Skift India Report: MakeMyTrip Partners with Cricket Fans to Elevate Homestay Standards

In a strategic move to nurture national talents and elevate Oman’s tourism industry, Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN Group) has partnered with the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP) through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This significant partnership will initiate the launch of extracurricular programmes and activities specifically designed for 10th and 11th grade students as a part of the Group’s #IAmTourism Strategy.

Travel Insured International (Travel Insured), a leading travel insurance provider, has engaged Robin Assist, a tech-driven emergency travel assistance platform, to deliver responsive customer service, emergency travel and medical assistance, and claims to its insureds from any device, anytime, anywhere. The alliance provides Travel Insured’s customers with 24/7 support to help mitigate travel risk, and together with the Robin Assist team, service is available to travelers worldwide.

In this year’s winter schedule, Indigo will have the largest number of domestic flights among Indian airlines, with a total of 13,119 flights each week – a 30% increase from a year earlier.

Booking.com says its problem getting payments to European and Asian hotel partners is mostly fixed and that it is even making manual payments in some cases.

Under a pilot program, Sri Lanka will be issuing free tourist visas through next March to visitors from seven countries: India, China, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This initiative is part of Sri Lanka’s broader strategy to revitalize its tourism sector and achieve a target of 5 million arrivals by 2026.

Rail Europe, the leading provider of train and rail passes across Europe, is partnering with the European LGBTQIA+ Travel Alliance (ELTA) to encourage greater diversity and inclusivity in travel. 

The Red Sea Global may not have very ambitious visitor numbers, but it is looking at India as a crucial source market. Speaking about Red Sea Global’s interest in the Indian market, Reema Almokhtar, director – travel trade marketing, tells Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about how they are looking to deliver value to Indian tourists.

The global travel industry is on an upswing, with all regions registering growth over the previous month, according to the Skift Travel Health Index: September 2023 Highlights. The Skift Travel Health Index stands at 106, three points higher than August 2023 – a new record high.

That’s how Kumar opened Booking’s “How India Travels” report release on Wednesday in Delhi, which cited several reasons for the optimism: 

In this episode of the Skift India Podcast Aloke Bajpai, the CEO and co founder of Ixigo, talks to Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about the “next billion Indian opportunity” in tier-2 and tier-3 markets. Bajpai narrates how the substantial increase in disposable income among the rising middle class in India is rapidly reshaping the country’s travel landscape. Bajpai also talks about the long-awaited Ixigo IPO. 

Due to the swift rebound in domestic passenger traffic, credit rating agency ICRA maintains a stable outlook for the Indian aviation industry. The agency anticipates that this recovery will persist through the latter half of the financial year.

Yonder Travel Insurance, a travel insurance comparison site, is thrilled to announce its partnership with battleface. Yonder customers will now be able to view, compare, and purchase highly innovative and customizable battleface plans in just minutes. “This new partnership with battleface offers our users greater opportunity to find the right policy for their trip,” said Terry Boynton, president & co-founder at Yonder. “With additional benefits for exploration-based activities, the Explorer plan is a great fit for trips centered around nature. For travelers seeking hard-to-find add-ons like vacation rental damage, pet coverage, and cancel for any reason, the Discovery plan makes it easy to get the coverage you want.”