Skift India Report

AI is now a non-negotiable in the travel industry. But how every company uses it is what is setting them apart.

The goal from South African Tourism is ambitious given the recent declines in visitors from India.

The world is no longer expecting Indian travelers to adapt during their travels, and is ready to cater to them instead.

As India strives to become a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and events, the pricing and sales trends around the AI Impact Summit show that Indian hotels now have the ability to charge higher rates, and people are willing to pay.

In India’s big cities, hotels are increasingly being designed around ballrooms rather than beds. Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels’ decision to cut room count in Kolkata to expand banqueting and conference space shows how weddings and corporate events are becoming the primary drivers of profitability.

Zo World is choosing to grow before it hops on the IPO bandwagon. Experiential partnerships and global expansion are all on the cards as it looks to outgrow the backpacking hostel chain tag.

Chalet’s Athiva push shows how Indian hotel operators are using rebranding and pricing power and not just occupancy growth, to capture the country’s premium travel boom.

While aircraft manufacturing in India may still be some way off, but the government is already taking steps to make domestic production commercially viable.

Europe has been among India's dream destination for a long time, but visa woes have been the biggest obstacles. The FTA now lays ground for processes that could now allow EU to fully unlock India's tourism potential.

India has the demand, albeit from within, to help tourism meet its potential. All it needs now are the policy reforms that the industry has been seeking for decades.