LuxeBook September 2022

five months of 2022. Likewise, India is also seeing a significant growth and recovery in the travel and tourism and hospitality segment,” said Sandeep Arora. When it comes to the rising airfares, that does not seem to be a hindrance for the avid travellers. “ Even in the July-September quarter, which is a weak period for domestic travel historically, we are observing healthy demand across the network,” shared Vistara’s spokesperson. The effect of global inflation Giving a global perspective, Kohli said, “The ticket prices have definitely gone up, but this is not India specific, it’s global. Travellers are aware but it’s not stopping people from travelling – flights are full, and demand is high.” On the other side, Arora is of the opinion that, “The hike in airfare has the potential to slow the rebound growth and momentum of the industry.” The price hike is due to the rise in fuel prices attributed to geopolitical issues like Russia Ukraine war. There has been a significant increase in demand for domestic flights, however, the statistics (for domestic and international travel) are still not back to what they were pre-pandemic. But the government has stepped in this year to give a boom to the tourism sector. In the budget 2022-23 the Ministry of Tourism has allocated Rs. 2,400 crore for tourism which is 18.42 % higher than the allocation for FY 2021-22. Further, since November 2021, India has opened its borders allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to visit India, which in turn will help give a boost to the travel and hospitality sector. And finally, the introduction of e-visas to 171 countries in March 2021 is expected to double the tourist inflow in India. Painting a clearer picture of tourism in India, Sakari Romu of Finnair shared their thoughts. “During the summer of 2022 Finnair was using about Sakari Romu, Finnair HD Rajat Gera, Director of Sales & Marketing, Six Senses Fort Barwara Top destinations in India “Tourists coming to India are mostly interested in exploring history and architectural heritage of the country,” shared Sandeep Arora. Some of the top destinations in India include Rajasthan, South India, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Mumbai shared Shanti. However, Rajasthan continues to be the number one destination for both Shanti and Sandeep. Additionally, the aura of Taj Mahal makes it one of the top tourist attractions for international tourists as well said Sandeep. But another destination that is of interest Shanti says is ‘the South of India and interestingly, Kashmir.’ While the upward trend of travel is a positive takeaway, it is not without acknowledging the fact that the process is a slower one. But an interesting takeaway in the hospitality sector is that there has been an increase in the demand for luxury stay among Indian consumers, due to rising consumer spending. In line with this, key players are expanding their presence to cater to this demand. To conclude we can say, the outlook of the Tourism and Hospitality sector looks on track with the pandemic easing out. However, not without understanding that it will be a slow process. 80% of its capacity, so we are nearly at the same level as 2019,” said Sakari. He further hopes the airline will match the pre- COVID level numbers by next summer. But when it comes to the hospitality sector Rajat Gera, Director of Sales and Marketing, Six Senses Fort Barwara shared, “We are just on the brink of revival and have not yet fully recovered when it comes to inbound travel. We are expecting the advent of international travellers to India only by Q4 of 2022, which has been due for a long time. In early 2023, we foresee the rise of inbound travel to 50-70% of pre-covid numbers.” On the contrary, Udit Kumar or Brij Hotels said, “We feel that travel has bounced back much stronger than as compared to pre-Covid times. We have seen our hotels beat pre-covid numbers.” Although scheduled international flights have been resumed since March-end, Arora notes that the numbers are still low as compared to 2019. Indiantourismisseeingstiffcompetitionfromcountries like Thailand, the UAE and even Nepal. “The inbound tourism sector is forecasted to witness a rebound in growth. We are expecting a lot of movement from the UK, Europe and the USA in next few months which is the peak season in India, but I think, it will take another 2-3 years for inbound tourism to go back to pre- pandemic levels.” Step well dining at Six Senses Fort Barwara, Rajasthan 18| L U X E B O O K | S E P T E MB E R 2 0 2 2 S E P T E MB E R 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 19