In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia and India Reporter, Bulbul Dhawan discuss some of the latest developments taking place in India. From IndiGo’s first-ever order for widebody aircraft and IHCL bringing back the Gateway brand from the 'drawer' to India's first-ever 'Wed in India' expo, hear them explore the big headlines from the country. Tune in to catch up on the latest. Presented by Amadeus.

Minor Hotels has set ambitious targets for its India expansion, aiming to open 50 properties over the next decade. Amir Golbarg, senior vice president for Middle East, Africa, and India at Minor Hotels talks to Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about the unique opportunities that arise from operating in India's underpenetrated hospitality market.

As the new Schengen visa “cascade” regime looks to offer longer-term, multi-entry Schengen visas for Indian travelers, Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia talks to Vishal Suri, managing director of SOTC Travel, about the developments in visa regulations for Indian travelers, summer travel and the evolving travel trends in India and beyond.

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia is joined by Skift India Reporter Bulbul Dhawan as they discuss some of the big stories coming out from India in the past week. They explore significant developments from hotel expansions to shifts in travel preferences and market projections.

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia is joined by Vishal Bhadola, founder and CEO of EyeforSky Aviation Consulting, to discuss about the recent disruptions at Vistara, leading to over 150 cancellations and 200 delays exceeding two hours in around 4days. The cancellations and delays have primarily been attributed to crew unavailability. The airline's pilots are protesting against the new pay structure, which significantly reduces guaranteed flying...

This episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast is is dedicated to recapping the highlights and key takeaways from the Skift India Summit that took place in Delhi NCR last month. We share with you some of the discussion on stage. Listen in and you will know more about the Oyo IPO launch, Air India's "start-up" mentality, Oberoi Hotels' focus on smaller hotels and MakeMyTrip and Yatra's take on online penetration in India's travel market.

In a conversation with Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia, Nishant Kashikar, country manager for India & Gulf at Tourism Australia, discusses the impressive resurgence of Indian outbound tourism to Australia and the strategies behind it. Kashikar discusses how improved flight connections and streamlining the visa process has made this recovery possible. He also discusses the importance of the rising Indian middle class and its role in fueling India’s outbound resurgence.

While remote work gains ground, a subgroup of professionals is taking it a step further— enter the digital nomads. These are individuals who leverage technology not just to work from home but to work from anywhere, exploring the diverse landscapes of a destination. In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Mayur Sontakke, the founder of NomadGao, a co-living and coworking space for digital nomads, talks to Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about the journey towards mainstream acceptance...

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia is joined by Varsha Arora, research manager at Skift, as they discuss a range of topics related to the Indian travel, aviation and hospitality industry. Catch them as they discuss the changing visa landscape for Indian travelers to capacity additions by major airlines and a controversial tourist tax proposal in Darjeeling. 

In the latest episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Abhilasha Negi and Akash Dahiya, co-founders of travel fintech firm Sankash, talk to Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about how the unprecedented boom in leisure travel after the easing of restrictions imposed during the pandemic have led to the rise of Travel Now Pay Later offerings. Sankash has been working with online travel agencies like EaseMyTrip and Musafir to offer flexible payment options to Indian travelers. The travel...

Summary Agoda has recently made significant moves in the Indian market, including appointing Ayushmann Khurana as their brand ambassador, launching their first TV ad in India, and forming a partnership with Snapdeal. Rathi explains that one of Agoda's key strategies in India is to collaborate with various partners, given the rich startup ecosystem and the large number of users already online. They aim to tap into Snapdeal's user base to offer Agoda's services to a wider audience, particularly...

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Dhruv Shringi, CEO and co-founder of Yatra.com, in conversation with Skift’s Peden Doma Bhutia, talks about timing the India IPO launch in September and how Yatra is looking at the booming travel market in the country. Delving into the integration of technology into Yatra's services, Shringi shares about going beyond the standard booking functionality and how subscription programs like Yatra Prime play a pivotal role in enhancing customer...

The Red Sea Global may not have very ambitious visitor numbers, but it is looking at India as a crucial source market. Speaking about Red Sea Global’s interest in the Indian market, Reema Almokhtar, director – travel trade marketing, tells Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about how they are looking to deliver value to Indian tourists.

In this episode of the Skift India Podcast Aloke Bajpai, the CEO and co founder of Ixigo, talks to Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about the "next billion Indian opportunity" in tier-2 and tier-3 markets. Bajpai narrates how the substantial increase in disposable income among the rising middle class in India is rapidly reshaping the country's travel landscape. Bajpai also talks about the long-awaited Ixigo IPO.  Bajpai discusses show Ixigo places a strong emphasis on creating a culture of...

In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Skift Asia Editor, Peden Doma Bhutia, talks to Cleartrip CEO, Ayyappan Ragagopal, about the online travel company's  journey post the acquisition by Indian ecommerce platform Flipkart. Ayyappan also sheds light on Cleartrip's vision of becoming a travel superapp as it looks to capture the relatively nascent "browse and buy" market in India and the online travel company's various initiatives in the travel and fintech space.

Skift Founder and CEO Rafat Ali in conversation with Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia, talks about launching the Skift India Summit in Delhi-NCR on March 20-21, 2024. Skift has been documenting India's rise in the global travel industry and is set to shape its future. With the outbound Indian traveler gaining global influence and the booming domestic market, Skift India Summit will explore the future of travel, focusing on India's role and global opportunities.

Neha Arora, the founder of Planet Abled, an inclusive travel brand promoting travel for persons with disabilities and the elderly, talks to Skift’s Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about why it's important for the Indian travel Industry to be more accessible and inclusive. 

One of the segments that has started showing results for MakeMyTrip is its corporate travel platform, MyBiz. “Pre-pandemic, we were not predominantly playing in this segment. A large part of our business used to be business-to-consumer, but during the pandemic we accelerated our efforts on acquiring new customers on small and medium enterprises as well as for large corporates,” Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip, told Skift’s Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in the latest...

More Indians are taking personal loans to travel and meet vacation-related expenses, according to Madhavan Menon, executive chairman of Thomas Cook India.  “The average Indian traveler is now more willing to spend rather than save. They want to indulge in new experiences such as motorcycle rides from Leh to Ladakh, glamping, and trekking,” Menon told Skift’s Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in the latest episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast. In fact, a study by online loan platform...

The overall nights booked on Airbnb in India have grown by almost 70% in 2022 as compared to pre-pandemic levels while domestic nights grew by 110%. “We have seen more than double growth in bookings for international travels during the January-March quarter this year when compared to the corresponding period last year,” Airbnb’s General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Amanpreet Singh Bajaj told Skift’s Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in the latest episode of the Skift...

Moving away from mundane heritage walks, Eesha Singh, co-founder of No Footprints, brings a new take to storytelling through tour experiences.  With 35 experiences in Mumbai and Delhi, No Footprints aims to highlight neglected conversations about culture, people and communities.  “Instead of making history sound boring, we wanted to be humorous when we started our journey in tourism. We wanted to look at storytelling from the lens of a standup comedy and ensure that a city is understood well...

India-headquartered travel tech firm RateGain thinks it is in a “very commanding position” to double its revenue over the next three years.  A software-as-a-service solutions provider for the hospitality and travel industry, RateGain feeds real-time consumer insights into its software, packages it and sells it as a subscription to airlines, hotels, and online travel agents.   Speaking with Skift’s Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in the latest episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast,...

In this episode of the Skift India Podcast, catch Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia in conversation with Santosh Kumar, Country Head, ISC and Indonesia at Booking.com. Tune in as they dive deep into the world of Indian tourism – a true powerhouse in the global tourism landscape. 

As of June 2023, India is part of the “100 Club” with an index score of 113 indicating a complete recovery to pre-pandemic performance levels, according to Skift's State of Travel report. Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia is joined by Research Analysts Saniya Zanpure and Ashab Rizvi, as they discuss the report and India’s performance in the global travel recovery scenario. Read more from The State of Travel 2023 Read the Skift India Report

Through insightful conversations, expert analysis, and compelling stories, the Skift India Travel Podcast aims to delve into the dynamic and ever-evolving business of travel in India. Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia will be joined by business leaders and experts from throughout the industry and Skift's newsroom. Together, they'll explore the challenges, opportunities, and trends shaping the Indian travel industry. Listen to the Skift India Travel Podcast starting July 28th on Apple...