Category Archives: Associations

International visitor arrivals (IVAs) to Asia Pacific are expected to rise from 619 million in 2024 to 762 million in 2026, with a recovery rate of 111.6 per cent compared to the 2019 level. Asia will lead the recovery, with visitor arrivals reaching 564.0 million by 2026 in comparison to the Americas and the Pacific.

As per the India State Ranking Survey by Hotelivate in collaboration with World Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII), Gujarat experienced the most significant upward shift in rankings, moving up by 7 positions. Telangana demonstrated a remarkable shift, advancing from the 27th to 6th position, more than doubling its tourism spending. On the other hand, Punjab experienced a contrasting trend, dropping from the 9th to the last position.

While commenting on the ‘Chalo India’ campaign launched by PM Modi, Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, said, “Anything that is done to promote tourism we wholeheartedly welcome it. However, we need to rope in Destination Management Companies, foreign tour operators and get them to market us.”

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, highlighted, “The increase in the number of flights and routes will automatically reduce the airfares. It is always a demand-supply story. If the demand for flights is too much and the supply is less then fares will be at peak, but if it balances out, fares will come down on their own. Probably, the domestic market will keep on moving in the current scenario, but high fares can affect our inbound numbers. An international traveller in India compares it with other countries, which are cheaper than India at times. This is going to impact the international arrivals to India.”

HRAWI has appealed to CM Shinde and Tourism Minister Mahajan to reassess recent regulatory measures in Pune. Terming the order u/s 144 as “draconian”, Pradeep Shetty HRAWI President said the order mandates establishments to manage guest behaviour, including prohibiting dancing in specific areas and driving after drinking.

FHRAI jointly with the Hotel Association of India (HAI) is organising “Travel for LiFE – Tourism Sustainability Summit 2024” on 8th of March 2024, at Hotel Le-Meridien, New Delhi. This initiative is also supported by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (UK), Niti Aayog, Invest India and KPMG as Knowledge Partner. It will be attended by G. Kishan Reddy and Amitabh Kant and will explore sustainable tourism practices and global initiatives.

Malaysia moves ahead to become the 4th largest source market for inbound travel in India as per the PATA report. It will climb to the 4th spot in 2024 from 7th rank in 2019, beating Australia. In mild scenario, International Visitor Arrivals (IVAs) from Malaysia to India is expected to go up by 176.7% in 2024.  

The Indian market Is likely to double in the next five years, said Noor Ahmed Hamid, CEO of PATA, while speaking at a PATA India event in New Delhi. He said, “However, it will not reach the size of China and will remain the third-largest in the world. India is growing on the domestic front with its population propelling business of tourism in India.”

According to Prof Haiyang Song, Associate Dean at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, South Asia, including India, is going to be a powerhouse of tourism in the next 4-5 years. “Tourism will fully recover to per-pandemic level in 2024 and exceed the pre-pandemic level in 2026 by 58.5% and 20.5% in mild and medium scenarios, respectively. The Union Budget 2023 will improve tourism infrastructures to accommodate potential demand surge, and possibly launch Incredible India! 3.0,” he said.

To boost domestic tourism and inbound arrivals, India needs to frame policies that could introduce uniformity in the sector. Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, believes that it is high time that India should come up with a National Tourism Policy, which will escalate investments and augment tourism’s share in the economy.