Travel Firms

AI helping ixigo to build travel tech for the next billion Indians

Ixigo's AI-driven trip-planning tool, 'PLAN', has crafted over 282,700 personalised itineraries, engaging more than 1.5 million users since its launch last year

Hilton to expand footprint in India amid boom in leisure travel demand

Hotel operators have been building diverse property portfolios in India, investing heavily in midsize properties that cater to price-conscious, middle-income consumers

China's senior tourists could be a silver lining for travel companies

Companies inside and outside of China, and local travel authorities, are starting to tailor their services to the needs specific to this growing cohort

EaseMyTrip Planners Q1 results: Net profit rises 31% to Rs 33.93 cr

Travel booking platform EaseMyTrip Planners on Tuesday reported a 31 per cent rise in its consolidated profit after tax to Rs 33.93 crore in June 2024 quarter. It had reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 25.90 crore in the same quarter of last fiscal. The company's total income increased to Rs 156.22 crore in the April-June period, from Rs 126.64 crore a year ago, a regulatory filing showed. However, its total expenses also rose to Rs 109.03 crore during the quarter under review, as against Rs 91.56 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. "EaseMyTrip sustained its bottom-line growth during the relevant period, continuing with steady operational momentum along with continued focus on profitability. During Q1 FY2025, the Gross Booking Revenue was Rs 2,274.5 crore. Our Revenue from Operations grew by 23 per cent Y-o-Y at Rs 152.6 crore. EBITDA had a growth of 34.9 per cent as compared to Q1 in the previous financial year and was Rs 50.6 crore," Nishant Pitti, ...

Rapido to offer free rides to differently-abled voters in Karnataka

Ride-hailing platform Rapido on Wednesday pledged to offer free bike taxi, auto, and cab rides to differently-abled and senior citizen voters in Karnataka as part of its "SawaariZimmedariKi" initiative. Voters in Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru would be able to avail free rides to and fro voting points on April 26 by using the code VOTENOW'. "In collaboration with the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Rapido sets forth to champion civic engagement during the General Elections 2024 by extending free auto and cab rides to differently-abled and senior citizen voters in Bengaluru," Rapido said in a statement. Rapido's Co-founder Pavan Guntupalli said the move is to ensure that differently-abled, and senior citizen voters have equitable access to exercise their democratic rights.

Travel info personal, cannot be disclosed to 3rd party under RTI: Delhi HC

Information related to travel is personal in nature and such details cannot be divulged to a third party under the Right to Information (RTI) Act unless it is in the larger public interest, the Delhi High Court has said. The court has refused to interfere with an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) that dismissed a plea moved by Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, a death row convict in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. Siddiqui had sought information under the RTI Act regarding the travel entries (departure and arrival) of Mohammad Alam Gulam Sabir Quraishi from the Mumbai airport to Hong Kong or China between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006 made with the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or Immigration Office. He had challenged the CIC's January 2022 order that denied the information to him. "The travel information of any person is personal information and such details cannot be divulged to a third party unless the same is in the larger public interest, .

Travel operators FY25 revenue seen jumping 12-14% this fiscal: CRISIL

Higher airfares and volume which reached the pre-pandemic levels across segments, including long-haul travels, will help the tour and travel sector report healthy revenue growth of 12-14 per cent next fiscal on the back of a record 30 per cent growth this fiscal, says a report. The double-digit growth seen for the next fiscal comes on the heels of a record high growth in the current fiscal, wherein the sector is poised for a revenue growth of 30 per cent, which is about 18 per cent above the pre-pandemic peak, Crisil said in a report Monday. The report also expects higher revenue growth to cushion the increased outgoes by way of the revised tax rates on tax collected at source on overseas travel packages which is in an upswing as the visa-related curbs are easing. Operating margin, too, is expected to be healthy at above 6.5 per cent this fiscal and the next, despite the higher promotional spends, backed by operating leverage benefits and various cost optimisation/automation ...

Travel firms asked to pay pending refunds for cancelled Covid plans

The DoCA had held a meeting with online travel aggregators to discuss issues prejudicial to consumer interest in the travel sector

Yatra Online IPO receives 30% subscription on second day of bidding

The initial public offer of travel company Yatra Online received a 30 per cent subscription on the second day of the issue on Monday. The Rs 775-crore IPO received bids for 94,27,005 shares against 3,09,42,356 shares on offer, according to NSE data. The category for retail individual investors (RIIs) was subscribed 1.34 times while the quota for non-institutional investors received a 9 per cent subscription and the qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) portion was subscribed 6 per cent. The initial public offer has a fresh issue of up to Rs 602 crore and an offer for sale of up to 1,21,83,099 equity shares. The price range for the offer is Rs 135-142 a share. At the upper end of the price band, the IPO will fetch up to Rs 775 crore. Yatra Online on Thursday said it has mobilised Rs 348.75 crore from anchor investors. Proceeds from the fresh issue worth up to Rs 150 crore will be utilised towards strategic investments, acquisitions and inorganic growth and up to Rs 392 crore toward

Expedia to stop 'pay now' option for foreign bookings on TAAP India site

The online travel booking company said that it will do so 'given the complexity of complying to the changes' to the TCS rules which will come into effect on July 1

40 bike taxi drivers approach Delhi minister seeking relief from ban

A group of 40 bike taxi drivers have sought Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot's intervention against any enforcement or action by the city government against them. The Delhi government launched a crackdown against bike taxis in February. In a memorandum submitted to Gahlot's office, the group said the Delhi government is adamant about banning their services. "We will face difficulties in meeting household expenses, getting our children educated and getting our parents treated," read the memorandum. The memorandum also said that while the delivery services continued unabated, the bike taxi drivers were being "targeted". The Supreme Court had on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that essentially allowed Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital by asking the Delhi government not to take any coercive action against them till a new policy was formulated. A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal at the Supreme Court granted liberty to the two .

IHCL, IndiGo, IRCTC: Analysts bet on travel stocks ahead of holiday season

Travel/tourism-related stocks: Analysts suggest investors keep a selective 'buy on dips' strategy on the space entailing hotels, airlines, travel agents, ticket booking players, and luggage makers

Travel firms bullish on R-Day, expect flight sales to pip New Year weekend

MakeMyTrip expects higher air travel demand for Republic Day weekend compared to the new year's eve weekend

Outbound travel picks up, India remains top source for several countries

Travel from India increased significantly after resumption of direct flights in March, Turkiye Tourism Board said, with destination weddings contributing to arrivals

Mahindra Holidays to invest Rs 1,500 crore on expansion in next 3 years

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd plans to invest up to Rs 1,500 crore in the next three years in expansion, including room additions and resort acquisitions, according to company MD and CEO Kavinder Singh. The company is also considering launching a new upscale brand for managing resorts, through which it would also look to further grow its Club Mahindra memberships. "We are on a growth path. We have added 1,000-odd rooms in just about two and a half years," Singh told PTI. At present, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL) has a total of about 4,700 rooms across 86 resorts -- 74 in India and 12 internationally, he added. When asked about future expansion, he said, "For us, we have to add resorts, that's the business we are in. We have a plan to easily add 1,200 to 1,500 rooms in about three years' time and that will happen at an estimated capital expenditure of about Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1500 crore, which is sanctioned by the board". Among the major expansion ...

Rajasthan govt implements new rural tourism scheme, promises jobs

Agriculture tourism units will be set up on farm land on areas ranging from 2,000 square metres to two hectares (one hectare is roughly 10,000 square metres)

Travel fintech platform SanKash to hire over 500 in India in next 6 months

Travel fintech platform SanKash on Monday said it plans to hire 500 professionals in India over the next six months

Surge in bookings, cost cutting fuel 8-fold surge in IPO-bound OYO's Ebitda

Spike in adjusted Ebitda primarily driven by a 23% QoQ rise in Gross Booking Value per hotel in Q2 to Rs 4,00,000; firm still ends with Rs 333 cr loss

Hospitals see influx of foreign patients in Sept qtr as travel norms ease

Several corporate hospitals say international patient footfalls have crossed pre-pandemic levels

Tourist arrivals may just be a third of pre-pandemic levels this year

Rajiv Mehra, head of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), stated that he does not anticipate inbound foreign visitors to surpass 35 per cent of pre-Covid levels until March 31