Online Travel Agents

India will be among our top 3 markets in 3 years: Agoda's global CEO

Morgenshtern noted that India is not only the company's top market for growing it's tech workforce but also one of the only three countries where it advertises

Probe agencies line up measures to crack down on illegal travel agents

According to the data that the government provided in Parliament last year, the Centre and states had notified 3,094 'illegal agents' on the eMigrate Portal until October 2024

25 travel agents booked for illegally advertising jobs: Punjab police

Twenty-five travel agents in Punjab have been booked for illegally advertising employment opportunities on social media, said police on Wednesday. The action came after the Protector of Emigrants under the Ministry of External Affairs red-flagged the advertising on social media for jobs in foreign countries by such unscrupulous travel agencies. In a statement, Additional Director General of Police (NRI Affairs) Praveen K Sinha said these travel agencies were advertising jobs abroad without possessing the requisite licence and permissions. "We checked the online platforms, verified their credentials covertly and registered FIRs against them," he said, adding that a total of 20 FIRs have been registered under the Emigration Acts at various NRI police stations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur and SAS Nagar. The ADGP said this operation specifically targeted those illegal travel agents, who were advertising on online platforms, offering promisi

Budget 2024: Travel agents expect GST rate rationalisation for tourism

Travel agents body TAAI on Monday sought a slew of measures, including simple visa requirements and encouraging visa-free entry for tourists visiting India, rationalisation of GST rates and GST credit, and industry status for all stakeholders in the segment, among others, for the domestic travel and tourism sector, which contributes 5.8 per cent to the India's economy. "The Union Budget 2024 holds significant expectations for India's travel and tourism sector. India's travel and tourism sector contributes 5.8 per cent to the GDP and aims for a target of USD 1 trillion by 2047. We hope the budget addresses these priorities," Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) said. It said that these measures, if implemented, can significantly enhance India's travel and tourism industry, benefiting both businesses and travellers, it said. Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) in a statement also said that despite its various representations on concerns of ease of doing business, goods and

ixigo IPO to put spotlight on Easy Trip, Yatra; Are they worth your money?

ixigo share price: Analysts caution against chasing the momentum in the online travel agencies, given the cyclical nature of the travel industry

Govt's 20% TCS policy unfair on domestic operators: Travel agents

Overseas travel firms have been granted exemption of up to Rs 7 lakh before TCS kicks in; no such benefit for domestic ones

OYO travel agent enrollment reports sharp uptick of 150% in FY23

Hospitality technology platform OYO on Wednesday said it has witnessed over 150 per cent growth in travel agency enrollment in the financial year ended March 31. The company attributed the growth to the travel resurgence in India over the last few years, that widened business opportunities for travel agencies. A total of over 5,300 travel agencies across India worked with OYO in the financial year ended on March 31, 2023, compared to approximately 2,100 travel agencies in fiscal year 2021-22. The growth is equally distributed across all regions in India and supported by travel agencies of different sizes and scales, the company said. OYO has a large network of over 17,000 hotels globally. A large portion of these hotels are in India spread across 400 cities in India. "Collaborating with travel agencies is not just about expanding our reach, it's about cultivating a partnership that fosters mutual growth. "They play a crucial role in our business growth by distributing our hotel .

Go First insolvency: Travel agents claim Rs 900 crore stuck, seek govt help

TAAI President Jyoti Mayal said there was an apprehension that the travel industry and customers would lose the amounts due to them for services not rendered by the airline

TAFI asks Go First to process refunds using money deposited in credit shell

Amid uncertainty over tickets booked by passengers with crisis-hit Go First, a travel agents' body on Friday urged the carrier to make the refunds from the agents' funds deposited in a credit shell with the airline. The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has also urged Go First that the ticket refund amount be directly credited to the agents' bank accounts as many passengers are seeking refunds. TAFI, which has more than 1,400 members, in a letter to Go First CEO Kaushik Khona said that thousands of tickets need to be cancelled due to the suspension of flights. Go First has cancelled all flights till May 9 and has suspended sale of tickets till May 15. On GoFirst's website, bookings are available from May 23 but there was no official word on whether the suspension of ticket sales has been extended beyond May 15. "Hundreds of travel agents across the country have placed substantial deposits with your airline in a credit shell to be used for immediate and future bookings and w

Budget 2023 does not meet expectations of travel agents: Apex body TAAI

Travel agents apex body TAAI on Thursday expressed its "disappointment" over the Union Budget for financial year 2023-24, saying that it does not meet any of its expectations or demands. TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India), however, said it applauds the Finance Minister's idea of promoting travel on a 'mission mode.' "With the Union Budget 2023-24, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has shown solidarity towards the tourism sector and has left the travel fraternity hopeful. However, there is a huge wave of disappointment among the travel agent fraternity as the budget holds nothing for this large section," the association said. The travel agents fraternity, according to TAAI president Jyoti Mayal, contributes 11 per cent of employment and generate over 10 per cent of revenue contributing to the GDP. "Nothing has been done to our request on ease of doing business, be it on TCS abolishment or ITC for tour operators on inter-state GST credit which is one of the main concerns ...

Air India bookings hit as inventory goes off platforms for travel agents

Travel association seeks clarity from national carrier about the problem in their peak business season

Indian travel market to cross $125 billion by FY27, says report

The surge in travel is fueled by improving airport infrastructure and increasing access to passports

Air India allowing travel agents to sell seats only on select flights

Air India said it has received several complaints from passengers about overcharging by agents or their sub-agents

Air India harassing travels agents selling Vande Bharat tickets: Group

Air India is being 'monopolistic', says group representing travel agents.

Nobody should pay more for tickets via agents on Vande Bharat flights: Govt

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic

40% tourism firms staring at complete shutdown risk in next 6 mnths: Report

The report said that 81 per cent travel and tourism companies have lost their revenue up to 100 per cent

Govt seeks ticket refund details from airlines as travel agents complain

Several airlines have suspended refund facility to travel agents while making weekly payments of sales.

Airlines, travel agents seek relief as they fly into coronavirus turbulence

Globally, airlines have grounded aircraft and slashed flights as governments have suspended visas and restricted travel to stop the spread of Covid-19

GST on e-commerce: Online travel agents liable to deduct 1% tax at source

In cases where someone is selling their products, there is no requirement to collect tax at source