State of Travel 2024: New Growth Phase, India's Rise

The Indian government is planning to invest INR 920 billion ($11 billion) in airport infrastructure. This fund will be used for construction of new airports and expansion of existing ones, India’s civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said. 

It's 12 p.m. on Thursday and I am running through the streets of Brooklyn. I have to be out of New York City and on the highway north to reach Storm King Art Center by 3 p.m., when Charli XCX will be bumping her new album at a surprise listening party. Streaming in from directions unknown, hundreds of other fans have likewise shirked their responsibilities for the day—skipping work and school, canceling plans, ditching kids with partners—and booked it to this 500-acre sculpture park in New Windsor, New York, on the vague premise of exclusively hearing Charli XCX's latest music the day before the album's release. Some have taken four-hour trains; others, carpooled with strangers; the most die-hard brats are seeing her for the fourth or fifth time, after having followed her to California, Spain, and beyond. For her part, I know Charli herself will be on a plane the minute the show ends, given she's in the middle of her North America tour.

American Airlines is making a slew of changes to its domestic network.

On my recent trip to Hanoi, walking through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, I had no trouble finding comfort food: Indian restaurants were thriving in almost every lane. It was a stark contrast to my visit in 2019, when I struggled to find any. 

United Airlines just announced its largest-ever international route expansion for summer 2025—including increased flights to tourist-favorite countries like Spain, Italy, and France and brand new routes to lesser-visited destinations like Mongolia, Greenland, and Senegal.

Nonstop travel options between Texas and Tokyo are about to get interesting. On Thursday, low-cost carrier ZIPAIR Tokyo announced a major new route linking Houston with the Japanese capital. 

India wants to double cruise passenger traffic by 2029, and Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has launched the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission.’

United Airlines is expanding its domestic network with the addition of four new routes.

Travelers searching for America's safest cities may want to head to New England this holiday season.

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia is joined by Saniya Zanpure, research analyst at Skift, to explore India’s inbound tourism landscape. Last month, the Indian government announced initiatives aimed at boosting tourism, including offering 100,000 free visas. Despite surging outbound travel, inbound recovery has been slower, making these measures critical. Catch them discuss factors behind this disparity, such as safety concerns, visa issues, and infrastructure challenges, as well as untapped opportunities to enhance India’s appeal.    

Millionaires, they're just like us.

Three months ago, my wife and I stared into the living room of a new house in a new state. It was day one of living in the Pacific Northwest. In a couple of months, we'll repeat this process in another part of the country, just like we have three times over the last two years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.