Taj-Parent Indian Hotels Company Enters Ras Al Khaimah With Branded Residences

The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is set to enter Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. It has signed Taj-branded hotel apartments Taj Wellington Mews on the Al Marjan Island in the emirate. The property will have 336 apartments. 

With IHCL looking to expand its global footprint, Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and CEO of IHCL, said, “Ras Al-Khaimah’s cultural heritage, natural beauty, and significant infrastructure development make it an increasingly compelling destination for global travelers. With its immense potential to redefine the Middle Eastern hospitality landscape, the emirate is equipped to become a leading tourism epicenter.”

The Al Marjan Island is a man-made archipelago with four islands, which has been developed as a sophisticated lifestyle destination, with several hotels and resorts, leisure facilities, theme parks, and natural attractions. Currently, the archipelago has a DoubleTree by Hilton resort, a Hampton by Hilton resort, Marjan Island Resort, a Radisson resort, and a Movenpick resort. 

IHCL’s International Expansion: In November last year, IHCL said that it aims to double its portfolio to 700 hotels by the end of this decade, with international expansion driving a lot of this growth. 

“On the international front, anything which is beyond 2 to 3 hours of flying distance, we don't think we want to go with any other brand other than Taj,” Chhatwal said. IHCL’s plan is to expand in markets “relevant” to it such as Singapore or Thailand in Southeast Asia or Switzerland: “Where the Indian diaspora is very strong.” 

This is expected to guarantee a steady flow of guests for the company. 

“We'll make sure that we don't lose out on opportunities in key international markets,” Chhatwal said.

Women Make Up 16% of Corporate Flyers in 2024

Women made up close to 16% of corporate flyers last year, according to data from myBiz, the corporate booking platform of online travel company MakeMyTrip. This means that only every sixth corporate flyer across flight bookings made by around 3,000 companies last year was a woman, MakeMyTrip noted. 

Further, among corporate travelers, the education sector recorded the highest share of women in corporate travel at 28%, followed by media and entertainment, and consulting. “The representation of women in manufacturing, chemicals, electronics, energy, textiles, and pharmaceutical industries was around 10%,” MakeMyTrip said in a statement. 

Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru led as the source of women corporate travelers, and Mumbai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Bengaluru, and Mumbai-Delhi routes saw the strongest representation of women travelers. 

Skift’s Generation Next: The Women Driving India’s Travel Revolution

The influence of women leaders is rising in the travel industry across the globe, and so is the case in India. In Skift’s Generation Next list on the women driving India’s travel revolution, we focus on 10 women leaders who are changing the way India, and maybe the world, travels. 

Our list includes inspirational women such as Thrillophilia Co-Founder, Chitra Gurnani Daga, Marriott International’s Area Vice President - South Asia Ranju Alex, Dolkhar Ladakh Founder Rigzin Wangmo Lachic, FCM Travel India Director of Sales Naomi Dias, and more. 

The focus of these women leaders is on cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and equitable opportunity, with ventures ranging from community-driven to high-tech. 

Skift India Forum is Around the Corner

On March 17 and 18, the second edition of the annual Skift India Forum will be held to delve into the future of travel in India amid the ongoing boom. Representatives and leaders from the Government of India, Air India, Marriott International, IndiGo, Oyo, MakeMyTrip, Uber, The Leela, Ixigo, and more will take the stage at the event.

This year’s event is also set to welcome a diverse mix of global brands, innovative startups, and key stakeholders from across the travel ecosystem. Agoda, Amadeus, Bajaj Finance, Booking.com, Emirates, and Hilton are some of the brands that will be attending.

At Skift India Forum, there will be discussions around the ambitious plans for airlines, hotels and their expansion, travel tech trends, the importance of live events, and visas, to name a few.

Holi Weekend Sees 50% Surge in Flight Bookings

The upcoming Holi weekend from March 14 has led to an average 45-50% year-on-year increase in flight bookings, according to online travel company Ixigo. This is being driven by a mix of homebound travel, leisure getaways, and spiritual tourism, said Ixigo group co-CEO Rajnish Kumar. 

“Cultural hotspots are witnessing a surge in demand this Holi. Flight bookings to Ayodhya have skyrocketed by 50% year-on-year for Holi, while Varanasi and Amritsar have seen a 20-30% year-on-year increase. Tier-2 and 3 cities are witnessing a surge in flight bookings for the Holi weekend, with Gorakhpur seeing the highest increase at 154%,” Kumar said. 

This is being aided by airlines rolling out attractive discounts. Indians are also looking to travel to short-haul international destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Bangkok during the festival weekend. 

Travel Tech Platform TripJack Launches TripSafe Travel Assistance Packages

Business-to-business travel tech platform TripJack has TripSafe, a global assistance package that aims to protect international travelers against unexpected events. According to a statement by TripJack, the service offers assistance packages for overseas trips, protecting travelers from risks such as medical emergencies, lost luggage assistance, and trip cancellations or interruptions.

The service is meant to cover business and leisure travelers, and offers tiers of services and insurance coverages as part of the packages, it said.