Category Archives: Associations

Neeraj Malhotra has been re-elected as the Chairman of the TAAI Northern Region for the next term 2024-2026 at TAAI’s Annual Meeting. The other office bearers who were reinstated includes: Anurag Agrawal as Hon. Secretary and Neeraj Kumar Sarna as Hon. Treasurer. They were elected unanimously for the next term indicating the support and trust shown by members.  

WTTC projects that Travel & Tourism will contribute almost INR 21.15 trillion to the Indian economy in 2024, an increase of 21% from 2019. Jobs are predicted to increase by 2.45 million this year, equivalent to one in 11 jobs in India. International visitor spending is expected to grow more than 17%, to reach INR 2.85 trillion, while domestic visitor spending is projected to continue growing this year, with a 9.6% increase to reach more than INR 16 trillion. 

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO said, “We requested the Prime Minister for financial support to be provided to tour operators based on their foreign exchange earnings. Additionally, we urged the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, to allocate a Unof rupees ₹1000 crore or more for the revival of incoming tourism.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reveals a significant recovery of India’s Travel & Tourism sector, with domestic tourism playing a pivotal role. The data shows that whilst domestic tourism is driving the recovery of the sector in India,  international travel spend remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the global tourism body’s latest research, the sector’s contribution to India’s GDP reached just over INR 19.13TN in 2023 – almost 10% ahead of 2019 levels. Employment in Travel & Tourism grew by 10% to reach just under 43MN, 8% more than in 2019. Domestic visitor spending was 15% ahead of 2019, reaching INR 14.64TN however international visitor spending remained more than 14% behind 2019 last year – INR 0.4TN less being spent by international visitors last year than in 2019. Such strong growth in domestic visitor spending is evidence that domestic visitors have led the sector’s path toward post-pandemic recovery. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said; “India’s Travel & Tourism sector is bouncing back with remarkable vigour, driven by a surge in domestic tourism.

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “Today’s travellers are increasingly mature and discerning; they prioritize meaningful experiences. We’ve observed a substantial 20-30% rise in luxury and experiential travel, underscoring a robust demand for high-quality, personalised travel experiences.”

Focusing on benefits of attending PATA Travel Mart 2024, Noor Ahmad, CEO, PATA, revealed that the event is expected to witness 57% participation from the leisure segment buyers and 31% from buyers with M!CE & leisure (both), while 8% from MICE segment. The PATA Travel Mart 2024 is scheduled from August 27-29, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kapil Kaul, CEO & Director, CAPA India, addressing the CAPA India Aviation Summit said, “India’s airline fleet is set to double by FY2030. It took the Indian industry around 90 years from the time of the first commercial flight to reach a fleet size of 700 aircraft. But the rate of growth is so strong that carriers could add a further 600-700 aircraft in just the next 5-7 years.”

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO said, “We are requesting that, after the new government comes in, it’s fine for promotions to be done from the embassy. However, like officers from the Ministry of Commerce or other such departments who are posted in embassies or high commissions abroad, at least in the 20 key market embassies or high commissions, people at the rank of Deputy Director General (DDG) should be posted there under the overall supervision of the ambassador or high commissioner. Only then will we be able to achieve our goals because these are the people who understand what tourism is.”

India’s passenger Load Factor Level reached 86.6% in April 2024 as per IATA with a year-on-year change of -1.7% in load factor. Additionally, revealed that the total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), was up 11.0% compared to April 2023 as global passenger demand rose to 15.8%  and domestic demand rose to 4%

Sharing his comments on the increase in Schengen visa fee from June 11, 2024, Ajay Prakash, National President, TAFI, says, “People don’t mind paying it if they get visas on time. But if you charge more money and still make people wait for a visa, you are shooting yourself in the foot. But it is not a huge increase to push people away to other countries. It is not about the cost alone, it’s also about the speed and ease of visas.”