Tourist

Escape to Rajasthan: Tourists flock to desert state as Delhi chokes

Hoteliers said while some people are flocking to the state for brief stays of two to seven days, some are working remotely

Rishikesh in list of 40 major global tourist spots, CM expresses gratitude

Earlier on Friday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has approved an amount of Rs 66.12 crore for the construction of roads and bridges in various assembly constituencies

Indian tourist arrivals in Singapore in October reach one million mark

Indian visitor arrivals to Singapore surged past the one million mark in October, two months earlier than in 2023, the city-state's tourism body said on Wednesday, marking a strong recovery in its tourism sector. This milestone was achieved when Singapore Airlines flight SQ-421 from Mumbai touched down at Changi Airport on October 31, bringing Singapore's millionth Indian visitor for 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said. With a 12 per cent increase in Indian visitors from January to October 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, India is Singapore's third-largest source market for tourism, it said. Commenting on this significant milestone, Regional Director of STB for India, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, Markus Tan, said, "Welcoming our one-millionth Indian visitor two months earlier than in 2023 demonstrates Singapore's enduring appeal as a premier short-haul destination for Indian travellers." This milestone not only reflects our strong tourism recovery but

World Tourism Day 2024: Five best off-beat sites to explore in India

On this World Tourism Day 2024, explore these five off-beat destinations offering serene views in India that will be quenching the thirst of all fellow travellers and adventurous

World Tourism Day 2024: Over 100 best wishes, messages and quotes to share

The world celebrates World Tourism Day every year on September 27 to spread awareness about social, economic and environmental benefits of travelling

Inbound tourists trail pandemic levels, but forex earnings up: Report

Inbound tourism in the country is trailing the pandemic levels as foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in January-June this year stood at 4.78 million, which is about 90 per cent of the first half of 2019, a report said on Wednesday. However, forex earnings are up indicating that per person arrival spending is more, according to a report by Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics. The report said that the post-pandemic recovery in India's inbound tourism is lagging the global trend as in the first half of calendar 2024, FTAs in the country stood at 4.78 million, about 90 per cent of that in the first half of calendar 2019. In comparison, globally, FTAs in the first seven months of 2024 were at 96 per cent of the pre-Covid levels of 2019, implying India is behind the curve, it added. The report stated that reduced demand from Bangladesh on account of the current political scenario there and suspension of direct flights from China impacting tourist footfalls. Both these countries were a

Saudi Arabia achieves 73% increase in international tourist arrivals

The Kingdom achieved a 56 per cent growth in the number of international tourists in 2023 compared to 2019, with the number of tourists reaching 27.4 million

Surge in demand of 'Visa at Your Doorstep' among UK travellers to India

There has been a significant surge in demand for the "Visa at Your Doorstep service amid a growing number of UK visitors choosing India as a travel destination, visa facilitation service VFS Global said on Tuesday. According to the latest Ministry of Tourism statistics, Britain featured among the top three source countries for foreign tourist arrivals making up a 9.82 per cent share between January and June this year. It comes as overall foreign tourist arrivals to India increased by around 64 per cent compared to previous years. The Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service has recently experienced a significant surge in demand, said Anirudh Singh, COO of Europe and CIS region at VFS Global the technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, including the Indian mission in the UK. "The demand for convenient and personalised services is rising, and our VAYD service is perfectly positioned to meet this growing need. Equipped with mobile kits for biometric capture, o

Taxi operators' strike at Mopa airport to continue; meeting with CM fails

A proposed meeting between protesting tourist taxi operators attached to the new international airport at Mopa in Goa and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not materialise on Friday afternoon, with the latter terming their agitation politically motivated. The taxi operators from Manohar International Airport at Mopa have been protesting since Thursday, pressing for their various demands, including complete stoppage of illegal transport at this greenfield airport, operated by GMR Goa International Airport Limited. The agitation was expected to be resolved on Friday afternoon after CM Sawant invited a delegation of the taxi operators to meet him at his official residence at Altinho in Panaji. Around 25 agitators went to meet the CM but were denied permission. Officials asked them to come with 8-10 members, said Chetan Kamat, a leader of the taxi operators. The protesters demanded that the entire delegation be allowed to meet the CM, or else the meeting should be cancelled, he said. K

Barcelona and beyond: How Europe's tourism boom is sparking unrest

Central to these protests across Europe is the escalating issue of rising rents and house prices, making homeownership unattainable for residents

Qutub Minar dethrones Agra Fort as tourist magnet in historic shift

Draws 220,017 foreign visitors to become second most visited monument

Tourist footfall hits 10 mn in Goa; no let up even in monsoon: Minister

The number of visitors to Goa has increased in the just-concluded tourist season and touched the one crore-mark, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said, dismissing perception of the footfall going down in the coastal state. There has also been a rise in the number of international tourists, which is 150 per cent more than the pre-COVID-19 figures, Khaunte told PTI in an exclusive interview here on Saturday. He, however, admitted there was competition to Goa from other states in the country as well as international players. The official tourist season ends in Goa in June with the onset of monsoon and resumes in September. The state has continued to receive tourists even during the monsoon season, the minister said. "In the monsoon, there is 80 per cent occupancy of hotels in Goa. People flock to Goa during the monsoon as they have realised that Goa is not only about the beaches, he said. Asked about the perception of there being a dip in the number of tourists to Goa, Khaunte sai

Thailand approves longer visa stays for tourists, students, remote workers

Digital nomad visas for self-employed and remote workers extended to five years

Tourism's share in global GDP to return to pre-Covid levels this year: WEF

India soars to 39th, sole South Asian nation in top 50: WEF

India among fastest-growing mkts with potential to be in top 10: Airbnb CBO

India is one of the "fastest-growing markets" for online accommodation hosting platform Airbnb and the country has the potential to be among its top 10 global markets in the coming years, according to its Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson. The company is investing in India to tap the opportunity of a rapid rise in tourists travelling to foreign destinations as well as domestic places that are rapidly growing post-pandemic and where 90 per cent of its first-time bookers are Gen Zs. "It (India) is one of our growth markets and we see a huge opportunity for growth in India in the future. In India, nights booked grew by almost 30 per cent YoY (Year-on-Year) in 2023 compared to 2022, which is a positive sign," Stephenson told PTI. For Airbnb, India is going to be "a large travel market", where it has seen a "strong desire" among the "Indian travellers to venture overseas as well as explore domestic destinations, especially those off the beaten path", he said. Though, Stephenson did

Tourism economy swells for cities in the total solar eclipse path

Various indicators suggest the eclipse will bolster the economies in the path of totality, a roughly 110-mile-wide belt that will stretch from Mazatlán to Montreal

Australia registers over 6% growth in Indian tourists arrivals in Jan

Australia witnessed over 6 per cent on-year growth in Indian tourists arrivals in January this year, with 26,200 Indians travelling to the country, Tourism Australia said on Tuesday. Moreover, India has also significantly improved its ranking to be the fifth largest inbound market for Tourism Australia in 2024, from seventh in 2019. "In January we did extremely well with 26,200 Indians travelling to Australia, compared to 24,700 during the same month in 2019, a growth of 6.07 per cent. "If we calculate from February 2023 till January 2024, the total number of Indians visiting Australia has crossed the 4,00,000 arrivals milestone to reach 4,02,200," Tourism Australia Country Manager - India and Gulf - Nishant Kashikar told PTI. This growth in footfalls is mainly due to Tourism Australia's joint endeavours with its airlines, key distribution partners, and over 5,000 Aussie Specialist Agents in India to drive consideration and conversions, he said. "The number of airlines connecting

Indian holiday seekers showing dynamic shift in travel preferences: Airbnb

South Goa emerged as India's most popular getaway for Indian guests with a 330% increase in searches

Singapore expects over 1.5 million tourists from India in 2024: STB

Expecting over 1.5 million Indian tourists this year, Singapore is focusing on increasing its hospitality infrastructure such as hotel rooms, and working on seamless and easy visas for them, a senior tourism official said on Wednesday. Before the pandemic-induced lockdown, Singapore had received 1.4 million tourists from India in 2019, which then recovered to 1.1 million in 2023. In 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects the number to go past the 2019 strength even as it acknowledged the potential of getting over 1.5 million visitors though it has not set any target given the huge tourism potential of the Indian market. With three offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, the STB is working on getting seamless and easy visas for Indian tourists, Poh Chi Chuan, executive director of Exhibition & Conference at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) told PTI. The island state is building infrastructure for tourists and business travellers, such as 9,000 new hotel rooms that are being

India emerges as top inbound tourist market for Nepal in February

India has emerged as Nepal's top inbound tourist market in February, the tourism authority here said on Saturday, as the key sector in the Himalayan nation is gradually witnessing recovery from the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the total 97,426 tourists arriving in the country by air route last month, 25,578 were from India, followed by China with 9,180 and the US with 9,089 visitors, according to data published by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). Thailand is in fourth place with 4,799 inbound visitors, while the UK and Bangladesh ranked fifth and sixth in the list with 4,571 and 4,099 tourists respectively. According to NTB Director Mani Lamichhane, though the data showed over 25,000 Indians visiting Nepal in February, the actual number is much higher as a large number of tourists from India visited the country via land route. In January, Nepal received 18,041 visitors from India. The number of tourists arriving via air route in Nepal in February is 33 per cent up from