Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, said the recent US travel advisory is unlikely to impact inbound tourism significantly. “The advisory covers areas not on regular tourist itineraries. Most American tourists visit Rajasthan, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka—not Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Chhattisgarh or Jharkhand,” he explained. Gosain added that “J&K has always been under the ‘Do Not Travel’ category, so it’s not new.” On Northeast India, he said, “Tourists usually stick to capital cities like Guwahati or those in Nagaland and Meghalaya, which are exempted.” He emphasised that organised leisure travel from the US remains unaffected by the advisory.

Announcing a launch of a new product, Monish Shah, Founder & CEO, DreamSetGo, said “What’s the one thing money usually can’t buy? Time with legends! With great excitement, we at DreamSetGo are launching our game-changing new offering, Travel with Legends! Our debut experience ‘Backyard to Brisbane and Beyond’ is more than luxury travel. It’s an intimate, unhurried journey, hosted personally by Australian cricket icon Matthew Hayden. This new product doesn’t just offer a holiday, it offers unique human connections. It’s a shift in how travel stories are told. It transforms “I stayed in the same hotel as Matthew Hayden” into “I holidayed with Matthew Hayden.” Imagine travelling to Brisbane, enjoying a backyard barbecue hosted by none other than cricket legend Matthew Hayden himself, experiencing the pristine luxury of Hayman Island, sailing the stunning Whitsundays and diving into the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.”

Announcing a new initiative, Nishant Pitti, Founder & Chairman, EaseMyTrip.com, shared that the company is launching a strategic initiative to partner with high-potential, scalable businesses in sectors like travel, wellness, financial products, insurance, airport services like lounges, meet and assist, baggage handling, lifestyle and education. “We’re looking for founders who need working capital to grow. EaseMyTrip can take up to 49% equity with a clear objective to help them scale,” he said.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a high-level meeting with senior officials of M/s. Air India Ltd. and Air India Express, who are currently operating over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors. The meeting was convened to review the operational robustness of the airlines and ensure continued compliance with safety and passenger service regulations. The recent surveillance conducted on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns. The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards. The regulator recommended the implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure that operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates. This is expected to enhance overall decision-making and reduce downstream disruptions.  

SOTC Travel has inaugurated its first franchise outlet in Raipur and in the state of Chhattisgarh, reiterating the Company’s strategic focus to expand its retail footprint across India. Chhattisgarh is emerging as a strong source market for the Company’s holiday business and is witnessing promising travel demand with Raipur and its surrounding catchments being key growth drivers. SOTC’s new franchise outlet is strategically situated in the city center, to serve both leisure and business segments. The Raipur outlet offers end-to-end travel solutions with an array of services, including International & Domestic Holidays (Group tours, Personalized Holidays, Cruises, etc.); Value Added Services like Travel Insurance; Visa Services, etc.

Speaking about the traffic that is diverting to other destinations from Turkiye and Azerbaijan in the wake of the ongoing geo-political situation, Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings, says, “We’ve seen a significant drop in new bookings for Turkiye and Azerbaijan over the last few weeks. For impacted travellers, we are offering full assistance with free cancellation charges or seamless rescheduling to alternate destinations, including free-visa support. We have noticed that travellers are now exploring alternatives with a similar vibe and budget—Greece, Egypt, Croatia, and Morocco are emerging in place of Turkiye, while Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan are attracting those who had considered Azerbaijan. These destinations offer comparable cultural richness and affordability. While queries for Turkey and Azerbaijan have dropped significantly, we do continue to receive occasional interest but for us, nation comes first. We remain committed to supporting travellers with safe, enjoyable, and well-curated holiday experiences.”    

TAAI President Sunil Kumar announced a series of initiatives to revive tourism in Jammu & Kashmir. These include member and media meetings across 20 regional chapters, a special ‘Family and Friends’ package by the TAAI J&K Chapter, and a dedicated session on Kashmir at the TAAI Convention 2025. To enhance travel confidence, TAAI will also produce promotional videos and content highlighting the region’s offerings and safety, encouraging wider participation in the revival of Kashmir tourism.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport CEO, Capt BVJK Sharma, has revealed that it will commence operations with around 8 to 10 air traffic movements (ATMs) every hour and will gradually scale up to 30 ATMs by 2026 summer as the airport authorities expect to see peak traffic of the first phase by then. In its initial phase, is expected to handle 20 million passengers per annum, with the capacity to serve 90 million passengers once complete. While the date of the commencement of operations has not been announced yet, airlines like IndiGo and Akasa Air have already announced their operations from the airport.

HRAWI has planned to organise its annual Convention from 8-9 October at Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. The regional association is expecting more than 1,000 attendees this year. It is still to confirm the convention’s theme. It will conduct its Conclave & Awards: Empowering Hospitality at Della Enclave Villa Resort in Lonavala on 26th June.  

Underlining the rising popularity of train travel, Bjorn Bender, CEO & Executive Chairman, Rail Europe, says, “We’re proud to distribute more than 5 million train tickets a year, connecting over 200 operators through one platform. Rail is gaining relevance. But we are far from where we need to be. Booking international train travel is still too complicated and fragmented. We don’t need more apps, we need more cooperation, open standards, transparent fares and access to data. That’s what we’re building right now – as we move into the next strategy phase. A rail experience that works for everyone – not just domestic commuters or insiders, but also non-domestic and unfamiliar travellers.”