Travel

Thomas Cook, SOTC sign MoU with Mandai Wildlife to focus on Indian diaspora

India's rapid growth market is slated fuel the short haul destinations

Strong demand to boost profits of travel operators by 6-7% in FY23,: Report

Leading travel and tour operators are expected to witness 6-7 per cent growth in operating profit and recover 90 per cent revenue in this financial year, mainly driven by efficient cost structure, a report said on Wednesday. After having reported losses for the past two fiscals due to Covid pandemic induced travel restrictions, travel and tour operators are expected to witness 6-7 per cent operating profitability in FY23 and FY24, Crisil Ratings said in a report. The revenue is likely to be 90 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels or FY20, mainly buoyed by strong recovery in both corporate and leisure travel segments in India and abroad, it added. "We expect operating margins to sustain at these levels next fiscal due to implementation of cost optimisation and automation initiatives undertaken by travel operators commencing from the pandemic period, even as revenues are expected to pass pre-pandemic levels next fiscal," the report stated. This marks a significant turnaround from ...

India to splurge $12 bn on airports in next two years as travel rebounds

The world's fastest-growing aviation market aims to boost the number of airports to 220 by 2025 from the current 148, for which private builders will invest about $9 billion

Is Venice, Maldives, Tundra on your travel bucket list? Make a move before it's too late

Indians spent a record amount on foreign travel in 2022. Here's how much

An analysis of tourism data shows that India earns significantly more from foreign tourists coming to India than what Indians spend abroad

Traffic congestion increases travel time by 113% for Bengaluru commuters

Other key cities see at least 80% increase in travel time

Amid backlog, now Indians can apply for US visa from other countries

Earlier, the US had launched initiatives like including scheduling special interviews for first time applicants and increasing strength of consular staff

China, Hong Kong lose cross-border travel quota, Covid test to drive growth

Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require COVID-19 PCR tests nor be held to a daily limit, authorities announced Friday, as both places seek to drive economic growth. Hong Kong's tourism industry has suffered since 2019 after months of political strife that at times turned into violent clashes between protesters and police, as well as harsh entry restrictions implemented during the pandemic. From Monday, there will be a full resumption of travel between Hong Kong and the mainland, Hong Kong leader John Lee said Friday at a news briefing. Lee said quotas for travelers will be scrapped and all boundary checkpoints will reopen next week. The announcement came a day after Lee unveiled a tourism campaign aimed at attracting travelers to Hong Kong that includes 500,000 free air tickets for tourists to visit the semi-autonomous Chinese city. China had already eased travel restrictions with Hong Kong on Jan. 8, dropping a mandatory quarantine period required for travelers

Ashwini Vaishnaw announces Vande Metro as railway gets highest allocation

Vande Metro, a mini version of the Vande Bharat Express trains, will be developed by the Railways for people living around big cities to travel to and fro in comfort between their place of work and hometowns, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the highest-ever capital outlay for the railways in the Union Budget 2023-24 at Rs 2.40 lakh crore, Vaishnaw also said India will get its first Hydrogen train by December 2023 which will be completely indigenously manufactured. It will initially be run on heritage circuits like Kalka-Shimla. Presenting the Budget in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said the outlay for the railways is nine times the amount provided in 2013-2014. She said 100 critical transport infrastructure projects for last-and-first-mile connectivity for coal, fertiliser and food grain sectors have been identified and will be taken up on a priority basis with an investment of Rs 75,000 .

Budget: Domestic tourism gets a fillip, overseas travel set to get costlier

Travel industry expressed mixed feelings about the budget as some of the demands for tax concessions or industry status for the sector too were not addressed in the budget

Budget proposes 20% hike in TCS on overseas travel, remittances going out

The government on Wednesday proposed to hike the TCS rate to 20 per cent from 5 per cent currently on overseas tour packages and a liberalized remittance scheme for remittance of funds out of India. The Finance Bill, through the Budget 2023-24, amended Section 206C of the Income Tax Act levying a higher Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on overseas tour programme packages. Also, 20 per cent TCS will be applicable in cases where funds in excess of Rs 7 lakh are sent out of India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme of the RBI. The amendments will come into effect from July 1, 2023. Nangia Andersen India Partner Amit Agrawal said the increase in TCS rate to 20 per cent is a big surprise, especially with the comfortable forex position. "The increase in TCS rates to 20 per cent for overseas travel perhaps underscores the government's intention to restrict overseas travel spending by HNI's," Agarwal said. Agarwal said the step to increase TCS to 20 per cent for all remittances, other t

Passengers to face delays as 32 long-distance trains run late due to fog

Passengers are likely to face inconvenience as over 32 long-distance trains are running behind their schedule by up to seven hours or more due to fog and bad weather conditions on Saturday

Airlines worldwide keep capacity tight despite boom in Chinese demand

Bookings for outbound flights from China surged by 254% on Tuesday morning versus the same period the day prior, data shows

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to rebel-held Tigray capital

With planned daily flights to Mekele, the airline said it will increase the daily frequency depending on the demand on the route

Chinese govt to start issuing new passports as Covid-19 curbs ease

The Chinese government says it will start issuing new passports as it dismantles anti-virus travel barriers, setting up a potential flood of millions of tourists out of China for next month's Lunar New Year holiday. That raises the possibility of an influx of free-spending Chinese visitors to revenue-starved destinations in Asia and Europe in what usually is the country's busiest travel season. But it also presents a danger, as tourists might spread COVID-19 as infections surge in China. China stopped issuing passports at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 as part of the world's strictest anti-virus controls and tried to block students, businesspeople and other travellers from going abroad. Tourist travel into China was shut down. Businesspeople and others who were allowed in were quarantined for up to one week. Tuesday's announcement adds to abrupt changes that roll back a "zero-COVID" strategy that confined millions of families to their homes. It kept infection rates

This city booked most number of Uber services in 2022; Bengaluru is second

Chandigarh among top five cities in terms of fastest average speeds, according to 'How India Ubered in 2022'

Travellers in a fix over govt announcement of mandatory RT-PCR testing

The rule applies to passengers arriving from five nations and calls for quarantine of infected/symptomatic flyers; travellers fear list may soon include more countries

Beaches to mountains: Indians are heading out for their New Year vacation

A quite hill town, a bustling beach, or an international city: Indians are taking their pick to greet the New Year

Govt issues rules for random Covid testing of int'l arriving passengers

With random coronavirus testing of international arriving passengers set to start from Saturday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that airlines' crew members will have to bring such identified passengers to the testing facility at the airport. Against the backdrop of rising coronavirus cases in China and some other parts of the world, the government has decided to subject 2 per cent of the passengers arriving on international flights to random coronavirus test starting from Saturday morning. In a communication on Friday, the ministry said that airlines are required to direct their crew members to lead and bring identified 2 per cent of international arriving passengers to the testing facility at the airport. "The airport operators would create necessary infrastructure to facilitate random testing of international arriving passengers at their respective airports," the communication said. The communication has been sent to the aviation regulator DGCA and copies have been marke

Avoid public gatherings, international travel amid fresh Covid scare: IMA

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised people to avoid public gatherings such as wedding ceremonies, political or social meetings as well as international travel amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China. In an advisory issued on Thursday, the IMA also appealed to people to go for vaccination against the viral disease, including taking the precaution dose, and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour such as using masks at public places and following social-distancing norms. According to reports, around 5.37 lakh fresh cases of the infection were reported in a 24-hour period recently from countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, France and Brazil, the IMA said. "With the robust infrastructure in the public as well as the private sector, dedicated medical manpower, proactive leadership support from the government and availability of sufficient medicines and vaccines, India will be able to manage any eventualities as done in the past