What It's Like to Ride on One of India's Most Luxurious Train Cars

Indian online travel company EaseMyTrip has resumed flight bookings to the Maldives. This comes after EaseMyTrip suspended services in January following a diplomatic spat between the two nations.

Millionaires, they're just like us.

Real estate services company JLL estimates that by the end of this year, hotel transactions in India will amount to a total of $413 million. Last year, the industry saw investments worth $401 million.

India’s wedding season is around the corner, and this year, about 4.8 million weddings are expected, according to a study by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). That could mean revenue of $70.4 billion.

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia talks to Mehul Sharma, CEO and founder of Signum Hotels and Resorts, about the demand-supply gap in India’s hospitality market. Sharma goes on to talk about the growing demand for religious tourism in India and what makes religious destinations such a strong investment for hospitality companies.  

For all the buzz around India tourism, arrivals from foreigners in the first six months of 2024 were underwhelming: just under 4.78 million. That’s nearly 10% less than arrivals of 5.3 million in the same period in 2019.

Sep 30, 2024 • 9 min read

We’re getting closer to the completion of Vistara’s merger with Air India, which will combine fleets, routes, and — most importantly for frequent flyers — loyalty programs.

The Indian government is offering visa-fee waivers for the first 100,000 tourists entering the country under the “Chalo India” program. The operational guidelines will be finalized soon, after which the scheme will officially launch, the ministry has said.

Tourism accounts for nearly a quarter of Thailand’s economy and a tenth of Turkey’s. For India, the contribution is just 5%. But the plan is now to double that contribution.

Since the dawn of time, the romance of railways has seduced poets, spellbound novelists, and dealt directors the perfect hand for capturing fleeting friendships, illicit affairs, and all manner of crimes and capers. A ticket is not just a permit to ride, it’s permission to trespass on the intimacies of other people’s lives. Trains bring us up close and personal—both inside and outside the carriage. On board, passengers chat politics in Finnish dining cars, clamber into couchettes above strangers on the Trans-Siberian, and share samosas on India’s many raucous mail trains. Outside, the world flashes by, a slideshow of rivers growing into oceans, deserts rising into mountains and cities sprawling then receding into darkness as the train thunders on through the night.

The Catskills does Autumn very well. A getaway in the fall provides a consolation for the end of summer. It feels like a homely embrace, offering comfort, warmth, and a sweep of color that will bring cheer to even the most die-hard warm-season devotees. As fall begins to drape across New York State, it’s the perfect time to book a getaway — after all, we deserve to celebrate this time of year in a place where the season is in its brightest incarnation. The Catskills’ Hamptonsification, however, means that a weekend in the mountains can quickly get expensive. There are some ways to do a getaway on the dime. One is to set a reminder for October 3, noon ET. On a first-served basis, Urban Cowboy Lodge, arguably the best cabin hotel in the area, is offering a stay on the Big Indian Wilderness for $24 per night.