Narendra Modi travel tips

Amid the diplomatic dispute between India and Maldives, Sonu Shivdasani, CEO of resort chain Soneva, wrote about the potential impact on the tourism industry, and hoped for a reconciliation.

It’s been four months since the #BoycottMaldives trend started in India, and Maldives wants those tourists back.

The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators is determined to increase Indian arrivals to the island destination and is taking steps to achieve this.

India's smallest territory, Lakshadweep, is emerging as a must-see destination, with Indian tourists and forward-thinking experiential visitors. The area made headlines following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vacation in January when he posted multiple images of the stunning islands to promote tourism in the region. His heavy praise of Lakshadweep was construed as an attempt to lure tourists away from the Maldives. Soon after negative criticism came from a few ministers in the Maldives, an Indian "boycott" started, resulting in a 33% drop in visitors from India.

Marriott International has announced the signing of its debut Ritz-Carlton property in Jaipur, Maharashtra. The 250-key hotel is expected to open in 2028. Currently, the hospitality company operates five hotels in the city. Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific excluding China at Marriott International, said that the Indian market is flourishing and its interest in luxury travel is leading to a growth in demand for global luxury brands. 

The annual passenger capacity at Indian airports is set to increase by 60 million. This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated new terminal buildings at 12 airports across the country.

India is set to get multiple tourism projects worth INR 14 billion ($169 million). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating these projects on Thursday during his visit to Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The projects aim to boost the domestic tourism industry in the country with the help of Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) schemes. 

The Kenya Tourism Board has launched a marketing campaign in India. Under the campaign, the tourism board will provide travel agents with incentives to promote Kenya as a tourism destination to the Indian travelers. 

Amid rising diplomatic tensions, India has now slipped to the fifth position for tourist arrivals into Maldives in January, with just over 13,000 visitors, as per the latest data from the Maldives tourism ministry. Russia claimed the top spot for inbound arrivals in the Maldives in January, followed by Italy, China, and the UK.

A row over tourism between India and the Maldives has been prompted by a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi relaxing on the beach.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, January 9. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip announced on Monday that it has suspended all flight bookings to Maldives in what its Co-Founder and CEO, Prashant Pitti, deemed was in “solidarity with the nation.”

While India has been making its way up as a top source country for outbound travel, the country’s inbound tourism has still not been able to touch the almost 11-million foreign arrivals of 2019. According to the Ministry of Tourism, India received 6.2 million foreign tourists in 2022.

Marriott International announced 13 deal signings in Turkey comprising over 2,000 rooms.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got stuck in New Delhi after his plane broke down at the airport.

Airbus plans to deepen its industrial presence in India, Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said on Wednesday after meeting the country’s prime minister.

Reducing visa delays has been a priority for the U.S. consulates in India as wait times for visitor visas has gone down from more than 600 days to 247 days in New Delhi, 332 days in Mumbai, 357 days in Kolkata, while in Chennai the wait is still around 680 days. Skift had earlier reported about how the U.S. Consulate in India had been taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to reduce visa wait times. India ranks sixth among the top source markets for the U.S, said Jackie Ennis, vice president, global markets for Brand USA. A total of 1.25 million arrivals were registered from India in 2022. The latest figures in February revealed that 203,540 Indians travelled to the U.S. so far between January and February. In 2019, Indian travelers spent $16.5 billion in the U.S. The destination marketeer for the U.S. — Brand USA conducted its 2023 India Sales Mission in Mumbai and Delhi last week. Speaking at the event Ennis spoke about how the air connectivity between the two countries has been strengthened with Air India launching two direct flights to San Francisco from Bengaluru and Mumbai in December last year and from Mumbai to New York (JFK) in February. With this, Air India now has 46 weekly non-stop flights between the two countries, in addition to seven weekly direct flights operated from Newark to Delhi by United Airlines and seven weekly direct flights from New York (JFK) to Delhi by American Airlines. Calling India a fast-growing market with tremendous potential for growth in tourism, Ennis added, “We are thrilled to see a heightened interest in exploring beyond the gateways to lesser-known destinations.”

Indian tourists to France will be able to pay for tickets to the Eiffel Tower and other attractions in rupees after both the countries agreed to use the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Just a day after budget hotel operator Oyo forayed into the premium resorts category with the launch of its new brand Palette, credit ratings agency ICRA estimates premium hotel occupancy in India to reach a decade-high of 70-72% with average room rates expected around $74-$76 in the financial year 2024.