Over 2 million Indians traveled to the U.S., between January and November 2024, as per the latest data from the U.S. International Trade Administration. This is 26% more than the same period in 2023.
Tourism levels also surpassed pre-Covid numbers. In the first 11 months of 2019, the U.S. received over 1.37 million Indians.
The U.S. Mission to India said last week that it issued more than 1 million nonimmigrant visas for the second consecutive year in 2024. As of September-end last year, at least 6 million people already held non-immigrant visas.
Ramped Up Visa Efforts: Without sharing numbers, the U.S. Embassy said that it issued a record number of visitor visas amid a “huge demand of Indians for travel to the United States for tourism, business, and education.”
It said that it has worked to increase processing of interview waiver-eligible non-immigrant visa applicants to make it easier for Indians to get visa renewals. This has helped the Mission to redirect its resources to focus on in-person interviews.
The U.S. Mission also has two new consulates coming up in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, and is assigning more consular officers to India. In September, it announced additional 250,000 visa appointments across categories.
Keen to reduce visa wait times, the U.S. Embassy in Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad operated on a Saturday in December as part of its Super Saturdays initiative to process more applications.
Hotel Tech Startup Guestara Raises $500,000 Million
AI-powered guest management startup Guestara has raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding. The capital has been funded by travel and hospitality tech entrepreneurs, it said.
Launched in September last year, the startup is an AI-enabled guest management platform aiming to centralize and automate hospitality functions. Its services include providing contactless mobile check-in, personalized upselling, smart checkout, and omnichannel guest engagement, among others. The solutions have been designed to integrate with property management systems.
It has onboarded hotels and short-term rentals as beta clients and has an inventory of over 2,000 keys. According to Guestara, its clients also include hotels under three global hospitality chains. Co-founder and CEO Akshay Dekate shared that the platform is being used by hotels and short-term rentals in India, the U.S., and Australia.
Guestara plans to develop AI-based solutions that would streamline hotel operations, boost guest satisfaction, and look for new revenue opportunities for hotels. Its goal is to onboard 2 million rooms globally. Through this funding, it is looking to quicken product development, as well as expand its reach.
Data We Love: Travel Searches by Indians in 2024
Searches for tourist attractions, hotels, travel agents, and taxi services surged by 27% year-over-year in 2024, according to search platform JustDial. The platform revealed that last year, both domestic and international travel searches were robust as Indians are returning to leisure activities.
JustDial data also revealed that the growth in travel-related searches was stronger for Tier-2 cities at 30% as against 19% in Tier-1 localities. This meant that travelers are looking to visit less urbanized destinations within India.
Searches for activities such as amusement and water parks have also grown by 36% year-on-year. Temples have also remained a highly searched category among Indians, JustDial noted.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson Shares Future Plans
Full-service airline Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson has shared that the airline will continue to expand globally over the next few years, driven by a strong order book. It currently has a network of 100 domestic and international destinations.
Last month, Air India ordered 100 additional aircraft from Airbus, building on its massive order for 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing in 2023.
In his new year message, Wilson added, “Multiple customer-facing initiatives have been deployed, including upgraded inflight catering, new amenities, and the rollout of streaming entertainment on all aircraft.”
He shared that in the three years since Air India’s acquisition by the Tata Group, more than 100 new aircraft have been deployed, including the new Airbus A350 aircraft on the Delhi-London and Delhi-New York routes. According to Wilson, the interior retrofit of its single-aisle fleet will be completed by mid-2025.
Goa’s Tourism Numbers
Indian tourists to Goa went up by 27% in the last week of December as compared to the same period in 2023, the state tourism board said this week. Between December 20 and 31, the Dabolim airport in Goa handled over 120,000 passengers from 683 domestic flights.
Goa Tourism, however, noted that during the 11-day period, it only received 4,700 passengers from 27 international flights, despite it being peak tourism season for the destination. Official Goa Tourism figures show that foreign arrivals in 2023 weren’t even half of 2019 levels: Just 450,000 visitors versus 937,000.
This has come as the state’s tourism industry faces backlash on social media, with complaints about overpriced cabs, hotels, and declining infrastructure. Many users have shared their disappointing experiences, suggesting that destinations like Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Thailand offer better value for money.
Guwahati is India’s Fastest-Growing Tourist Destination
Guwahati in Assam is the fastest-growing tourist destination in India for international travelers visiting the country, according to online travel company Agoda. According to the platform, its river cruises, connection to the Kaziranga National Park, and improving air connectivity have contributed to its popularity.
For domestic travel, the top emerging destination was Puri in Odisha, a key religious tourism destination. The city is home to the Jagannath Temple, a major pilgrimage destination for Hindu devotees. Along with the temple, the city also has a beach that is also attracting tourists, Agoda noted.
For Indians traveling abroad, Malaysia’s Langkawi was the top emerging hotspot.
