Peden Doma Bhutia travel tips

China has announced a 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of six additional European countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

A Brazilian tourist has accused seven men of gang rape in the Indian state of Jharkhand, once again raising questions about the safety of travel in India for women.

Outbound travel from China to the Middle East reached pre-pandemic levels during the Chinese New Year period, according to data firm ForwardKeys.

India’s business travel spending is set to reach $38 billion this year, with a projected full recovery to pre-2019 spending levels by 2025, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

AirAsia Move is serious about an IPO – but first the timing and the business mix needs to be right.

AirAsia parent company Capital A announced on Wednesday that it will be listing in the U.S. public markets.

Marriott International expects to open 14 hotels in South Asia this year, 12 of which will be in India, adding approximately 1,200 rooms to the hotel chain’s existing portfolio in the country.

Dubai has introduced a 5-year multiple entry visa for Indians, the emirate’s largest source market for tourism.

Just two days after the Economic Times reported that Oyo had met with regulators to expedite its IPO, it reported that the hotel operator wanted to back out of the public offering.

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.

On our latest episode exploring Skift’s Megatrends for 2024, Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit is joined by Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia and Middle East reporter Josh Corder to talk about this year’s travel Megatrends centered on India and the Middle East.

Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels, commonly known as Park Hotels, is set to have its IPO on February 5. The group currently operates 30 hotels in 20 cities across India, with 2,298 rooms. Through a strategic mix of ownership, management contracts and leased properties, the group aims to open 56 hotel by 2026.

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) looks to open an average of 2 hotels per month or even more in fiscal year 2024-2025, Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and CEO of IHCL, announced during an earnings call on Friday.

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).

The civil aviation ministry is looking to integrate DigiYatra, the digital initiative for airport check-ins, for international travel. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the civil aviation minister, recently met airport operators to discuss it.

AirAsia superapp, now rebranded as “airasia MOVE,” announced the launch of ticketing platform MOVETIX on Monday.

Lionel Messi is back promoting Saudi Arabia in a campaign that says it wants to dismantle “walls” of “misconception” and break “outdated stereotypes.”

In the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, the Indian government showed its recognition of the immense potential of the travel and tourism sector by allocating INR 24 billion ($290 million).

As Ayodhya undergoes a massive transformation with a projected $10 billion redevelopment, including a new airport, upgraded railway station, township, and improved road connectivity, the town could attract over 50 million tourists annually, according to a report by brokerage firm Jeffries.

MakeMyTrip reported its highest-ever quarterly gross bookings, revenue, and profit in its third quarter for fiscal year 2024.

Despite India’s tremendous growth in aviation, the country remains a highly under-penetrated market, said Indian aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.