Country Inn Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of ‘Espire Hospitality Limited’, has announced the opening of three new hotels in Uttarakhand – ‘Country Inn, Dehradun’, ‘Country Inn, Rishikesh’ and ‘Country Inn Smart Stays, Rishikesh’, marking a significant step in their expansion journey and launch of a new brand ‘Country Inn Smart Stays’ that offers a fresh, youthful take on modern travel...

Etihad Airways has announced a significant expansion of its mainland China network, launched five new routes and added 28 weekly flights, marking one of the airline’s largest single market increases in recent years. The expansion will see airline operate services from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG), Guangzhou (CAN), Chengdu (TFU), Hangzhou (HGH) and...

India’s listed hotel operators are projected to add over 70,000 keys by 2030 to capitalise on strong underlying growth potential, according to the India Alternate Sectors Outlook 2026, released by CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. The report notes that the sector is transitioning from a phase of post-pandemic recovery into structural maturity, characterised by disciplined expansion and pricing stability.

Indian Railways has witnessed a surge in passenger patronage on the Vande Bharat Express network, with approximately 3.98 crore passengers travelling in FY 2025–26 alone, marking a robust year-on-year growth of nearly 34 percent from 2.97 crore passengers in FY 2024–25. This sharp rise highlights the growing preference for fast, comfortable, and modern rail travel among passengers across the...

Star Air, the aviation arm of the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, has announced an expansion from Mundra, Gujarat’s bustling port city. Starting April 25, 2026, the airline will operate 38 direct weekly flights and a total of 54 weekly connections, linking Mundra to six key cities across Western and Northern India. With over 17,000 additional seats now available each month, this landmark move stands...

As demand diversifies across leisure and business segments, the hospitality industry and decision-makers are rethinking on how destinations are developed, how assets are positioned, and how experiences are curated. At HICSA 2026, industry leaders emphasised that navigating this complexity will define the next phase of growth.

Tourism in India has traditionally leaned towards iconic landmarks, urban centers, and large-scale infrastructure development. However, as the sector matures and global travel trends evolve, a quieter but more transformative movement is gaining momentum, community-based tourism (CBT). Studies show that this tourism model can directly improve livelihoods, with one of the reports indicating it...

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its latest report, Cruising for Impact, highlighting the positive impact that cruise tourism delivers for communities and destinations around the world and creating long-term value in coastal and port destinations. Alongside these positive impacts, the industry contributed USD 98.5 billion to global GDP and generated USD 199 billion in total...

RateGain Travel Technologies Limited announced the launch of RG Varsity, a digital marketing certification program designed to help hotel professionals navigate a rapidly changing customer acquisition landscape and build skills that directly impact revenue performance. Hotels are increasing digital marketing budgets, yet many teams still cannot clearly explain what is driving or undermining...

Agoda unveiled its 2026 Travel Outlook Report which highlights the prominence of shopping as a travel motivator. Topping the ranking are travellers from Taiwan and South Korea, with nearly one in four (23%) respondents from each market saying shopping motivated their trips. Travelers from the Philippines (22%), Malaysia (20%) and Japan (15%) round out the top five, with Thailand (14%)...