Himmat Anand travel tips

Ambuja Neotia, a real-estate developer and operator in Kolkata, has bought Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, a collection of 14 boutique hotels across India with about 200 rooms that Skift recently profiled.

India’s clout in travel is booming, especially as the country’s growing middle class is poised to play a major role in the industry’s growth. India is also the world’s largest emerging outbound tourism market.

India’s recently-unveiled Union Budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025 gave a big increase to the tourism ministry, but the amount for the global promotion took a major hit: A 97% reduction to just INR 30 million ($361,000).

Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, a boutique property chain from India, has seen impressive growth from just five properties pre-Covid to 13 properties currently, with the 14th property opening next month.

The Skift team spent the week exploring Iceland, but its editors and reporters still found the time to cover the industry whether they were walking paths strewn with lava rock or resting in geothermal baths. Pay special attention, below, to Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill’s explanation of the current craze happening with extended-stay hotels, as well as Executive Editor Dennis Schaal’s interview with Expedia CEO Peter Kern.

Federal policy think tank Niti Aayog has recommended a slew of measures to revive the Indian tourism industry from the financial woes arising out of the pandemic. Some of these include: