contributors and partners to develop new booking, rewards, and sustainability features for StayAltered.
Le Travenues Technology, the parent company of Indian travel aggregator Ixigo, will be launching its initial public offering (IPO) on June 10. The company announced on Wednesday that the INR 7.4 billion ($89 million)-IPO size, includes a fresh issuance of equity shares worth INR 1.2 billion ($14.4 million) (and an offer for sale of INR 6.2 billion ($74.4 million). The IPO price band ranges from INR 88 to 93 per share.
Oyo is expanding the footprint of its premium vacation home rental brand, Belvilla: On Tuesday, it announced the launch of Belvilla by Oyo in the UK.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, June 4. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
“India is a country we’re very interested in,” Sebastien Bazin, the group chairman and CEO of Accor, said during the company’s earnings call Friday.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told Skift that the airline’s new business class product would stay faithful to the IndiGo brand and that it’s the right time for an “IndiGo-like product” to serve the next wave of Indian air travelers.
In an effort to attract more tourists and remote workers, the Thai cabinet this week rolled out a series of new visa promotions, including visa-free and visa-on-arrival schemes, extended stays for students, and reduced compulsory health insurance for retirees.
India has been putting effort to attract international travelers to India. The Indian ministry of tourism and state tourism boards have been participating in several international travel trade events, including the Arabian Travel Market and IMEX, Frankfurt.
Eurostar is considering adding more routes from London as it looks to buy 50 new trains.