StarCruises introduced a new lineup of shorter itineraries aboard the Star Voyager, sailing from both Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City. These carefully curated 3 Night and 4 Night voyages offer guests a convenient and flexible way to enjoy the magic of cruising—perfect for the school holidays in Singapore and Vietnam, first-time cruisers, families, busy professionals and spontaneous getaways.

Rikant Pittie, CEO & co-founder, EaseMyTrip, “For FY26, we plan to significantly scale up our EasyDarshan vertical and expand curated pilgrimage offerings across all major religious circuits like Char Dham, Jyotirlingas, Shaktipeeths, and key temples in South India. The plan is to tie up with temple trusts and local administrations to ensure pilgrims’ safety and comfort.

To enhance tourism and connectivity in the state, Sushanta Chowdhury, Tourism and Transport Minister, Tripura, announced that the state government has initiated plans to introduce seaplane tourism in the state. The initiative aims to leverage the state’s abundant water bodies to attract both domestic and international tourists with a unique aerial and aquatic travel experience.

According to American Express India’s 2025 Global Travel Trends report, Indians are willing to go the distance and travel both domestically (36 per cent) and internationally (32 per cent) for a sporting event in 2025. Cricket (63 per cent), football/soccer (38 per cent) are the top sports Indians are planning to travel for this year.

Calling on Agoda to immediately reverse the recent changes to its commission structure, K Syama Raju, President, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), said, “We strongly urge Agoda to uphold equitable business practices and maintain complete transparency in their engagements with Indian hotel partners.”

Highlighting Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh’s initiatives to promote sustainable tourism through the introduction of a 50 per cent subsidy on GSTC certification fees, CB Ramkumar, Vice Chair, GSTC, raised concerns about the practical challenges of these policies, pointing out that despite the announcement, ‘no fiscal allocations had been made to fund the subsidy, which leaves the policy lacking in execution.’

Marking a major milestone in India’s maritime tourism sector, Mumbai’s long-awaited International Cruise Terminal at Ballard Pier is set to begin full-scale operations. Built at a cost of ₹556 crore, it is ready to welcome 10,000 passengers daily. The terminal is set to make Mumbai a major departure point for international sea travel.

Nikhil Sharma, MD & COO– South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “In terms of rate dynamics, I foresee continued growth in Average Daily Rates (ADRs) across metros and leisure destinations, despite a possible short-term dip in occupancy during Q2 of FY2025. But other than that, I don’t see any drop in ADRs in India.”

Tourism India Alliance (TIA) is all set to organise Tourism Exchange (TEX) on 10 January 2026 in Odisha. The national-level event aims to be a convergence point for tourism stakeholders, spotlighting innovation, partnerships, and destination marketing. “We aim to foster bilateral tourism and create long-term value for our members in 2025 and beyond,” said Jagdeep Bhagat, President, TIA.

The much-awaited IATO election will be held on 10 May at The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi for the posts of President, Senior VP, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, Joint Secretary, five EC members (Active) and three EC members (Allied). Ravi Gosain, Director, Erco Travels and Amaresh Tiwari, MD, AT Seasons & Vacations Travel, are contesting for the post of the next President, replacing Rajiv Mehra, the current President.