India's Tourism Boom: Middle Class Drives Surge, Global Brands and Hotels Pivot

The Indian hospitality sector is set to grow at an annual rate of 10.5% over the next three years, according to the latest projections by trading services firm Axis Securities. The growth is expected to be driven by domestic travelers, foreign visitors, and the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) segment. 

The story of Ritesh Agarwal, founder and group CEO of Oyo, is pure Bollywood material: A small-town kid from Rayagada, Odisha in eastern India, drops out of college to chase the entrepreneurial dream. In India, where education is considered incomplete without a college degree, this is almost revolutionary.

Despite a strong recovery in 2023, India’s inbound numbers are still not back to pre-pandemic levels. What’s holding it back? Is it infrastructure, global perception, or something else? Catch Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in conversation with Dipak Deva, managing director of Travel Corporation India, the country’s largest inbound travel company, as they dive into the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of inbound tourism.

Local Dubai hotel group FIVE reported financial results Monday that show the company has continued to benefit from the emirate’s robust tourism sector, but also that it will need to look elsewhere for growth.

Thailand expects nearly 36 million foreign tourists this year, surpassing its initial target of 35 million. This growth is a positive sign for the country’s tourism economy, with foreign tourism revenue projected to reach THB 1.8 trillion ($53 billion).

Koji, the mold that transforms soy beans and wheat into soy sauce and rice into sake, is so beloved in Japan that it has its own holiday. And lately, chefs have been finding new uses for the fungus, which has a fruity aroma and an ability to make “anything it touches better,” says Jeremy Umansky, 41, the owner of Larder deli in Cleveland. He uses koji for almost everything: to cure pastrami; to ferment Chinese-style black beans, which are ground and swirled into chocolate babka to embolden the chocolate; and to sprinkle over salads and fries in the form of what the restaurant calls Special K, a seasoning of dried ground koji. “It’s a harmonizer,” he says. Bartenders, too, are taking note. At Nancy’s Hustle in Houston, the bar manager, Zach Hornberger, 32, adds it to the nonalcoholic Silver Brining cocktail, a sweet-sour-salty mix of pickle brine, grapefruit and lime juices, koji and tonic. “It brings this umami background to beverages, and it plays well with citrus, taming the high acid notes and rounding the drink as a whole,” he says. At the restaurant Fête in Honolulu, the bar manager, Fabrice McCarthy, 41, infuses rum with shio koji (a slurry of koji, water and salt) and shakes it into a mai tai to add salinity — the effect, he says, is similar to how salted peanuts make you want to drink more beer. Ryan Chetiyawardana, 40, the owner of the bar Lyaness in London, experiments with koji in multiple forms — for one cocktail, he ferments parsnips with koji, which he says unlocks the sweetness and delivers “a huge tropical brightness.” While koji often plays a supporting role, at Paradiso in Barcelona, it wraps around the entire lip of the glass used for the Fleming, named for Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, another influential mold. For this fungus-inspired cocktail, which includes grapefruit, tequila and miso, the manager of Paradiso’s research lab, Matteo Ciarpaglini, 30, one-upped a classic salt rim with a fluffy cloud of koji, its floral fragrance accompanying every taste. —

Yatra Online on Monday announced that it has agreed to acquire Globe All India Services (Globe Travels), a corporate travel services provider, for INR 1.28 billion ($15.25 million) in cash.

Over 80% of Indians have either had or are planning a destination wedding, a survey conducted by search aggregator Skyscanner showed. This preference is strongest among Gen Z, with about 50% of that group indicating that they are considering a destination wedding. This figure is 33% among Millennials. 

I'm a big proponent of creating a spending strategy when applying for a new credit card. That way, I never miss out on a welcome bonus and don't overspend trying to achieve one.

I'd never cruised before — but when 12 of my friends from high school hatched a plan to celebrate our 60th birthdays on a four-night Royal Caribbean cruise, I immediately said yes.

Sri Lanka is set to launch a six-month pilot program on October 1, offering free 30-day tourist visas on arrival to citizens from 35 countries, including the U.S., UK, Russia, India and China. The initiative, which temporarily waives the typical $50 visa fee, aligns with the island nation’s peak travel season, lasting from December to mid-April. This move is part of a broader strategy to revitalize tourism, a sector crucial to Sri Lanka’s economy.

Universal Orlando currently boasts eight on-site hotels, offering guests easy access to the fun of Universal's theme parks. Next year, they'll add three more to that lineup to accommodate the influx of guests likely to flock to Orlando when Universal Epic Universe, the resort's newest theme park, opens in 2025. Epic Universe is being built on a 750-acre site a few miles away from Universal's existing parks and hotels and will nearly double the size of Universal Orlando Resort, further exacerbating the need for additional hotels.