What's new in Indian Ocean destinations, from hotels to activities

For anyone heading to Indian Ocean beaches from colder climates, the region’s warm waters have an obvious appeal. But with sea levels rising faster here on average than in the Atlantic and Pacific, many of those beaches are at risk of being claimed by the tides — threatening the natural habitats and livelihoods of people living in coastal areas. This is a global problem, of course: sea levels worldwide have risen around 10cm in the past 30 years, with the rate increasing from 1.5mm a year through most of the 20th century to 3.9mm a year now. Projections for future sea level rises vary greatly, but when you’re in the Maldives, whose highest points rise to just over two metres above sea level, every centimetre counts.

Imagine waking up to the chime of a medieval clock, then settling down to work with a thousand-year-old castle as your backdrop.

The price of airline tickets has reached an all-time high this year. With costs soaring, passengers are desperately searching for cheap flights.

Travel prices across Europe have started to decline, following months of continuous hikes in air fares and hotel rates. However, they’re expected to remain highly volatile for several years as the market undergoes a correction.

It’s the classic coin flip of a great beach vacation: Do you prefer to swim in the ocean or a pool? Thankfully, some resorts in Europe or Australia don’t require such a choice because they offer natural swimming pools replenished with fresh seawater. Now the first natural swimming pool has opened in the Caribbean. Wymara Resort + Villas on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos features a 3,900-square-foot-pool on Sunset Cove. The ocean pool is part of the property’s Villa Beach Club and is accessible for all villa guests and available to all resort guests for a small fee.

Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.

Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.

Hotel leaders from around the world gathered in London this week for the Skift Future of Lodging Forum. Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill wrote an excellent summary of the event earlier this week where he shared slides from speakers, quotes from attendees, and a Paris Hilton TikTok.

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.”

Explora Journeys, a privately-owned sub-brand of the MSC Group, is applying a “luxury lifestyle hotel” ethos to its Millennial-friendly cruise ships, which will feature Ocean penthouses and residences, in addition to entry-level Ocean suites. 

As demand outpaces supply in the Indian hotels market, the asset-light Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) reported its highest-ever full year consolidated revenue and a profit after tax of $122 million — a historic first for the company.

San Francisco has found promising value in the India travel market as the city’s recovery in international visitors remains sluggish due to China’s slow return.