Survey respondents reported that although leisure travel is likely to rebound once borders reopen, Asia Pacific business travel is expected to take a little longer to recover, with just 24% seeing short haul corporate travel recovering to more than 61% of 2019 levels in 2022 and 7% seeing demand reaching four fifths of 2019 levels in 2022. Long haul business travel remains the furthest from reach. According to 86% of global respondents, less than two thirds of the long-haul corporate travel market will be back in 2022. In Asia Pacific, 30% of survey respondents believe we will not reach 20% of 2019 levels in 2022. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said tourism is the backbone of the state’s economy and called for a collective effort to boost it. “Tourism promotion was at the root of Uttarakhand’s movement for statehood. It is the backbone of our economy. We have to work collectively to strengthen our tourism and hospitality industry,” Dhami said addressing a tourism and hospitality conference. He further said tourism will play a key role in catapulting Uttarakhand among the leading states of the country when it celebrates the silver jubilee of its existence in 2025. 

Key findings from a new survey by US travel association reveal that 84% of business travellers expect to take at least one trip to attend conferences, conventions, or trade shows in the next six months. Business travellers also expect to resume traveling at a slightly slower pace compared to pre-pandemic levels, averaging about 1.6 trips per month compared to 1.7 monthly trips pre-pandemic. 

The Global Online Travel market size is projected to reach USD 1012890 Million by 2028, from USD 593480 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.5% during 2022-2028. The growth of the online travel market is expected to be fueled by factors such as increased internet penetration, rising disposable income, and government initiatives to promote tourism. 

After several months of suspended activity due to the Covid-19 health crisis, Air Austral will resume gradually its flights to Chennai as of May 2022 with the approval of its regulatory authorities, the French Civil Aviation Authority, and Indian Authorities. Starting 6 May 2022, Air Austral will offer two weekly flights each Tuesday and Friday. These flights will be operated by Airbus AZU-300, Air Austral’s brand new aircraft. 

According to a recent study by ParkSleepFly, The Taj Mahal ranks the world’s second-best value for money tourist attraction. Known for being of the most beautiful examples of architecture in the world, the landmark is relatively affordable, with an entry ticket costing $14.61. The study also revealed that just 1% of visitors to the Taj Mahal leave a bad review, representing the excellent value.  

Guldeep Singh Sahni, MD, Weldon tours and travels, said, “Government has taken a great step. I hope the government takes up all of the issues the travel industry is facing. There are certain clarifications needed in GST and other matters, and I would like the government to create a department to provide advance rulings on every matter so that everything is resolved and if they find any discrepancy, it can be corrected immediately. I congratulate the travel community and the government on removing this anomaly”. 

In the presidential address at the 25th Annual General Meeting, Puneet Chhatwal, President, HAI, emphasised the need to forge closer ties and collaborate with other industry bodies for a stronger and a more unified voice. He said “International travel has gone back 30 years globally and the ripple effect of tourism is affecting the economy of countries. Indian hospitality sector has rebounded due to various components of domestic travel and a vigorous internal demand.” 

Tickets for travel to key APAC destinations are on the rise. And it is India leading the way forward. India has recovered 80% of 2019’s level in the week of 5th March 2022. Next is the Pacific Island of Fiji, recovering 61% of pre-pandemic levels followed by the Philippines with 48%, Singapore with 43% and Australia with 38% recovery. 

The Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, the iconic sea cruise terminal coming up at BPX-Indira Dock, is expected to be commissioned by July 2024. The terminal will have a capacity of handling 200 ships and 1 million passengers per annum. Out of the total project cost of Rs. 495 crore, Rs. 303 crores will be incurred by Mumbai Port Authority and the remaining by private operators. This was informed by the Chairperson, Mumbai Port Authority, Rajiv Jalota, while addressing the media in Mumbai , on the occasion of completion of 7 years of Sagarmala – Government of India’s flagship programme for port-led development of the nation.