Ride-hailing company Ola on Tuesday said it has decided to shut down all of its existing global markets, namely the UK, Australia and New Zealand amid rising competition.
The company mentioned that it will be focusing on the Indian market as it sees an “immense opportunity for expansion” in the country.
“The future of mobility is electric — not just in personal mobility but also for the ride-hailing business, and there is immense opportunity for expansion in India,” an Ola spokesperson said in a statement.
“With this clear focus, we’ve reassessed our priorities and have decided to shut down our overseas ride-hailing business in its current form in the UK, Australia and New Zealand,” it added.
The company operates in hundreds of locations and provides several modes of transportation, including two-wheelers.
Meanwhile, Ola’s mobility business in the country has reported a profit of INR 250 crore in FY23 against a loss of INR 66 crore in FY22.
He added, “The electrification programme is not just about environmental benefits. It’s a catalyst for economic growth. It creates jobs during construction, reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels, and positions Indian Railways as a modern and efficient engine of the nation’s economy.”
Its revenue rose 58 per cent to INR 2,135 crore in FY23 from INR 1,350 crore in FY22.”In FY23, we challenged ourselves — to not just grow and scale, but to do this profitably. While our revenue continued to grow at a strong clip of 58 per cent, we became EBITDA positive in the India mobility business,” the company said.
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The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) ban on the newly-introduced Cruiser safari vehicles for resort owners and tour agents have left them fuming.
These nine-seater Cruisers, a replacement for the 22-seater old canters, will now be available for locals from Chandrapur only. The ban came into force on March 2. The park has six Cruisers with all of them operating from the Mohurli entry gate.
Chief conservator of forest (CCF) and TATR field director Jitendra Ramgaonkar said, “When we made these Cruisers available to everyone online, these were booked within minutes allegedly by resort owners. There was no room for those who came calling to my office for a berth.”
Ramgaonkar added, “The facility has been started with a good intention to benefit all but it seems it was misused by hiring agents in Chandrapur, depriving common tourists of an entry. Hence, we were left with no choice but to impose restrictions.”
However, stakeholders said that earlier one canter was made available online. Regarding the issue, Ramgaonkar said, “When one canter was available online, the same issues cropped up and common tourists could not book it. Yet, we will consider putting one or two Cruisers online soon.”
In response to grievances voiced by the local community, Tadoba has prohibited resort owners and safari/tour agents from bookings Cruisers. These safari vehicles are in demand owing to the economic cost of Rs 500 per person.
As per the new rule, locals from Chandrapur can book Cruisers from 11am to 2pm at the field director’s office on Mul Road in Chandrapur. From 3pm to 5pm, locals running home stays can do the bookings by visiting the office on a first-come-first served basis. One home stay owner will be able to book only six seats per day.
At a time when it is the peak wildlife tourism season and visitors from all over the country are making a beeline in Tadoba, the restrictions have left resort owners and tour operators disappointed. They termed the move as vote bank politics by forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to appease local voters before the Lok Sabha elections.
“There are six Cruisers in Tadoba. All these vehicles operate from the Mohurli gate. Why this bias?” said Nikhil Abhyankar, a resort owner at Kolara.
“A tourist entering the park from Kolara on the Chimur side is also part of Chandrapur. So, whom will you call a local? All the entry gates are part of Chandrapur. Why should they not benefit?” Abhyankar asked.
“When Cruisers were brought in, it was decided to distribute them at other gates so that the other locals could gain. Today, the maximum number of resorts are based in Kolara but despite the demand, neither the canters were started nor do the Cruisers operate from here. Why should only one entry gate benefit always? We too pay conservation fee to the park,” said some resort owners.
“The local community, which often relies on the reserve for their livelihood through eco-tourism and conservation efforts, has been particularly vocal about the need for regulation. Kolara, Navegaon and Zari gates should also get Cruisers,” said a section of guides.
Contrarily, the decision to restrict the use of Cruisers has been welcomed, but many tourists feel its benefit should not be confined to Chandrapur only. “What wrong have we done? If a politician can contest elections from anywhere in the country, why can’t Indian nationals enjoy a safari in a Cruiser?,” asked wildlife tourist Nitish Bhandakkar from Nagpur.
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The presence of a large Diaspora population from cricket-fanatic countries like India, Pakistan and Australia appears to have created a new form of the tourism and hospitality domain in the US.
Founded by an Indian-American couple from Bihar, Florida-based Cricketbuster is trying to capture this “cricket mania” among the Indian-American population and those from the cricket-playing nations by offering them customisable travel packages that include official match tickets, hotels, flights, cruises and many other attractions for international cricket tournaments and the all-important T20 leagues all across the world.
“We are developing sports e-commerce here. We got approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC). We have the right to sell the packages. (Cricket match) tickets are also included in the package. We are creating an experience,” Vinny Kumar, chief operating officer of Cricketbuster, told PTI in an interview.
Kumar along with his wife Rashmi Kumar co-founded this company a few years ago. Beginning with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India last year, Cricketbuster is the official OTA (online travel agency) for the ICC.
“It’s just not that you’re buying a ticket or coming to the stadium. Suppose you’re going to New York because we have an India-Pakistan match there this year… you don’t know which hotel you have to stay in, how far you stay from the stadium, and what other attractions you want to visit in New York,” Kumar said.
“So, we have an all-inclusive package, which has an official match ticket, which is a tough spot to find. In addition to that, we can also help you to find the right hotel, right intercity transfers,” he said in Orlando this week, where he had come to attend the annual convention of Asian American Hotel Owners Association.
“It’s like a one-stop shop, you can just buy the package and you go to the stadium, watch the game and come back. And we will take care of the entire trip. This is what we are trying to do. We have received support from the ICC. We are the only company in the United States who takes care of that,” Kumar said.
The company was founded by the Kumar couple in 2019, but soon the COVID-19 pandemic stuck. However, in 2021, Cricketbuster got its first tournament in Dubai, and it took almost 500 fans from the United States to the United Arab Emirates.
“This year we have the T20 World Cup in the United States. It’s a historical moment for most of the cricket fans in the US. This is like a game changer. We are helping folks to get the official match tickets because of a lot of scams going on. That’s why the ICC appointed us to make sure all the fans get the tickets from the right channel,” said Kumar, an IT entrepreneur by profession.
A cricket fan himself, Kumar said having international cricket matches in the US was a dream for him and many like him.
“It’s not that we have fans only from India. We have fans from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, England, and also from Nepal and Sri Lanka,” he noted.
For the much-hyped India-Pakistan match in New York, Cricketbuster has created two packages.
“So like if you are coming all the way from California, then you have to watch only one match. You have to watch both, so we have an intercity package which costs USD 1599 per person which has intercity transfer and also two-match combo tickets. That package is very popular and people are taking those,” he said.
For somebody who wants a better experience, they have to pay another USD 100 more, it’s going to be USD 1699, he said.
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In a significant move in the B2B software and services sector, Global Business Travel Group (GBTG), announced on Monday that its American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) arm has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CWT, a leading business travel and meetings solutions provider. The acquisition is valued at approximately USD 570 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis and is expected to close in the second half of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
The transaction will be funded through a combination of stock and cash, with Amex GBT issuing approximately 71.7 million shares of its common stock at a fixed price of USD 6.00 per share and using cash on hand to retire CWT debt and cover the remaining transaction consideration. This strategic move is projected to be break-even to earnings per share in the first year of transaction close and accretive thereafter.
Paul Abbott, CEO, Amex GBT, expressed excitement about the acquisition, stating, “Bringing CWT onto the proven Amex GBT software and services model will create more choice for customers, more opportunities for people, and more value for shareholders.”
After the acquisition, CWT customers will gain access to Amex GBT’s proprietary software and services for travel and expense, including Neo1, Neo, and Egencia. This expanded offering will also include Select, enabling customers to integrate with leading technology partners. Additionally, customers will benefit from a wide range of professional services, such as meetings and events, consulting, and sustainability solutions, while Amex GBT’s marketplace will provide access to comprehensive and competitive content in the industry.
This platform revolutionides the booking process for meetings and group hotel accommodations within the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry, offering a world-class booking experience. The platform also emphasises sustainability solutions through efficient contracting and cost controls, aligning with the growing demand for eco-friendly practices in the travel sector.
Patrick Andersen, CEO, CWT, expressed confidence in the value creation of the combined company, stating, “Joining forces with Amex GBT helps accelerate our vision of a tech-enabled future for business travel, where people and technology combine to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”The acquisition is expected to create greater capacity for investment in software and services, deliver significant shareholder value through synergy opportunities and efficiency gains, with approximately USD 155 million of annual run-rate synergies identified within three years, and provide CWT customers with enhanced choice and value.
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Revenue from tourism in Kenya jumped nearly a third in 2023 over the previous year beating the pre-pandemic numbers, according to the tourism ministry.
Kenya has been a major tourist destination in East Africa traditionally attracting visitors from across the world to its wildlife parks and Indian Ocean beaches.
A ministry report seen by AFP on Sunday said revenue rose 31.5 percent last year to hit 352.5 billion shillings (nearly USD2.7 billion).
But per capita spending in dollar terms by the 1.95 million visitors fell.
“Despite the increase in the number of visitors in 2023 as compared to 2022, the average per capita expenditure in US dollars decreased significantly,” the report said.
The airline, whose biggest shareholder is the Kenyan government, also said in a statement that its loss after tax had reduced to almost 23 billion shillings from more than 38 billion shillings the year before. Total revenue for the year surged by 53 per cent to 178 billion shillings, which the airline attributed mainly to a 35 per cent growth in passenger numbers to 5.04 million, according to its audited results statement.
“This is partly attributed to the sustained depreciation of the Kenya shilling against the major currencies.”Before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism brought in about USD2.24 billion in 2019 from two million visitors, or about 10 percent of GDP.
Americans accounted for the largest number of 2023 arrivals at 265,310, followed by Ugandans (201,623), Tanzanians (157,818) and 156,700 from the United Kingdom.
The ministry hopes to welcome 2.4 million tourists this year.
In January, Kenya’s immigration services said the first batch of foreign tourists had arrived under a simplified “visa-free” entry system it hoped would encourage more visitors.
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Uzbekistan Airways, the national flag carrier of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has taken a significant step forward in enhancing its presence in the Indian market. The airline has appointed Salvia Travels, a renowned specialist in Russia and CIS countries, as their Passenger Sales Agent (PSA) for India.
Under the recently signed agreement, Salvia Travels assumes responsibility for Uzbekistan Airways’ sales, reservations, customer service, and ticketing operations in India. Salvia Travels is committed to providing round-the-clock services, backed by an experienced ticketing team with over 20 years of expertise in the travel industry.
Expressing his enthusiasm about this partnership, Prashant Chaudhary, Managing Director of Salvia Group of Companies, remarked, “We are honored to collaborate with Uzbekistan Airways in India. Uzbekistan holds tremendous tourism potential for Indian travellers, thanks to its streamlined visa policy requiring minimal documentation, breathtaking natural landscapes, captivating art and architecture, and the convenience of short-duration flights. Starting April, Uzbekistan Airways will commence direct flights from Mumbai to Tashkent, complementing the existing Delhi-Tashkent route. We are eager to work closely with Uzbekistan Airways to enhance air traffic between our two nations.”Uzbekistan Airways is positioned as one of the fastest-growing airlines in CIS countries and has ambitious plans to strengthen connections between India and Uzbekistan through its hub in Tashkent. The airline also offers competitive fares and convenient connections to popular destinations such as Russia, London, Milan, Paris, Frankfurt, and Tel Aviv, catering to the preferences of Indian travellers seeking diverse travel experiences.
The developments have increased existing anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, especially towards migrant labourers from the predominantly Muslim countries of Central Asia. A Kyrgyzstan-born man was remanded in pre-trial custody by a Russian court on Tuesday, accused of providing accommodation to the four suspected perpetrators, who are of Tajik origin. Those four and three others of Tajik origin suspected of complicity are also in pre-trial detention.
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ITC Hotels has taken a significant step in its expansion journey by announcing its entry into the North East region with the signing of Welcomhotel Gangtok. This new property, featuring 60 rooms offers guests breathtaking views of Mount Kanchenjunga, one of India’s highest peaks and the third highest in the world, from every room.
The highlight of Welcomhotel Gangtok is its culinary offerings backed by the renowned cuisine expertise of ITC Hotels. The hotel will boast two food and beverage outlets: ‘Mayal,’ an all-day dining restaurant, and a pool cafe and bar. ‘Mayal’ will cater to diners with popular Sikkimese delicacies, spread across 150 covers both indoors and outdoors, providing guests with a scenic view of the valley.
Located in close proximity to Gangtok’s famous MG Market, Flower Exhibition Centre, and other popular tourist spots, Welcomhotel Gangtok is set to open its doors in early 2025. Gangtok, known for its scenic beauty and diverse attractions such as River Teesta, Ban Jhakri Falls, Rumtek Monastery, Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake, and Tashi Viewpoint, serves as the perfect gateway to explore the North and East regions.
Anil Chadha, Chief Executive, ITC Hotels, expressed his excitement about bringing Brand Welcomhotel to Sikkim, renowned as India’s first organic state and known for its rich biodiversity. He mentioned that ITC Hotels has been actively expanding its presence in the Eastern and North-Eastern regions and aims to provide enriching experiences for guests at Welcomhotel Gangtok, blending elements of local heritage with leisure experiences in Sikkim.
Thinley Namgyal Densapa, Proprietor of Denzong Regency, shared his optimism about the collaboration, stating that with the growing tourism in Gangtok and Welcomhotel’s hospitality expertise, they aim to enhance and expand their offerings to cater to the evolving needs of guests.
Anil Chadha, Divisional Chief Executive-ITC Hotels, expressed enthusiasm for the project, stating, “Madikeri is an important market for ITC Hotels. Through Welcomhotel Madikeri, we aim to offer our signature hospitality and showcase the rich Kodava culture to travelers. This signing further strengthens our presence in Karnataka, reflecting our commitment to providing exceptional experiences.”
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Sri Lanka said Sunday it had ended long-term tourist visa extensions for thousands of Russians and Ukrainians using the policy to live on the island since Moscow‘s invasion of Ukraine.
“The government is not granting further visa extensions,” Commissioner-General of Immigration Harsha Ilukpitiya told AFP, giving a March 7 deadline for departure.
“The flight situation has now normalised and they have no difficulty in getting back.”
Just over 288,000 Russians and nearly 20,000 Ukrainians have visited Sri Lanka in the past two years, according to official figures.
It is not clear how many stayed longer than the usual 30-day tourist visa.
But thousands of Russians and smaller numbers of Ukrainians are believed to have settled in Sri Lanka, some to avoid potential draft into the army.
Highlighting the surge in Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka, the events celebrated the doubling of Indian visitors from 13,759 in January of the previous year to 34,399 in January 2024. This exponential growth was attributed to enhanced connectivity between the two countries, with 95 flights connecting Sri Lanka to nine Indian cities, ensuring seamless travel experiences and smooth transactions facilitated by India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Some who stayed have started restaurants and set up nightclubs.The government decision coincided with a furious social media backlash against a Russian-run nightclub which had organised a “whites-only” party in the southern coastal resort town of Unawatuna.
Sri Lanka sought to boost tourism by granting 30-day visas on arrival, as the country desperately needed foreign exchange as it recovers from its worst economic crisis since mid-2022.
The country defaulted on its $46 billion foreign debt in April 2022 and months of street protests led to the resignation of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa three months later.
An IMF bailout of $2.9 billion has helped stabilise the economy and end shortages of essentials such as food, fuel and medicines.
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VFS Global, a renowned leader in outsourcing and technology services for governments and diplomatic missions, has appointed GB Srithar as its new Head of Tourism Services effective from February 1, 2024.
Bringing with him a distinguished career spanning over 27 years, Srithar joins VFS Global from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), where he held various pivotal roles, including Area Director for South India & Sri Lanka and Regional Director overseeing marketing and tourism development across multiple regions.
In his new role, Srithar will leverage his extensive expertise to provide specialized services in Travel, Trade, and Tourism Services to VFS Global’s client governments. His appointment aligns with the company’s mission to support governments in achieving their strategic objectives of enhancing tourism and trade.
ituated at the prestigious Raheja Platinum on the prominent Andheri-Kurla Road, a landmark business hub, TTIC Mumbai will serve as a comprehensive resource center for travel, tourism, and hospitality-related information about the picturesque island country. The event also featured captivating street dance performances and Taiwanese pop music by the renowned Taiwanese dance group, ‘FunTo Art.’
Zubin Karkaria, Founder and CEO, VFS Global, expressed his enthusiasm about Srithar’s addition to the team, citing his wealth of experience and proven track record. Srithar, in turn, expressed his excitement about joining VFS Global, emphasizing the opportunity to contribute to global travel, trade, and tourism promotion efforts. “His expertise positions him to lead our efforts with our Client Governments to promote travel, trade, and tourism from key source markets,” he said.”I am very pleased to join VFS Global – a very prestigious brand and global leader in its field. VFS Global gives me an incredible opportunity to leverage my experience on a global scale working with our Client Governments to promote and add value to Travel, Trade and Tourism Services in both established and emerging markets.,” said Srithar on his appointment.
Srithar, a Singapore national, holds Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and English Language, as well as a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) from the National University of Singapore.
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India is home to diverse and enriching spiritual destinations across a spectrum of faiths. While spiritual tourism has always been integral to India’s travel experience, the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has significantly accelerated spiritual tourism and increased the spotlight on it.
Pilgrimage tourism in India earned per cent1.3 lakh crore in 2022, as compared to per cent0.65 lakh crore in 2021, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Post-renovation, the Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi experienced an unprecedented rise in footfall, attracting 70 million visitors last year, a dramatic increase from the roughly 8 million who visited in the preceding year, demonstrating the growth of spiritual tourism year on year. It is to be noted that 5 per cent of international travel is attributed to pilgrimage reasons.
Post-pandemic, “Staycations” were trending and witnessed great adoption among travellers. Numerous hotels rolled out staycation packages at attractive prices. Now, post Ayodhya, “Praycations” are gaining significant momentum across all age groups and will gradually scale.
The Ayodhya Impact
Just a few days before the opening of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, at Cleartrip, we saw over 1500 per cent increase in search volumes for Ayodhya across the platform.
Apart from Ayodhya, other notable pilgrimage destinations such as Mathura, Bhopal, Tirupati, and Shirdi have seen over 40 per cent increase in flight bookings in Cleartrip in 2023 compared to 2022. For hotel bookings, destinations such as Mathura, Dwarkadhish, Katra, Kochi, Bodhgaya, Amritsar, Ujjain, and Haridwar have seen over 150 per cent increase in bookings in 2023 compared to 2022. Cleartrip’s hotel bookings have grown by 70 per cent 2023 compared to 2022 among all key pilgrimage destinations.
Initiatives to support increasing demand
With an increasing demand for spiritual destinations, the overall infrastructure development, air/road/rail connectivity to these destinations, stay options, and experiential travel options among others are also improving.
According to Jefferies, a financial advisory firm, Ayodhya is seeing an investment of $10 billion and is expected to attract 50 million tourists per year.
Hotel chains such as IHCL, Marriott, OYO, and Sarovar have already announced plans to increase their hotel capacity in Ayodhya and other key pilgrimage destinations.
In 2015, the government announced the PRASHAD scheme – Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive – to develop the country’s tourism infrastructure, including historical places and heritage cities. The scheme aimed at the creation of pilgrimage/spiritual tourism infrastructure development at the pre-identified 73 destinations in 31 States/UTs. GOI has sanctioned projects worth $200 million as of December 2023.
To attract foreign tourists to Odisha, the state government is planning to showcase its Buddhist heritage at the fifth edition of the three-day Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB), which is scheduled to start from Wednesday at Eco Retreat in Konark. While spiritual tourism will be the highlight of the event following temple renovation projects, the government will also showcase the tourism potential in beaches, wildlife, heritage and monuments and eco-tourism.
Opportunities that are still untapped
Planning and booking for a pilgrimage or spiritual trip still largely happens offline in India. It also has to do with the specific needs of this segment of travel where day-use hotel rooms are needed for a quick shower, purchase of darshan items and prasad, preference for specific time slots for darshan, the need to cover a religious circuit and not just one destination and more.
Information about spiritual trips is spread across multiple websites, among offline travel agents, and mostly among friends and family.
There is a clear need to bring multiple services online to boost the growth of this segment – spiritual travel-related information online across all content formats, the ability to book darshan slots, increase the selection of accommodation options, offer end-to-end travel needs, offer local experiences and outdoor activities for spiritual travellers, and offer customisable tour packages. OTAs will play a large role in this digital transformation.
The author is the Head of Strategy, Cleartrip, leading online travel company.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETTravelWorld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETTravelWorld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.
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