Ramsey, an accomplished professional with academic achievements from the University of Surrey, City University London, and Cornell University in New York, contributes a wealth of two decades’ worth of experience in the premium hospitality sector.
25.08.2023 - 13:21 / skift.com / Summer Travel / Asia Pacific
With Covid-related restrictions easing and schools closed for summer vacations, Indians are embarking on adventures that will have their friends scrolling through envy-inducing Instagram feeds. Summer vacations in India typically coincide with the school holidays, making it an ideal time for families to plan their trips.
While dreamy European destinations might beckon with their cultural allure and picturesque landscapes, visa issues have acted as a speed bump. The delay in issuing Schengen visas has had an impact on travel to Europe, said Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-Founder of EaseMyTrip. “Obtaining a Schengen visa can be difficult and time-consuming and the visa processing times also interfere with travel plans,” Pitti said.
Indian travelers however, have found ways to quench their thirst for international adventure by opting for destinations that don’t require them to navigate the maze of European visa applications. Indians have discovered destinations like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia Maldives and United Arab Emirates that are just a hop, skip, and a jump away.
Little wonder then that India emerged as the frontrunner in Asia Pacific’s tourism rebound, with 86 percent of Indian travelers displaying confidence in their travel plans, according to Booking.com. The recovery was fueled by the enthusiasm of Generation Z and Millennials who exhibited a strong eagerness to travel.
Online travel company MakeMyTrip notes that while international travel saw a surge in interest, short-haul destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives, and the United Arab Emirates emerged as the top five choices for Indian travelers.
The delay in Schengen visa processing is indeed a concern for tourists planning to visit Europe this summer, said A Krishna Mohan, managing director of Southern Travels. “It is taking as long as 45 days just to get the appointment and there have also been massive rejections. While there is a higher demand for European destinations, lack of slots for visa appointments and long turnaround time for visa processing have significantly affected the tourists travel plans,” Mohan said.
As a result, there is also a growing trend among Indians to rediscover the country. MakeMyTrip notes that Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan have emerged as the most popular domestic destinations.
In its Summer Vacation Index 2023, Oyo revealed a promising travel resurgence, with a significant number of Indians (82 percent) intending to travel during the summer season. Furthermore, 92 percent of travelers expressed a desire to explore domestic destinations.
The summer travel landscape from India has also been witnessing a shift towards more immersive experiences with travelers seeking relaxed
Ramsey, an accomplished professional with academic achievements from the University of Surrey, City University London, and Cornell University in New York, contributes a wealth of two decades’ worth of experience in the premium hospitality sector.
From today’s Daily Lodging Report newsletter: Nikkei Asia published an article on Hilton planning to expand its luxury offerings in Asia. Hilton will be bringing its Waldorf Astoria brand to Malaysia, Vietnam, India, and other countries for the first time as part of its plans to open 25 new luxury hotels in the Asia Pacific region over the next few years. That’s up from the 33 luxury hotels it currently runs in the Asia Pacific.
American Express Global Business Travel continues to benefit from the ongoing rebound of business trips. In particular the reopening of countries in Asia Pacific, barring China of course, bodes well for the world’s biggest travel agency.
China’s Trip.com has struck two new partnerships, covering the UK and Asia Pacific, to give customers the opportunity to delay or spread out payments for their purchases.
Cendyn, a software company that offers customer relationship management, digital marketing, and operations tools to hotels, has hired a new chief executive.
Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.
Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.
As Radisson Hotels Group continues to expand internationally through its existing brands, its strategy is to focus on service quality and consistency. For Federico González, CEO of the hotel group, having nine big global brands is better than chasing a mass of weak brands.
India could rank among the top three markets for outbound travel in the coming years, according to Omri Morgenshtern, CEO of online travel platform Agoda said while speaking to media in India during his recent visit to the country. Indian travellers are increasingly becoming more important to many countries and will become second to China in terms of spending in Asia, he said. An earlier Skift article had reported how the time is ripe for India — which already ticks most of the boxes as a suitable candidate to take over from China as the largest travel source market — to enter the dragon’s space. In India, online travel booking is growing at a faster pace after the pandemic in comparison to other global markets, outpacing the Asia Pacific market, said Morgenshtern. The total transaction value in travel almost hit pre-Covid levels in 2022. “Since 2019, the rank of importance of Indian tourists for Thailand for example has risen from 10th to 6th. I expect it to become more important in the coming years, not only to Thailand but to many countries in APAC,” he added. Morgenshtern also sees a lot of potential for inbound tourism in India. While India’s inbound is growing slower than outbound travel, he believes it is going to see fast growth in the coming years.
I wanted an update on BWH Hotel Group, the parent company of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. So I spoke with Larry Cuculic, president and CEO since late 2021.
Accor plans to broaden its subscription cards to be more global, granting members discounts and perks worldwide instead of regionally, the Paris-based hotel giant said Tuesday.
Urs Kessler, who runs Jungfrau Railways, a train that takes tourists up the highest mountain in Switzerland, was excited for the return of Chinese tourists after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted late last year.