A recent report put out by Economic Advisory Council to the PM, authored by Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, along with Jayasimha K R and Apurv Kumar Mishra, has suggested far reaching changes to the current manner of declaring monuments of national importance. It is a monumental work in itself, an important first steps towards taking a significant second look at how we manage our national resources in this sector. Speaking to Destination India, Sanyal said it …
In this research paper, the author outlines the changing contours of the Indian travel product and the envisaged growth in the immediate times ahead. At the heart of the Indian online travel story lies its burgeoning middle-class. With nearly 166 million middle-class households in 2018, it is expected to rise to 330 million by 2030. Indian travelers took approximately 1.8 billion domestic and 26 million international trips in 2018. In the last few years, improved infrastructure …
Making a strong plea for collaborations in the industry, between government and the industry, Anand reiterated the industry’s belief in the strength of the Indian Tourism product. He expressed lucidly some of the main issues that need to be tackled to make India the leading tourism destination. Anand highlighted that tourism and travel was a common cause for both industry and government, “a cause that has provided livelihood and life to so many. It is …
CAPA India Outlook FY2023 has been shared. Highlights of the study have some key indicators for the Indian aviation industry. These include: Domestic Traffic Domestic traffic is expected to reach 130-140 million passengers, perhaps remaining slightly lower than the FY2020 levels. The impact of higher fares on demand is becoming visible in Q2 with traffic recovery slowing down. International Traffic International traffic is expected to reach 55-60 million passengers, around 20% below pre-COVID. Airline Financials …
The Lodhi is a stand-alone super luxury property in the heart of Central Delhi. Run as part of the DLF Luxury portfolio along with the malls, the hotel keeps innovating, retaining its niche. Here, how it keeps its magic going is shared by Saurabh Khurana, Hotel Manager, The Lodhi. This summer season – how is it looking, especially compared to 2019 summer, in overall terms? Summer of 2019 is one that no one will ever …
Britain has announced that all COVID-19 travel restrictions will be lifted, effective 18th March. These would include the passenger locator form (PLF) for arrivals into the UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated. This change, therefore, removes the need for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and a day 2 post arrival test. This step reflects the decisions taken by the UK Government, as set out in the Living …
Ajeet Bajaj, Padma Shri recipient for his unique successes in adventure tourism, scaling among other achievements, the Everest with his daughter, says in this feature that Trans Himalayan Trails offer a unique opportunity to tap our adventure tourism potential. Adventure Travel is a US 683-billion-dollar industry globally showing 21% Compound Annual Growth rate since 2012. According to the World Bank, Adventure travel is the largest niche market with about 238 million travellers annually. India, on …
CAPA has released its 2022 Report on the Indian Airline sector, underlining that recapitalisation is critical, new norms must be introduced for new start-ups, and traffic will remain muted, in the face of possible rising costs of both oil and US$. It is going to be yet another difficult year! We have run out of words to describe the state of Indian airlines. But as we have repeatedly emphasised, the industry is standing on the edge …
Building on its fleet strength, its existing nationwide network, air cargo was but a natural progression. Building upon the success of the CarGo business in recent years, IndiGo has initiated a freighter programme and is in the process of sourcing 4 A321ceo aircraft each of which will be converted from passenger jets to a full freighter configuration. A Letter of Intent has been signed with a lessor for two aircraft already, and IndiGo expects to …
Hotelivate has released its Hospitality Report for year 2021, giving its stats and pulse of the industry. With COVID cases rising in large numbers yet again, the first (and possibly second) quarter of FY22 are likely to remain under severe pressure. Forecasting in these uncertain times remains extremely challenging. However, one thing is certain. Recover we shall. A slew of measures taken by hotel owners, operators and lenders are all aimed at making survival possible. …
Mumbai based rating company rates airlines in the APAC region for November 2020 Safe Travel Barometer, said to be the world’s most comprehensive B2B monitoring and benchmarking solution of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and traveler experience initiatives announced by suppliers, has announced the Safe Travel Score November 2020 leaderboard for Asia Pacific (APAC) airlines. 15 out of the 74 airlines assessed achieved a Safe Travel Score of 4.0 or higher. Airlines which were rated …
Trust the Japanese to do it first! When it comes to contactless delivery in the hospitality business, how about robots being your next bartender! When it comes to innovation and technology, Japan has always been at the forefront. Automation and robotics are so deeply engraved in their day to day life that there is no going back. Japan for decades has been working on the ethos of social distancing by depending on technology and utilizing …
Despite the undoubted potential of regional aviation in India, the sector remains severely under-penetrated and standalone regional carriers have struggled. CAPA held a virtual discussion on the subject and came out with remarkable clarity on the failures so far, the ambition of having a sustainable and meaningful regional connectivity, and the way forward towards achieving these goals. The regional connectivity is critical to India’s growth story. The Indian economy is undergoing a major transformation as …
The year 2020 has seen little activity, especially after March, when the lockdown started. In recent weeks, with some activity kick starting, HOSI was back with what must be, among the first hybrid events in our industry in the country. As Manav Thadani, chairman, Hotelivate, organizers of the conference said, “HOSI 2020 was India first true blended hospitality conference”, a truly memorable experience in the new normal. “We hosted it from the Indian School of …
In India, travel and tourism has been decimated. Following the current protocol in place with regard to international travel, businesses involved in inbound tourism have overnight lost their relevance. Zero revenues in a highly competitive industry almost immediately triggered massive job losses and huge salary cuts. Thus, it’s an existential issue for the industry and its various stake holders, ranging from the most humble cab driver or guide which has come to the fore. It …
Safe Travel Barometer, the world’s most comprehensive database for COVID-19 traveler health and safety protocols, has released the Safe Travel Score for airports worldwide including for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region (see table). This follows the announcement of the ‘safest airlines’ last month, a report that this website had carried earlier. The Safe Travel Score is an industry-first rating initiative, based on an independent audit of more than 200 airports and 20 traveler health and …
