Thailand has shared its imaginative and prescient for tourism cooperation between India and the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The initiatives embrace plans for an “ASEAN-India Discussion board 2025 Thailand” specializing in two-way tourism growth between India and the area.
On the twelfth ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers Assembly in Malaysia, Thai tourism and sports activities minister Sorawong Thienthong on Monday stated that Indian vacationer arrivals to Thailand elevated by over 30% year-on-year in 2024. This got here after the implementation of a 60-day visa exemption for vacationer and enterprise vacationers from India.
Thienthong recommended 4 strategic initiatives throughout the discussion board:
- Progress of tourism advertising capabilities via the “ASEAN-India Discussion board: Journey of Alternatives” in 2025
- Integrating Hindi language coaching packages for tourism personnel within the ASEAN international locations to cater to rising Indian vacationers
- Elevated direct flights and journey packages between India and the area
- Sustainable and accountable tourism growth
The Inbound-Outbound Disparity: On the ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers Assembly held in Jakarta final yr, India had highlighted the disparity in inbound and outbound tourism with regard to ASEAN international locations. In 2023, near 4.3 million Indians traveled to ASEAN member states. In the meantime, round 750,000 ASEAN vacationers visited India.
“Our inhabitants is twice that of ASEAN member states, however our outbound vacationers to ASEAN international locations have been about six instances. We’d like extra vacationers from ASEAN to India,” the ambassador of India to ASEAN Jayant N Khobragade had stated.
GoFirst Enters Liquidation
The Nationwide Firm Regulation Tribunal (NCLT) on Monday ordered the liquidation of grounded low-cost airline GoFirst. The order comes primarily based on a request from lenders of the financially troubled service.
GoFirst had filed for insolvency in Could 2023, after which there have been makes an attempt to revive the airline below India’s chapter legal guidelines. Nonetheless, when these makes an attempt failed, lenders sought orders to liquidate the corporate’s belongings final yr.
The airline owes INR 65.2 billion ($754 million) to its collectors. Total, the airline has a complete legal responsibility of round INR 110 billion ($12.7 billion), together with the obligations to its lessors. As of the tip of 2024, 28 of GoFirst’s 54 plane had been reposed by lessors.
Cyprus Taking a look at Non-Cease Flights to India
Cyprus is specializing in getting a continuous flight to India to drive tourism within the nation. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has unveiled a imaginative and prescient of nationwide tourism. Through the convention, he acknowledged India as a high-potential market. He added that the nation has strengthened its Excessive Fee in India.
Christodoulides hinted at an announcement of flights to India. This may assist in establishing a devoted air route between the 2 international locations. In keeping with the President Christodoulides, direct connectivity will make Cyprus a extra interesting and approachable vacation spot for Indians.
IndiGo Highlights Kozhikode in Newest Heritage Marketing campaign
Indian low-cost service IndiGo has expanded its worldwide community with a brand new direct flight between Hyderabad and Madinah in Saudi Arabia.
Madinah is IndiGo’s thirty eighth worldwide vacation spot. With the launch of the tri-weekly flight in February, the airline will function over 100 weekly flights between India and Saudi Arabia.
Final yr in November IndiGo additionally launched its enterprise class on the Delhi-Mumbai route. At the same time as IndiGo is transferring away from its no-frills strategy, the enterprise class providing is supposed to be trustworthy to the IndiGo model, CEO Pieter Elbers had earlier advised Skift.
Antara Cruises’ Artisans of Bengal Program on MV Bengal Ganga
Indian river cruise operator Antara Cruises has introduced that its signature Artisans of Bengal expertise is being launched aboard its boutique vessel MV Bengal Ganga for the 7-night itinerary.
As a part of this system, Antara will cruise to locations that showcase Bengal’s tradition, together with the Kolkata Flower Market, potters’ quarter Kumartuli, and the French colonial city of Chandernagore.
The Indian ministry of exterior affairs and the federal government of the state of Uttar Pradesh have ramped up efforts to advertise the Mahakumbh gathering at a global scale. A gathering with overseas journalists was held in Delhi on Monday to tell the mythological origins of the gathering and the non secular significance of the truthful.
The federal government is anticipating 1.5 million worldwide guests to attend the occasion. The officers from Uttar Pradesh stated that Mahakumbh is anticipated to surpass different main world occasions, together with the Rio Carnival, Haj, and Oktoberfest.
